TAMPA - When employees showed up for work at Cricket Wireless Store on Dale Mabry Highway at 5 a.m. Tuesday, wrestling fans already were lining up outside.
By the time the former WWE SmackDown Tag Team champions Jimmy and Jey Uso arrived for a promotional appearance at 11, a long line snaked from the door of the store at 15231 N Dale Mabry.
About 260 people were able to meet their heroes and get autographs.
"They brought big belts and T-shirts and posters to get signed,'' said Cricket Wireless spokeswoman Karen McAllister. The twins high-fived with fans and spent time talking with each one they met, she said.
The three-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions were born in California and attended Escambia High School in Pensacola. They started in Florida Championship Wrestling and soon moved on to the WWE national stage.
According to the organization's web site, Jey and his brother, Jimmy, the twin sons of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, "bubbled under the radar for years as a workhorse tag team in WWE before finally hitting the big time while embracing their Samoan heritage. The brothers gained acclaim by flying across the ring in bright colors, flying tassels and dazzling war paint. They've twice won the WWE Tag Team Championship and Slammy for Tag Team of the Year.''
Now the Usos sport a more menacing look, opting for black T-shirts, black hoodies and a, "mean streak that needs to be seen to be believed," according to the site. They're described as the most ruthless tag team walking WWE today, and they're no longer actively seeking approval from the WWE Universe.
Given the crowd at Cricket, the bad boy image hasn't dented the team's popularity.