WWE Unreal takes fans inside the writers’ room at WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where the creative team was deep in discussions about the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble. Triple H posed the key question: “So, who do you see winning the Rumble?” The immediate response from several members of the team was CM Punk. There was also serious consideration given to John Cena. At the time, the tentative plans for WrestleMania 41 featured two high-profile matches emerging from the Rumble: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena and CM Punk vs. Gunther.
But then came an unexpected proposal from veteran WWE writer Ed Koskey. “If I could get the math to work, I’d love to put Jey (Uso) in one of those spots,” Koskey said. That sparked support from WWE’s Vice President of Creative Writing and Booking, Michael “P.S.” Hayes, who argued that Uso had organically become one of the hottest stars in the company.
“I think in the case of Jey Uso, when somebody catches fire, they just catch fire,” Hayes explained. “And sometimes you have to alternate all your plans. Who do we have on our roster that’s hot, that hopefully is maybe new and fresh, and all of a sudden, Jey Uso is checking all those boxes.”
In the end, WWE shifted course. Jey Uso was chosen as the 2025 Royal Rumble winner and would go on to face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena still went ahead, but CM Punk was left without the Rumble win.
The behind-the-scenes look confirmed that Punk was originally considered the top choice, but the undeniable rise of Jey Uso forced WWE to rip up their script and crown a new fan favorite on the Road to WrestleMania.
WWE Reveals The Original Matches For WrestleMania 41
On WWE Unreal on Netflix, WWE revealed the originally planned matches for WrestleMania 41:
– Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena
– Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
– World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther vs. CM Punk
– Singles Match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee: Drew McIntyre vs. Bron Breakker
– Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
– WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax
– Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ludwig Kaiser
– Ladder Match for the United States Championship: LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Andrade vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Santos Escobar vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
– AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
– Bad Bunny vs. Dominik Mysterio
– Rey Mysterio (with Travis Scott) vs. Chad Gable
– Wyatt Sicks vs. Judgment Day
RELATED: Top WWE Star Criticizes Travis Scott For Screwing Up The WrestleMania 41 Main Event
