10 WrestleMania 41 Card Predictions After WWE Royal Rumble 2025

1. Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk

WWE WrestleMania 41 Cody Rhodes CM Punk
WWE

Prediction: The teaser confrontation WWE placed on Raw before the Rumble will prove to be a key part of video packages building towards Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk at 'Mania 41. Also, Punk will win Elimination Chamber and become the new number one contender for Cody's WWE Title, not John Cena. It'll break some hearts, but business is business.

Cena will be absolutely fine - he can win the World belt at some other point during his retirement tour.

Punk chasing Cody is money. His attentions would soon turn from headlining WrestleMania (which has been elusive since his first run with the company) to winning the big one again and proving he still has what it takes to lead the promotion as champion. On the other side, Rhodes would start to exhibit some more heelish tendencies and set the table for a full blown villainous run after losing a prize he fought so hard to win in 2023 and 2024.

That promo on Raw proved that there's electricity between these guys. They're both huge stars who can go in the ring and are great on the mic, and they both have valid claims to being amongst the most popular wrestlers in the biz today. This is exactly the kind of featured attraction both returned to WWE for.

Cody vs. Cena can wait. Rhodes vs. Punk is where it's at for 'Mania 41. 'Poster Boy' vs. 'Anything But The Poster Boy Since He Debuted' is one hell of a story, and Triple H is the lucky promoter who gets to tell it.

What other matches do you think WWE could book for WrestleMania 41? For more wrestling, check out WWE 2K25: 10 Biggest Reveals (So Far) and 5 New Directions For WWE After Royal Rumble 2025

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.