8 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Royal Rumble 2025

4. The Case For Jey

On the flip side to Jey Uso’s shock Royal Rumble victory, there are some interesting arguments in favor of the decision.

Uso is one of the most popular acts on the roster. Match quality seemingly has never mattered less in WWE than it does these days, as most wrestlers are perfectly capable of putting on a decent performance. It really comes down to what they do in the space between moves and crowd reaction.

In that measure, Jey is an upper-tier guy. WWE likely is dreaming of 65,000 fans “yeeting” along to his entrance at WrestleMania 41, blowing the roof off the stadium. He’d be a huge underdog, regardless of which man he challenges, which could rally fans to his side even more. It also is an opportunity to try something different and bold rather than safe. WWE hasn’t really gone with an outside-the-box Rumble winner since Shinsuke Nakamura in 2018.

There also is an interesting possibility of Jey not being the guy who ends up challenging for the title at WrestleMania. There could be wrestlers trying to cajole him to put the opportunity on the line between now and then, forcing him to defend the title shot. Sami Zayn could factor in after Jey super-kicked him out of the Rumble.

Then there’s CM Punk’s favor that Paul Heyman owes him. Could that be ensuring he receives a 'Mania title match, even if the Wise Man has to take something away from a Bloodline member – such as a world title opportunity?

If WWE doesn’t try to pigeonhole Jey as a straight main-event threat ala Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, this could be interesting. Or it could bomb terribly.