"No longer a moniker!" yelled WWE veteran commentator Michael Cole after witnessing Jey Uso's victory in the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match, referring to the Superstar's nickname of "Main Event" Jey Uso. The implication was that Jey's victory would allow him to main event WrestleMania 41 for his title shot. However, while this was a great, emotional call from Michael Cole, it turned out to be an outright lie (to no fault of Michael Cole, of course, who is an absolute legend and was simply put in an unfortunate position there).

The confirmed WrestleMania 41 card sees two main events: Night 1 will be headlined by the triple threat between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk, while Night 2 will see the now-dastardly John Cena try to take the WWE Undisputed Championship away from Cody Rhodes. Jey Uso vs. Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship will likely open one of the two nights, but then, what happened to the Royal Rumble promises?

WWE Lied About Jey Uso Main Eventing WrestleMania

It Was Openly Stated Several Times, but It Won't Happen

While Jey's victory in the Rumble has been controversial, especially after his pick of Gunther as his WrestleMania opponent, very few fans and commentators focused on the eventual spot this match would have in the card. With a stacked roster and plenty of great storylines going on, the finalized card of WWE's most important event would always be a subject for debate, but the revelation that Jey vs. Gunther will not headline either of the nights was still a surprising, and sour, one.

Royal Rumble promo package headline wrestlemania

After all, WWE really made it clear during Royal Rumble 2025 that the winner would main event WrestleMania 41. It was stated in the promo package played before the match, and repeated by ring announcer Alicia Taylor right before the first entrant made his way to the ring. Moreover, the graphics that played on the screen during the match also read that the "winner goes on to main event at WrestleMania". It could not have been clearer than that.

Royal Rumble winner main event Wrestlemania screenshot

So, Michael Cole cannot be blamed for his emotional statement that "Jey Uso is truly the main event at WrestleMania." The card was surely not finalized back in January, but it's still odd that WWE would put so much stock into declaring something only to take it back with no apparent reason. It's also truly a shame now that the Jey Uso vs. Gunther feud has heated up over the last couple of weeks, making this match a must-see.

Winning the Royal Rumble Does NOT Guarantee the Main Event of WrestleMania

Did WWE Change Plans?

Jey-Uso-Gunther

Technically, winning the Royal Rumble match guarantees a title shot at WrestleMania, not a main event spot. In the past, many Superstars have won the match and failed to headline The Show of Shows. However, for the 2025 edition of the Rumble, WWE went out of its way to make sure everyone knew that the winner would secure the main event spot. Perhaps they really wanted to go all-in on Jey's "Main Event" nickname, but the result has been a big blowback.

The question is, of course, why Jey vs. Gunther should not be the main event of Night 1, and the answer, at the moment, seems to be CM Punk. Wanting to be part of the main event of 'Mania has always been a big part of the Second City Saint's story, and this year, he finally got what he wished for. However, was this always planned, or did WWE change plans to adjust to the negative reaction some fans had towards Jey during his feud with Gunther?

It could also be a simple matter of giving Punk what he wants, as he's at the stage of his career where it's uncertain if he will be fit to compete at another WrestleMania. While the reason may be unclear, the result isn't: the World Heavyweight Championship got slighted, and Jey Uso did not live up to his "Main Event" moniker, yet. But more tragically, WWE turned Michael Cole into an unwilling liar.