Jey Uso Shocks The World, Seth Rollins Destroys Roman Reigns

Jey Uso won the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble and secured himself a spot in the main event of WrestleMania 41. Yes, that’s not a typo: Jey Uso won the Royal Rumble.

WWE assembled one of the most star-studded Royal Rumble fields ever this year, a lineup of heavy hitters ranging from Drew McIntyre to John Cena Roman Reigns to Logan Paul. But in the end, none of those stars could prevent the wildly popular Uso from outlasting 29 stars for a career-defining win and guaranteed WrestleMania world title match.

The final four of the match came down to Uso, Cena, CM Punk and Logan Paul. But Paul eliminated Punk and Cena took out Paul, and Uso shocked the world by tossing Cena over the top rope to a thunderous ovation from the WWE crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

Now, Uso has punched his ticket to WrestleMania 41, pulling off perhaps the biggest upset in Royal Rumble history by winning the most star-studded 30-man battle royal ever.

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Among the significant eliminations, moments and entrants in the men’s Royal Rumble match were:

• Rey Mysterio and Penta entered at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, starting off the match hot with a battle between two of the greatest luchadores ever.
• Bron Breakker entered at No. 7 to a chorus of barks from the crowd and eliminated Carmelo Hayes in a matter of seconds. Roughly a minute later, he tossed Santos Escobar out from the match as well.
• YouTube star IShowSpeed replaced Akira Tozawa as the No. 8 entrant after Hayes attacked Tozawa in the entranceway. IShowSpeed actually eliminated Otis before Breakker destroyed him with a devastating spear and tossed him over the top and into the arms of Otis, who clobbered him with a fallaway slam.
• Jacob Fatu entered at No. 12, immediately hit a double Samoan Drop on Penta and Mysterio simulatenously, then eliminated Mysterio, Chad Gable and Andrade. The crowd cheered loudly for a brief showdown between Fatu and Breakker.
• Ludwig Kaiser, the 13th entrant, was quickly tossed out by Penta but narrowly escaped setting the record for the quickest Royal Rumble appearance held by Santino Marella.
• TNA World Champion Joe Hendry entered at No. 15, and the crowd erupted with a star-like reaction for the popular star, who had previously appeared on NXT.
• Roman Reigns entered surprisingly early at No. 16 and instantly tossed out The Miz, Sheamus and Hendry before a big face-to-face with Breakker, who nearly split Reigns in half with a devastating spear. Reigns, however, was able to immediately turn the tables on Breakker and toss him out. Fatu eliminated Jimmy Uso, and the ring was cleared for a showdown between Reigns and Fatu, which announcer Michael Cole called a tease of a “future WrestleMania main event.”
• AJ Styles made his surprise return as the No. 21 entrant. He has been out of action since October 2024.
• Braun Strowman, the 22nd entrant, was able to instantly eliminate his rival Fatu, who went berserk destroying the ringside area.
• John Cena was the No. 23 entrant, and his earlier-than-expected appearance received the pop of the night from the Indianapolis crowd. He quickly eliminated both Braun Strowman and Finn Balor before a memorable showdown with Reigns. CM Punk, at No. 25, also received a massive pop and joined on for a three-way staredown with Punk and Reigns.
• Jey Uso inadvertently eliminated Sami Zayn with a Superkick on the apron. Not long after, Damian Priest shockingly eliminated Drew McIntyre. LA Knight then eliminated Priest, who was then eliminated by Styles, who was in turn tossed out by No. 30, Logan Paul.
• A late-match showdown between Reigns and Seth Rollins had the fans in Indianapolis on the edge of their seats.
• Punk eliminated Reigns and Rollins as the two stars battled on the top rope, and the crowd went crazy. Punk was then immediately thrown over the top rope by Paul much to the crowd’s dismay, and then, Punk and Rollins brawled on the outside of the ring. Rollins also laid out Reigns with a Stomp on the steel steps, potentially hinting at an unexpected upcoming feud between Reigns and Rollins.
• The final three came down to Cena, Paul and Uso. Cena hoisted up both Uso and Paul on his shoulders in an incredible display of strength and then clotheslined Paul over the top rope to eliminate him.
• Uso last eliminated Cena by knocking him off the apron.

All of those moments seemingly laid the groundwork for potentially significant WrestleMania 41 matches, which is exactly what the 30-man’s battle royal should accomplish. It’s, of course, not just about who wins the Royal Rumble. It’s about the stories told within the match, too.

WWE Royal Rumble Winner Jey Uso Secures WrestleMania 41 Main Event

But coming out of the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble, there is no bigger story than Uso winning the Royal Rumble and punching his ticket to WrestleMania 41.

In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, it was a giant guessing game as to who would win the match, a result of the sheer star power involved and reports hinting at the potential WrestleMania main events. Everything from Gunther vs. Seth Rollins to Gunther vs. Paul to John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes, who defeated Kevin Owens, had been reported as a possible WrestleMania world title match, leading to more questions than answer heading into Indianapolis.

On Saturday night, WWE fans got their answer when Uso won the match, setting off a domino effect that will affect a slew of other top stars.

Rest assured, after all, that virtually no one had Uso winning the men’s Royal Rumble on their Royal Rumble bingo card. His victory in the most stacked Rumble ever certainly threw a wrench into whatever the majority of WWE fans expected to happen in Indianapolis.

Now, there are so many uncertainties heading into WrestleMania season.

Do Rollins, Reigns and Punk find themselves in a triple threat match after what transpired outside the ring? Will Cena still make his way to a match with Rhodes? Does Uso target Gunther after already losing two matches against “The Ring General?”

In what was one of most masterfully booked Royal Rumbles ever, WWE laid the framework for so many marquee feuds. But Uso emerged as the biggest winner of them all, pulling off an upset for the ages and setting himself up for the most important match of his career at WrestleMania 41.

Uso’s unexpected win will be a huge talking point heading into this week’s Raw and SmackDown, not just because it was unforeseen but also because of the effect it will have on Punk, Cena, Reigns and so many other top stars. That, in turn, should generate significant fan interest in the happenings on Raw and SmackDown this week.

And isn’t that the point? Just as the Royal Rumble should be a catalyst to creating new stars. Well, it isn’t yet.

But if Uso can win at WrestleMania 41, he will solidify himself as a top star of the present and the future in WWE.