Some people love Jey Uso and the work he has done, while others do not. Putting aside fans’ personal preferences between two very different superstars, the question remains: who will win between Jey Uso and Gunther in their World Heavyweight title match at WrestleMania?
The consensus pick was for Jey to come out on top, but the momentum is shifting slightly online, adding doubt to a seemingly apparent feel-good moment. It may very well be that Gunther is the star getting his signature win at WrestleMania, or it could finally be time to give Jey his flowers.
Both options come with some potential drawbacks and a lot of upsides. So, who has the best odds then?
JEY USO just won the 2025 Men's #RoyalRumble Match! pic.twitter.com/xAy0S6ArHn
— WWE (@WWE) February 2, 2025
A Tale of the Tape for Who Wins Between Jey Uso and Gunther
Going into the match, Gunther and Jey have very different resumes. Starting on the Road to WrestleMania last year, Jey was embroiled in a feud against his family with Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn. He beat his brother Jimmy in a lackluster singles match, leading to a year of falling just short against the likes of Damian Priest, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre in main events.
He did have a brief run as Intercontinental Champion and a feud with Bron Breakker also. Despite his losses, he showcased remarkable resiliency and staying power. When he won the Royal Rumble in a shocking finish to a superb match.
That locked in his spot on the WrestleMania card. The crowds have been solidly behind Jey with each appearance and remain with him still.
Gunther started his year by losing his Intercontinental title to Sami Zayn. Unlike Uso’s short reign, his had gone on for 666 days, and Zayn gave him his first pinfall loss on the main roster. Taking some time away, Gunther returned to enter and win the King of the Ring Tournament.
That gave him a title match against Damian Priest at SummerSlam which he won, and he has defended the championship he won that night ever since, fighting Priest, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, and his current rival Jey Uso throughout the year.
His Imperium faction has slowly faded away from the presentation, focusing instead on Gunther’s signature arrogance as the “Ring General“.
The Case for a Gunther Retention at WrestleMania
If the current champion is who wins between Jey Uso and Gunther, a lot of very dedicated wrestling fans would be happy. Gunther has made every single one of his matches exciting, and he very rarely deviates from his powerful chops and crisp holds and slams on offense. This championship reign has been fairly quiet in terms of quality competition.
His feud against Damian Priest was overshadowed by the imploding Judgment Day and by a poor premise of class and privilege in a title match. He and Randy Orton had some heat, too, but it was a one-off match, which was great.
To date, his only real rival, where he and they are the main focus, has been Jey Uso. That is hardly enough time to solidify a title reign, even if all the matches have been enjoyable.
precise pic.twitter.com/QKF9vXHF1V
— GUNTHER (@Gunther_AUT) September 4, 2024
Gunther’s retaining at Mania will put him over a man who is probably the most over superstar on Raw, even above the iconic CM Punk. His win against Randy Orton is a high point, but most high-profile opponents beat him. After the Royal Rumble, Jey – not Gunther – has the momentum advantage.
Halting that in another great match will do a lot to entrench Gunther at the top of the brand and as a fixture of the main event for a long time to come. The WWE needs top heels and faces to sell out shows for television, PLE, and on the live circuit.
Cody Rhodes seems to have the face side of the equation well guarded, but without a consistent top heel, the balance is off. Crushing the Yeet movement could truly elevate Gunther to be Cody’s opposite, the yin to his yang.
#AndNew World Champion in Jey Uso
Momentum means a lot in WWE, and it could be the deciding factor in who wins between Jey Uso and Gunther. Jey Uso has a ton of it, even as the discourse amongst fans has blunted it a little bit. His rise feels meteoric, especially taken in the context of his early career as a smiling son of Rikishi and a tag team specialist with his brother Jimmy.
His run through the tag team division as the heroic face to the top heel, to a Bloodline enforcer, and now the singles star has given him years of storyline not dissimilar to Kofi Kingston or Daniel Bryan before him. There is a narrative draw to that story, mainly that it works.
Beyond the classic wrestling feud premise, Jey’s winning also makes a ton of sense for his character.
Jey has consistently been portrayed as an equal to his family’s most prominent current star, Roman Reigns. The latter, though, has got a career-defining run at the top of WWE and a back catalog of impressive matches.
WWE needs to give somebody else in Bloodline the gravitas that Reigns has, especially as they try to use that faction to launch younger talent like Solo Sikoa or new stars like Jacob Fatu. Jey is the closest, and a WrestleMania win and world title will do enough to make a match with him matter.
Having a credible face that your top heels can face is a big part of wrestling, and WWE’s go-to guys like AJ Styles or Randy Orton are getting older now. They need some new names, and Jey has put in the work to earn that right over the past two years.
Jey Uso and Gunther at WrestleMania 41 Prediction
Both winners could make a lot of sense. Likewise, both men are probably not going to hold the title beyond Money in the Bank in June. With only two months to go before their reigns, which superstar has the most upside and will keep the WrestleMania 41 card exciting?
Even with the recent shift in sentiment, Jey Uso is the most likely winner. He is also the right choice. Gunther beating Jey will have one more feud on Raw, and it is not at all apparent who that feud will be with.
It could be Sami Zayn, who hasn’t been seen and likely will not have a major role at WrestleMania. It could be a star traded to Raw, like an LA Knight, Logan Paul, or even Cody Rhodes, but that also gives him very little time.
Without a real reign after WrestleMania, you have to balance the card’s results. The John Cena heel turn seems to be a prologue to a corporate champion-like run, so a Jey win gives us two new champs and keeps the face and heel alignment intact.
There are more emerging heels than faces on Raw as well, with the likes of Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Bron Breakker all looking like dastardly world champions in waiting. A transitionary run for Jey brings balance, opportunity, and a huge moment for a tenured veteran, and he should win the big one at WrestleMania.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on Jey Uso, Gunther, WWE, WrestleMania 41, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and Peacock (WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed).
