{"id":133776,"date":"2025-04-16T08:24:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=133776"},"modified":"2025-04-16T08:24:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:24:24","slug":"royal-rumble-winners-not-main-eventing-wwe-wrestlemania-whats-that-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/04\/16\/royal-rumble-winners-not-main-eventing-wwe-wrestlemania-whats-that-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Royal Rumble Winners Not Main-Eventing WWE WrestleMania, What&#8217;s That About?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recently, the WWE announced that WWE WrestleMania 41 Night One\u2019s main event will be Punk, Reigns, and Rollins in a triple-threat match. They also announced that John Cena and Cody Rhodes will close out the weekend in Night Two\u2019s main event. Neither of those matches features Jey Uso or Charlotte Flair, who both won the Royal Rumble in February to earn the \u201cMain Event of WrestleMania\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why is this? Is it simply that they are not worthy? Are there too many big matches? Or is it just that winning the Royal Rumble does not mean what it used to? Let\u2019s explore what could be the real issue behind what is going on with rumble winners. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What Even is the Royal Rumble?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Uj4oYSsBycE?si=x7oBgv2hjArWF5RJ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Royal Rumble began in 1988 as Pat Patterson&#8217;s brainchild. It was originally broadcast on the USA Network. The winner, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, walked away with nothing more than the bragging rights of being the first man to call himself a \u201cRumble winner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 1988, that title meant nothing; it would take one more year for the event to garner its own Pay-Per-View status and become one of the company\u2019s \u201cbig four\u201d pay-per-view events. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 1993, a stipulation was added to the event, naming its winner the WrestleMania Main Eventer, thus giving the event even higher stakes. Then WWF struck gold at a yearly gathering of all its biggest names, vying for the top spot on the biggest card of the year. The only exception to this rule came in 1999 and 2016, when the competitors battled it out for the WWE Championship.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Notable WWE WrestleMania Main Event Misses<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SmalWq894dk?si=fdrkVCft34XtX6Oc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most recently, Jey Uso will not be in the main event; many believe Jey cannot carry a main event program in the ring (despite his nickname). Also, Charlotte Flair will not be in the main event of either night this year. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fan reaction to the queen is not worthy of a main event role. From 2017 through 2019, only one winner was in the main event of WWE WrestleMania: Becky Lynch (2019). Before that, only four people had missed the main event over the previous 12 years. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Some of those not being tapped for the main event could be seen as unproven entities throughout the years, such as Shinsuke Nakamura (2018), Sheamus (2012), Alberto Del Rio (2011), and even Rey Mysterio back in 2006. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Whether it be not proven to carry the main event scene or just simply not a big enough name, we believe there is yet another statistic that stands out glaringly that could provide the real reason for the \u201cmain event winner\u201d losing their position.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Big Names, Big Matches<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Four names to know: Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Charlotte Flair, and Roman Reigns. The three men have been the WrestleMania opponents of ten of the last twenty male winners. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On the women\u2019s side, Charlotte Flair has been the opponent for almost half of the winners all time (3 out of 8). This shows us that the bigger the name, the greater the chance of closing WrestleMania. It makes complete sense when you look at how top-heavy the WWE product has become through the years. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Whether it be Reigns, Rhodes, Punk, Flair, Lynch, or Cena, if you can build a story around one of these superstars, then the main event role is yours. This year, for instance, our Rumble winners will be facing Tiffany Stratton and Gunther. Stratton has not had the time nor the experience to close the show, and the feud between Stratton and Flair just has not gotten the response or traction the WWE was hoping for. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Many could argue that Gunther is more than worthy of carrying Jey to a main event position; however, with Punk, Rollins, and Reigns being on the card alongside Cena and Rhodes, we would need a third night to justify putting Uso and Gunther on last.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is a Main Event?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you ask most people what they would consider the main event, they would say whoever goes on last. For years, WWE has promoted that \u201cMain Event\u201d means the superstars are in a promoted match throughout the card. You could argue that opening the show could be a main event. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">However, putting Tiffany Stratton versus Charlotte Flair on night one in the middle is far from a \u201cMain Event\u201d spot. If WWE wants to fix this issue, they should begin labelling the prize of the Royal Rumble as a \u201cchampionship opportunity of their choosing at WrestleMania\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is a simple correction that we could see as soon as next year, since there are so many ways to get to the true \u201cMain Event of WWE WrestleMania\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0for more on WWE Evolve 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.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Netflix<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>USA Network<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>The CW<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Tubi<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Peacock<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>YouTube<\/i><\/a><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/a><i>).<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, the WWE announced that WWE WrestleMania 41 Night One\u2019s main event will be Punk, Reigns, and Rollins in a triple-threat match. They also announced that John Cena and Cody Rhodes will close out the weekend in Night Two\u2019s main event. Neither of those matches features Jey Uso or Charlotte Flair, who both won the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5529,"featured_media":133791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4],"tags":[77,76,396,8907,8906,9016],"class_list":["post-133776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","tag-roman-reigns","tag-seth-rollins","tag-wrestlemania","tag-wrestlemania-41","tag-wwe-wrestlemania","tag-wwe-wrestlemania-41"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5529"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133776"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133792,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133776\/revisions\/133792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}