Original WrestleMania 41 Lineup Revealed

WWE’s Unreal docuseries just revealed a massive shake-up in planning that fans never saw coming. An early version of the WrestleMania 41 lineup was detailed in the show, and it looked almost nothing like the card that eventually aired from Las Vegas. From main event switches to scrapped dream matches, the difference is staggering.

It was revealed during the series that WWE originally planned Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Title—not the match fans got in the actual main event. Another major plan had Gunther defending the World Title against CM Punk. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins were booked in a singles bout. Rhea Ripley was set to face Bianca Belair for the Women’s World Title, while Nia Jax was going to take on Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

There were several other big-time matchups on the table. AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul, Bad Bunny vs. Dominik Mysterio, and even a tag match with Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka & IYO SKY were listed. Also part of the early blueprint: The Judgment Day vs. The Wyatt Sicks and two multi-man ladder matches for the U.S. and Intercontinental titles.

The actual WrestleMania 41 featured a very different setup. CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns clashed in a triple threat to headline Night One. Cody Rhodes retained his title against John Cena on Night Two. Other final card matches included Drew McIntyre defeating Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight, Iyo Sky retaining in a triple threat against Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, and Jey Uso toppling Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Original WrestleMania 41 Card (Early Version):

• WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena
• Singles Match: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Gunther vs. CM Punk
• Women’s World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
• WWE Women’s Championship Match: Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill
• Singles Match: Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
• Six-Man Tag Match: The Judgment Day vs. The Wyatt Sicks
• Tag Team Match: Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka & IYO SKY
• Singles Match: AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
• Singles Match: Bad Bunny vs. Dominik Mysterio
• Special Referee Match: Bron Breakker vs. Drew McIntyre (Stone Cold Steve Austin as referee)
• Singles Match: Rey Mysterio (with Travis Kelce) vs. Chad Gable
• Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Bronson Reed
• United States Title Ladder Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Andrade vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes

Actual WrestleMania 41 Matches (Final Card Highlights):

• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Jey Uso vs. Gunther
• World Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. The War Raiders
• Singles Match: Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
• United States Championship Match: Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight
• Singles Match: El Grande Americano vs. Rey Fénix
• WWE Women’s Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair
• Triple Threat Match: Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns
• Women’s World Championship Triple Threat Match: IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
• Sin City Street Fight: Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
• Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Bron Breakker vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor vs. Penta
• Singles Match: Randy Orton vs. Joe Hendry
• Singles Match: Logan Paul vs. AJ Styles
• Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
• Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

WWE clearly had no shortage of big ideas heading into WrestleMania 41. But the final show turned out drastically different from what they first envisioned. Now that the original card is out there, fans are already debating what could’ve been—and which matchups would’ve delivered better.

If you could swap one actual WrestleMania 41 match for something from the original card, what would it be? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know how you would’ve booked it.