KVSP WWE burning questions for the Road to WrestleMania 41: Who wins the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and more
Written by Lucky Wilson | KJMM.COM on January 9, 2025
The start of every new year leads to the most exciting time of the year for wrestling fans: The Road to WrestleMania. With the approach of WrestleMania 41, minds are racing with the possibilities of what could come at the biggest event of the year.
Of course, there are a few major stops before WrestleMania 41 touches down at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19 and 20. World title challengers will be determined at the Royal Rumble on Feb. 1 and Elimination Chamber on March 1. This is a string of some of the biggest events on the wrestling calendar.
With all that in mind, the CBS Sports wrestling experts sat down to make five predictions about what we will see leading up to — and at — WrestleMania 41. Read on to see what we expect over the coming months.
1. Who is going to win the Royal Rumble?
I’m going to say Cena gets the win here. It feels like a given that he’s in a world title match at WrestleMania and, sure, WWE could choose to play on the “losing streak” storyline and have him come up short in February and have a “last chance” at Elimination Chamber, but I think having Cena win and hyping up his title match during Netflix appearances makes more sense. Of course, some of that goes to an old school mentality based around “needing” to build matches to boost live gate numbers and pay-per-view buys, two things the WWE machine doesn’t struggle with (or that aren’t relevant in the case of PPV). Still, Cena’s final run including standing tall as a Royal Rumble winner feels like a visual they want to lock in and it’s also an avenue that presents less of an injury risk than an appearance inside the Elimination Chamber. — Brent Brookhouse
My world title frontrunners for WrestleMania 41 are Gunther vs. John Cena and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. If we must omit Cena from contention, there’s only one direction I’d go. Orton likely won’t match Cena’s world title reign record but he can tie “Stone Cold” Steve Austin by winning his third Royal Rumble. Rhodes vs. Orton can draw a lot of source material from Orton’s mentorship of Rhodes in the Legacy faction. WWE should capitalize on the opportunity before the injury bug bites Orton again. — Shakiel Mahjouri
2. Who is going to win the Elimination Chamber?
Based on the assumption that Cena will challenge Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE championship, we need to line up a challenger for world heavyweight champion Gunther and that challenger should be CM Punk. It has always been a sticking point for Punk that he never was given the opportunity to main event a WrestleMania. That could change by having Punk win in the Elimination Chamber. Gunther and Punk also match up well as far as in-ring styles. Age has slowed Punk somewhat and he is at his best in hard-hitting brawls, a style where Gunther also excels. Seeing a fired up Punk gunning for arguably the most dangerous man on the roster ahead of the WrestleMania main event that has long eluded him is an easy story to tell, and one that would be a joy to see. — Brookhouse
Cena claimed on the Jan. 6 episode of WWE Raw that winning a 17th world title is “not in the cards” for him. Cena acknowledged that he hadn’t won a singles match in 2,466 days — or more than six-and-a-half years. Failing to win the Royal Rumble further drives Cena’s self-doubt, making it that much sweeter when he defies the odds and becomes No. 1 contender inside the Elimination Chamber. — Mahjouri
3. How much will the new women’s mid-card titles be featured leading up to, and at, WrestleMania 41? As new titles, will they be featured or left to feel as meaningless and thrown together as women’s tag team title programs?
My biggest worry is that WWE won’t give the right amount of focus to make these titles feel truly meaningful. On the SmackDown side, they have a great performer with the United States championship in Chelsea Green. Speaking honestly, I don’t believe WWE will feature the two new titles at WrestleMania beyond short matches and possibly giving Green some sort of comedy segment. — Brookhouse
WrestleMania occurring over two nights provides space to feature both the women’s intercontinental and United States championships. But I’m not convinced those bouts will be pivotal. Booking exciting storylines in the women’s divisions isn’t a strong suit for WWE’s current regime. I’m not convinced the women’s midcard titles will fare much better than the tag division even with Chelsea Green’s marvelous performances. The only silver lining with Raw and SmackDown expanding to three hours means more time can be invested in these titles. Still, I fully expect the new women’s belts will get lost in the shuffle. — Mahjouri
4. What is one major WrestleMania match that isn’t currently on the radar but will come together in the coming months?
Maybe this is stretching the idea of a “major match,” but I’ll shoot a shot at the idea of Pat McAfee vs. Dominik Mysterio. WWE loves to bring McAfee around for their big events and even tossing him in the ring here and there, though in less intense matches than in his past. McAfee runs down Mysterio often while on commentary and it’s a safe match that doesn’t need to overstay its welcome while also exciting the live crowd. McAfee can run through Mysterio in five minutes and it’ll make for a nice moment for all involved. — Brookhouse
Give me Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE women’s championship. Flair has been absent for 13 months after tearing her ACL, MCL and meniscus in a match. The timetable for an ACL recovery — arguably the most severe of the three knee injuries — usually tops out at nine months. Stratton’s first main roster title reign presents her with many challengers, such as Nia Jax and Bianca Belair, but not particularly move me. SmackDown’s women’s division could use the jolt of energy that 14-time world champion Flair brings. — Mahjouri
5. What will be the four top title matches at WrestleMania 41?
Undisputed WWE Championship — Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship — Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
WWE Women’s Championship — Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
— Brookhouse
Undisputed WWE Championship — Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship — Gunther (c) vs. John Cena
WWE Women’s Championship — Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch
— Mahjouri
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