Who CM Punk Would Have Picked To Win The Royal Rumble
CM Punk failed to book his place in the main event of WrestleMania at the Royal Rumble but he wasn’t even his own choice to win the iconic match.
CM Punk entered the 2025 Royal Rumble looking for a win that would have given him the elusive WrestleMania main event match that he has long craved. Ultimately, Punk fell short as Logan Paul dumped him over the top rope ending those dreams for another year. Jey Uso won the Royal Rumble match by last eliminating John Cena.
But it seems as though CM Punk has got a taste of doing what’s best for business and perhaps that’s why he wouldn’t have picked himself to win the Rumble match.
CM Punk Wanted Old Rival To Win The Royal Rumble
Speaking on Good Guy/Bad Guy, CM Punk was asked if he was disappointed at losing the Rumble and missing out on that coveted WrestleMania main event again but it seems he’s happier to lose at this point in his career:
I think early in my career, I would say yes. I think now, I’m actually more inclined to pitch losing things. Because I think there is a broader story to tell. Oh, 100 per cent. It’s all about the chase. The most recent example I can give you is Cody [Rhodes] losing to Roman [Reigns] at WrestleMania 39. That was Cody’s time. He loses in the main event and it’s just like — man. And he spends the entire year as like a redemption arc and he chases the title and he wins it at [WrestleMania] 40.
Punk then explained how he would have booked the Rumble match and noted he’d have had John Cena win the whole thing:
The Rumble didn’t go the way I would have booked it, so to speak. Since we’re just peeling back the curtain so much here: I would have had me and Cena as the last two guys. And I would’ve had Cena throw my ass over the top rope, you know? Because I think at this stage, I think losing is so much more valuable than winning. I’m almost afraid of me winning everything that I’ve ever dreamed of because what do I do then?
John Cena and CM Punk will go head-to-head in Toronto on March 1 after CM Punk qualified for the Elimination Chamber on Raw. John Cena already declared his entry into the Chamber match as he looks to earn a title shot and ultimately win his 17th world title.