Paul Heyman Reveals Ideas WWE Considered For WrestleMania 41 World Title Matches

This past April, the two-night WWE WrestleMania 41 was headlined by a Triple Threat involving Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns, as well as the WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and John Cena. That wasn't always the plan, however, with Paul Heyman offering some insight into the creative process during a recent appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show."

"The original idea for this year's 'Mania was Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins [and] GUNTHER vs. CM Punk," Heyman said. "I think Cody and Cena was always the path. We also discussed, at some point, do we do Cody vs. Roman III? Do they main event a third WrestleMania in a row? That would've been interesting, too. I mean, we explored all options."

Last year, at WWE Survivor Series WarGames, Heyman brought Punk in to help the Original Bloodline take on the new incarnation of the group. According to the longtime WWE creative figure, company officials changed the plan for WrestleMania 41 after seeing how things played out in that storyline.

"The dynamic between Roman and Punk was so fascinating to watch," Heyman stated. "We said, 'Ooh. Is it Roman vs. Punk? Is it Seth vs. GUNTHER? ... And then, at some point, we realized it's so much more intriguing as a Triple Threat, and Jey Uso's riding a wave of momentum."

Uso was booked to win the Men's Royal Rumble, and he later defeated GUNTHER for the World Heavyweight Championship in the opening match of WrestleMania 41. According to Heyman, it was meant to serve as a feel-good moment for the crowd, while the main event Triple Threat was just too good of an idea to pass up. That match ended with Heyman switching his allegiance to Rollins, setting up the last several months of storytelling.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.