Road To WrestleMania – WWE Round-Up (19/04/25)
The time is almost upon us, WrestleMania is mere hours away and I just know that you are all overflowing with excitement and just cannot wait to witness the 41st edition of the Showcase of The Immortals. Luckily for you, dear reader, Lachie’s got you covered to help you kill a bit of time before WrestleMania with this week’s WWE Roundup!
Gunther & Jey Uso Are Ready For The Bell To Ring
With just six days to go before their hotly anticipated clash at WrestleMania, Jey Uso and Gunther each addressed the crowd during Monday Night Raw. Gunther used his time on the microphone to run down the 2025 Royal Rumble winner, declaring that his confidence will get him nowhere as “the bell has to ring” and promising that, once the bell rings, The Ring General will walk out of WrestleMania, still the World Heavyweight Champion and with a 4-0 record against Uso.
Later on in the night, Jey Uso seemed to have some of his usual swagger back as he used his time to speak with the crowd in attendance, claiming that he’s said everything he needs to say to Gunther. Uso would admit that, while he is “crashing out”, he’s locked in and he believes that the World Heavyweight Champion is actually AFRAID that Jey’s going to walk out of WrestleMania as the new champion.
Roman Reigns is on The Island of…Betrayal?
The already incredibly personal rivalry between CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins reached an entirely new level, with Roman Reigns, Heyman in tow, hitting the ring to confront his Wiseman about his supposed “betrayal” of the OTC and alignment with Punk at WrestleMania. Heyman tried to explain that he is merely repaying a favour that he owed to Punk, but Reigns was not convinced. Their discussion wouldn’t progress much further, as Seth Rollins would make his way to the ring. Rollins wanted to focus on the importance of this triple threat match at ‘Mania, proclaiming that the winner of the match will define the future of this industry…and that it can’t be Roman or CM Punk, it HAS to be him or this business will DIE.
Rollins would also try to plant a seed of doubt towards the loyalty of Heyman in Roman’s mind, claiming that Heyman is going to be in Punk’s corner by choice and to question why Heyman is choosing Punk over him. Roman would make a choice of his own, attacking Rollins AND shoving Paul Heyman to ground. This would prompt the arrival of CM Punk and a brawl between the two that would actually end with Seth Rollins on top, hitting Roman with a chair in a way reminiscent of his infamous betrayal of The Shield and laying both Roman and Punk out with a Stomp each.
The Viper WILL Strike at WrestleMania
With Kevin Owens requiring neck surgery and being unable to compete at WrestleMania, Randy Orton has been left without an opponent, but he is determined as ever to make it onto this year’s card, which would mark his 20th appearance on the Biggest Stage of Them All. Wanting address this, Orton would hop on the microphone and declare that he will show up to WrestleMania with his gear on, his boots tied up and just the right amount of baby oil applied, ready to compete for his fans, his family and the boys in the back, with those same boys in the back also being given an open invitation to face off against the Viper this weekend.
IYO Sky is Caught In The Middle
Tempers flared and grudges reached a fever pitch on Smackdown, as a confrontation between Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair and Women’s World Champion IYO Sky ahead of their championship matchup at WrestleMania was interrupted by Naomi, who has been trying to get a hold of Belair for weeks. Naomi’s attempt to confront Belair would be thwarted by Jade Cargill, who would hit the ring and send Naomi running. Cargill would then attempt to confront Belair as well, prompting Rhea Ripley to chime in and tell Cargill that what’s currently happening in the ring is none of her business.
Naomi would use this distraction to shove Cargill into Ripley, causing all hell to break loose. With Belair & Ripley and Cargill & Naomi engaged in their own, separate scuffles, the champion would be left alone in the ring, once again overlooked by her opponents. Sky would prove why she is not one to be overlooked heading into WrestleMania, she would climb to the top rope and hit her signature Moonsault to the outside and onto Belair, Ripley and the security trying to separate them.
John Cena & Cody Rhodes: The Final Confrontation
With just two nights to go before the historic clash, John Cena and Cody Rhodes would share the ring for the final time to exchange very personal and very heated words. Cena would set the tone for the confrontation, highlighting the sheer number of WrestleMania appearances he’s made, the amount of those appearances that were title matches, and asserting that his one and only goal heading into his unprecedented retirement is to take the WWE Championship away from Rhodes and the fans. Cena would continue on, telling Rhodes that, to defeat Cena at WrestleMania, he will need to make a choice: become a winner or do right by the fans.
Unwavering, Cody would then fire off a barrage of verbal jabs to Cena, calling him overrated, overbearing and then focusing on Cena’s visibly deteriorating physical condition. Tempers would flare and Cena would land a cheap shot, poking Cody in the eye. Just when it seemed like he had the upper hand, Cody would counter Cena’s AA attempt into a Cross Rhodes and end Smackdown standing tall above John Cena.
My name is Lachlan Andrews, I’m based in Brisbane, QLD and I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling fan for as long as I can remember and even spent a very short time as a professional wrestlerYou can find me right here as the sole contributor to the “What’s On This Weekend” feature, detailing all of the upcoming events taking place across the country each and every weekend, with articles dropping every Thursday.
