3 reasons why CM Punk didn't use Paul Heyman's favor at the 2025 Royal Rumble

WWE Superstar CM Punk was one of this year’s favorites to win the Royal Rumble. However, The Best in the World couldn’t be the last man standing. Several fans thought that Punk would use the trump card up his sleeve, the favor Paul Heyman owes him, to win the Rumble.

Here are three reasons why The Second City Saint may not have used his favor in Indianapolis.

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#3 CM Punk sabotaged himself by eliminating Roman Reigns

CM Punk secured two of the most crucial eliminations at the 2025 Royal Rumble by simultaneously tossing Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins out of the ring. However, by doing so, The Straight Edge Superstar may have lost the chance to call in his favor from Paul Heyman.

Heyman could have agreed to help Punk on the condition that he would leave the OTC alone in the Rumble. Moreover, since The Wiseman is a non-fighting talent, the Tribal Chief could have complied with Punk’s request on Heyman’s behalf. Thus, The Second City Saint may have lost his leverage by taking Roman Reigns out.

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#2 Punk got taken out before he had the chance to call in the favor

Another possible reason why CM Punk couldn’t call in his favor could be the suddenness of his own elimination. As soon as he eliminated Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, Logan Paul tossed him over the top rope as well. This was something nobody saw coming and was easily the biggest upset of the night.

Paul Heyman could have promised to help The Best in the World only after the elimination of the OTC. Moreover, even if Punk had remained in the competition, The Wiseman was too focused on the annihilation of his Tribal Chief at the hands of The Visionary. Thus, Punk’s trump card never got a chance to benefit him.

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#1 Paul Heyman could owe Punk a post-Royal Rumble favor

Since CM Punk didn’t cash in on his favor, there is a chance that Paul Heyman still owes him some help in the future. Moreover, there is a possibility that the favor involved help after the Royal Rumble from The Wiseman. Thus, while The Second City Saint has lost one route to WrestleMania 41, he still has other options.

The Elimination Chamber also guarantees a title match at WrestleMania, and while Punk was eliminated in a jiffy at the Royal Rumble, the same won’t be possible in the Chamber.

Thus, Heyman will have a better chance at helping The Second City Saint. However, since the exact demand Punk has made remains undisclosed, it would be interesting to see what lies in the future for him.