WWE icon to turn heel & win the Royal Rumble thanks to Paul Heyman; dethrone Cody Rhodes? Potential explored

We are now less than a week away from WWE Royal Rumble 2025. Fans are eagerly awaiting the traditional Rumble matches and are keen to see who will walk out victorious in the respective over-the-top-rope battles. However, in a stunning twist, CM Punk could turn heel and win the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, with a big assist from Paul Heyman.

On this week’s RAW, WWE strongly hinted at a potential WWE WrestleMania 41 showdown between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. This was evident when The Best in the World confronted The American Nightmare during the closing moments of RAW on Netflix. During their heated verbal exchange, Punk claimed to be Cody’s friend.

However, he boldly stated that he would stab him in the front by winning the Rumble and dethroning him at The Showcase of The Immortals, rather than stab him in the back. Additionally, the show hinted at a secret alliance between Paul Heyman and CM Punk, a revelation made by Drew McIntyre during his segment. With all these developments, it's possible that The Second City Saint could leverage Heyman’s influence to secure a victory in the Royal Rumble match.

This could happen if Punk fully embraces a heel turn and manipulates the system to gain an unfair advantage with The Wiseman. Following this, he might challenge Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania and ultimately dethrone him to become the new world champion at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

While this scenario is purely speculative, it remains a highly realistic possibility, given Punk’s momentum and status as one of the favorites to win the Rumble match this year. Moreover, The Voice of the Voiceless has already hinted at even using the favor to win the traditional match, further teasing Heyman’s potential role in his Royal Rumble victory this year.

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CM Punk to seek revenge on a major name at WWE Royal Rumble 2025? It's not Seth Rollins

Last year, CM Punk competed in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, but the effort ended in disaster when The Best in the World suffered an injury, forcing him into a hiatus from WWE. Recently, WWE stars reflected on last year’s Rumble match, with Dominik Mysterio sharing his reaction to Punk’s injury moment.

Sharing his comments, The Judgment Day member mocked The Second City Saint, sarcastically pointing out that a 47-year-old man tore his triceps. He further ridiculed Punk by saying that he now understood why Punk hadn’t wrestled in the last 35 years.

With this in mind, CM Punk could seek revenge on Dirty Dominik by eliminating him from the Men’s Royal Rumble Match this year.