Gunther Reveals Jey Uso Was Not His Ideal Opponent For WWE WrestleMania 41

Gunther is set to have his first WrestleMania world title defense at WWE WrestleMania 41, as he will put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jey Uso.

While the WWE audience is firmly behind Uso, that doesn't mean he was Gunther's first pick creatively to be his opponent, though.

MORE: Major Alexa Bliss Update Ahead Of WWE WrestleMania 41

Gunther appeared on Ariel Helwani's show Wednesday and revealed he initially didn't believe the former WWE Tag Team Champion would have been his choice to have a WrestleMania match with. However, his thoughts soon changed.

"I didn't think Jey would be my ideal opponent for #WrestleMania because we are very different. But then rethinking it, I think it makes a lot of sense...

My hopes were, can I mix it up with somebody like Punk, maybe with Seth, or maybe with Roman... is there a chance for even… pic.twitter.com/zkpXSFh5v1
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 9, 2025

"I didn't think Jey would be my ideal opponent for WrestleMania because we are very different. But then, rethinking it, I think it makes a lot of sense," he said. "Because I think in WWE right now, I'm the perfect counterpart to everybody who is on his way up, who's like red hot, wants to achieve a certain something. And I think I'm a good party pooper when it comes to that.

"So yeah, at the end, I was happy that he won [the Royal Rumble]. He deserved it, I think, and yeah, I'm glad we started this program out."

So if Jey Uso wasn't his preferred pick for a match, then who was? Turns out, Gunther had his eyes on some of WWE's established main event talent initially, but noted how loaded the top of the card is in the company right now.

"My hopes were, 'can I mix it up with somebody like Punk, maybe with Seth, or maybe with Roman. Is there a chance for this? Or even Cena?'" he said.

"But yeah, it didn't work out yet. But also, I think we're in a situation right now in a company where so many things changed in a very short time and there's a whole new excitement about the company and that's a big opportunity for guys that are newer to the place like me or somebody like Jey that is around forever and now finally has a chance to do something on his own."

The Gunther and Jey Uso match is expected to take play on WrestleMania 41 Saturday.

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