Seth Rollins’ Survivor Series Replacement by CM Punk Altered WWE’s Creative Direction

The Rock’s role in WWE’s WrestleMania 41 has been a subject of ongoing evolution, with behind-the-scenes changes reshaping what was once a clear trajectory for his match with Cody Rhodes. However, a recent update from Billi Bhatti on the Dirty Sheets Backstage podcast shed new light on the situation, revealing how major decisions unfolded in the lead-up to WWE’s biggest event.

Bhatti explained that one of the first signs of change came at Survivor Series 2024, when Seth Rollins was unexpectedly replaced by CM Punk. “The first thing we saw was Seth Rollins being replaced at Survivor Series with CM Punk,” Bhatti said. “This led to WWE fast forwarding to the main event match between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, thinking that they needed a different match for Punk if The Rock wasn’t going to do the show.”

As discussions progressed, WWE began exploring the possibility of a Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk match to replace the originally planned Cody Rhodes vs. The Rock. Bhatti continued, “This is where they started to discuss the possibility of Roman vs. Punk as a replacement for Cody vs. The Rock as a match that could potentially be big enough to headline night two of WrestleMania.”

However, the biggest shift came when The Rock began suggesting that WrestleMania 41 should center around John Cena, rather than his long-anticipated showdown with Rhodes. Bhatti explained, “This is where it began. The seeds were planted when they took Seth Rollins out of the match [at Survivor Series]. Since then, things have very much changed because going into last night [RAW Netflix debut], where it was the first time they could sit down and nail down proper discussions with The Rock over his suggestion that WrestleMania should be about John Cena, they didn’t have a single match nailed down for WrestleMania.”

With The Rock’s suggestion taking center stage, WWE now finds itself in uncharted territory, as plans continue to shift with the possibility of a Cena-focused WrestleMania 41, leaving fans and insiders alike wondering what the final match card will look like.

Do you think shifting the focus to John Cena for WrestleMania 41 is the right move for WWE, or should they stick to their original plans with The Rock and Cody Rhodes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!