By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The following are the notes I’m taking while watching each episode of the five-part “WWE Unreal” docu-series, which is available to stream on Netflix.
-Jey Uso opened the second episode. He was driving a car to a show, and the security guard was unfamiliar with him.
-Bruce Prichard spoke about WrestleMania season starting with the Royal Rumble event.
-Footage aired of Cody Rhodes winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40. Cody said he wished he could say it was everything he hoped for, but his father wasn’t there. Cody got emotional while saying there are voids you can fill and others you can’t fill.
-Michael Hayes said that back in the day, he and Dusty Rhodes would go back and forth regarding who had the bigger fur coat, the bigger Rolex, and the bigger house (wait, didn’t Dusty do that with Ric Flair?). Hayes said Dusty got in a situation financially where he had to liquidate things, including a watch. Footage aired of Paul Levesque presenting Cody with a watch that Dusty pawned. Cody cried once he opened the box.
-Cody’s feud with Kevin Owens was spotlighted. Cody said Levesque had the idea to have Owens attack him by a tour bus off-camera, and hoping that the fans would film it, which Cody said they did. Cody also spoke about Owens using the piledriver and said it wasn’t used in WWE in over a decade. Cody said it was a taboo move, and using it was a very good call. Ryan Ward, WWE VP Creative Writing, was identified as footage aired from a creative meeting. Ward spoke about how he liked the pilderiver spot.
-Cody removed from WWE Championship from a travel case, and then did the same with the winged eagle version of the WWE Championship. Cody beating Kevin Owens on Saturday Night’s Main Event was shown, as well as post-match footage of Owens attacking Cody and giving him another piledriver, which was followed by an Owens and Levesque confrontation on the stage.
-Backstage footage aired of Owens and Levesque shaking hands in the Gorilla position area. Levesque said he was surprised that Owens was so close to him when he walked onto the stage.
-Jey Uso was shown bowling with his son Jeyce and his brother Jimmy. Jey said his original WWE name was Jules Uso, but it was changed at the last minute. Jimmy joked about how he doesn’t know anyone in WWE’s name because he calls them all Uce.
-Jey spoke about his entrance coming in steps. He said he went to New York to do his theme music because he wanted to be on the track. He said he was vibing with someone and said, “Well, this time it’s just me, Uce.” Jey said the person asked about Jey using that line. Jey liked it. Jey said Levesque asked him what he thought about coming through the concourse and through the crowd during his entrance. Jey said he misses teaming with his brother, in part because they could split the workload.
-Jey, Jeyce, and Jimmy spoke about the Royal Rumble. Jeyce predicted that “Uncle Jacob (Fatu)” would win the match.
-Footage aired from a creative meeting. Levesque asked for ideas about who should win the Royal Rumble. Multiple people said CM Punk. Michael Kirshenbaum, WWE Supervising Producer, made a pitch for John Cena because of it being his final year. Levesque noted that the planned WrestleMania main events were Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena, and Gunther vs. CM Punk. Ed Koskey, SVP of Creative Writing, said he would love to put Jey in one of those spots.
-Paul Levesque was shown speaking with Jey prior to a show. Levesque said Jey had a lot of newfound fame and excitement. Levesque said he wanted to put a rocket on Jey’s ass, but he had to make sure it wouldn’t crash land. “You can put it on me,” Jey said. Levesque said Jey would have everything he wanted in life. He told Jey that he believed in him.
-Producer Bobby Roode spoke briefly about the importance of the Royal Rumble match.
-CM Punk spoke about how a lot can go wrong in a Rumble match due to having 30 participants. Footage aired of Punk at the 2024 Royal Rumble when he feared he tore his triceps, which was later confirmed. They cut to Punk talking prior to the 2025 Rumble. He said a successful Rumble would be him being healthy and calling his wife to say that he’s good.
-Punk spoke about his goal of headlining WrestleMania. He said there may be part of him that is terrified of doing so because it would extinguish a flame that he has. Punk said it’s a mountaintop that he has yet to climb.
-John Cena was shown visiting with Make-A-Wish kids. One of the kids wanted the No. 31 spot in the Royal Rumble. Another kid described Cena and Punk as frenemies, which Cena liked.
-Clips of the Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens match aired from the Royal Rumble. Backstage, Owens apologized for a powerbomb spot and expressed concern because Cody landed on his neck during a ladder spot. Cody indicated that the landing didn’t go so badly. When someone behind the camera asked how he felt, Cody said terrible, but he said he wouldn’t bitch and moan. He said his legs worked, his spine and neck weren’t hurt, and he didn’t have a concussion. He said those are his prerequisites for not complaining.
-Ed Koskey spoke about celebrity involvement in WWE, and focused on IShowSpeed’s involvement in the Royal Rumble match. Levesque was shown explaining to Stephanie McMahon how they were going to do the spot where IShowSpeed would replace Akira Tozawa in the match. Levesque smiled when Bron Breakker destroyed Speed with a spear. Levesque said he hoped he was okay, then asked for an update from ringside. Speed limped backstage and had a nasty wound on his leg.
-A lot of Royal Rumble footage aired, including of Jeyce Uso watching his father win the match. Jey pulled Jeyce over the barricade and had him in the ring afterward so they could celebrate together. Jey’s return to the backstage area was shown. Jey was congratulated by his peers, and Levesque was shown.
-Cody was asked who he hoped to face at WrestleMania 41. Cody thought for a moment and then said John Cena.
Powell’s POV: There were two Royal Rumble matches, right? Maybe the women’s match will be spotlighted in the next episode. Anyway, this episode included a lot of match highlights. They told the story of Jey’s Rumble win, and the backstage footage of Cody and Owens after their war made for good television. It’s interesting that Punk challenging Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship was penciled in as the WrestleMania Night One main event before they made the switch to having Jey Uso win the Rumble. I can’t help but wonder if things will be awkward the next time Punk and Ed Koskey cross paths given that Koskey made the pitch to have Jey win the Rumble. Even if Punk doesn’t care, I also wonder if creative team members will be more likely to bite their tongues in these situations if they know the cameras are rolling.
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