WWE: Unreal has premiered on Netflix, taking fans behind the scenes in a way the company never has before. Revealing how WWE creative comes up with storylines and matches, and showing in-ring rivals chatting about their matches backstage, it well and truly kills kayfabe.
While the series makes for interesting viewing, it also runs the risk of showing too much. However, there's one particularly interesting tidbit, and that's what the WrestleMania 41 card originally looked like.
For example, CM Punk was supposed to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship, though Jey Uso's surge in popularity changed WWE's plans. Roman Reigns, meanwhile, was set to battle Seth Rollins in singles action.
One of the biggest matches on the card would have seen Bron Breakker battle Drew McIntyre with WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. There was also an idea for the Intercontinental and United States Championships to be defended in multi-person Ladder matches.
Here's a full breakdown of what might have been for the Showcase of the Immortals:
WWE Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
WWE Women's Championship Match
Nia Jax (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Women’s World Championship Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Bianca Belair
Special Guest Referee (Stone Cold Steve Austin) Match
Bron Breakker vs. Drew McIntyre
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest vs. Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Sami Zayn
United States Championship Ladder Match
LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Andrade vs. Only Sikoa vs. Santos Escobar vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. IYO SKY & Asuka
The Wyatt Sicks vs. Judgment Day
Bad Bunny vs. Dominic Mysterio
Rey Mysterio (with Travis Scott) vs. Chad Gable
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
It feels like we missed out on some fantastic matches, but at the same time, we also got a lot of great ones at the Show of Shows. These were only very tentative plans, but they still provide some intriguing insights into how WWE approached putting the WrestleMania card together.
Have you watched WWE: Unreal yet? Let us know in the comments section below.