Jey Uso taps out Gunther to win WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Fifteen years into his WWE career, Jey Uso is finally World Champion.
Night one of WrestleMania 41 opened with Uso defeating Gunther to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. After surviving a belt shot and a barrage of offense from Gunther, Uso took control at the end of the match — which culminated with him tapping out Gunther with a sleeper.
Uso got momentum on his side when he slipped out of a powerbomb and then hit one of his own. He followed up with a superkick, a spear, and three top rope splashes. Uso then used the sleeper — one of Gunther’s signature moves — for the submission victory.
This is the first singles World Championship reign of Uso’s career. His only other singles title was a run with the Intercontinental title in 2024.
After the match, Uso celebrated in the ring with his twin brother Jimmy, who had been bloodied by Gunther and choked out with a sleeper in an angle during the build to WrestleMania.
Uso earned this title shot by winning the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match. He had fallen short against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in January before winning the Rumble to get another crack at the World Heavyweight Championship.
Gunther’s reign as champion lasted more than eight months after winning the belt from Damian Priest at SummerSlam last year.
Backstage after defeating Gunther, Uso posed for a photo with Paul “Triple H” Levesque: