At the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns emerged victorious in the men’s Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Gunther. This win gave Reigns the opportunity to pick CM Punk as his challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42’s main event.
Now that Reigns has made his choice, fans are eager to see how WWE will handle his storyline in the lead-up to the “Show of Shows.” Here are six possible directions Roman Reigns’ character might take before WrestleMania 42.
6. “Quarterly Vacation”
On the February 2nd episode of WWE Raw, Roman Reigns officially named CM Punk as his opponent for WrestleMania 42’s World Heavyweight Championship match. Given that Reigns made his first appearance in months on two consecutive WWE programs, speculation has arisen about whether he will go on another hiatus—what Punk cheekily calls a “quarterly vacation.”
Since CM Punk is expected to be occupied with Finn Balor as they gear up for Elimination Chamber 2026 on February 28th, it’s plausible that Reigns might take some downtime after announcing the main event for WrestleMania. Although Punk has used this timing to mock Reigns, WWE may portray it as Reigns taking a strategic break to prepare for his big showdown against “The World’s Greatest” at Mania in Las Vegas this April.
Fan Take: This development is crucial for WWE fans because Roman Reigns’ next moves will set the tone for WrestleMania 42’s headline match. How WWE builds this storyline could significantly impact fan excitement and the overall momentum heading into the biggest event of the year.
