Just two days after his return to WWE and winning the Royal Rumble by defeating Gunther—who had earlier retired AJ Styles—Roman Reigns made his way back to “Raw” in Philadelphia. Reflecting on his previous victory in the city, he noticed the difference in crowd reaction this time around.
During the show, Roman faced a tough decision between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre as potential WrestleMania opponents. However, Punk interrupted the moment, asserting that “Raw” was his domain and that he had the final say. Punk suggested that McIntyre would be a simpler challenger, but Reigns reminded him that he had bested McIntyre for three years—albeit with the support of his family, as Punk pointed out. Reigns countered by saying it was precisely because of his family that he managed to return to the show.
Punk then argued that while Reigns held the title with Paul Heyman for 434 days, a longer reign didn’t necessarily mean greater success. He also claimed to have wrestled both domestically and internationally. Reigns admitted that his extended break was to compensate for lost time after a 10-year hiatus. He further claimed he learned what not to do from Punk and revealed that WWE sought his opinion on Punk’s comeback—crediting himself as the reason for Punk’s return. Reigns concluded by saying, “I could pick you because you’re the biggest star right now. I could pick you because you’re on Netflix. But no, I picked you because I do. I dislike you. I’ve always hated you. And WrestleMania will be the best day of my life because you’ll recognize me in the main event.”
WrestleMania 42 is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on April 18th and 19th, 2026.
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Fan Take: This confrontation between Roman Reigns and CM Punk sets the stage for a high-stakes, emotionally charged showdown at WrestleMania, promising to captivate WWE fans worldwide. Their intense rivalry could revitalize WWE storylines and bring fresh energy to the sport’s biggest stage.
