Roman Reigns, CM Punk face off on the final Raw before WWE WrestleMania 42
Roman Reigns and CM Punk faced off on the final Raw before WrestleMania 42.
The open to Monday’s show had Reigns accuse Punk of lying and trying to rewrite his legacy. The video showed a montage of Punk’s contradictions over the years involving bringing in the Shield, saying he was here to make money instead of friends while showing pictures of himself smiling with talent, and capped off with Pat McAfee’s promo where he asked if Punk’s merchandise sales went to needy families who wanted to go WrestleMania or to his account titled “I’m sorry Saudi Arabia.” Reigns said he would give Punk an opportunity to tell the truth to him in the main event segment of the show, or he would.
After Reigns entered the ring for the show-closing promo, Punk came out and proceeded to tell his truth: he hated Roman Reigns because he envied him. Everything was handed to him, and hated he was champion for so long. He apologized for bringing up Sika’s name, saying he envied not being born “into a dynasty,” and instead had to find his family in the streets and through the independents.
Reigns said that he hated Punk too, and hated him for a long time. He said it was because of his relationship with the crowd.
“I hope one day I can get to the point that when I leave, they miss me as much as they missed you,” he revealed. “I hope that one day when I leave, they chant for me for ten years straight.”
Reigns said the truest thing Punk has is his connection with his fans, but on Sunday it wouldn’t be “and still,” but “and new.” Reigns closed off their war with words by saying that on Sunday, the nostalgia act would end.
The two will meet in the main event of the second night of WrestleMania this Sunday, while Cody Rhodes will battle Randy Orton for the WWE title on Saturday.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.