Roman Reigns reflects on WWE WrestleMania 42 main event against CM Punk
In the main event of WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk.
Reigns became the new World Heavyweight Champion after keeping Punk down for the three-count in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shortly after celebrating his title win with his family, Reigns appeared on the WrestleMania 42 post-show.
Responding to Oba Femi’s challenge and revealing his Summer 2026 schedule, Reigns also reflected on his match against Punk.
“It feels good. It feels as it should. That’s what’s so pure about our business is we know right away, there’s nothing like this,” Reigns said.
“That’s the beauty of how subjective this is, you have two extreme examples of professional wrestlers and sports entertainers in me and CM Punk, and somehow we can go out there and find a middle. That’s how I love this business.”
He further opened up and answered whether he gained any respect for Punk after their match. “The fact that I’m the Tribal Chief and I still hear people out here chanting for CM Punk, I have to respect that. Do I respect the man and his personal life? I don’t know.
“But when it comes to when he steps into the arena, when the ring’s set up, when the pyro is gonna go off, I got a lot of respect for the man that steps into the arena and performs in front of all these people because he puts his heart and he puts his soul, he puts his physicality on the line. Do we see eye-to-eye? Hell no. Are we cut from the same fabric? Hell no. But at the same time, we’re a part of the same fraternity, just like you (Corey Graves) and I, just like me and (Big) E. There’s very few of us. So, when you can go out there and you can main event, and you can put it on the line, and you can actually hold your own. CM Punk didn’t just run his mouth. He backed it up. He just ran into a better man today.”
In a match lasting over 30-minutes, Reigns defeated Punk after executing two spears and stood tall to close the night.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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