Roman Reigns (c) vs. CM Punk – World Heavyweight Title Match
Result: Roman Reigns dethroned CM Punk to become the New World Heavyweight Champion
CM Punk and Roman Reigns had the match of the weekend. The ZeBros did not fail to deliver. Was it overbooked, like most WrestleMania Main Events? Not at all, as there were no unnecessary interferences. They left it all in the ring, even when CM Punk was whispering in Roman’s ears all night. Did he let him know that he had to make him look really strong? The world may never know. There were so many important spots and counters in this match that told a compelling story. The attention to detail was immaculate.
Reigns hit all his patented “5 moves of doom,” including the Samoan Drop, Superman Punch, Jumping Clothesline, Spear, and Guillotine Choke. Punk hit some beautiful counters, such as countering the Spear with the Running Knee in the corner and using his fancy pro wrestling and MMA skills to his advantage.
Roman had a sound byte, telling Punk that it is not promo day. In return, Punk mocked Reigns multiple times. Reigns even had Punk tied to the turnbuckle upside down and delivered three Superman Punches.
The turning point in the match was when Reigns slammed Punk with the steel steps, making Punk bleed. The fans did see blood between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, but no one knew why Orton was bleeding or what shot made him bleed. Like was done that night, this was a blade job. In this match, at least the fans knew that Punk was bleeding due to the steel steps shot. The referee did not call a DQ finish and allowed the match to continue. It is interesting how WWE can bend the rules to fit its own agenda.
Reigns did a nice callback to The Shield with a Powerbomb to Punk through the table. Punk and Reigns each delivered their best moves in the Spear and Go To Sleep (GTS) after countering each other’s finishers. The near-falls were soon followed by “This is Awesome” Chants, which were rarely heard all weekend long. Reigns tried to steal Punk’s finisher, but Punk countered the GTS by hitting a Roundhouse Kick. It is befuddling as to why so many matches at Mania this weekend involved stealing opponents’ moves.
Speaking of which, Punk actually delivered the Superman Punch to Reigns while disrespectfully wearing the Ula Fala. He even went for the Spear, but Reigns and Punk countered back and forth with the Guillotine Choke and Anaconda Vice. Punk even tried the Sharpshooter, but Reigns did not let it happen. Reigns called Punk old, but he was coughing and running out of breath mid-match, while Punk was bleeding like a stuffed pig. Punk’s biggest moment was delivering a low blow while the referee was not looking.
Many fans thought Punk had this victory because the biggest near-fall was when he delivered the GTS after that low blow. Punk’s most jaw-dropping moment was elbow-dropping Reigns through the announce table. Punk was about to hit the final blow by delivering the Double GTS, as he did to Seth Rollins in WWE and to Jon Moxley in AEW.
However, Punk collapsed on the second GTS, and Reigns capitalized with two Spears. This truly felt like a storyline-driven WrestleMania match, but WWE merely booked the wrong winner.
CM Punk should have won this match. Punk has not won at WrestleMania since returning to WWE. Roman Reigns already had a three-year title reign in 2020-2023, and Punk should have been putting over rising talent like Bron Breakker, Gunther, Sami Zayn, and LA Knight, not established part-timers like Roman Reigns.
This felt like Royal Rumble 2013 all over again when CM Punk lost his 434-day title reign to The Rock. WWE should be ashamed of itself for taking this moment away from the “best in the world.”
Rating (Grade): 5.0 Stars (A+)
April 19, 2026 WrestleMania 42 – Night 2 Results:
- Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar via pin-fall with the Fall From Grace.
- Penta retained the InterContinental Title in a Six-Man Ladder Match.
- Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to become the new U.S. Champion.
- “The Demon” Finn Balor defeated Dirty Dom in a No Holds Barred Match
- Rhea Ripley dethroned Jade Cargill to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.
- Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Title in the main event.
If you’re not down with just that and would like even more WWE PLE Coverage from Mark Justice, check out more of his articles right here on LWOS and subscribe to his popular YouTube channel by clicking HERE.
