Seth Rollins Talks Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk, WWE & AEW Rumors on Ronda Rousey & WrestleMania Tickets

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Seth Rollins On Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 42

One year after sharing the ring with Roman Reigns and CM Punk in the Night 1 main event of WrestleMania 41, Seth Rollins will watch as the two of them close the show in the main event of WrestleMania 42 Night 2 next month.

While speaking to Justin Barrasso of the Boston Herald (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Rollins explained why he's content with seeing Punk defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns in the headlining spot at WWE's Super Bowl.

"I'm extremely proud that in all likelihood the World Heavyweight Championship is going to be featured as the main event Night Two of WrestleMania, which in my opinion is the true main event of WrestleMania," said Rollins, the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion in 2023. "Roman talked down about it as if it were a second-tier title when it was introduced, and so did a lot of other people. I felt it was extremely important that our world championship wasn't monopolized by a guy who wasn't going to be there enough to help elevate the talent with that title – and that's Roman. He took the part-time schedule and he's earned that right. On the other hand, we needed a world championship that was going to be represented every week on the Raw brand, one that would allow new stars to be created. So I'm very proud that that belt will be in the main event of WrestleMania."

Rollins suffered a shoulder injury in October that forced him to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship. Prior to that, he was on track to be in the main-event picture heading into WrestleMania 42. He went on to admit that he would prefer to be closing out the show himself.

"It is bittersweet that I'm not the one taking it into the main event of WrestleMania," Rollins told Barrasso. "It's actually my most-hated rival, CM Punk, against Roman Reigns. The irony is not lost on me."

Ronda Rousey's AEW Status Revealed

Ronda Rousey raised some eyebrows with her surprise appearance at AEW's 2026 Revolution pay-per-view, but it doesn't sound like she's joining the company anytime soon.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), there hasn't been any indication that Rousey has signed a contract with AEW.

"Ronda Rousey appeared on AEW, but doesn't appear to be All Elite," the report stated.

Rousey confronted AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm after she defeated the UFC legend's real-life best friend Marina Shafir. Fans booed her throughout the segment, helping to elevate Shafir's heel status.

"Sources in AEW said that Rousey got the desired reaction from the company coming in a heel role, but that Rousey seemed to expect a different reaction," the report stated.

Rousey's appearance at the pay-per-view was also due in-part to the convenience of the event being held in Los Angeles.

"When asking about the appearance, it was noted that Rousey lives nearby and has a good relationship with AEW owner Tony Khan," the report added.

It was also pointed out that Rousey's appearance in AEW likely means that she won't be returning to WWE anytime soon.

"Sources we spoke to in TKO and WWE did not seem surprised, and said that they expect her to do anything she can to go against WWE, UFC and TKO at this point," the report said. "They do not see her wanting to return to WWE in the future."

Rousey is set to return to MMA for the first time since 2016 when she meets Gina Carano live on Netflix on May 16. It sounds like she's focused on preparing for that fight, so she won't be adding a pro-wrestling role to her plate for now.

WrestleMania 42 Ticket Sales Surge Amid Stone Cold-Themed Promotion

WWE's celebration of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin produced a significant increase in ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 and other upcoming shows.

As part of 3:16 Day on March 16, WWE offered fans 31.6 percent off tickets to boost attendance on the road to WrestleMania. While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that the promotion led to a major jump in ticket sales and helped get closer to last year's numbers.

"Yeah, yeah. I mean, for house shows, too. A lot of the house shows jumped a thousand and more, you know, which, you know, it's like, in some cases, you know, it's like 15 and more. So it really helped a lot of the house shows, most of them, really, and 2,000 tickets, roughly, each night for WrestleMania off the promotion," Meltzer said (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News). "So instead of being like 18 percent behind, they're like 11 percent behind last year. Interest level is still, you know, secondary market level is way down from last year. But you know, it's 40,000 now, roughly, for each night. They got a month to get to 50. I think they will, you know, and if they need to paper, they will. It's going to be full. I mean I, I said that even when it was slagging, it'll end up being full. That's not the problem."

WrestleTix outlined the sales increases for WrestleMania 42 and other upcoming house shows:

Fans have complained about high prices for WWE tickets for a while now, so the 3:16 Day promotion came at the perfect time.

WrestleMania 41 drew a combined attendance of 118,641 over the two nights at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, so it remains to be seen what the final numbers will be from the same venue during WrestleMania 42 on April 18 and 19.