Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk Will Determine How Fans Remember WWE WrestleMania 42
When Roman Reigns challenges CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on Sunday night at WrestleMania 42, they will not only cap a pivotal weekend for WWE, but also determine whether this year's event is remembered as a banger or a bust.
The match is the hottest and most personal one of the year, with real dislike and a rich history between the two men. It has the story behind it and the fans are invested, as evidenced by the reactions to the competitors in every arena on this road to Las Vegas.
But can it deliver between the ropes to send fans home satisfied by this year's Showcase of the Immortals?
The Fans Care
For better and potentially worse, the WWE Universe is all-in on this year's World Heavyweight Championship match. They care about the rich history between Punk and Reigns, the issues between them that date back to The Shield's arrival in 2012 and have intensified every time they have been in proximity since.
They care about the verbal jabs, counterpunches, uppercuts, and haymakers they have taken at each other since Reigns revealed his intentions to challenge Punk at WrestleMania.
That emotional investment intensified tenfold after Punk's latest pipebomb promo, which saw him chastise The Tribal Chief and criticize him for being a part-time performer, and on top of that, being fake and manufactured by the WWE machine.
As Punk stood among the fans in Houston, turning their chants of "OTC" to "CM Punk" after his impassioned microphone performance, there was no doubt the WWE Universe was finally and unequivocally invested in the top program this WrestleMania season.
As great an accomplishment as that is, it also brings lofty expectations that the match will stick the landing when champion and challenger take to the squared circle in Las Vegas.
The Match Has to Deliver
One element of Punk's recent pipebomb that struck a nerve with the longtime WWE fans was the claim that Reigns fumbled the main event of the biggest show of the year eight times before he got truly good.
That is not inaccurate.
Think back to the second half of the 2010s and how many of those WrestleManias were considered disappointing because the main event did not deliver. Now, think about how many of them had Reigns in the marquee spot.
Matches with Triple H, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar are considered among some of the worst in the event's history. To his credit, Reigns has had two of his best contests ever in the last two 'Mania main events, including a Triple Threat against Punk and Seth Rollins a year ago.
Still, there is always the potential that Reigns will underwhelm in the bout and leave fans feeling unfulfilled by the show as a result. While he has impressed in his Tribal Chief era, can he deliver when there is added pressure on him and Punk, courtesy of the disjointed build and uncertainty of the rest of the two-night card?
If he and Punk can replicate the magic of last year's Triple Threat with Rollins, fans will be in for a treat. More importantly, WWE will have a monumentally better main event to wrap up this year's show inside Allegiant Stadium than whatever that nonsense was with Cody Rhodes and John Cena in 2025.
A satisfying main event that delivers strong in-ring action and, just as importantly, logical booking that gives fans a reason to be excited about tuning in to postāMania TV is exactly what WWE needs at a time when feedback to the show's build has been anything but positive.
