Roman Reigns Vs CM Punk Set For WrestleMania 42 After Heated Confrontation – The February 2 episode of WWE RAW from Philadelphia, PA closed with a major WrestleMania 42 development, as Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns officially confirmed that he will challenge World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in the main event of the event. The announcement came following an extended, tense in-ring confrontation that revisited years of shared history, personal animosity, and championship legacies.
Reigns opened the segment by reflecting on his complicated relationship with Philadelphia. He spoke about winning his first championship in the city on his daughter’s birthday and also losing his most recent title there. Roman noted that many years ago he won his first Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, and that eleven years later he won his second Royal Rumble, with the next stop on the WWE schedule once again being Philly. He told the crowd he had a decision to make and asked the city to help him decide.
Reigns teased going after the championship he helped define, prompting loud chants for CM Punk. He questioned whether the fans wanted him to challenge Drew McIntyre or CM Punk, at which point Punk’s music hit and the champion made his way to the ring.
Punk first addressed Finn Bálor, saying “I heard you. You said you are not a bad guy, but when you push me, I am the baddest guy, and you will find out when I face you again.” Roman questioned why Punk interrupted him just to talk about Bálor, but Punk fired back, saying “It’s funny you say I interrupted you. You’re a visitor. This isn’t SmackDown. I’m the champion. I call the shots.”
Punk asked the Philadelphia crowd to weigh in, and their rejection of a Roman versus Drew McIntyre WrestleMania match was clear. Punk mocked the situation with a “duck season, rabbit season” exchange, suggesting Roman take the easy way out and choose Drew. Roman pushed back, stating “Drew isn’t the easy way out. He’s four times bigger than you, and he had you crying over a plastic bracelet.”
Punk responded sharply, saying “When I was done with Drew, they ran out of staples putting his dumb ass together. You beat him before, but I beat him inside Hell in a Cell.” Roman countered by saying he beat Drew three years straight, leading Punk to ask how many cousins helped him. Roman warned Punk to be careful talking about his family, stating they were the reason WWE was where it is today and the reason Punk had a company to come back to.
Punk challenged that claim, telling Roman “You made people believe you held this place up, but you held it hostage.” He compared their title reigns, noting “I was champion for 434 days with Paul at my side. You might have been champion longer, but that doesn’t mean you did it better.” Punk called himself a fighting champion and accused Roman of choosing to be a part-timer, while Punk traveled internationally to represent the company.
The exchange continued with Punk stating “There are two mountains to climb. One has a guy you think you can beat. The other has the best in the world.” Roman laughed off the idea that he learned from Punk, saying he learned what not to do. He reminded Punk of their handshake at WarGames and accused him of mocking him afterward.
Roman then made his decision clear. He said he wasn’t choosing Punk because he is a star or because he is on Netflix. He said he was choosing Punk because he hates him and always has. Roman closed the segment by confirming the WrestleMania 42 main event and telling Punk that in the end, “you will acknowledge me.”
Roman Reigns Vs CM Punk Set For WrestleMania 42 After Heated Confrontation
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