CM Punk Defeating Roman Reigns At WWE WrestleMania 42 Was ‘Talked About’

WWE

Roman Reigns left WrestleMania 42 as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, defeating CM Punk, although alternative plans reportedly existed.

The main event of WrestleMania 42, Roman Reigns ended the 169-day reign of CM Punk as WWE World Heavyweight Champion on April 19.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, plans were discussed that would have seen Punk retain, losting the title at WWE Backlash, with Meltzer writing:

It was possible and apparently talked about that Punk could beat Reigns and then lose the title at Backlash, so they’d be “even” when it was over, but Reigns would end up as champion, as a way to protect Punk’s position. But the decision in the end was for Reigns to win here.

The Raw after WrestleMania 42 revealed a new challenger for Roman Reigns as World Heavyweight Champion, with Jacob Fatu setting a challenge for WWE Backlash on May 9.

While the direction may be set for Backlash, it has also been separately reported that Reigns vs. GUNTHER is a plan for the future.

The Part-Time WWE Star Becomes A ‘Workhorse’ Champion

Since claiming the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions in May 2023, Seth Rollins declared that he wanted it to be a “workhorse” title, contrasting it to Roman Reigns as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and noting there were “incredible moments and great stories in the times he hasn’t defended the title”

With Rollins having sought to defend the championship on a frequent basis, he would hold the World Heavyweight Championship for 316 days in his first run and 79 in his second, which ended due to injury. As a full-time WWE star, he would defend the title 12 times, including his loss at WrestleMania 40 in 2024, during his first reign, and twice in 2025 before injury stopped him short.

By contrast, between Payback 2020, when Roman Reigns became WWE Universal Champion, and WrestleMania 40, when he lost the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes, The Tribal Chief saw 32 title defenses in a record 1316 days.

While it was hardly defended on a weekly basis, the World Heavyweight Championship was, at least, defended just under once a month on average. While Reigns’ record-setting reign saw comparatively more defenses thanks to its length, but with a longer average gap.

The difference here is that Rollins is a full-time star, while Reigns has the benefit of being part-time, something that he will continue to enjoy in his current role. It’s harder to build a compelling story outside of the matches, when the star in question isn’t on television frequently and is used sparingly as a result.

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• wwe
• WrestleMania
• Roman Reigns
• cm punk

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