WWE has given fans an early treat for WrestleMania 42 with a blockbuster main event set for Las Vegas.
After winning the men’s Royal Rumble on Saturday night, Roman Reigns made his choice during Monday’s episode of Raw on Netflix and set the stage for a dream match against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
The two megastars, who coincidentally teamed up as the animated Zebros in Zootropolis 2, will collide on the grandest stage.
Fans are already dubbing the bout the ‘biggest match of the decade’, with two of WWE’s top stars preparing for an all-time clash.
On X, plenty of viewers have been hailing it a ‘dream match’ between two of the greatest pro wrestlers ever.
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‘Roman vs CM Punk is the biggest box office match in WWE,’ wrote @Mahaxaeo, while others said it’s ‘a long time coming’.
Fan @collinscardshow raved: ‘Roman and Punk sold the entire Night 2 Mania match as one of the biggest matches of the decade in one single promo last night.
‘That’s what happens when 2 of the best of all time get a chance to cook without any outside interference.’
The pair have a long history, going back to Roman’s introduction to WWE in The Shield, who were Punk’s on-screen hired mercenaries.
Behind the scenes, it was a different picture, with WWE 2K26 cover star Punk once telling former friend Colt Cabana on The Art of Wrestling podcast that he was frustrated at being told by bosses to ‘keep Roman strong’.
When the champ left wrestling in 2014 – a hiatus that ended when he joined AEW in 2021 before returning to WWE two years later – it was the Tribal Chief who became WWE’s poster boy.
CM Punk vs Roman Reigns is the biggest match WWE can do for WrestleMania
Metro’s WWE expert Alistair McGeorge gives his insight into this huge match.
As far as WrestleMania dream matches go, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns is unique in modern-day WWE.
We’ve seen most of our favourites from both superstars’ eras retire, move on, or already face off – but we’ve never had the Second City Saint one-on-one with the Tribal Chief.
Despite watching wrestling for 24 years and covering it as my job for well over half a decade, the personal jabs between the two on Raw really surprised me, and it sets the stage perfectly for Mania in Vegas.
Both stars can really go in the ring to a high level, and their wrestling skills are only matched by their charisma on the mic, so it ticks every box.
Throw in the fact that they had a cameo together in Zootropolis 2 and have started building their respective Hollywood careers, and it’s hard to argue with this as the night 2 main event.
I feel bad for Drew McIntyre, who didn’t exactly get a ton of respect from Punk and Roman’s promos, but with the World Heavyweight Title match confirmed, Drew and his WWE Championship has its own intrigue as we wait to find out his opponent.
All in all, a great bit of business across the board!
They were part of the same match at last year’s WrestleMania in Vegas, as part of a Triple Threat with Seth Rollins, but have never faced each other one-on-one.
With plenty of real-life animosity, over a decade of history and a shared ally in Paul Heyman, it’s no surprise things got even more intense during Monday’s episode of Raw.
‘I could pick you because you’re the biggest star available. I could pick you because you’re on Netflix,’ Roman said.
‘But no, I’m picking you because I hate you. I’ve always hated you. And WrestleMania is going to be the best day of my life because in the main event, you will acknowledge me.’
Fans were gripped by their exchange, and it sets the stage for a wild and controversial road to WrestleMania.
‘This is exactly what you want from a WrestleMania main event, one promo and the hype went up tenfold,’ wrote @Slappa_WWE, while @PPSandeep7777 added: ‘Punk and Roman delivered an incredible segment. The back-and-forth was super intense and entertaining.’
And @therealalii summed it up perfectly, saying: ‘The segment between Punk and Roman was incredible — intense, full of hatred, exactly the kind of thing I wish we’d get on a weekly in the road of WM.’
Netflix UK & Ireland subscribers can watch Raw, SmackDown, NXT and all WWE Premium Live events as part of their subscription, including WrestleMania on 18th-19th April.
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