Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns chooses WWE RAW World Champion CM Punk as his opponent for the mega show in Las Vegas. The two have a history dating back 14 years.
The main event for the WWE mega show WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas has been set – and it’s a clash of the titans with a history dating back 14 years.
On the first episode of the TV show Monday Night RAW after the Royal Rumble, Rumble winner Roman Reigns, as expected, chose World Champion CM Punk as his opponent for the two-day spectacle on April 18 and 19.
“I’M PICKING YOU BECAUSE I HATE YOU” @CMPunk @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/ou6BsKx6rF
— WWE (@WWE) February 3, 2026
WWE RAW: Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns chooses CM Punk
Reigns and Punk share a history that began in 2012: The young Reigns and the now legendary group The Shield (Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose, now Jon Moxley at rival AEW) debuted as paid mercenaries for Punk and his manager Paul Heyman.
Punk was also the creator of The Shield behind the scenes—ironically, he had not Reigns in mind as the third member, but his independent companion Chris Hero/Kassius Ohno.
While Punk left the league in 2014 amid controversy, Reigns developed into an undisputed top star of the promotion despite much resistance – the influence of mastermind Heyman is also part of their shared DNA: Reigns’ later “Wise Man” was also a great creative supporter and decisive career helper for both of them behind the scenes.
Since Punk’s WWE comeback in the fall of 2023, WWE has been paving the way for only the second singles match between the two companions after a TV duel in 2014. The two already competed in a three-way match at WrestleMania 41 with Rollins as the surprise winner – now the long-awaited sequel is coming.
Punk vs. Reigns: The circle closes at WrestleMania 42
Reigns concluded the latest edition of RAW in Philadelphia – the city where he lost his Undisputed Universal Title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 after more than three years – with the traditional election decision of the Rumble winner. Reigns was allowed to choose between Punk and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. The “Original Tribal Chief” initially hinted at a decision in favor of McIntyre, amid boos, which Punk, who joined him, responded to with derision: He apparently wanted to choose “the easier way out.” That was typical of him: even as champion, he had always relied on the help of the Bloodline and had recently retired to the role of “part-timer” – an allusion to Reigns’ real contract situation.
Reigns shot back that he didn’t need lectures on this topic from someone who had taken “ten years off” from the business – and from whom he himself had only learned “how not to do it.” These words were also a casual reference to the fact that Punk had made his comeback in 2021 not with WWE, but with AEW (which Reigns had met with derision at the time) – and to the fact that this engagement had also ended in discord.
“I choose you because I hate you”
Ultimately, Reigns announced the widely expected decision – and immediately provided the reasoning: He could say a lot about choosing Punk because he is the bigger star, has greater market value and, with his presence on Netflix – RAW’s media partner – has the widest reach. But the truth is: “I choose you because I hate you!” The stage is set for an enormously charged showdown at the Las Vegas Raiders’ NFL stadium.
