Roman Reigns Targets CM Punk for WrestleMania Showdown a Decade in the Making

Roman Reigns has officially set his sights on CM Punk for WrestleMania. Appearing at the closing segment of Monday Night Raw on February 2, the Royal Rumble winner confirmed that he will challenge Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 18 and 19. What began as a formal address quickly turned into a personal confrontation, with Reigns brushing aside Drew McIntyre as the “easy choice” before zeroing in on Punk.

The exchange had also brought up the two wrestler’s shared history in the past decade. Punk reminded Reigns of his role in bringing The Shield into WWE in 2012, while Reigns countered by claiming he backed Punk’s controversial return to the company in 2023. The tension peaked when Reigns made his intentions crystal clear, telling Punk he picked him out of pure animosity.

“I’m picking you because I hate you. I’ve always hated you,” Reigns said, drawing one of the loudest reactions of the night.

The matchup is their first singles clash on a major stage. Their only previous one-on-one bout took place on Raw in 2014, just weeks before Punk’s original exit from WWE. With unfinished business stretching over a decade, WrestleMania now has its most personal feud locked in.

Elijah Pareño

Music Writer

Elijah Pareño is the Music Writer of Rolling Stone Philippines. He writes daily music news, features, reviews, and radar stories of the website.

In addition to music writing, Pareño has written about the behind-the-scenes writers and producers from the P-pop scene, interviewed hip-hop artists like Shanti Dope and Zae, and featured up-and-coming artists for the Music Forecast 2026. Aside from music, Pareño has written about the state of affairs that affects pop culture. He wrote a movie review for 'Mortal Kombat II' and reported and interviewed photojournalists at the September 21, 2025 protests in Luneta and Mendiola.

Prior to working in Rolling Stone Philippines, Pareño was a freelance writer for 3 years and independent live music promoter

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• In This Article:
• Roman Reigns
• WrestleMania