Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk in the WrestleMania 42 main event on Sunday, April 19, taking down his rival to become the World Heavyweight Champion.
Despite being the all-time leader in headlining the WWE’s grand event, Reigns had a rare cold streak in the show, and needed a win in 2026 to avoid the skid continuing. It nearly happened, but Reigns is back in a familiar position: winning.
WrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
1 / 7WrestleMania 42 delivers the biggest WWE moments, wins and emotionWrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
WrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
It was a classic battle that tested both stars, with so many highlights in and out of the ring.
After a long battle, they get on their feet and traded punches, and ended up back down again. Punk takes off his tape and throws it at him, and when the referee throws it away, Punk gets the low blow. He then gets the GTS and it looks like that's going to do it, but Reigns kicks out just before three. Then Punk puts Reigns on the other announcer's table and leap from the top rope for a stunning elbow drop.
Back in the ring, Punk lands another GTS, and Reigns bounces off the ropes and right back into another. However, Punk doesn't have any strength left to try it again. They again lay on the mat, and Reigns gets up to land the spear.
Exhausted, they get back up, but Reigns has more left in him. Punk doesn't. He runs the ropes and spears Punk again. The champion is out, and Reigns pins him to become World Heavyweight Champion.
Reigns wins in his record-extending 11th WrestleMania main event, and now has 7-4 record when closing out the show. The win also ended a rare losing mark for him; he had lost his previous two WrestleMania matches, the first time he ever lost in back-to-back years.
The championship is the first one for Reigns since WrestleMania 40 in April 2024, and is now a seven-time WWE champion, moving him in a tie for 12th-most reigns in company history. He also denies Punk from winning his first WrestleMania main event, now 0-2 in the closing match of the show after losing in it last year.
It’ll now be a new timeline with Reigns back with gold around his waist. The last time he was champion, he went on to hold the title for 1,316. Now the WWE world waits to see another epic reign for the “OTC.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roman Reigns wins WrestleMania 42 main event, World Heavyweight title