Add as a preferred source on Google CM Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns in the main event of night two of WrestleMania 42, but that reportedly did not cause any major backstage issue within WWE.
According to Turnbuckle, Punk was very calm about the decision to lose the title to Reigns at the biggest event of the year. Per the outlet, the original plans always called for The OTC to leave WrestleMania with the championship.
“CM Punk was more than happy to drop the World Title to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42, as original plans always had Reigns leaving WrestleMania with gold.”
Punk entered the match as champion, having held the title since November 2025. Reigns, meanwhile, earned the opportunity by winning this year’s men’s Royal Rumble and choosing to face the “Best in the World” at The Showcase of the Immortals.
CM Punk was more than happy to drop the World Title to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42, as original plans always had Reigns leaving WrestleMania with gold.
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) July 6, 2026
(TRNBCKL) pic.twitter.com/YEwcwQ5eas
The match ended after Punk attempted another GTS but collapsed from exhaustion, allowing Reigns to hit two Spears and win the title. The bout received heavy praise and was rated five stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
It is also important to note that Meltzer had previously said WWE discussed another possible route to protect Punk. Under that scenario, Punk would have beaten Reigns at WrestleMania 42 before dropping the title at Backlash, leaving both men even in wins while still ending with Reigns as champion. The final decision, however, was for The OTC to win outright in Las Vegas.
Since then, Punk has been absent from WWE programming, which fueled rumors about possible internal issues. Even so, the expectation is that his return will be tied to a move to SmackDown and the start of a rivalry with Cody Rhodes over the Undisputed WWE Championship.