WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk has explained why his WrestleMania 42 opponent, Roman Reigns, can’t defeat him without help.

Punk and Reigns will main event WrestleMania, a year after the two had main evented the show alongside Seth Rollins. Reigns has, in the past, had the likes of The Bloodline or Paul Heyman in his corner, but at “The Show of Shows” this time around, he will enter the arena alone, which Punk said will be a disadvantage for his opponent.

“History,” Punk replied simply when asked by interviewer Corey Graves why he thinks Reigns can’t do it alone. “When has Roman ever accomplished anything on his own? From The Shield, to the Big Dog, to the Tribal Chief, he has been coddled and surrounded by management, the office, his friends, his family. He’s more of an idea that needed to succeed. He’s somebody else’s idea that had to get pushed through and cross the goal line and score. It’s impressive to be able to say that this will be his 11th WrestleMania. Which ones do you remember? You remember the ones he lost to Cody Rhodes.”

Punk seemingly referenced Vince McMahon, who was adamant that Reigns be the face of the company despite fans not buying it. Fans eventually supported Reigns when he was paired with Heyman, with the two then forming The Bloodline, which became a hugely successful storyline.

Reigns and Punk’s current feud has been a deeply personal one, which began after the former won the men’s Royal Rumble match and chose to face Punk, the World Heavyweight Champion, at WrestleMania 42. The duo have sparred on the microphone and put each other through the announcers’ desk, and they will once again have the opportunity to get their hands on each other on night 2 of ‘Mania, where they will main event the show. 

The “WWE SmackDown” before the weekend’s WrestleMania 42 will feature a title match involving former WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.

The “SmackDown” and “Raw” before WrestleMania usually feature matches that couldn’t be accommodated on the ‘Mania card, and it seems like one of those matches will take place on the Friday night show. Stratton will face off against WWE Women’s US Champion Giulia in a title match, just a few weeks after the duo had faced each other in a non-title match. The match was made official on this week’s WWE “Main Event” show. 

Stratton and Giulia have been in a feud for a few weeks, with the duo facing each other on the March 27 edition of “SmackDown” in a non-title match, where the latter emerged victorious, thanks to some help from Kiana James. Recent reports had hinted that a rematch could take place at “The Show of Shows,” which now doesn’t seem to be the case. Stratton herself addressed those rumors, confirming that she wasn’t told by WWE management about such a match happening at WrestleMania. Giulia has held the title for most of 2026, having won the title on the January 2 edition of “SmackDown.”

Also on the WrestleMania 42 go-home show will be an Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, while The MFTs will continue their rivalry with The Wyatt Sicks in an eight-man tag team match. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who recently trashed Pat McAfee’s studio, will also be on the show and will address his WrestleMania 42 opponent, Randy Orton.