WWE WrestleMania 42: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True
5. Weekend Main Event Can’t Live Up Hype
CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns is the match chosen to headline the entire weekend for a reason. It’s the one Triple H believes carries most interest, and it’s also a nice moment for Punk getting to headline WrestleMania in a singles setting. That's the latest 'making up for lost time' friendship moment between those guys.
However, Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena didn’t live up to the billing last year. So, what if 2026 sees a repeat of that rather than the blistering Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes bout from ‘Mania 40? Flopping when he's been handed everything he ever wanted is true nightmare fuel for Punk and his fans, because he’s waited a long, long time for this chance.
Too long, some might say.
Roman likes to start his bouts slowly during the 'Tribal Chief'/'OTC' era. That's kinda his thing, so it's not outrageous to guess that he and Punk could take up to 5 minutes after the bell to actually lock horns and kick the match off properly. Fair enough, but the action that comes next has to be of a very, very high standard to maintain interest from the live crowd.
Cody and Cena lost the people early in 2025, then Travis Scott's entrance midway through killed the crowd. Fingers crossed this Punk vs. Reigns mega-match lives up to the hype and that Punk (in particular) has been keeping some powder dry to blow everyone's socks off on Sunday evening.
He hasn't wrestled a match since late-February, so this 'Mania match will either totally rule or stumble badly. We'll all know fairly early which one it's going to be.