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WWE considered a scenario where CM Punk would retain the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42, but ultimately decided on Roman Reigns as the champion. The long-term plan always favored Reigns, despite discussions about Punk's potential victory.
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Rumor Claims a CM Punk Win At WrestleMania 42 Discussed By WWE Creative
WWE internally discussed a scenario in which CM Punk would retain the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42 before ultimately deciding on Roman Reigns as champion, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The report makes clear that Reignsâ winning was always the long-term plan, but the alternative finish involving Punk was given serious enough consideration to be discussed internally before being rejected.
âReigns was always to come out as champion since long-term plans have been made for him in that position, which included a title feud with Gunther,â Meltzer wrote. âIt was possible and apparently talked about that Punk could beat Reigns and then lose the title at Backlash, so theyâd be âevenâ when it was over, but Reigns would end up as champion, as a way to protect Punkâs position. But the decision in the end was for Reigns to win here.â
Credit: WWE
A Punk win at WrestleMania, followed by a title loss at Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, would have left both men level heading into whatever comes next, softening the blow of Punk ultimately not leaving Las Vegas as champion. The fact that it was considered at all shows how closely matched the two options were at some point in the creative process, even if Reignsâ winning was always the likely decision.
The original plan involved CM Punk retaining the World Heavyweight Championship, but it was ultimately rejected in favor of Roman Reigns winning.
WWE decided against CM Punk winning because Roman Reigns was always intended to be the long-term champion, with plans for a title feud involving Gunther.
There was discussion about Punk potentially beating Reigns and then losing the title at Backlash to protect his position, but this scenario was ultimately not chosen.
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Reigns defeated Punk with two spears in the Night Two main event of WrestleMania 42 in a match that ran over 30 minutes. At the post-show press conference, Reigns declared he would be appearing all summer. WWE wasted no time establishing his next direction, setting up a program between Reigns and Jacob Fatu on that Mondayâs show.
The longer-term picture beyond Fatu already has a significant program attached to it. Gunther has been identified as a major direction for Reignsâ title reign, which would be one of the best championship programs WWE could do, given the star power on both sides. With Reigns now confirmed as the focal point of the World Heavyweight Championship picture heading into the summer, the creative roadmap appears to be in place.
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