Roman Reigns Fires Back at CM Punk After MSG Raw: “THIS Is THE Champion?”

The final image of WWE Raw at Madison Square Garden was CM Punk standing tall on the barricade after putting Roman Reigns through a table — but the moment that followed off-camera quickly became just as talked about. Fan footage captured Punk going back and forth with a member of the crowd, mocking Reigns and telling the fan “The marquee says wrestling, not cinema” in a moment that was equal parts entertaining and chaotic.

Reigns saw the footage and responded on social media with the kind of composed but pointed heat that defines his character. “THIS is THE champion? In Madison Square Garden? Your Tribal Chief will end this embarrassment at WrestleMania,” Reigns wrote.

Punk and Reigns Closing Segment at MSG Generates the Most Viewed Raw YouTube Clip of the Week

The response from Reigns plays perfectly into the dynamic the two have been building since their WrestleMania 42 match was confirmed. Punk is chaotic, unpredictable, and irreverent — everything Reigns is not. Reigns is composed, regal, and deeply invested in the idea that there is a correct way to carry the championship at the highest level. Punk’s post-match antics at MSG gave Reigns the perfect ammunition to position himself as the more deserving champion heading into Las Vegas, where he challenges Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42. The closing segment from Raw was also the most viewed clip from the episode on YouTube, drawing 2.1 million views according to Tudum’s weekly data.