Roman Reigns Breaks Silence On WWE WrestleMania 42 Win

Roman Reigns is the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The Tribal Chief defeated CM Punk in the Night Two main event of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas in a match lasting over 30 minutes, executing two spears to keep Punk down for the three-count and stand tall to close one of the most anticipated WrestleManias in recent memory. Reigns subsequently appeared at the post-show to reflect on what the victory means — and offered one of the more gracious and layered assessments of an opponent he has spent weeks publicly dismissing.

“It feels good. It feels as it should. That’s what’s so pure about our business — we know right away. There’s nothing like this,” Reigns said. He then addressed the inevitable question of whether defeating Punk in a 30-plus minute main event had changed his view of the man. “The fact that I’m the Tribal Chief and I still hear people out here chanting for CM Punk, I have to respect that. Do I respect the man and his personal life? I don’t know. But when he steps into the arena, when the ring’s set up, when the pyro is gonna go off — I got a lot of respect for the man that steps into the arena and performs. He puts his heart and soul and physicality on the line. CM Punk didn’t just run his mouth. He backed it up. He just ran into a better man today.”

Roman Reigns Wins His First World Heavyweight Championship After Dropping the Undisputed Title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40

The victory gives Reigns his first world championship since losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 — a two-year gap that ends with a new title and what appears to be a renewed full-time commitment to the company heading into the summer.