Roman Reigns is officially confirmed to be in action at WWE WrestleMania 42 after he won the prestigious 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match. The Original Tribal Chief’s opponent will be determined after the result of the upcoming World Heavyweight Championship match. CM Punk will defend the title against Finn Balor this weekend at the Elimination Chamber in Chicago.
After this week’s episode of RAW, Balor appeared on the “Unlikely” podcast to discuss his career. He claimed that he admires and respects Reigns a lot as a professional. However, ahead of his massive title match with Punk, he also put the leader of The Bloodline on notice.
The former WWE Universal Champion reflected on his first encounter with the dominant star. “As a professional, he’s one of the greatest of all time,” Balor stated. “And I remember the first time I locked up with Roman, it was my first night on RAW.”
He noted the physical difference between Reigns and other competitors. “When I locked up with him, it was just like a different feeling. I was like, ‘Oh, this is how they do it here.’ And it was a real, like, eye-opening moment for me,” Balor recalled. He compared the experience to wrestling a Japanese legend.
“I had one very similar in Japan when I wrestled with Justin Liger. But with Roman, he’s just at another level, and he’s someone who I admire and respect,” he added. Despite the praise, Balor admitted he still harbors negative feelings regarding their infamous Extreme Rules encounter.
“But obviously, there was still that, like, little bit of bitterness, that top rope malfunction of, that’s another what if, right? What if the top rope didn’t break?” Balor asked, referencing the controversial finish to their 2021 title bout. “Like, Roman was lying in the middle of the ring, and I was about to hit the foot stomp, so.”
He admitted that the recent television segments brought those feelings back to the surface. “And, you know, that’s something that kind of, I’ve not really forgotten about, but maybe moved on from. But, you know, with the, what’s been going on with Punk and Roman, I felt like, ‘Oh, it kind of like, reminded me, oh, I still got a, got an issue with him too,’” he ended.
Balor will have the opportunity to rectify that history if he can defeat CM Punk in his hometown. The Elimination Chamber premium live event takes place on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. If Balor captures the World Heavyweight Championship, he will punch his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 42 against Reigns in Las Vegas.
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