Roman Reigns Takes World Heavyweight Championship From CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 Night 2

WrestleMania 42 Night 2 closed with Roman Reigns taking the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk in a match that multiple outlets described as a grueling, late-stage battle.

ESPN said Reigns and Punk “delivered in a 33-minute battle of willpower,” with Punk “fought until he had nothing left,” and CBS Sports wrote that “Punk’s body simply gave out on him and allowed Reigns to hit a spear.”

Akron Beacon Journal

CBS Sports framed the finish as Reigns “ending CM Punk’s reign as world heavyweight champion,” while ClutchPoints previewed the same pairing as the Night 2 headliner for the World Heavyweight Championship.

The event took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noting that WrestleMania “begins at 3 p.m. local time in Las Vegas” on April 18 and April 19.

In the lead-up, ClutchPoints described the match as “Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship,” and it also emphasized that “it has been two years since Reigns has held a world title.”

ESPN added that Punk entered “holding the World Heavyweight Championship,” and that the night was “the culmination of a journey to prove that he still was ‘Best in the World.’”

CBS Sports also highlighted that Reigns “got the job done by himself,” contrasting it with his previous run where “his family, The Bloodline, [was] involved at every turn.”

Night 2 also featured major championship moments beyond the main event, with ESPN and CBS Sports both pointing to new stars and returning champions.

ESPN said Oba Femi and Trick Williams were “two of the big winners Sunday,” and it described Femi’s win over Brock Lesnar as starting “the night with one man on his way to becoming a dominant force.”

Asbury Park Press

CBS Sports detailed the opening match as Oba Femi “def. Brock Lesnar via pinfall,” and it described Lesnar leaving “his gloves and boots in the ring after losing to Oba Femi,” which CBS Sports said “effectively signaled an end to his career.”

ClutchPoints had previewed the show opening with “Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi,” and it argued that the match “should've closed out one of the two nights of WrestleMania this year.”

For the United States Championship, ESPN said Williams “captured the Men's United States Championship from Sami Zayn,” and CBS Sports wrote that Trick Williams won “with an assist from Lil Yachty.”

In the women’s title picture, ESPN said Rhea Ripley “won her first singles title in 13 months by ending Jade Cargill's reign,” and it listed the match as “Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley.”

With the Intercontinental Championship ladder match, CBS Sports said only Penta retained his title, writing that “Penta survives brutal, thrilling ladder match to retain the intercontinental championship,” while ClutchPoints had previewed “Intercontinental Championship ladder match: Penta (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Rusev vs. Dragon Lee vs. Je'Von Evans vs. JD McDonagh.”

Beyond the matches themselves, the reporting also laid out the event’s timing, streaming options, and the broader WrestleMania schedule across two nights.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said WrestleMania “is set to take place in Las Vegas,” and it specified that the “two-night spectacle features a 13-match card with seven matches on the schedule for Night 1 on April 18 and six more on Night 2 on April 19.”

It also stated that WrestleMania “begins at 3 p.m. local time in Las Vegas,” and it explained that WrestleMania streams “live through the ESPN Unlimited app, ESPN's streaming service, in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else.”

The same outlet added that “This is the first year that WrestleMania will stream on the ESPN app,” and it gave the ESPN Unlimited pricing as “$29.99 a month or $35.99 for the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundle.”

For the preshow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said “Watch the WrestleMania preshow on WWE's YouTube channel, beginning at 2 p.m. CT,” and it noted that “ESPN 2 will also host the final hour of the preshow.”

Infobae, meanwhile, described the WrestleMania 42 lineup as “recorded on April 18 and 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas,” and it said the event had “a capacity for more than 60,000 people.”

Infobae also reported that WWE hoped to “sell more than 124,000 tickets across the two days,” and it tied the schedule to the same two-night structure.

The outlets diverged in how they framed the same WrestleMania 42 Night 2 outcomes, especially around what the results meant for storylines and careers.

ClutchPoints approached the night as a set of predictions and booking questions, writing that Night 2 would be “headlined by Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship,” and it argued that “it has been two years since Reigns has held a world title.”

CBS Sports

It also treated the card as a matter of match order and pacing, noting that “The order of matches hasn't been announced, but Lesnar vs. Femi will open the show,” and it suggested Reigns vs. Punk “will likely close it.”

ESPN, by contrast, framed the night as a set of “takeaways,” explicitly asking “Will Reigns remain champ until WrestleMania 43?” and it connected the finish to future defenses, asking whether Reigns could defend “at Backlash in May.”

CBS Sports emphasized the match quality and the arc of endings, saying Night 2 was “about things coming to an end,” and it described the main event as “an epic showdown that stands with the best WrestleMania main events in history.”

Meanwhile, ESPN’s take on the main event focused on character dynamics and interference, stating that “More importantly for Reigns, he won without any interference,” and it speculated about whether Reigns would be “on his own, with no one at ringside.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Infobae, though not match-analysis outlets, framed the same event through logistics and audience access, with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listing the “match card” and Infobae emphasizing the “official schedule” and ticketing goals.

After Night 2, the reporting pointed to immediate next steps and looming storyline questions, particularly around Reigns’ title run and the future of other champions.

“In the blink of an eye, the first night of WWE WrestleMania 42 is over, and it's on to Night 2, which will be headlined by Roman Reigns vs”

ClutchPoints

ESPN asked whether Reigns could defend at “Backlash in May,” and it also raised the question of whether Reigns would be “on his own, with no one at ringside,” describing it as “an interesting development for his character.”

ClutchPoints

ESPN also suggested that it “would not be shocking to see Reigns bringing the championship into WrestleMania 43 ... maybe against The Rock,” while ClutchPoints had similarly floated a potential Rock angle by writing, “the delusional fan (including yours truly) is still holding out hope for The Rock to return to set up a match against Reigns at WrestleMania 43.”

CBS Sports, meanwhile, emphasized that Reigns’ previous run involved “The Bloodline” at “every turn,” but it said Sunday was “about Reigns and Reigns alone,” reinforcing the idea that the title reign could be shaped by who is or isn’t at his side.

For other champions, ESPN’s takeaways tied title changes to momentum, saying Oba Femi’s win over Brock Lesnar “started the night” and that Williams’ victory over Sami Zayn came as he “just can't seem to shake his miserable 2026.”

CBS Sports also underlined the end-of-career narrative around Lesnar by noting that Lesnar left “his gloves and boots in the ring” and that the result “effectively signaled an end to his career.”

Finally, the coverage of the main event’s stakes was explicit: ESPN wrote that “Reigns also had much to prove,” and it said “a loss would validate every insult and criticism Punk threw his way.”