Summary

Roman Reigns' World Heavyweight Championship win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 was reportedly the planned direction for some time, with that outcome tied to WWE's longer-term creative plans.

According to Dave Meltzer, the expectation was for Reigns to leave WrestleMania 42 as champion because the company had already mapped out follow-up ideas for him in that spot, including a title program with Gunther. Meltzer also said there was at least some internal discussion about Punk winning first and then dropping the championship at Backlash so the two men would be even, while still ending with Reigns as champion.

Meltzer also gave the WrestleMania 42 match a five-star rating. That came after Triple H spoke glowingly about the match in the aftermath of WrestleMania 42.

Quote from Dave Meltzer

"Reigns 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. It was possible and apparently talked about that Punk could beat Reigns and then lose the title at Backlash, so they'd be 'even' when it was over but Reigns would end up as champion, as a way to protect Punk's position."

What the reported plan means for Roman Reigns, Gunther, and CM Punk

If Roman Reigns was locked in as the post-WrestleMania 42 champion, that gives more weight to Gunther being positioned as the next major challenger in the World Heavyweight Championship picture. It also suggests CM Punk's loss was not simply a one-night result, but part of a broader effort to keep him protected while still moving Reigns into the next title program.

The report also adds context to the tease involving Punk and Cody Rhodes after WrestleMania 42. Meltzer said that shift happened after Pat McAfee reportedly opted out of post-WrestleMania storylines, but any potential Punk vs. Rhodes match for SummerSlam has not been confirmed.

Sources

As reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.