Summary

Roman Reigns closed WrestleMania 42 night two by defeating CM Punk in the main event to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, then shifted quickly from victory to respect in the post-show media session.

Asked whether he respects Punk, Reigns said the answer is complicated on a personal level, but far more straightforward once the bell is about to ring. That rivalry had already been framed as something deeper than a one-night issue, with the tension between Reigns and Punk presented as more than just in-ring animosity before WrestleMania 42.

Quote from Roman Reigns

Speaking after the show, Reigns made it clear that Punk earned his respect as a performer even if the two men do not see eye to eye.

"There's a reason why in the UFC, after a big fight, you will see that respect that's laid out, and that's the thing, the fact that I'm out here as The Tribal Chief and I can still hear a couple people calling for CM Punk, you have to respect that. Do I respect the man and his personal life? I don't know. But when it comes to 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 in front of all these people because he puts his heart and he puts his soul, he puts his physicality on the line. Do we see eye-to-eye? Hell no. Are we cut from the same fabric? Hell no. But at the same time, we're a part of the same fraternity, just like you (Corey Graves), just like me and (Big) E. There's very few of us. So, when you can go out there and you can main event and you can put it on the line and you can actually hold your own, CM Punk didn't just run his mouth. He backed it up. He just ran into a better man today."

Roman Reigns and CM Punk after WrestleMania 42

Reigns' comments landed because they came immediately after one of the biggest wins of his career. He had just taken the world title from Punk, but instead of reducing the match to trash talk, he framed Punk as someone who still belongs in that top-tier conversation.

That matters heading into Raw. Reigns has already said he expects to be around throughout the summer, so his public respect for Punk adds another layer to whatever comes next. WWE now has a champion who beat Punk, praised Punk, and still called himself the better man, which keeps the feud alive even after the title change.

Sources

As reported by Fightful