WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 2 Main Event Grade: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns Lived up to The Hype originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After a lackluster Night 1, Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 delivered. That's especially true of the main event, where Roman Reigns beat CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
The match was Reigns’ best WrestleMania match of his career. It was also a true moment for Punk, who, for years, fought for a main event spot. Both had the crowd, reserved through two nights, in the palm of their hands.
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, the main event of Night 1, didn’t feel like there was a big payoff. Reigns vs. Punk did, and then some.
How did we grade the main event? Here is the full grade, reaction, and breakdown of what happened during the main event.
Punk and Reigns gave it their all from the jump. Punk tried to get into Reigns’ head, while Reigns attempted to show Punk why he was “the man” while Punk was away from WWE. They both had moments of greatness throughout.
They talked trash, from the opening bell to the finishing sequence. Reigns was telling Punk how he was the best. Maybe he was trying to convince himself of that?
Punk landed the GTS, a Spear, locked in the Anaconda Vice, and even connected with a Superman Punch. Reigns hit the Superman Punch, a Shield Bomb through a table, and a Guillotine. He even tried the GTS.
MORE:WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 2 Results, Match Grades
A cool moment saw Reigns land multiple Superman Punches while Punk was draped on the apron, outside the ring.
Punk wore the Ula Fala to mock Reigns. They traded submission attempts and got a standing ovation after collapsing. It wouldn’t be the first time Punk did that, as he did so before he could land a definitive GTS to Reigns.
Punk hit a low blow after distracting Reigns and the referee, which was unexpected. He then put Reigns through the announce table with an elbow. As he went for the final GTS, Punk collapsed, and Reigns hit multiple Spears for the win.
The match had a great flow to it from start to finish. Roman Reigns surprisingly had a quick entrance. Meanwhile, CM Punk came out to "Miseria Cantare," setting the tone early.
Unlike Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, there was no interference or moments to pause in the match. Every move, every emotion shown made sense. Punk and Reigns were there to beat one another up for a title and respect.
It was a real fight. Nothing felt forced. Reigns let out his hatred of Punk, while the latter did everything to prove that, despite being older and leaving WWE years ago, he can still hang.
If you let the wrestlers wrestle, magic happens. CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns was all you could ask for in a WrestleMania match.