The originally scheduled main event for Night Two of WrestleMania 42 was set to be Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, according to a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. However, Rollins’s shoulder injury has forced WWE to pivot their plans, and the new direction points toward Reigns challenging the current champion, who could be either Cody Rhodes or CM Punk, at the Las Vegas event in April 2026.
The Original Plan and The Pivot
Meltzer confirmed the original blockbuster matchup, which would have continued the long-standing rivalry between the two former Shield members. The report noted that this plan was confirmed and scheduled for WrestleMania 42, which takes place on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Every key booking decision at this point for the top few people in the company do involve building matches both planned for both WrestleMania in Las Vegas in 2026 and for the 2027 show in Saudi Arabia. We don’t know what the matches are, past a confirmation of what we already knew which was Reigns vs. Rollins was scheduled as the night two main event for 2026.”
Rollins, who was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship after suffering a shoulder injury, is now hoping to be ready to return by WrestleMania season, but his status is considered uncertain. This uncertainty led WWE to explore alternative main event options featuring Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns The Challenger
The current plan calls for Roman Reigns to challenge the superstar holding the World Championship when WrestleMania 42 arrives. This immediately puts Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in the crosshairs of the Tribal Chief.
“The Reigns hint regarding challenging either Rhodes or Punk, (or someone else if either of those titles change hands first) is the current planned direction still as the main event. There will almost surely be more hints in War Games with Reigns, Rhodes and Punk all on the same team.”
These hints are expected to drop during the Men’s WarGames Match at Survivor Series tonight, where Reigns, Rhodes, and Punk are all set to compete on the same team against an alliance led by Paul Heyman.
