Updated WrestleMania 42 Plans Point to Roman Reigns Set for a Massive Trilogy Showdown

After Survivor Series, WWE is reportedly planning for two huge world title matches at WrestleMania 42 involving Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes.

Updated WrestleMania 42 Plans Point to Roman Reigns Set for a Massive Trilogy Showdown

WrestleMania 42 with Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and Bron Breakker (via WWE)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

After the huge success of WrestleMania 41, WWE is returning to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the second consecutive year to host WrestleMania 42. Preparations for the company’s biggest show traditionally begin months in advance, but plans can always shift due to injuries, storyline changes, or audience reaction.

Following Survivor Series on November 29th, fans got their clearest hint yet at WWE’s direction for 2026. The Men’s WarGames match saw Brock Lesnar, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Drew McIntyre, and Logan Paul defeat Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and The Usos. In the final moments, a masked intruder nailed Punk with a Stomp, allowing Breakker to hit a Spear and score the pin. 

After the match, Reigns, Rhodes, and Punk stared each other down, an intentional tease of what’s to come. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, WWE has two world championship matches tentatively set for WrestleMania 42.

The first is reportedly CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the World Heavyweight strap. Punk and Breakker have feuded throughout the year, fueled by Breakker’s alliance with Seth Rollins in The Vision. After Rollins went down with a shoulder injury, Breakker briefly carried the vacant title before Punk officially won it by defeating Jey Uso at Saturday Night’s Main Event. 

Moreover, Breakker’s WarGames performance now strengthens his case for a WrestleMania showdown. The second, and more high-profile, match is the long-awaited trilogy between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE championship. Each man has had one WrestleMania win over the other in the past. 

Reigns retained at WrestleMania 39, while Rhodes completed his story at WrestleMania 40. Their rivalry has since involved betrayals, shifting alliances, and power struggles. After WarGames, Reigns declared he would never team with Rhodes again, and ‘The American Nightmare’ accepted, essentially confirming their impending rubber match.

For the unversed, WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18 and 19, 2026, once again at Allegiant Stadium. While card changes are always possible, Triple H and his creative team appear to have already laid the foundation for the two marquee main events.

Original plans for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 revealed

With Survivor Series now pointing toward new world title directions for WrestleMania 42, it appears WWE’s original plans have shifted. As already stated, the company maps out its WrestleMania lineups months in advance, but major injuries can force sudden changes, and that’s exactly what happened this year.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41 (via WWE)

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original planned Night Two main event for WrestleMania 42 was Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight belt. However, Rollins’ shoulder injury at Crown Jewel against Cody Rhodes has derailed that matchup, prompting the promotion to rethink its biggest storyline.

This also sheds light on Reigns’ pointed comments during the November 24 episode of RAW, where he told Rhodes and CM Punk that one of their titles would look better on him. As Meltzer has confirmed, WWE has long planned for Reigns to challenge for a world championship in the Night Two main event.

Given that Reigns and Rhodes have already headlined two WrestleManias in recent years, many believe it makes more storyline sense for Reigns vs. CM Punk to anchor next year’s show for the World Heavyweight belt. Even though Rollins might recover in time, Meltzer reported that the match with Reigns is essentially off the table.

For the unversed, Rollins was in the middle of a major push before the injury. He had defeated Punk and Reigns in the WrestleMania 41 main event, aligned with Paul Heyman, and established The Vision.

After faking an injury at Saturday Night’s Main Event and cashing in Money in the Bank at SummerSlam to win the world title, he seemed destined for another clash with Punk. But his legitimate shoulder injury required surgery, and he was written off TV days later when Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed attacked him. This effectively ended his run as The Vision’s leader and leaves his creative future uncertain.

Also Read: