roman & punk for me is a pairing that stylistically, always intrigued me & in a main event setting they executed on a simple, reliable formula & created magic on a show & in a company that lacks any creative ambition, fundamentally crisp & gritty/struggled filled enough to fit the billing of a stadium main event.
Current State of WWE
WrestleMania 42 was horrible, WWE doesn’t produce wrestling i enjoy anyway, but to the average WWE fans, they would agree the event was a huge letdown, a “wrestling show” filled with Ads, Celebrities & underwhelming matches throughout the card & then CM Punk happened, a usual formula in WWE. The WWE in 2026 is just literal garbage content and then a CM Punk segment or match that is levels above the average content on the program & WrestleMania was no different.
A Real Main Event
CM Punk makes his way to the ring with “Miseria Cantera” & a tribute promo video to his career, this was amazing & one of my favorite moments of the year.
Now let’s get into the actual match. The usual WWE mania main event, especially in recent years have no real identity or at least doesn’t do enough to be looked back on with satisfaction, now it’s just heatless matches, which happened to end the show in a stadium. This match, from the jump knew what it was trying to be, what it was trying to display and the formula it was going to follow, the match started with the usual jockeying for position with trash talks filling the time when they break apart, the story of their match is as simple as brains vs braun, they show this off rip (if it wasn’t obvious already) the match almost immediately breaks out to the outside, the two exchange with solid punches & showboating on the announce table.
punk gets caught taunting & gets thrown off the announce table & takes a solid bump on the outside, roman throws punk in the ring for a 2 count & some trash talk, my favorite thing about this match is the spots that switched control & flipped momentum were thought out & felt consequential. They now start exchanging punches & big boots (that again look really solid) then they start working with the ropes & punk does the iconic funk in between the rope sell that he loves to do now.
As punk gets older & his body ages, his ability to do things like sell & bump just get better, he’s so giving here, he makes roman look strong lmao or physically/athletically superior, which hasn’t been a dynamic that roman has used in his matches in AGES if i’m not mistaken, it was a great idea to use that dynamic against an aging gun slinger, The dynamic is set, you now know what you’re following & what they’re trying to tell you, punk bounces back & hits a crossbody & follows it up with punches to a signature kick & knee in the corner to a bulldog, this sets up anticipation, you usually know what comes next, Punk goes for the usual, the GTS but roman finds a way out throws punk into the corner & hits a Superman punch for a two count. Roman goes for the usual Spear set up in the corner & gets met with another knee in the corner & then another & then some short arm lariats & a neck breaker, so pretty much the usual so far, until punk gets roman out of the ring & does his signature suicide dive and now is in firm control, he sets up roman on the announce table & tries to hit the elbow drop but some arguing from the ref gives roman some time to recover and this allows roman to get up and catch punk on the top rope & the two fight on the apron with elbows and boots & then roman puts punk in the tree of woe on the outside, this is a huge story beat in the match, it changes everything, the vibes around the match, the atmosphere of the match & it kicks it into another gear, punk is at roman’s mercy, he’s defenseless to some regular roman punches & some roman superman punches & then roman slams the steel steps into a defenseless dangling punk & busts him open as he falls onto the outside looking lifeless (amazing set up for a blade). Roman now picks up a bloodied, limp bodied CM Punk & shield bombs™️ him on to the announce table, we are firmly in 2nd gear now, Punk is in trouble, he paints this so well with his crawling & sells of exhaustion, Roman throws punk in to the ring & celebrates on the outside before going in and going for a spear inside but being met with a GTS, punk still has life, he’s still fighting, his will is overpowering his body, he collapses perfectly onto roman for a pin that gets him a 2 count & the crowd is now into this as much as they were into anything during the whole weekend, they’ve sucked this dead, zombie-filled audience in, or poured life into them actually with actual wrestling, actual action that has meaning & thoughts behind it. Punk is going off will & will alone, he’s barely able to stand on his own, having to use the ropes to gain balance & footing, he gets roman into position for a GTS & the fresher roman is able to get off and hit a rebound spear in the middle of the ring for a 2 count, Punk WONT DIE & roman knows it too, making his signature faces he does when in a big match. Roman is in firm control & is just slamming punks face into the mat, punks bloodied face is just bouncing off the mat, Roman is in firm control & he knows it, he signals for Punks GTS and tries to set him up but punk is fighting, he’s swinging from his knees but Roman is able to get him up for the GTS but on the way down Punk counters & catches roman with his signature roundhouse, punk is stumbling, bloodied & talking shit now as he sets up for roman’s superman punch & he connects for a 2 count, the fiery old man is now gaining his second wind, he grabs a fans Ula Fala, blood in his eyes, smiling with blood dripping from his mouth
Punk sets up for roman’s SPEAR but is caught with a guillotine, it’s locked in, punk is fighting out of this and selling it BEAUTIFULLY & is able to fight out and roll roman up for a 2 count & locks in his anaconda vice, the crowd is into it fully and biting on every exchange of control and submissions. Punk fights out and tries to go for a sharpshooter but roman stops it with punches and a kick that drops punk right into position for the guillotine, Punk is in trouble, he’s been in trouble for a long time now and this would be a an easy time to quit but he didn’t and why would he? he’s CM Punk. punk gets roman in position for a pin, the two pop up and meet with dueling clotheslines in the middle of the ring, both men are fighting, scratching & crawling to get to their feet while talking shit to each other, an amazing visual and part of this match, this is hate filled wrestling, this is what everyone wanted when they announced this match, this is the matches CM Punk has & roman is great here too! While on their knees they exchange with punches and strikes that don’t have much to them because of the fatigue & war they’ve been through but the fire in them won’t go out, punk is throwing great punches, roman is as well & punk throws a GREAT knee & roman throws his own (wasn’t that great) punk throws a headbutt
which he quickly regrets (i mean look at that sell), this is war, this is how main event wrestling looks, like two gladiators meeting for a battle, a match filled with grit, fight & struggle. Nothing is pretty because fights aren’t supposed to be that, but there is BEAUTY in the visual of two men who hate each other just killing each other though, and this is just that. The two men are in the middle of the ring on their knees, the war that they’ve been through is shown in their face with bruises, cuts & blood and their eyes the hate that powers this match through, punk takes his iconic hand wraps off & throws it at roman, as the ref goes to pick it up, punk goes for a low blow and then gets roman up for a GTS that connects for a beautiful 2.99999. the crowd bit, i bit, everyone bit but roman fights through, we are now in the fourth quarter of game 7, neither team have a time out, it’s do or die now. Punk gets roman outside and sets him on the announce table trying to do what he couldn’t do earlier and hit the elbow drop from the top rope & he does!
Roman is looking finished; he’s gasping for air, and Punk isn’t doing much better, stumbling as he throws Roman into the ring and crawls toward Roman’s body as he tries to get up for a GTS. He connects, Roman bounces off the ropes, and falls right onto Punk’s shoulders, like Mox did, like Seth did, but this time Punk couldn’t get up. The schedule of being a champion has caught up to him; the wear and tear of being on the road, of being a full-time champion, what brought him to this match, to the main event, is also the reason he’s gassed and exhausted and unable to get Roman’s lifeless body up for a second GTS. This lets Roman connect with a spear. Punk is defiant; this old-timer is not going down without giving everything he has. He tries to throw punches, but he can’t connect; he’s trying to land anything, but his body isn’t matching his will. The gunslinger is out of bullets and eats a spear to the chest for a 1…2…3. Roman does it; he beats Punk, he escapes. He’s happier about surviving that war than he is about winning. This was a great match filled with great work from both men and a formula that is executed amazingly. This match isn’t perfect, and I won’t act like it is, the referee for one was useless because of what’s done here, but it’s amazing and shows what main event matches should look like. It’s two men in a war of attrition; the structure and pacing is great, and the execution is amazing, especially by Punk, who had a performance of the year contender. I’ve seen a lot of people have mixed reviews on Punk’s performance, and I for one think him being a step slower added to this match and his performances all year. The story of “can he stick around long enough to get one good shot in, one good wave of momentum in to win the match?” was great, the building of anticipation of punks full comeback from getting demolished after some failed comeback attempts was amazing! Punk is hanging around because of his will and mind for the sport as his body is going and it’s why he’s easily becoming one of the best old-man wrestlers ever. It was very easy to see that he would because of who he was before, but honestly, it’s still amazing to see.
overall, i live and i die with punk no matter what, but i especially did in this match, i hung on every hope spot, i bit on every pin, i believed in the old timer with a good fastball one more time. amazing match, amazing performance, amazing performer.
****1/2
Dior Watches Wrestling 
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