CM Punk opened Raw on April 6, 2026, in Houston with a blast at Roman Reigns that set the tone for the penultimate show before WrestleMania 42. He said Reigns was not in the Toyota Center that night, called him “store-bought,” “plastic,” “safe” and “boring,” and told the crowd to keep chanting because maybe Reigns would show up.
Punk did not stop there. He took shots at The Rock, Vince McMahon and “they,” said TKO could not control him, called himself “dangerous,” and promised Pat McAfee a receipt after McAfee’s appearance and attack on Cody Rhodes on Friday night’s SmackDown. He also demanded lower ticket prices, turning a promo aimed at Reigns into a wider attack on the people and forces around WWE.
The segment mattered because Punk is headed into WrestleMania 42 as Reigns’ opponent, and the company has spent the last week building toward that matchup. Punk had already driven Reigns through the announce table the previous week, and his latest comments pushed the feud deeper into personal territory with one show left before the event.
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Raw also kept the rest of the WrestleMania picture moving. LA Knight wrestled Austin Theory, with IShowSpeed at ringside alongside Logan Paul, and Theory won by cheap roll-up. The Usos appeared during the match, and later Adam Pearce made a six-man tag at WrestleMania official after Knight issued the challenge. The show followed earlier April dates that kept the tag and singles storylines in motion, including Austin Theory and Logan Paul’s win over The Usos on March 30.
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The friction in Houston was the point. Punk spent the opening of Raw saying he would not trade authenticity for approval, and he turned that line into a direct challenge to Reigns, the company and the people trying to shape the ending around him. With WrestleMania 42 days away, the message was plain: Punk is not softening, and neither is the road to the main event.
