The Case Against Reigns vs. Punk vs. Rollins Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 41
At a critical time for WWE, just ahead of WrestleMania 41, the company seems to be reverting back to some of its old, sloppy booking ways.
This time, though, the just throw them in a Triple Threat match has tied up CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
It's a staggering thing for WWE to do, really. It seems that Triple H and those in charge of creative are doubling down on mistakes, rather than attempting to right some previous wrongs.
The first misstep was wasting the long-awaited blood feud between Punk and Rollins on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix. What should have been a WrestleMania main event match and landmark moment in the career of both men instead got broadcast on a weird, celebrity and corporate-filled streaming debut highlighted by things like The Rock retconning and tearing up long-term plans.
Now? The Jey Uso-sized elephant in the room.
Triple H and Co. shocked at the Royal Rumble with Jey's upset win. Barring a change from tradition and totally choosing to ignore the man's "Main Event" nickname, Uso will main event 'Mania against Gunther while Cody Rhodes' match takes the other top slotting.
That leaves Punk and Reigns out to dry with Rollins tagging along with nothing to do.
It's just an odd turn of events, really. With Punk aging and so many good Reigns-Rollins stories to tell (and other things like John Cena's retirement tour), it's downright staggering to see that this is the year WWE finally chose to elevate a Superstar with a Royal Rumble win.
All of it becomes a poorly diluted mixture in a triple threat, too. Frankly, it borders on lazy. Now, fans have already seen the Punk-Rollins feud and match.
The build that started with Punk's shocking return to WWE after public jabs for years from Rollins in the media was wasted on the Netflix debut. It should have received the build that Punk's feud with Drew McIntyre did. Instead, it got thrown out essentially for free on an episode of Raw and now isn't even the primary focus of a 'Mania match.
Punk-Reigns now gets wasted, too. There was that whole "favor" thing hanging in the backdrop between the two Superstars thanks to Paul Heyman's scheming character lurking in the background. That could have been used interestingly in the rumble.
Now? It's hard to care about the "favor" wrinkle at all. And any compelling storytelling that could have unfolded with Heyman in the middle goes to waste as they attempt to figure out ways to keep Rollins meaningfully involved.
Same vibes for Rollins-Reigns. Yes, we've seen it before, like that amazing time a Joker-inspired, cackling Rollins entered the ring to The Shield's entrance music just to play mind games with the Tribal Chief.
But slapping Punk in the mix just because they don't know what else to do with him on short notice just makes things awkward. Unless they skew really meta and loop in some of Punk's notorious "make Roman look strong" comments and such that many fans won't even understand, it isn't going to work—and even if it did...it won't main event.
As it stands, it's almost impressive to waste three blood feuds that could main-event 'Mania without a belt and get year-long builds like the McIntyre-Punk drama in one go. All while, it seems, sidelining them for Jey Uso, who is over with crowds, but perhaps not the best pick at the current moment.
If that's how things go, it's going to be hard to eventually loop back to solo feuds between Reigns-Punk-Rollins in the future and keep fans similarly engaged, which is a shame.
And no, elevating the triple threat match to main-event status and putting Jey-Gunther as a Night 1 or Night 2 opener doesn't really fix things, either. The core issue is the match itself, with the placement just a sort of extra weird ingredient atop a bad mixture.
Oddly enough, the Triple H era has been defined in its early stages for a strong commitment to continuity and measured storytelling. To see three of the biggest names in the sport and three of the best of all time railroaded into a triple threat that diminishes more deserving solo feuds is, in a word, disappointing.
WWE's excellent production and revisionist history will attempt to mask over these problems and do a so-so job at it. But the problems are there, obvious and easily avoidable, with repeated self-inflicted mistakes creating a bitter road to 'Mania this year.
WWE 2K25 Drops 1st Gameplay Trailer with The Rock, Reigns, CM Punk and New Features
The official gameplay trailer for the upcoming WWE 2K25 video game dropped Thursday, giving gamers a look at some of the top playable characters and new features.
Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair were just a few of the current stars shown in the trailer, along with legends such as The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Eddie Guerrero, Yokozuna and Chyna.
The trailer also provides a look at some new match types and the highly anticipated Bloodline Dynasty in Showcase Mode.
In the Bloodline Dynasty showcase, gamers can relive some of the greatest moments in the history of the Anoa'i wrestling family.
Shown in the trailer were Yokozuna beating Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship at King of the Ring 1993 and The Rock's confrontation with The Undertaker during the WWE Championship match between Reigns and Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
New match types in WWE 2K25 include the Underground Match, the Bloodline Rules Match and intergender matches.
The Underground Match is a staple of NXT that allows combatants to do battle in a ring with no ropes, while Bloodline Rules is essentially an all-out street fight.
In a similar vein, players can now have brawls in new environments outside the ring, including the infamous NXT parking lot and the WWE archive warehouse.
Among the other enhancements in WWE 2K25 are the return of chain wrestling, a new MyRise mode entitled "Mutiny," and the addition of more general managers, premium live events and match types in online MyGM mode.
One of the biggest inclusions is The Island, which is a new game mode and environment in which gamers attempt to join The Bloodline.
The standard, Deadman and Bloodline editions are all available for pre-order on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
All versions of the game will be playable on March 14, while those who pre-order the Deadman or Bloodline editions can play seven days early on March 7.
The most significant pre-order bonus is the Wyatt Sicks Pack, which makes Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, and Erick Rowan playable characters.
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WWE Rumors on CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre and Alexa Bliss
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
WWE Reportedly Planning Reigns vs. Punk vs. Rollins
Following their interaction in the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday, plans are reportedly in place for three of WWE's biggest stars to clash at WrestleMania 41.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), the current plan calls for a Triple Threat match between Roman Reigns, CM Punk and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
During the late stages of the star-studded men's Royal Rumble match, Reigns and Rollins were battling near the ropes when Punk came up behind them and dumped them both out.
While Punk was admiring his work, Logan Paul sneakily threw him out as well, essentially taking out three top contenders in one fell swoop.
Punk, Reigns and Rollins then argued on the floor, and Rollins took out Reigns with a vicious stomp to the head before throwing hands with Punk.
Reigns and Rollins have issues that date way back to when Rollins ended The Shield by attacking Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
Rollins was also the most vocal critic of Punk when he returned to WWE in November 2023, and there are plenty of unresolved problems between them stemming from their match on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix.
Reigns and Punk have had some tense exchanges in recent months as well, although Punk did lend Reigns a helping hand back in November when he agreed to be part of his WarGames match at Survivor Series as a favor to Paul Heyman.
Of course, any of Reigns, Punk or Rollins could be moved into the world title scene at any time, but a match between them with no title on the line would be a huge addition to the WrestleMania card.
Assuming whoever wins earns a future title shot would ensure that there are important stakes involved as well.
McIntyre Reportedly Uncertain for Friday's SmackDown
Drew McIntyre did not appear on Raw this week following his shocking elimination from the men's Royal Rumble match, and it isn't yet clear if he will resurface on SmackDown.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), McIntyre's status for SmackDown is uncertain, although it isn't a case of major issues between him and WWE.
PWInsider.com noted that McIntyre and WWE have remained in contact since his abrupt Rumble exit.
It was originally reported by PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier) that after Damian Priest eliminating McIntyre from the Rumble, Drew could be heard "screaming and cursing" backstage. McIntyre reportedly expressed his belief that his elimination didn't come off properly because "someone had to get their moves in," and he then "stormed out of the building."
Per Fightful Select (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Priest was originally supposed to eliminate McIntyre before Logan Paul got into the ring as the 30th entrant, but that didn't happen for unknown reasons.
When Priest did eventually eliminate McIntyre, it came as Paul, LA Knight and Jey Uso were fighting to the side of them.
McIntyre reportedly felt Knight's "errant movement killed the drama and momentum" of his elimination, and believed it came off in a "clunky manner."
Adding to McIntyre's apparent frustration is the fact that the elimination was supposed to be the start of a feud between Drew and Priest, leading to a match at WrestleMania 41.
Since Priest recently moved from Raw to SmackDown, it would make sense for McIntyre to do the same, which suggests there is a solid chance the former WWE champion shows up Friday on the blue brand.
WWE Reportedly Considering SmackDown Move for Bliss
Despite initial plans to bring her back as part of the Raw brand, Alexa Bliss reportedly could be on the move.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier), there have been internal discussions about moving Bliss to SmackDown where she could potentially work with the Wyatt Sicks.
A little over a week before Royal Rumble, PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier) reported that WWE had scrapped plans for Bliss to return to WWE on the Jan. 13 episode of Raw on Netflix in San Jose, California.
Bliss was supposed to do something with the Wyatt Sicks, but the creative team was reportedly told to scrap the plans and put everything "on hold indefinitely."
There was reportedly a belief within WWE at the time that plans for Bliss' return were halted due to a contract issue, as she had "an older WWE deal" and reportedly wanted a new one before returning.
WWE and Bliss were able to get on the same page before Royal Rumble, as she returned in the women's Royal Rumble match, entering as a surprise at No. 21.
Fightful Select (h/t Carrier) later reported that WWE and Bliss came to terms on a new five-year deal.
Bliss had been gone for two whole years after going on maternity leave and having her first child, and that coupled with the surprising nature of her return resulting in one of the biggest pops of the night.
Prior to her absence, Bliss had been working with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, and at the Rumble, she wore a jacket that was a clear tribute to Wyatt, who tragically died in 2023 at the age of 36.
Given her history with Wyatt, moving Bliss to SmackDown and putting her with the Wyatt Sicks would likely be the most logical way to utilize her coming out of the Rumble.
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