Over the past few weeks, tension has been building between Roman Reigns and CM Punk over their mutual friend, Paul Heyman. Recent events hinted at a possible betrayal ahead of WrestleMania, and the latest episode of SmackDown delivered a major twist as Heyman seemingly switched sides.
Paul Heyman to Stand in CM Punk’s Corner
This Friday, Punk, Reigns, and Seth Rollins once again took the center stage at SmackDown Live. The Second City Saint, who had earlier promised to reveal his long-awaited favor face-to-face with Reigns, finally made his intentions clear.
Recalling a conversation he had with Heyman back in 2014, Punk told the WWE Universe that his former manager had once promised to stand in his corner whenever he gets to main event WrestleMania:
“You (Heyman) said, ‘You’ll be fine,’ and I apologised for making it about me and asked, What can I do for you? You said, ‘Punk, when you are at WrestleMania, force them to deal with us.’ Well. They are no longer here, so I am going to force you (Reigns) to deal with us.”
The OTC, confident that his Wise Man would never betray him, laughed off Punk’s words. Standing in the ring, Reigns expected Heyman to shut Punk down. But the long-anticipated betrayal became a reality when Heyman, with tears in his eyes, said:
“No, my Tribal Chief, I cannot do that.”
CM Punk has finally unveiled the ‘favour’:
That Paul Heyman will be in his corner at #WrestleMania 41.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/rUeTaBlrEO
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 5, 2025
Reigns was stunned. Before he could even process the betrayal, Punk launched a sudden attack and put him to sleep with a GTS. Rollins, still in the ring, appeared to enjoy every moment, watching Reigns get betrayed despite all the history lessons he had tried to teach him.
Can Paul Heyman Switch Sides Again?
Heyman has agreed to stand in Punk’s corner at the Show of Shows. But what after the triple-threat match?
During this segment on SmackDown, The Wise Man got emotional when he turned his back on Reigns. He had made a promise and had to fulfill it. Heyman will be in Punk’s corner during the high-stakes main event, but the question remains—will he return to his Tribal Chief after the match is over?
Now that the favor has been revealed, fans’ speculation about the match continues to grow. Countless theories are circulating online, and it seems Heyman may play a much bigger role in the main event of WrestleMania 41 Night One than just standing silently in Punk’s corner.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
