"The OTC" Roman Reigns defeated "The Best In The World" CM Punk to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 42 on night two, which took place on Sunday, April 19th. This victory marked Reigns' first championship since he lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes in a Bloodline Rules Match at WrestleMania XL night two, ending his legendary reign of 1,316 days.
In a recent Fightful Select Answers Q&A, a fan asked if there is pressure within WWE for Reigns to replicate the success of his previous title reign. It was noted that there are no expectations for this new reign to match the last one. Sean Ross Sapp mentioned that, at this point, the focus seems to be on "stacking accolades" and creating compelling television storylines instead of trying to replicate past success.
Reigns has indicated that he will be working full-time for the foreseeable future and will be appearing on WWE television throughout the summer. His first World Heavyweight Championship title defense is set to take place against Jacob Fatu at WWE Backlash, a matchup confirmed during this past Monday night's episode of RAW.
WWE Backlash is scheduled for Saturday, May 9th, at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN Unlimited in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.
