In the midst of a brutal steel cage main event between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, Reigns made a shocking return, dragging Rollins out of the cage to hand him the win—only to unleash a relentless beating on him outside the ring.

Fans and insiders were perfectly aware that the return of Roman Reigns was now imminent. At the beginning of 2025, the former world champion had defeated Solo Sikoa in the first episode of Raw on Netflix and had been among the protagonists of the men's Royal Rumble match in early February.