5 recent news and rumors about Roman Reigns you can't miss - Major swerve planned, old rivalry to renew? - December 30, 2021

#3 Roman Reigns' new t-shirt takes a shot at CM Punk

Roman Reigns' new t-shirt reads 'needle mover.' It takes a dig at top superstars who claim to be significant rating movers. However, this time the barb was pointed at former WWE Champion and current AEW star CM Punk.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave details about the new merchandise, saying that it materialized due to Reigns' saying CM Punk wasn't a needle mover.

"The line actually comes from the interview where Reigns claimed C.M. Punk wasn’t a needle mover. Obviously, at least short-term, Punk was. Long-term is more of a question but nobody moved numbers more short-term this year than Punk. But his context was that in WWE, Punk didn’t move the needle like Cena or The Rock, and that is true," Meltzer said.

Speaking about Reign's ability to move the needle, Meltzer noted that multiple factors have helped him uplift SmackDown's ratings. One of them is that the show takes place on a Friday, and it is much easier to draw an audience ahead of the weekend.