WrestleMania 42 is upon us. The two-night wrestling extravaganza takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second year in a row, on April 18 and April 19. The first hour of each show will be aired live on ESPN2 on Saturday and on ESPN on Sunday. After that, the rest of the show will be on ESPN+.
Both nights are filled with stars galore, as championships will be defended, superstars will make their WrestleMania debuts, and careers will be defined. Plus, recently retired WWE legend John Cena will be the host of WrestleMania. With all that said, let’s dive into the matches at hand!
WrestleMania Night 1 (Saturday)
The Vision (Logan Paul and Austin Theory) and IShowSpeed vs. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and LA Knight
There’s been a lot of celebrity involvement during this WrestleMania season. However, this is a case where I actually don’t mind it. IShowSpeed is an athletic guy, so there’s a solid chance he’ll go out there and put together a good showing. It sucks that the tag titles aren’t being defended, but these are all guys who should be on the card. This isn’t some offensive match. It should be solid and a nice opener to the show. As for the winner, I’m leaning towards IShowSpeed turning on Logan Paul to help the babyfaces get the win.
Prediction: The Usos and LA Knight
Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
This rivalry has been going on for quite some time, but I like that it is an Unsanctioned match. This has the potential to be the sleeper match of the entire weekend. McIntyre and Fatu are both great. If WWE gives them time and the ability to pull off some crazy stuff, I have no doubt this won’t be a banger. McIntyre might feel a bit shafted being slot here, since he was just World Champion, but he might feel even more shafted after this, because I think Fatu has the edge in this contest.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: The Irrestiable Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Nikki Bella)
The women’s tag title matches don’t have the strongest reputation at WrestleMania. There’s a high likelihood this match is just a hot mess. There are some talented people involved, so maybe they can put something palpable together. But I’m worried. As for who will win, this is a toss-up. I could see practically any team winning outside the current champions. The rumor is that Nikki Bella is not cleared and is being replaced by a returning Paige. If that’s true (and even if it’s not), the Bella Twins have the best chance of leaving Las Vegas with the gold.
Prediction: The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Nikki Bella/Paige*)
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Honestly, as much as I’m a fan of both, I really don’t care about this match. This feud has been going on since September. This should be a gimmick match if the plan was always to just do this match again. AJ has had the upper hand on Becky throughout, beating her on multiple occasions. Lynch should get her win back to end this story.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Gunther vs. Seth Rollins
This came out of nowhere, huh? Look, I get that Bron Breakker and Rey Mysterio have been dealing with injuries, but surely there should’ve been some kind of backup plan. This is obviously rushed, and it’s not even entirely the creative’s fault. At least this should be a good match, and they’ve teased that this will eventually lead to the anticipated Gunther and Brock Lesnar match. So maybe this isn’t just a stopgap in the grand scheme of things. Expect Paul Heyman to get involved.
Prediction: Gunther
Women’s World Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
I appreciate the intensity of these two women. They’ve been beating the hell out of each other, and while the feud isn’t some masterpiece or super deep, it’s simple and works well enough for me. Big fan of Vaquer and Morgan. This should be the best women’s match across both nights, and there’s no question in my eyes that Liv is walking away as champion.
Prediction: Liv Morgan
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
Wow… this has sucked. Like real bad. And it’s a shame because there’s so much meat on the bone to tell here between Rhodes and Orton. It’s so layered and could’ve been something great. However, the whole thing is now just randomly about Pat McAfee. It’s ridiculous and distasteful for another main event at WrestleMania to be disrupted by a celebrity’s involvement. It’s frustrating, and I hope WWE, TKO, whoever came up with this decision, reap what they’ve created.
Prediction: Randy Orton
WrestleMania Night 2 (Sunday)
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
This is not only the match I’m most excited for, but also the match I’m the most nervous for. Oba Femi is awesome. But, there’s such a fear that WWE is going to make the same mistake they always do over and over, and that’s have the young guy lose, but he “put up a good fight.” And Lesnar never loses, so while I hope Femi wins, I’m gonna remain pessimistic and predict Brock wins, unfortunately, in what would be a colossal mistake and a bad way to start Night 2.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar (sadly)
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Penta (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Rusev
It’s a weird lineup for a ladder match, but ladder matches are usually fun, so I’ll surely enjoy this. In particular, it’s weird not to see any of the Americanos or Kofi Kingston in this. Breaking down the competitors, I don’t see much of a chance for McDonagh, Lee, or Rusev. So, that narrows down the field to either Penta, Evans, or Mysterio. Mysterio has a sneaky good chance because he was the last guy added to the match, and he’s a WWE Hall of Famer. Penta hasn’t held the title for too long, so he stands a good chance at remaining champion. However, I’m gonna go with my heart on this one and say Je’Von Evans is the new Intercontinental Champion. If I act like a pessimist on the Oba vs Brock match, I’ll try to be an optimist and go with the young guy picking up a much-deserved victory.
Prediction: Je’Von Evans
WWE United States Championship Match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
Poor Carmelo Hayes. He was putting on great matches with his open challenge, and now, poof, he drops the title to Zayn and is once again not on the WrestleMania card. It’s a shame, but at least Trick is getting spotlighted here. The double turn seems to be in full effect, with Zayn turning into a heel and Williams becoming a face. I’m neutral on whether that will be a good decision, but I’m willing to let it play out. Personally, I’d go with Williams here, but Ripley is inserted, and this “feud” is just so empty of substance. It looks like both parties involved are phoning it in, and I don’t even think the match will be anything to write home about. Ripley’s great in the ring, but Cargill is still not up to speed as you would expect from a World Champion. I’m assuming the championship remains where it is and WWE sticks to the plan that Belair will hopefully be ready sooner rather than later to face/take the belt off Cargill.
Prediction: Jade Cargill
“The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
It might’ve been cooler to have “The Demon” persona be revealed as a mystery come Sunday, but this’ll do. This is a standard feud and has been teased and built for a while now. In some ways, it’s surprising this made the card, and in some ways, it makes perfect sense since The Judgment Day has been such a constant on-screen force since their formation years ago. This is the easiest match to predict on the card. Balor isn’t losing in his first match back as the “Demon.” The match should be rock solid but probably forgettable in the grand scheme of things after both nights of WrestleMania.
Prediction: “The Demon” Finn Balor
World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Last year, these two competed in a triple threat match in the main event of WrestleMania Night 1. They were the losers of that match, and now, they’re in the biggest match of the weekend. It might feel lazy to place these two together again, but both have done a wonderful job in building this story and making it feel real. Punk, in particular, has really delivered in virtually all respects. He’s been a great World Champion. This has the feel of something special, and while I’m sure the match will have its fair share of dramatics because it’s a Roman Reigns match in 2026, I’m hoping WWE keeps things to a minimum and actuAlly let’s these two go out and have a normal wrestling match. Don’t end the weekend on some schenagains…please.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Final Thoughts
I’m not super hyped for WrestleMania 42, to be quite honest. The overall build to the biggest event of the year has been lackluster, and everything just feels so weird. It doesn’t feel like WrestleMania weekend. On the bright side, I’m sure there will be some good-to-great matches that make things worthwhile, and I’m excited for pretty much all of Night 2 in particular. The builds may not have been good or anything to suck your teeth into, but hopefully, the performers go out there and put on the best show possible in the ring.
