WrestleMania 42 is coming to us all weekend in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, wrapping up on Sun., April 19 with even more pro wrestling spectacle from WWE. Like Saturday, tonight will feature a free “Countdown” pre-show, then the premium live event itself begins at 6 p.m. ET — streaming HERE on ESPN in the U.S., and on Netflix pretty much everywhere else.
Night Two kicks off on ESPN with Brock Lesnar taking on Oba Femi, and will conclude on ESPN Unlimited platform with Roman Reigns challenging CM
Punk for the World Heavyweight championship. WrestleMania Sunday will also feature three other title bouts, including a highly anticipated clash between Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley and Women’s champ Jade Cargill. And more!
It’s a lot to process. Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let’s get to it.
PREDICTIONS FOR WRESTLEMANIA 42 NIGHT ONE
WWE World Heavyweight championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Geno Mrosko: It’s the Tribal Chief’s world, we’re all just living in it. Plus, Punker needs some time off, man. He’s been running real hard and the bumps take a different toll at his age. Not that he’s old or anything. Not at all. Pick: Roman Reigns
Sean Rueter: This version of M.’s Tribal Chief is easy to cheer as is. Punk and hopefully Triple H realize they don’t have long before the Old Man Phil babyface act starts getting treated like Cody Rhodes was last night. I wouldn’t even want to guess at how this might involve Pat McAfee, or Paul Heyman, or both. But the belt stays with the Best in the World with a close that makes us anxious for Roman’s return. Pick: CM Punk
Kyle Decker: Honestly probably picking against the odds here, but I’m going with the guy who will be around more to represent the title. Maybe they go with a heel turn or something interesting to get there, but if Roman is going to keep the schedule he had last year, he probably shouldn’t win the title. Pick: CM Punk
Claire Elizabeth: I’m just very slightly baffled by the way things deescalated on the go-home show, with each guy sharing how he feels and more or less agreeing to disagree as to who’s gonna win when it comes to the actual match. It’s not bad, I liked it, it just makes me feel like I have less of a handle on who is gonna walk away with the title. That being said, ain’t no way I can pick against my guy, the Second City Saint. Pick: CM Punk
Cain A. Knight: There is plenty of evidence that shows WWE won’t shy away from putting the world title on a part-time wrestler who is only around for a handful of matches per year. Roman’s time on top with The Bloodline was WWE at its peak, so I think they will try to recapture that magic by going back to Reigns as the champion at WrestleMania, even if he needs outside help to beat the Best Old Man in the World. I just don’t see Roman losing at three consecutive WrestleMania events. Pick: Roman Reigns
Marcus Benjamin: This is one of those situations where one wrestler’s talked so much trash about his opponent, the state of the business, and pretty much everything that he has to win. Roman Reigns can’t lose to a guy he called “old.” I don’t make the rules I just know them. Pick: Roman Reigns
M. G0MEZ: While the build had its ups and downs, ultimately, CM Punk and Roman Reigns did a great job making the outcome feel as important as it is uncertain, especially Reigns. Still, I stand by what I said after the Royal Rumble: Reigns is leading WWE into WrestleMania 43. The OTC wins in a sub-ten-minute squash. Pick: Roman Reigns
Jon Velez-Jackson: A lot of what CM Punk has said about Roman is true. He’s a nepo baby, he’s boring and safe when speaking with the media (except when he’s talking about his support for Donald Trump). But the point he really stuck is that Reigns is a part-timer. While Roman is WWE’s favorite son and the odd’s-on favorite, I want a fighting champion. Pick: CM Punk
Josh Jagler: With Roman’s wrestling career seeming to be on the back 9, this seems like a great time to put the gold back on him here so he can give out some rub before he hangs up his Jordans for good. Pick: Roman Reigns
WWE Women’s championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
Geno Mrosko: I’m not sold on Cargill like WWE seems to be, but this match will tell us a lot about her future trajectory. If she can’t have a banger with Ripley at WrestleMania… Even still, I’m picking with my heart on this one. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Sean Rueter: Given how big a star it feels Ripley’s become, it’s something that she hasn’t held any of the four main roster women’s singles belts in almost a year. Here’s where they fix that, just in time for post-WrestleMania press. And put me in the camp that believes Jade will impress in defeat. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Kyle Decker: This is kind of make or break for Jade. That doesn’t mean she has to win. But she has to look like she’s in the same league as Rhea. I don’t think they’ve given up on Jade as a big deal (though it’s possible given this title reign) so I am going to say they give her a marquee win over Ripley. Pick: Jade Cargill
Claire Elizabeth: Jade made the mistake of picking on Rhea’s girlfriend, and she’s gonna learn a lesson here she won’t soon forget. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Cain A. Knight: Cargill’s championship reign has been mostly boring and underwhelming. Sometimes the most obvious solution to a problem is to have the biggest star in the division take back the gold. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Marcus Benjamin: I’m not sure about this one so I’ll figure it out as I type. Like most matches on either card, this build is meh. Jade would get more from a win than Rhea, while Rhea wouldn’t suffer much from a loss. On the other hand, I can’t see WWE letting Rhea walk out of their biggest show of the year without Rhea sporting gold. Pick: Rhea Ripley
M. G0MEZ: When Cargill got backup, victory seemed certain, but Ripley appears to have neutralized that threat. While Ripley can absorb a loss, her rock star status suggests she should be champion. A loss for Cargill would hurt her future. I’m not 100% confident in my pick, but I’m certain that the result will say a lot about how the office views Cargill. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Jon Velez-Jackson: A Jade victory would make her look incredibly strong, and Rhea has reached the level of stardom where she doesn’t need a title. However, Ripley winning would be an ultimate feel-good moment for her legions of fans. Pick: Rhea Ripley
Josh Jagler: If anyone in WWE is loss-proof right now it’s Rhea Ripley. Putting her in this spot because she was the biggest star the WWE could put in a match with Jade to make Cargill’s match seem like a big deal doesn’t guarantee that Rhea has to win. Jade adding backup recently makes me think her title run is closer to the beginning than it is the end. Pick: Jade Cargill
United States championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
Geno Mrosko: WHOOP THAT TRICK! Pick: Trick Williams
Sean Rueter: To really sell the double turn and build anticipation for T. Willy’s coronation at Backlash… Pick: Sami Zayn
Kyle Decker: There’s no way it’s not Trick Williams. Uh huh. I like it. Pick: Trick Williams
Claire Elizabeth: The shadows are growing long over Sami’s face no doubt, and Trick’s star is rising like a rocket, but fundamentally I think that just means that Zayn is gonna cut a corner or two and do whatever it takes to keep the title around his waist. Pick: Sami Zayn
Cain A. Knight: Trick Williams is super over with the WWE audience while Sami Hogan is getting easier to boo, so this one seems like a no-brainer. Pick: Trick Williams
Marcus Benjamin: I’m picking the guy who is a much better wrestler than he is a rapper. And no, I will not talk about it. Pick: Trick Williams
M. G0MEZ: The Gingerbread Man is getting ginger-snapped. #AndNew. Let’s talk about it. Pick: Trick Williams
Jon Velez-Jackson: Even when holding a title, Sami is forever the underdog. Simply put, Trick is the future, and he’s on an upward trajectory. Pick: Trick Williams
Josh Jagler: The seeds for a double turn here were planted and have been organically blossoming for weeks. Part of me can see Sami embracing a full heel turn and finding a way to retain, but the visual (or audio, I guess) of 60,000 people chanting “Whoop that trick!” after Trick Willy prevails is too good to pass up on. Pick: Trick Williams
Singles match: Dominik Mysterio vs. “The Demon” Finn Bálor
Geno Mrosko: The Demon is back, and Finn doesn’t lose when he breaks it out. Pick: Finn Balor
Sean Rueter: Maybe it’s everyone else picking The Demon making me want to be a contrarian, and reminded me I was never a fan of WWE’s version of Prince Devitt’s facepaint gimmick (that may be the smarkiest thing I’ve ever written, which is saying something)… but El Sucio isn’t a recent call-up, and we can be pretty sure at this point that WWE doesn’t see Bálor as being in Brock Lesnar’s league, and I ain’t just talking about Beast in the East. Judgment Day-ference is always an option if they want to protect Finn in defeat. Pick: Dirty Dom Mysterio
Kyle Decker: The Demon is a spoiler. (One of the many reasons I wish they’d leave it buried.) Pick: Finn Bálor
Claire Elizabeth: Do we know where the Demon stands on chicken nuggets? Can Dominik make a Faustian bargain to get himself out of this one? My hopes are not high for him. Pick: Finn Balor
Cain A. Knight: Vince McMahon did his best to ruin The Demon, so now WWE has some work to do to reestablish Finn’s aura in this form. That begins with a win over Dirty Dom at WrestleMania. Pick: Finn Bálor
Marcus Benjamin: The Demon can’t come out to play only for a loss. Pick: Finn Balor
M. G0MEZ: “The Demon” is not coming back to lose to “El Sucio.” Pick: Finn Bálor
Jon Velez-Jackson: As others have stated better than I can, The Demon is back for a reason. Pick: Finn Bálor
Josh Jagler: Finn will win this one, but I’m more curious to see where he goes from here. Here’s to hoping an upper-card babyface run is the result of beating Dirty Dom. Pick: Finn Balor
Singles match: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Geno Mrosko: I couldn’t believe any more strongly in the idea that Lesnar needs to lose here, and it needs to be a definitive loss. Like, it shouldn’t go more than five minutes, and Femi should only need one finisher to do it. Really put the stamp on it. Pick: Oba Femi
Sean Rueter: Regardless of who’s doing the booking and/or pulling the strings, it just doesn’t seem like it’s in the WWE playbook to have a guy who just debuted in February beat someone with Lesnar’s resume in his WrestleMania debut, regardless of his nigh-invincibility in NXT, or his buzz/aura — especially when the biggest names making up the 6 in that recent call-up’s 6-1 main roster record are Rusev and The Miz. Femi will look like a big deal, and probably get a handshake afterwards. But he’s not getting a win. This time, anyway. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Kyle Decker: At first I thought the build was enough to get Oba over. But as it went on, I don’t think you go this far with making the Ruler look like a star and don’t go all the way. Pick: Oba Femi
Claire Elizabeth: Cue up the Holst, ’cause the Bringer of War is gonna smash the Beast and it ain’t even gonna be close. Pick: Oba Femi
Cain A. Knight: There are relatively few matches where I think one wrestler absolutely needs to win or else it is booking malpractice. Oba Femi losing to Brock Lesnar would be booking malpractice. But considering how bad the build to WrestleMania 42 has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if even this match somehow gets ruined by some higher power too. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Marcus Benjamin: Justice for Kofi Kingston. Seriously though, like Geno said, this needs to be definitive. Oba has to win and he has to win big. Pick:Oba Femi
M. G0MEZ: It’s no coincidence that Oba Femi opens the show that Roman Reigns closes. These bookends are destined to collide, where “The Ruler” becomes WWE’s next big thing. To get there, Femi must crush Lesnar, once hailed as “The Next Big Thing.” The circle of life. Pick: Oba Femi
Jon Velez-Jackson: Brock doesn’t lose to just anybody, but Oba — in a very short amount of time — has proven that he’s a very unique talent. The Ruler will come out on top here and cement himself as among the top stars in WWE today. Pick: Oba Femi
Josh Jagler: I wrote a piece weeks ago imploring the WWE to strap the rocket to Oba at WrestleMania this year. While I was hoping he’d end up in a World Title match, in today’s WWE, a win over Brock Lesnar is the next best thing. Putting the coming-out party of The Ruler on ESPN proper on Sunday is a way to show Oba off to the world. Oba Feminists unite! Pick: Oba Femi
Intercontinental championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio
Geno Mrosko: I don’t know how this is going to work, and I fear for Rey trying to do anything on those ladders, but Evans is almost certainly going to do one, or maybe even two, things that we’ll never forget. Pick: Penta
Sean Rueter: If George Kittle isn’t too hungover from Night One (or already too far gone by the time Femi/Lesnar is over), he’ll be on-hand to celebrate with his favorite fearless luchador, even if the Niners won’t let him get physical. Pick: Penta
Kyle Decker: I’m still a mark for the guy and would like to see him get a bit of a push. Pick: Rusev
Claire Elizabeth: Je’Von is The Guy and will continue to be The Guy. Pick: Je’Von Evans
Cain A. Knight: Dragon, McDonagh, and Rusev are not winning this match. I hope Penta is just getting started on his low key run as one of the best babyfaces in WWE. Pick: Penta
Marcus Benjamin: There are interesting picks all around here so how about I just go with a random generator on google. Pick: Je’Von Evans
M. G0MEZ: A ladder match is a perfect way to crown a winner without someone taking a fall. Night Two is shaping up to be a big night for former NXT stars Oba Femi and Trick Williams. I suspect Je’Von Evans will make it a clean sweep for the NXThree. Pick: Je’Von Evans
Jon Velez-Jackson: I’m torn on this one, because I could see Je’Von pulling off a victory here. Yet, something tells me Penta still has some mileage left in this title run. Pick: Penta
Josh Jagler: I literally just rolled a die and it landed on Dragon Lee. With the cats involved in this match, I can easily see this being one of the matches of the weekend. The real winners here might be us. Pick: Dragon Lee
That’s how we see Sunday night’s matches playing out. In the comments, tell us where we’re wrong or why you agree, and give us your predictions for Night Two of WrestleMania 42!
