Tag: wrestlemania 42

TMZ publishes video of CM Punk fan incident after WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An altercation between CM Punk and a fan took place in Las Vegas overnight after WWE WrestleMania 42.

TMZ Sports has published video of Punk smacking a fan’s phone away in an incident that took place in a hotel lobby in Vegas. It appears that Punk got upset over the fan filming his wife AJ Lee and fellow WWE star Bayley as they were hugging and saying goodbye to each other after Mania. In the video, security can be seen stepping in to stop the altercation from escalating any further. Punk’s mentor Ace Steel is also there and helps to diffuse the situation.

The fan can be heard apologizing to Punk, who is still visibly angry and replies, “No, you’re not.” The video then ends with Punk and Lee leaving together.

“Punk was captured on video just after midnight Monday, getting into it with the fan, who was filming Punk’s WWE friend, Bayley, as she was hugging someone in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on the Vegas Strip,” TMZ wrote.

“Punk steps right up into the face of the fan before slapping down his phone. Security promptly jumps in between Punk and the other dude to prevent things from really going awry. Punk then coldly stares at the man, who is so terrified that he runs off while apologizing profusely.”

Speaking out against fans who show up at airports and hotels is something that Punk has done repeatedly. As recently as October 2025, he posted a message telling fans to respect wrestlers’ boundaries.

The main event of WrestleMania 42 night two on Sunday saw Punk drop the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns. Appearing on ESPN SportsCenter after the event, Paul “Triple H” Levesque praised both Punk and Reigns and called it one of the greatest matches he’s ever seen.

Drew McIntyre reacts to IShowSpeed’s ‘incredible’ WWE WrestleMania 42 performance

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

IShowSpeed made his WWE in-ring return at WrestleMania 42. He kicked off Night One teaming up with The Vision against LA Knight and The Usos.  

Drew McIntyre applauded IShowSpeed’s performance at the Premium Live Event in an interaction shared on his Instagram Story. During the WrestleMania bout, IShowSpeed followed Austin Theory’s instructions to run the ropes and set up an attack on Knight. However, that was botched when Knight shoved Theory into IShowSpeed, and hit him with the BFT followed by the pin to win for his team.  Paul was infuriated and attacked IShowSpeed. With help from The Usos and Knight IShowSpeed hit a massive splash off the ringpost onto Paul laid out on the announcer’s table.

“When I was watching the end, the splash was unbelievable. I thought he broke his ribs, you bounced off him. The hardest thing to do – Logan has done the same thing, you and Logan are so similar – the hardest thing you can learn is just to be yourself on screen. You just know who you are.”

“Anybody can learn the moves, maybe not be as good at executing them, but I think that’s easy for you. The personality, knowing who you are, the between the moves s**t, that’s the important stuff. Yourself and Logan, you just got it instantly. The fans know who you all are, the fact that they can connect with you is because you know who the f**k you are. Plus you can do the moves.”

The match came about after IShowSpeed accidentally cost The Usos the World Tag Team Championship on Raw last month. Later, Knight crashed one of IShowSpeed’s livestreams at his home and attacked him. 

On the other hand, McIntyre faced Jacob Fatu in an unsanctioned match the same night. Their rivalry intensified earlier this year when Fatu’s return and interference in McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship reign. In the brutal showdown at WrestleMania 42, Fatu walked away with the victory.

Triple H comments on Brock Lesnar WWE retirement tease

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque didn’t offer much clarity while addressing Brock Lesnar’s apparent retirement at WWE WrestleMania 42.

After losing to Oba Femi on Sunday night, Lesnar left his boots and gloves in the ring before becoming visibly emotional as he seemed to bid farewell to the crowd. There has been no official confirmation of a retirement yet — and Levesque claimed during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter that he did not have a conversation with Lesnar backstage after the match.

“Well, it certainly seemed that way,” Levesque responded when asked if this was the end for Lesnar. “Brock is not a walk back through the curtain and have a long conversation guy. Brock is a walk back through the curtain very angry and go to his bus and that is the end of it. So there was not a discussion had after. I will say this — [Lesnar is] probably the most famous combat sport athlete of our generation. One of a kind, nobody like Brock Lesnar.”

It was expected that Lesnar would be retiring soon, with him admitting recently that he was only back in WWE for a short time. Most rumors suggested that Lesnar would retire at SummerSlam this August given that the PLE is being held in his former home state of Minnesota.

Levesque, keeping kayfabe, suggested to SportsCenter that the retirement decision was one Lesnar made in the moment after losing to Femi. Praising Femi, Levesque called this result a changing of the guard.

“The one thing that nobody gives him credit for is the intelligence of a fighter. They see Brock as this hulking brute. ‘The Beast,’ right? They see him as all that,” Levesque said. “There comes a point in time when somebody comes along that’s bigger and badder and just pushes you to a place that you can’t come back from. The smart ones know when that happens, and they call it a day.

“I don’t think that was a planned thing. I think Brock went to the ring, he walked into a wall called Oba Femi. Brock walked up to the next big thing and ran into a brick wall. And the intelligence in him said, ‘Maybe I should call it a day.’ And he took his boots off and he put his gloves down and he walked away. That is not a statement of Brock being afraid of it. That is an intelligent man meeting something that cannot be stopped. It is as much of a statement of Oba Femi as it is Brock Lesnar. You witnessed a changing of the guard at the apex of our business.”

Femi vs. Lesnar aired on the ESPN TV simulcast portion of the WrestleMania night two broadcast, with WWE clearly pushing Femi as one of the company’s biggest stars for both the present and future. It was Femi’s first-ever WrestleMania match after being called up from NXT at the start of 2026.

John Cena ‘truly enjoyed’ WWE WrestleMania 42 from different perspective

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

John Cena returned to host WWE WrestleMania 42 after retiring from in-ring competition in December 2025. 

On Night Two of the PLE, Cena had a segment with The Miz, Kit Wilson and Danhausen. The Miz interrupted him addressing fans expressing gratitude for their support. Danhausen showed up with a group of little people dressed exactly like him. Following WrestleMania, Cena tweeted that he enjoyed the experience from a host’s perspective and gave Danhausen a special shoutout.

“An incredible weekend! Truly enjoyed WM thru a different perspective. What a turnout of 106,072! To ALL those who saw it live …. Thank you for the Hausen”

Danhausen made his WWE debut at Elimination Chamber and continued his comedic tactics by cursing whoever opposed him. 

WrestleMania 42 culminated with five new champions emerging. Paige returned on Night One to replace Nikki Bella in the Women’s Tag Team Title match given her foot injury. Paige and Brie Bella ended up winning the titles.

Later in the night, Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer to become a 3-time Women’s World Champion. Trick Williams’ WrestleMania debut was eventful as he won his first singles WWE title – the United States Championship. Rhea Ripley ended Jade Cargill’s reign as WWE Women’s Champion. 

WrestleMania Sunday’s main event saw Randy Orton unable to capture his 15th World Championship win. However, post match he attacked Cody Rhodes and left him with an orbital injury, forcing him out of in-ring action in the near future. 

On Night Two, Roman Reigns was triumphant over CM Punk to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. 

Trick Williams addresses whether he’ll continue WWE US title open challenges

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Weekly open challenges have been a staple of the United States Championship, but it doesn’t sound like Trick Williams plans on continuing the tradition.

The United States title changed hands at WrestleMania 42 with Williams defeating Sami Zayn. Appearing on SportsCenter after his victory, Williams said he doesn’t know about defending the belt every single week. He wants it to be a big deal whenever he puts the championship up for grabs.

“That’s why Trick Williams, you know, I’m a superstar and I wear that very seriously,” he said. “So I don’t know about these free matches every single Friday night. When the people see Trick Williams, he’s going to be in the main event. It’s going to be a show when I defend this title.”

Zayn instituted weekly open challenges after winning the United States Championship in August 2025. Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes then picked up the mantle during their reigns before Zayn dethroned Hayes leading into WrestleMania.

In the SportsCenter interview, Williams said he’s on cloud nine after his first main roster title win. He’s grateful for how the fans have responded to him and thanks God every day for the position he’s in.

Williams, when asked about a potential title match against Hayes, did tell SportsCenter that he’s open to defending against all comers.

“Man, whoever wants some of Trick Williams, you better strap your boots on tight because you’re going to get the best version of Trick Williams,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who signs up.”

Triple H praises WWE WrestleMania 42 main event: ‘One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Appearing on ESPN after the conclusion of WrestleMania 42, Paul “Triple H” Levesque had very high praise for the show’s main event.

Night two of Mania concluded with Roman Reigns defeating CM Punk to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Levesque told SportsCenter that it was among the greatest wrestling matches he’s ever seen.

“Just epic,” WWE’s Chief Content Officer said. “You can see the passion and the pride of two guys that absolutely to the very core of their soul believe that they are the best in the world. And they’re out there to prove it to each other, they’re out there to prove it to the 55,000+ fans that were here tonight. Everything about them screamed, ‘I have to show I am the best.’

“And you see it all the way down to the end. Knock-down, drag-out fight that just someone won’t give. And you finally get to the end of it, no one really loses. But Roman Reigns comes out the winner. Roman Reigns is the new World Heavyweight Champion. To me, one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen, doesn’t get bigger.”

The match went nearly 34 minutes before Reigns got the win, beginning his first title reign since dropping the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. Reigns said after the show that he will not be a part-time champion and plans to be around all summer.

WWE gives Cody Rhodes injury update following WrestleMania 42 match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

In the main event of WWE WrestleMania 42, Cody Rhodes suffered a brutal facial injury. Now, more updates have emerged on it.

In the closing moments of the match, fans saw Randy Orton land a punch on Rhodes’ face, which immediately busted him open. Later during the WWE WrestleMania 42 post-show, it was announced that Rhodes’ left eye was swollen shut.

Joe Tessitore and Rosenberg also commented on Rhodes’ potential concussion protocol, while WWE shared a video on social media that showed medical staff tending to Rhodes.

Now, according to BodySlam+, Rhodes was busted open in multiple places, had his eye swollen shut, and needed multiple staples in his head following the WrestleMania 42 Night One main event.

WWE also stated that Rhodes was currently not medically cleared to compete due to an orbital injury. There is also no confirmed timeline update on Rhodes’ return from the injury.

After the Night One show, WWE sent an alert to ticket holders that Rhodes was pulled from all appearances planned for the convention on Sunday due to the injuries he sustained.

Later, Rhodes was spotted in public with his nasty-looking eye injury. Fans can take a look at it here (Graphic warning).

Rhea Ripley wins WWE Women’s title at WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With IYO SKY helping to even the odds, Rhea Ripley ascended back to the top of the women’s division at WWE WrestleMania 42.

Night two of the event saw Ripley defeat Jade Cargill to become the new WWE Women’s Champion. The match contained interference with Michin and B-Fab — who formed a new faction with Cargill on the road to WrestleMania — trying to help Cargill retain. But Ripley got help from her tag team partner SKY, who took out Michin and B-Fab with a moonsault leading into the finish.

Ripley hit a headbutt and went for Riptide after SKY neutralized the heel interference. Cargill was able to slip out, hit a kick, and go for Jaded — but Ripley escaped and then delivered Riptide for the win. After the match, Ripley and SKY celebrated together with Ripley thanking SKY for having her back.

The result means Ripley, who had been on Raw, is now officially moving over to SmackDown as she becomes the brand’s champion.

At 29 years old, Ripley has now already competed at seven WrestleManias, owning victories over the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Asuka, and Cargill. WWE President Nick Khan had high praise for Ripley ahead of WrestleMania, saying she’ll be one of the faces of the company for years to come.

Demon Finn Balor defeats Dominik Mysterio at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

For the first time since 2019, Demon Finn Balor has won a match in WWE.

Balor and Mysterio were scheduled to face each other at WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, the match was changed to a Street Fight at the last moment during the pre-show.

Balor took Mysterio to his limits in a brutal and violent match. In a match lasting over 10-minutes, Balor reigned supreme after hitting a Coup de Grace on Mysterio through a table.

Mysterio tried his best to keep The Demon down, but could not. He attempted a 619 with a chair and a frog splash, but Balor kept getting up.

Tonight marked the first appearance for Demon Balor since WWE WrestleMania 39, when he lost to Edge in a Hell in a Cell match.

It is currently unknown if Mysterio and Balor will continue this rivalry or pursue their own journey in WWE. While Balor has no titles on him currently, Mysterio is the reigning AAA Mega Champion.

WOL: WWE WrestleMania 42 night one thoughts & night two preview

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

On this episode of Wrestling Observer Live. Andrew Zarian breaks down night one of WWE WrestleMania 42 which was largely underwhelming, to say the least.

He talks about some of the highlights of the show including the return of Paige, IShowSpeed’s big splash, and more.

Also, he discusses the main event between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, what went wrong, and why it felt so flat.

Then, it is on to WWE WrestleMania night two and what surprises we might see, including a Danhausen segment and more. How will the main event end and can it help save any disappointments from night one?

Plus, WrestleMania match times compared to last year, Bryan Alvarez vs. Sean Ross Sapp, and more!

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

The Pat McAfee build was awful, but the WrestleMania ‘reset’ was almost worse | Opinion

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Pat McAfee being inserted into the Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton match at WrestleMania 42 was a terrible idea. It was such a terrible idea, in fact, that the company appeared to try and reset the entire angle on Saturday night by having Randy hit McAfee with an RKO in the closing stretches of the contest.

Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll vs Randy Orton and Pat McAfee at Backlash

The plan originally appeared to be to put Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll in a tag match against Randy Orton and Pat McAfee at Backlash next month. Our own Dave Meltzer reported that recently, and while I wouldn’t put it past WWE to pivot just to try and get one over on some reporters, I think the overall reaction to McAfee’s involvement from fans, especially how it appeared to overshadow Orton trying to go for World title number 15, meant they felt like they had to do something drastic at ‘Mania.

What was incredibly grating about the change-up wasn’t just that it appeared patently obvious on the show, it was the fact that they started a storyline and then tried to reset it at the biggest show of the year. Granted, I said previously how I felt this was WCW 2000 levels of storytelling, but if you’re going to start something then you need to end it in a satisfying way.

WWE maybe could’ve got away with this, if it was on a smaller show than WrestleMania, but Randy turning on McAfee, then punting Rhodes after the main event was a convoluted overcorrection on ESPN Unlimited’s first WrestleMania (which was already plagued by streaming issues).

You started, so you should finish

Again, I did not like how this story was built going into WrestleMania 42, but course correcting during the main event of Night 1 feels incredibly forced and a hat on a hat (or a swerve on a swerve). Was this designed to make Randy look like MORE of a heel coming out of the show? Well that didn’t work because people couldn’t wait to see him hit the Punt again. Was it a way of getting McAfee out of the way? Then why bring him in the first place if you aren’t going to pay off on the storyline? McAfee technically should be out of pro wrestling FOREVER now, if we’re going by the stipulation.

WCW 2000 levels of storytelling

They’ve booked themselves into a corner here, because we didn’t get the satisfying conclusion of Cody taking out McAfee in triumphant fashion, the heel took out the guy that was in his corner before pushing him out of the company. We now are either going to get a messy ending to McAfee’s WWE career or the stipulation will be rendered pointless because he’ll be back in a week…either way, that’s just poor storytelling.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, WWE in 2026 is not as bad as WCW in the year 2000, but storylines like this wouldn’t have felt out of place on a Nitro or Thunder at the turn of the century. Whether there are too many people trying to get involved (Ari Emanuel), someone has to take charge and just make storytelling decisions that take us from A to B in a satisfying way rather than have to throw swerves on storylines that feel like they were built by committee rather than a coherent, singular voice.

AJ Lee opens up on her future after WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

AJ Lee has opened up on her WWE future after title loss at WrestleMania 42.

On April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, AJ Lee defended her Women’s Intercontinental title against Becky Lynch. However, thanks to Lynch’s shrewd tactics, Lee lost both the match and her title.

Later, at the WWE WrestleMania 42 post-show, while speaking to Jackie Redmond, Lee opened up about her WrestleMania special entrance and match.

“It’s been my favorite WrestleMania experience so far. Maybe my favorite match so far. Even though I lost it, I got to have my family here. For a lot of them, it was the first time ever, and what I wanted to do with that entrance was represent all the fans who have been with me from day one, who have been wearing my outfits, my shirts, my shorts, and my shoes, and skipping along with me the whole way. That was for you. I love you,” she said.

Lee also opened up about her future. Despite not confirming any upcoming hiatus, Lee left with a “I’ll see you soon” message.

“I never got to say goodbye last time, and I felt bad about that. So this is not goodbye. But I’ll see you soon. I hope.”

She had previously captured the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 and held it for around 49-days, before losing it to Lynch.

Bianca Belair announces pregnancy at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Bianca Belair delivered some great news at WWE WrestleMania 42 — though it wasn’t the announcement people were expecting.

Out of action for a year now, Belair made a surprise appearance at night one of WrestleMania, coming down to the ring after host John Cena had announced the attendance. She revealed that Cena would need to add one more to that number, because she and husband Montez Ford are expecting a child.

“Thank you so much for all the love and all the support,” Belair told the crowd. “Whether it’s me at home or me in this ring, thank you so much. Now you know you can’t have WrestleMania without a few surprises now, right? So, John, I think we need to add one more to the attendance list, because the E-S-T is having a baby.”

Cena then thanked Belair for allowing the WWE family to share this moment with her family.

At WrestleMania 41 last year, Belair helped steal the show in a triple threat match against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. But Belair suffered a hand injury that night that proved to be significantly more complicated than originally expected. This February, she underwent surgery in hopes of finally fixing the injury. She had been doing post-surgery rehab in recent weeks as fans hoped she would return soon.

The attendance number announced by Cena, before Belair’s addition, was 50,816.

This is Belair and Ford’s first child together, with Ford also having two children from a previous relationship.

Bron Breakker returns at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An injury disrupted his WrestleMania plans, but Bron Breakker still ended up playing a big role on Saturday night.

The returning Breakker interfered in Seth Rollins vs. Gunther at WWE WrestleMania 42 night one, costing Rollins the match as the two resumed their rivalry. Breakker laid out Rollins with a spear before Gunther used a sleeper to pick up the victory.

Rollins had momentum on his side after giving Gunther a Pedigree onto the announce table and delivering a stomp. But Breakker then ran down and laid out Rollins. After the match, Breakker sprinted down the entrance ramp so he could give Rollins another spear. Breakker then posed with Paul Heyman on the stage.

In February, Breakker was forced out of action due to hernia surgery. He was cleared in time for WrestleMania, but WWE decided to hold off his return until tonight. Breakker vs. Rollins was considered as a potential WrestleMania match at one point as the card took shape over the past few months.

Both Rollins and Breakker suffered injuries on the road to WrestleMania. Tonight was Rollins’ first match since October 2025, when he was sidelined due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. At that time, WWE wrote Rollins off television in an angle where Breakker turned against him and kicked him out of The Vision.

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast ahead of WrestleMania, WWE President Nick Khan named Breakker as one of WWE’s biggest stars for the future. Khan said everyone in WWE is on the same page about Breakker’s path, saying they can’t rush him and need to let him develop at his own pace.

Paige returns, wins gold at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is Paige’s house once again.

At WrestleMania 42 night one, Paige returned to WWE and worked her first match for the company in nearly a decade, teaming with Brie Bella to win the Women’s Tag Team titles. It was scheduled to be Nikki & Brie Bella teaming together in the match, but Nikki was unable to be cleared in time after suffering an ankle injury on SmackDown three weeks ago.

Nikki walked out with a crutch as The Bella Twins made their entrance tonight. Announcing that she would not be able to compete, Nikki said an “old friend” would be taking her place — bringing out Paige for her return.

That crutch ended up playing a big role in the fatal four-way match. Interfering during the finish, Nikki used the crutch as a weapon and struck Charlotte Flair with it. Paige then got her knees up when Alexa Bliss went for Twisted Bliss. She followed up with RamPaige on Bliss for the victory.

Nia Jax & Lash Legend were Women’s Tag Team Champions heading into tonight. The four-way bout featured Jax & Legend, Brie Bella & Paige, Charlotte & Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

On commentary, Michael Cole brought up that Paige won the Divas Championship on her first night on the main roster back in 2014 and had now won gold again her first night back.

Paige was once medically disqualified from WWE due to neck issues, last wrestling for the company in December 2017. She remained with WWE in a non-wrestling role until departing the promotion in 2022. She then joined AEW, returning to the ring there and holding the AEW Women’s World Championship one time.

In March 2025, Paige (Saraya) and AEW mutually parted ways. She took the past year off from pro wrestling but had been training for her return recently.