Tag: wrestlemania 42

Emotional John Cena kicks off WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena was a man of his word as he kicked off WWE WrestleMania 42.

When he retired, Cena said he would not wear his wrestling gear in a WWE ring again. That stayed true as he ditched his signature jorts for a suit as he welcomed fans to WrestleMania. In his first time back since retirement, Cena — the host of WrestleMania 42 — immediately became emotional upon receiving a big reaction from the crowd.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. Thank you so much,” Cena said. “Sorry, long-time fan, long-time performer, first-time host, how am I doing so far?”

Cena noted that the road to WrestleMania has been chaotic, unpredictable, vocal, and — a word Cena is very familiar with — polarizing.

“One could say it’s — Michael Cole, is it polarizing? Polarizing. Now I see why I got the hosting gig.”

To close his message, Cena said it was “such a great honor” to welcome everyone to WrestleMania. He declared that it was now time to see who would step up and seize the moment.

Cena concluded his WWE retirement tour in December 2025 with a loss to Gunther. Now working for the company as an ambassador, he appeared at the WWE World convention today, took part in a live podcast recording on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker, and is hosting both nights of Mania.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the host of this weekend’s event, is also where Cena had his final WrestleMania match last year, defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

Logan Paul talks potential of Tom Brady being at WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Logan Paul will be teaming with IShowSpeed and Austin Theory to take on LA Knight and The Usos to open WrestleMania 42 Night 1. Before the event, Paul was asked if he is “prepared” for an appearance from Tom Brady, the NFL legend who has been going back and forth with the WWE Tag Team Champion over the past few months.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s washed up,” Paul said according to The Mirror US, also noting that Brady already “was beaten by a YouTuber slash wrestler in his own sport,” referring to Brady’s inaugural Flag Football event back in March.

Could Tom Brady be at WrestleMania?

There has been no confirmation on Brady and whether he’ll be at ‘Mania this year, but it would make sense for an appearance considering his ties to Las Vegas. The NFL legend has an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, so he’s usually in town.

If Brady is shown on camera then it’s probably unlikely he’ll have anything to do with Paul or his match to open the card. Having said that, WWE does love a celebrity involvement, and with this being the first ‘Mania on ESPN Unlimited, they are probably going to go all out with the celebrity involvement for those viral moments…which Tom Brady getting involved would certainly be.

Check out our coverage of WrestleMania 42 Night 1 live tonight via our ongoing blog!

John Cena says he hates when people show up in WWE for ‘no reason’ ahead of WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Jake Skudder

John Cena joined The Undertaker and Michelle McCool this afternoon for a live episode of Six Feet Under at WWE World before WrestleMania 42. The 17-time World Champion discussed a number of topics on the show before he hosts the event tonight, including his view on people showing up for seemingly “no reason” to WWE events.

“I hate when people just show up without a reason. I hate when people show up without a why” Cena noted on the podcast, potentially throwing some shade at Travis Scott following his bizarre appearance in the main event of WrestleMania 41 last year.

John Cena heel turn

The John Cena heel turn was fairly hot when it got going back at Elimination Chamber last year, but it died a death at WrestleMania when The Rock didn’t show up and Travis Scott appeared during the main event between Cena and Cody Rhodes, did next to nothing and then disappeared again after the fact.

As noted, Cena is hosting WrestleMania 42 this weekend, although it has not been confirmed if he is going to be doing anything physical on the show. Clearly his “why” is to host the show, but after retiring back in December last year, he’s going to be back in a WWE ring probably a lot quicker than some people might’ve expected.

Check out our coverage of WrestleMania 42 Night 1 live tonight via our ongoing blog!

WOL: What is WWE’s post-WrestleMania plan?

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley just hours before tonight’s first night of WWE WrestleMania 42…

…not that you’d know from the way SmackDown ended Friday night with Cody Rhodes and CM Punk hugging.

Where were all the celebrities who’ve been on TV for weeks? Was that a response to fan reaction or a creative decision? The past few years, WrestleMania hasn’t been well planned out. Will this year be different?

Plus, Jim talks about the WWE Hall of Fame, Bloodsport, ROH Supercard of Honor, JCW, Joey Janela’s Spring Break and more.

Check it out.

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WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Saturday Predicted Match Order

Posted on by Jake Skudder

WrestleMania 42 Night 1 is set to take place tonight from Las Vegas, and there’s a lot of speculation as to what the order of the match card will be. There are a couple of obvious choices, those being the opener and the main event, but the middle of the card could get a bit congested and it’s not 100% clear how WWE will run it.

Predicted Match Order

Based on WWE’s announced card and the reported openers for Nights 1 and 2, here are my predictions for how the card will play out tonight:

  1. LA Knight & The Usos vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed
  2. Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
  3. Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)
  4. Women’s World Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
  5. Gunther vs. Seth Rollins
  6. Celebrity / in-ring segment buffer (McAfee/Jelly Roll angle tease)
  7. Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton

Match Placement Logic

It has already been confirmed that the six-man match will be going on first, so that and the main event being Cody vs Randy the obvious choices. The women’s IC title match works as the second match of the night, with AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch following what will be a chaotic opener. WWE historically uses this slot for workhorse matches (think Rollins, Styles, or the tag divisions in recent years), and Lee/Lynch somewhat fits that template.

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre as the unsanctioned clash lands in the three spot to give the show the first true car crash of the night. Fatu is being positioned as a future world title contender after injury derailed his original run with Cody, so an early‑to‑mid card showcase makes sense so he can then get later slots in the coming months (with potential SummerSlam title match for him?).

The Women’s World Championship, Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan, is a classic pre‑semi-main placement where WWE likes to give a Women’s title bout a solid 15-20 minutes before the top two matches.

Gunther vs. Seth Rollins is what I see being the semi‑main, and then of course Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Championship is the Night 1 headliner. WWE is clearly building toward a finish that means we get a tag team match at Backlash, so this will be Jelly Roll/Cody vs Randy/McAfee, probably with a Dusty finish, leading to next month’s show.

Four surprise returns that could shake up WWE WrestleMania 42 weekend | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

The grandeur of WrestleMania often paves the way for surprise comebacks whether it’s for legends or stars after fully recovering from injury. For some of them, it’s about picking up where they left off while for others, a blockbuster showdown against a talent from another generation. 

Every year, WWE attempts to outdo the previous events when it comes to shocking returns and memorable appearances. With that in mind, here’s a few names whose comebacks this weekend would fit the moment perfectly. 

Kevin Owens

Last year, Owens was heading into WrestleMania 41 in a feud with Randy Orton. However, he announced neck surgery which derailed the match and ultimately led to Joe Hendry’s WrestleMania debut.

Towards the end of 2025. Owens was spotted training at the Performance Center which proved to be a positive direction for an in-ring return.

Owens is attending WWE World this week and has also been keeping tabs on SmackDown, congratulating Carmelo Hayes after he won the United States Title in December. 

That in itself could lead to his involvement in Sami Zayn’s U.S. title defense against Trick Williams given their whirlwind of a friendship. Another opportunity awaits if he disrupts the night one main event between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Orton. Given his incomplete rivalry with Orton, his interruption ould extend the storyline and prolong Orton’s quest to win his 15th World title with Pat McAfee being taken out to the delight of the fans.

The Rock

The Rock’s latest update indicated he was flying out of Las Vegas this week after attending CinemaCon to promote the live action remake of Moana. However, it is not uncommon for WWE to fly in talent and popular names for WrestleMania at the last minute. I’m guessing The Rock has easy access to a private plane whenever he wants.

The Rock last appeared on WWE TV at 2025’s Elimination Chamber where he influenced John Cena’s heel turn. Travis Scott took over that rivalry when he showed up at WrestleMania to interfere in Rhodes’ match with Cena that cost Rhodes the undisputed WWE Championship. 

The Rock’s potential involvement at WrestleMania 42 makes sense with Roman Reigns and CM Punk’s feud. Their confrontations saw Punk fire off some personal comments about Sika Anoa’i, following which Reigns extended an open invitation to his family to attack Punk as they saw fit. Punk apologized for saying that on Monday’s Raw, but it may be too late.

On top of that, Punk taunting Rock’s Hollywood career as he did on Raw could provoke his old rival once again. After all, the two share an extended history that goes back nearly 14 years. 

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Austin has often addressed reduced his capacity for in-ring matches. He briefly came out of retirement for a street fight at WrestleMania 38 against the aforementioned Owens followed by rare appearances on WWE programming both backstage and in the ring. 

A similar role this weekend would carry immense impact. Austin remains one of the most iconic figures in WWE history and his association with WrestleMania is unmatched. 

In the context of WrestleMania 42, his presence for even a brief segment would be a huge moment. After all, hearing the glass shatter is all it takes to make a WrestleMania moment.

Bianca Belair 

The EST of WWE sustained a finger injury at last year’s WrestleMania in a triple threat match with IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship.

In a recent interview, Ripley revealed that Belair informed her mid-match that she suspected her finger was broken after an awkward landing while the latest report stated Belair had commenced light training and was working towards an in-ring return.

Her comeback would have major implications if it occurs on night two as former friend Jade Cargill defends the WWE Women’s title against Ripley, someone she feuded with a year ago.

The last time Belair was seen in a WWE ring was when she served as special guest referee for Naomi and Cargill’s match at Evolution 2025. Sunday could see that comeback begin.

WOL: Can WrestleMania 42 ‘over deliver’ this weekend as promised?

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s a Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley to kick off WWE WrestleMania 42 weekend.

WWE president Nick Khan thinks WrestleMania 42 will, by his own words, “over deliver.” But what does that mean? Great matches? Big surprises? A huge main event angle? We’ll talk about what it might mean in regard to this weekend’s double dip of shows from Las Vegas.

Plus, Jim talks about Thursday’s TNA Impact following Rebellion and AEW Collision from a live perspective including Lio Rush’s new “Blackheart” character, Darby Allin’s AEW World title win, why Thekla is better than you may realize, and more.

Check it out.

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Roman Reigns teases WWE departure if he loses at WrestleMania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roman Reigns is, unofficially, raising the stakes for his match against CM Punk at WWE WrestleMania 42.

On its YouTube channel today, WWE uploaded an in-character interview with Reigns speaking with Michael Cole ahead of WrestleMania. Reigns addressed what will happen going forward depending on the result of the night two main event. If Reigns wins, he says it will help bring WWE back to relevancy. But if Reigns loses, he doesn’t see a place for himself in WWE anymore.

“If I lose to CM Punk at WrestleMania, I don’t belong in the WWE anymore,” Reigns said. “I think if I were to lose on Sunday, I’d say my work is done.”

It was stated last year that Reigns’ WWE contract was coming up soon after WrestleMania 42. But he recently said he still feels like he has a lot more to offer WWE, is feeling good physically at 40 years old, and plans to maximize his earnings potential in the company.

The World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Reigns challenges Punk on Sunday. A victory would give Reigns his first title reign in WWE since dropping the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

First look at WWE WrestleMania 42 stage

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

The WWE WrestleMania 42 stage is set and ready for the star-studded affair on April 18 and April 19.

Chris Danger and more influencers took to social media to share the Allegiant Stadium lit up and ready for WrestleMania 42. It features two pillar shaped titantrons spanning across massive screens with WrestleMania etched on them. In the clips shared, the official theme song, ‘Back in the saddle’ by Aerosmith & Youngblud is heard playing in the background.

The WrestleMania festivities will kick off with the Hall of Fame ceremony on April 17 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, Demolition (Ax and Smash) will be inducted. Sycho Sid and Bad News Brown will be honored as Legacy inductees. Hulk Hogan’s match against Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III will be also be honored as an Immortal Moment.

WrestleMania 42 is set for April 18 and 19 featuring stacked match cards. The Usos and LA Knight team up against The Vision and IShowSpeed. This match came about after IShowSpeed cost The Usos the World Tag Team Titles and accidentally attacked Knight. The Women’s World Championship will be on the line as Stephanie Vaquer defends the title against Liv Morgan. Their feud got personal after Vaquer questioned Morgan’s work ethics, and she responded with remarks about her mother. A six-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship also raises the stakes for Penta.

Jacob Fatu’s return and interruption in Drew McIntyre’s title match against Cody Rhodes led to their clash in an unsanctioned match being made official for WrestleMania. Becky Lynch gets her rematch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar collide in a singles match after their extensive confrontations the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley looks to establish dominance as Women’s Champion once again as she takes on Jade Cargill on Night Two.

Night One will close with Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton, who has Pat McAfee in his corner. Meanwhile, Night Two will be headlined by Roman Reigns and CM Punk butting heads for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Report: Nikki Bella won’t be cleared for WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

It’s being reported that the returning Paige could factor into WWE’s plans for the Women’s Tag Team title match with Nikki Bella unable to compete.

*********

The card for WWE WrestleMania 42 looks to have taken a hit with Nikki Bella unable to wrestle at the show.

PWInsider reports that Bella will not be cleared to compete at WrestleMania 42, where she and her twin sister Brie were scheduled to be part of a fatal four-way match for the Women’s Tag Team titles. The report does not say if WWE plans on adding a different team to the match or if it will proceed as a triple threat.

The match is scheduled for night one of WrestleMania this Saturday and was supposed to be Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defending against The Bellas, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

Bella suffered an ankle injury on the March 27 episode of SmackDown. Though she was initially optimistic about making it back in time for Mania, Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week that her status was still in question.

The Bellas — who are already WWE Hall of Famers — have never held the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles before. Winning the belts is one of their biggest goals before retirement, with Nikki & Brie planning to finish their in-ring careers when their current WWE contracts expire in 2027.

Triple H: Love him or hate him, Pat McAfee makes people talk

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque is happy that Pat McAfee has people talking heading into WrestleMania 42.

WWE’s Chief Content Officer stopped by ESPN’s First Take on Friday morning to preview this weekend’s show. While discussing the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton night one main event, Levesque teased that we could potentially see McAfee have some physical involvement with someone getting payback on him.

“There’s something on the horizon for this, for sure. You know, when you run your mouth as much as Pat does, eventually somebody is going to try to shut it,” Levesque said. “Really, as a WWE fan, what I’m really looking forward to is that moment — mentor-student, Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton, locking up over that WWE Championship. It’s just a moment that transcends a couple of generations to me, and that’s what’s really cool about it.”

McAfee will be in Orton’s corner for the Undisputed WWE Championship match. Though McAfee’s inclusion in the storyline has brought a lot of criticism from fans, Levesque thinks it’s always good when people are talking about the product.

Levesque was asked if he feels any added pressure when fans question his decisions.

“It’s always pressure, but the thing is — talk is good, right? People are talking,” he responded. “And that’s a good thing. Love him or hate him, Pat makes people talk. I think that’s what is important here, is people are talking. This is going to be an amazing show. This will be incredible, and it will deliver on all levels.”

Each night of WrestleMania 42 has a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally this Saturday and Sunday.

Roman Reigns wants to face rising WWE star Oba Femi

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roman Reigns already has a dream opponent in sight from the WrestleMania 42 match card. 

Speaking on ESPN First Take, Reigns instantly responded with Oba Femi when asked about which talent he would like to face from the stacked WrestleMania 42 match card.

“Oba Femi, no doubt.”

Reigns commended the main roster additions specifically Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Carmelo Hayes’ performances. 

“There’s a lot of great young talent. I really like what I’m seeing from Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Anthony, no, Carmelo Hayes, sorry, excuse me. And he’s been up for a little while. He’s had a different route than the other guys. So, I’ve really liked the resiliency that he’s shown and he’s torn it up on Smackdown for a while now. So I’m looking for big things from him, too.”

Even Triple H had all but praise for Femi during his appearance on the show. He was asked about the new, up and coming talents on the WrestleMania match card. Triple H said the first reaction to Femi is that he is a performer with limited versatility when in reality it’s the other way around. 

“Oba is one of those guys that when you see him, you think one-trick pony. You think big dude. He’s going to be a powerhouse but he’s going to be limited in all the other things he does because he’s going to lean on that so heavily. Paul Heyman goes in there with him, starts to run his mouth. Oba Femi just hangs with him toe-to-toe on the microphone. I’m telling you, this kid is something special. Never seen anything like that.”

Femi kicked off the year with his debut at the Royal Rumble. He accepted Brock Lesnar’s open challenge for WrestleMania in February and in the weeks that followed, showcased why he is a worthy contender.

Femi and Lesnar will open Night Two of WrestleMania 42 in a singles collision. On the other hand, Reigns looks to defeat CM Punk and win the World Heavyweight Championship. 

Fight Game: WWE WrestleMania 42 preview, thoughts on Darby Allin’s AEW title win

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I are back with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most topical things going on in pro wrestling this week.

We gave out their thumbs up and thumbs down before jumping into two main topics:

  • A discussion on Darby Allin beating MJF for the AEW World title
  • A full preview of WWE WrestleMania 42

In the Observe This! segment, we remember WrestleManias from our childhood and look at some of Dave Meltzer’s WrestleMania star ratings.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Nick Khan not worried about criticism of WWE WrestleMania 42 build

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nick Khan isn’t worried about the criticism WWE’s build to WrestleMania 42 has faced.

Ahead of Allegiant Stadium hosting WrestleMania 42 this weekend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a feature story on Khan, a Vegas native who now serves as WWE’s president. He was asked to address fan complaints about the build to WrestleMania.

“Let’s see the reaction [when] the show is done,” Khan said. “I think a lot of times with WWE storylines, they take a moment to develop. We have the good fortune when we’re on the inside of knowing where we’re going. If you look at the two main events, there is real heat there and when the storylines are blurred between reality and pre-determined outcomes in WWE, we think that always delivers. And with the (Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton) especially with the addition of Pat McAfee, we think both will overdeliver.”

“Let’s see.”

McAfee’s insertion into the Rhodes vs. Orton storyline has been one of the main criticisms of the WrestleMania build, with fans feeling like it was not necessary given the 20-year history Rhodes and Orton have together. McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday.

Sunday’s main event will then see CM Punk defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

This is the second straight year WrestleMania has been held at Allegiant Stadium. Given that and high ticket prices for the event, attendance won’t be at the same level as it was in 2025, though WWE says it will still be among the biggest gates in company history.

Khan told the Review-Journal that the economic health of Las Vegas is important to WWE and its parent company TKO, especially with the city being UFC’s home.

“There’s no city that can handle big events greater than Las Vegas can,” Khan said. “It was a no-brainer to come back again. It motivated us further when we read that Vegas was in a bit of an economic downturn because we think big events like this can help stimulate an economy and that local economy matters to me and it matters to our business at TKO, especially with UFC headquartered in Las Vegas as well as Zuffa Boxing. We’re excited to have the event and fingers crossed on people leaving the event happy. We believe that will be the case.”

CM Punk responds to Roman Reigns WWE WrestleMania promo

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While appearing on ESPN’s Get Up this morning, CM Punk gave one last response to Roman Reigns ahead of their WWE WrestleMania 42 match.

Reigns posted a social media promo yesterday, calling out Punk for not being a fighting champion and saying Punk’s “not even a fighter.” Reigns said it blows his mind that Punk thinks they are equals — and he vowed to end Punk when they face off this Sunday.

The Reigns promo received a lot of praise from fans online. Punk seemed to have respect for it too, telling ESPN he wishes Reigns brought this kind of material when they were actually in the same building together.

“My response is: man, I wish he brought that energy the days he actually decided to show up on a couple of Mondays,” Punk said. “Look, I take nothing away from Roman. Tremendous superstar, he has the credentials. He’s a heavyweight. He’s going to be a tough out for me. But I am not looking to lose on Sunday. I’m sure he isn’t either. But this is about pro wrestling versus cinema.

“I’m glad that he had four days to shower and think about what he would say to me in a rebuttal and did it in a car while I wasn’t around. But I’m going to be around and in his face on Sunday. I’m going to send him to the orthodontist. I’m going to make his orthodontist a very rich person.”

Punk vs. Reigns is headlining night two of WrestleMania 42 this weekend. They were also opponents last year at WrestleMania 41, losing a triple threat to Seth Rollins.

WrestleMania is back in Las Vegas again this year, which Punk does not mind even if business is down from 2025.

“We’ve run into a little bit of trouble running the same venue twice in a row,” Punk told Get Up. “But, logistically, for me, I’m selfish. It’s fun for me. I like Vegas. There’s great food. There’s great atmosphere. You can always do something at any time of day.

“But we want your sights focused on Saturday night and Sunday night, Allegiant Stadium, for WrestleMania. Because this is going to be our biggest show of the year. We always like to say it’s our Super Bowl. I like to say the Super Bowl is the NFL’s WrestleMania.”