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.”
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.”
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.”
Seth Rollins is ready to return to the ring at WrestleMania 42, even if he isn’t quite feeling 100 percent yet.
On Thursday, Rollins made multiple appearances on ESPN to help promote WrestleMania, telling First Take that he feels great after the shoulder injury he suffered in October 2025. But Rollins at least played up the idea that he’s not completely at full strength going into his match against Gunther.
“As for the shoulder, it feels great,” Rollins said. “I don’t know that it’s 100 percent, but maybe 80-90 percent. And I’ll tell you what, my 80-90 percent is pretty good. Good enough to get us in a position here where we’ve got a match at WrestleMania against Gunther.”
Rollins suffered the shoulder injury at Crown Jewel: Perth last year and has been out of action for six months after undergoing surgery. This match against Gunther is his first match back. It’s a bout that came together fairly late in the game, with Rollins and Bron Breakker both suffering injuries that affected WWE’s WrestleMania plans. Though Breakker has been cleared, WWE decided to go with Rollins vs. Gunther at Mania.
When Rollins’ injury happened, he had to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship. He kept kayfabe on ESPN’s Get Up this morning when asked if he feels like he deserves a shot at either CM Punk or Roman Reigns after WrestleMania. Rollins said he needs to prove he’s back in form and capable of delivering in the ring like he did pre-injury.
The Rollins vs. Gunther match is part of the lineup for night one of WrestleMania 42 this Saturday.
If it wasn’t for Ronda Rousey, Stephanie McMahon probably never would have wrestled at WWE WrestleMania.
The only time McMahon actually competed in the ring at WrestleMania was when she and Triple H teamed up against Rousey & Kurt Angle in 2018. Ahead of her upcoming WWE Hall of Fame induction, McMahon discussed her career on “What’s Your Story?” and looked back at that match.
McMahon noted that she’s always been a Rousey fan, seeing how strong she is while still having “broken pieces” from all she’s gone through in life. It was Rousey who requested the WrestleMania 34 match as a way to follow up on the confrontation they had at WrestleMania 31 three years prior.
“I was a big fan of Ronda, always have been. I used to love to watch her fight,” McMahon said. “I read her book and it made a big impact on me, what she’s lived through. You know, her dad committed suicide when she was young. She didn’t speak her first words until she was like four…
“My heart just always is with her because she’s so strong in many, many ways, you know, mentally and physically. And then also, I think she has broken pieces too, as we all do, right? So I’m a big fan of hers, and she was the one who requested the match. It was like a couple of years later, originally she was going to come in sooner, but then there was a movie or I don’t know, something happened. And then you sign her and Ronda was the one who said, ‘We need to finish the story with Steph.’ So she’s the reason I ever had a WrestleMania match.”
McMahon said Dakota Kai, Lacey Evans, and NXT coach Sara Amato were among the people who helped prepare them for the bout. It ended up being “safe but stiff” with Rousey & Angle getting the win.
This match was Rousey’s pro wrestling debut. She went on to have two separate stints with WWE before finishing up with the company in August 2023.
The most detailed look at how the Pat McAfee angle developed, its goal, why so many in the company are unhappy with it, where it is leading, addressing the biggest WrestleMania questions, what CM Punk aid, where Paul Levesque and Ari Emanuel fit in, as well as an update on WrestleMania tickets compared to last year, discount offers cutting price back and more
Preview to AEW Dynasty, matches and business notes as well as updates on Double or Nothing direction and business, as well as All In at Wembley Stadium.
Favorites for WrestleMania and Dynasty
Lots of business notes on WrestleMania
Callum Newman wins IWGP title and review of Sakura Genesis, what we learned, business, Best of the Super Juniors and Dontaku notes
NXT Stand & Deliver. Match rundowns and stories as well as business notes on the show
Texts from Paul Levesque to Nick Khan released in discovery regarding Vince McMahon’s involvement in booking when talent was told McMahon was out and Levesques frustration at the time
A detailed look at TNA pulling talent from advertised indie events that they had previously approved and a better way of handling it
A look at the career of 60s and 70s star Flying Fred Curry, one of the major stars of The Sheik’s heyday running Michigan and Ohio, son of Bull Curry and nine-time world tag team champion.
The arrest of Alberto el Patron, lots more details and his history, shows he’s been pulled from, an ironic aspect of this story n a reality show in Mexico late last year
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the television shows of the past week, with comparisons with last week, last year, demos and other stats, male vs. female percentage
More stats regarding the audience at Arena Mexico shows as well as a look back on a major week last week.
Saya Kamtani has major goal for Stardom’s big show later this month
Japanese television in 1985 and who were the draws
Ric Flair upset over WWE costing him a major merchandise deal
Sports Business Journal gave an update on the timeline for when YouTube TV subscribers will get access to the ESPN app at no additional charge:
ESPN is set to air its first WrestleMania this weekend under the new pact with WWE, but sources tell SBJ that YouTube TV subscribers will still not be able to authenticate on the ESPN app in time for the event. Google is working through tech issues related to the authentication, sources added, and there remains an expectation that the problems should be solved ahead of SummerSlam.
Throughout WrestleMania week, ESPN will originate studio programming and live events from key locations across Las Vegas, including WWE World, Toshiba Plaza, Allegiant Stadium and Dolby Live at Park MGM. SportsCenter coverage will be led on site by Randy Scott, Gary Striewski, Treavor Scales and Joe Fortenbaugh, delivering live reporting, fan engagement and behind the scenes storytelling throughout the week. Scott, Striewski and Scales will explore WWE World and fan experiences across Las Vegas and will interview and talk with WWE Superstars on site, while Scales and Fortenbaugh will be positioned for post-match coverage and reaction throughout WrestleMania weekend. First Take will originate from Las Vegas as part of ESPN’s on-site coverage, featuring Shae Cornette, Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins live Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m. from Allegiant Stadium.
Coverage also includes No Contest Wrestling, hosted by O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, airing Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 during WrestleMania week, alongside the WrestleMania 42 Kickoff Show, Countdown to WrestleMania 42, Nights 1 and 2 of WrestleMania and the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Shannon Sharpe & Chad Ochocinco’s Nightcap podcast will be live on WrestleMania Radio Row at 2 p.m. Eastern tomorrow with Carmelo Hayes, Charlotte Flair, Jacob Fatu, Je’Von Evans, LA Knight, Nia Jax & Lash Legend, and more scheduled to appear.
On the Soder Podcast, Becky Lynch said that, when WWE wrestlers make outside appearances, people are surprised at how easygoing they are since wrestlers are not used to being catered to in WWE:
I mean this politely, we’re not catered to – at all. No. Maybe there’s a couple of folks, and as you get more into it, you put up with less sh*t. But we pay for our own gear, they’re not getting us gear. We buy our own gear. We buy our own rental cars. We buy our own hotels. We are in charge of booking those hotels and booking those rental cars. And I think that’s why, actually, when we go to work at other places, whether it be [Showtime show] ‘Billions’ or whatever, people are usually pleasantly surprised at how easygoing we are. Because we’re not used to being catered to. We don’t expect anything. We don’t expect anybody to look after us. Because we are standardly so self-sufficient.
CM Punk & AJ Lee took part in a GOAT Talk video for Complex. In response to a question about celebrities he’d like to see in WWE, Punk said he’s changed his mind on celebrity involvement and is now more open to it:
Dave Bautista, John Cena – I just want my friends to come back to work.
I get a kick out of seeing celebrities cross over, because it’s either the most spectacular car crash disaster. And there was a time where I probably was the most ardent like, ‘No, the purity of the sport of pro wrestling, blah, blah, blah.’ And now I’ve shed all that and I realize there’s a time and there’s a place for a little bit of everything for everybody.
I think Bad Bunny was a spectacular professional wrestler. This is the biggest, most recognized global pop star in the world. And he’s a fan, and he doesn’t just want to come and goof around. He took it seriously and he did it.
Honestly, it’s not the same without Bianca there. I miss her. I hope that she comes back soon. But at the same time, I also hope she’s living her best life, not having to go to work for a little bit. She’s busted her ass for so long. They’ve literally made her do so much and work so much, she deserves the time off.
I wish it was under better a circumstance, because that finger be looking nasty. Like, it’s shocked me that she’s been out for nearly a year from a finger injury – something that seems so small is something that’s so big. I’ve seen the photos, she’s sent me the photos, so thank you, Bianca. They’re pretty gnarly looking.
I just really hope that she comes back soon. Like, I really do, but that finger, it’s so fat. It’s so swollen. She’s doing rehab every single day and I’m looking forward to the day that she does come back. I don’t know how long that’s going to be, unfortunately, because you need your finger to bend in wrestling. Otherwise, you’re going to break it again.
Before he challenges MJF for the AEW World Championship on Dynamite, Darby Allin sat down for an interview on Close Up with Renee Paquette.
New TNT Champion Kevin Knight spoke with The Takedown on SI about his title defense against Claudio Castagnoli on Dynamite:
To go against a guy like Claudio is an amazing time because I’ve never had him one-on-one, only in multi-mans. And I’ve actually had to support him a few times in Mexico, you know, ‘El Jet’ is a little bit different when you cross the border.
So I know Claudio pretty well, I think I have speed and youth on my side. Claudio is a well, well oiled machine, there’s nobody like Claudio, so I’m gonna have to be on my A-game, be on my A-game and Claudio won’t know what hit him.
Andrade El Idolo will face Richard Holliday for Awesome Championship Wrestling in Poughkeepsie, New York on May 16.
With WrestleMania 42 set to kick off in just three days, WWE has released the opening video for night one of the show.
Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame voices the cold open, referencing some of the most memorable WrestleMania moments of all time and setting the stage for some of this year’s matches to take their own place in history:
It’s something you can’t really explain. That feeling when the lights come on, the crowd roars, and you realize there’s no bigger stage than this. No brighter lights. No higher stakes. No louder crowd. And no second takes. It happens once, and it’s forever. Because memories are made in this ring. And we — you and me, the fans — we get to be there for the moments we’ll never forget.
We were there when the Irresistible Force met the Immovable Object. We were there when it seemed impossible until it happened. When legends took their final bows. When Seth shocked the world. When Cody finished his story and made his dad proud. And years from now, decades from now, our kids will tell their kids that we were alive and we were there. When Punk fought Roman for the title. When La Primera confronted La Guerita. When the Voices tried to squash The Nightmare. When Jade and Rhea stood face-to-face. When Oba stepped onto the stage, the biggest stage of them all, for the very first time.
There’s no way to know exactly what drama lies ahead. But we know that we’re here for the pops and the surprises. The memories that will last a lifetime. We are here. We are alive. No second takes. Lights up. The curtain’s about to rise. Welcome to WrestleMania.
Miranda is a wrestling fan and a multi-time Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner. He also appeared in a WrestleMania promo video that WWE put out back in January.
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is hosting WrestleMania 42 this Saturday and Sunday, with the show set to stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally. The start time for each night is 6 p.m. Eastern.
WWE WrestleMania 42 —
Night one:
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Randy Orton (w/ Pat McAfee)
Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Liv Morgan
Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee defends against Becky Lynch
Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Unsanctioned match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed vs. The Usos & LA Knight
Night two:
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Roman Reigns
WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill defends against Rhea Ripley
“The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Trick Williams
Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, JD McDonagh, and Rey Mysterio
In celebration of WrestleMania 42, WWE has put together a ranking of the 42 greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
The countdown concluded on WWE’s YouTube channel today with Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III taking the top spot. That match is also set to be honored with the Immortal Moment Award at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this Friday, giving WWE a chance to recognize Hogan after he passed away in July 2025.
Here is the complete list:
Hulk Hogan slams Andre the Giant (WrestleMania 3)
Cody Rhodes finishes his story (WrestleMania 40)
Steve Austin refuses to quit against Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank for heist of the century (WrestleMania 31)
Hollywood Hogan hulks up against The Rock (WrestleMania 18)
The Austin Era begins with Steve Austin defeating Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 14)
The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 6)
The Rock retires Steve Austin in trilogy finale (WrestleMania 19)
Edge spears Jeff Hardy off a 20-foot ladder (WrestleMania 17)
The Undertaker extends his streak by defeating Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25)
Becky Lynch wins first women’s main event (WrestleMania 35)
Randy Savage and Ms. Elizabeth reunite (WrestleMania 7)
Kofi Kingston defeats Daniel Bryan for WWE Championship (WrestleMania 35)
Cody Rhodes makes his WWE return (WrestleMania 38)
Randy Savage wins vacant WWF Championship (WrestleMania 4)
Rey Mysterio wins World Heavyweight Championship in honor of Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 22)
Daniel Bryan wins WWE Championship (WrestleMania 30)
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair become first Black women to main event (WrestleMania 37)
John Cena makes his entrance with an army of doppelgangers (WrestleMania 25)
Steve Austin comes out of retirement to defeat Kevin Owens (WrestleMania 38)
The Undertaker competes for the final time in Boneyard Match (WrestleMania 36)
Shawn Michaels makes boyhood dream come true by winning WWF Championship (WrestleMania 12)
John Cena wins record 17th World Championship (WrestleMania 41)
The Hardy Boyz return (WrestleMania 33)
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon ladder match (WrestleMania 10)
Steve Austin turns heel by aligning with Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 17)
Bret Hart wins WWF Championship (WrestleMania 10)
Randy Orton delivers ultimate RKO out of nowhere to Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)
The Rock returns to WWE action (WrestleMania 40)
Sting makes his WrestleMania debut (WrestleMania 31)
John Cena faces The Rock for the first time (WrestleMania 28)
Brock Lesnar wins WWE Championship in WrestleMania debut (WrestleMania 19)
The Undertaker and Paul Bearer return (WrestleMania 20)
IYO SKY, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley steal the show in triple threat match (WrestleMania 41)
Brock Lesnar breaks The Undertaker’s streak (WrestleMania 30)
Hulk Hogan teams up with Mr. T as WrestleMania is born (WrestleMania I)
The Rock and John Cena fight off The Wyatt Family (WrestleMania 32)
Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels embrace to end an era (WrestleMania 28)
Ronda Rousey & The Rock take down Stephanie McMahon & Triple H (WrestleMania 31)
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn end The Usos’ record Tag Team title reign (WrestleMania 39)
The Rock, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan share the ring (WrestleMania 30)
Last year, WWE ranked the 50 greatest matches in WrestleMania history with Hogan vs. Andre coming in eighth. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 topped that list.
We are now just three days away from the start of WrestleMania 42, which is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday and Sunday. The event will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix internationally with a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern for each night.
While lower-than-expected ticket sales have become part of the on-screen build for WrestleMania 42, WWE says sales for the show have “surged” as of late.
Sports Business Journal published an article this week on the WrestleMania ticket situation, quoting from a USA Today story that said high prices were the biggest reason WWE has struggled to fill Allegiant Stadium. The SBJ piece included a quote from “a source close to WWE” downplaying the issue, saying that sales are up in recent weeks and the company still expects WrestleMania 42 to be among the largest gates in history:
A source close to WWE said ticket sales have surged in recent weeks and projected that the event remains headed toward one of the top gates in WWE history.
This is the second straight year that WWE has held WrestleMania in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. Last year’s two-night event was announced as the biggest gate WWE has ever drawn.
In last week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that ticket sales were down approximately 20 percent from this time last year, and there had been “no great run” on tickets since the angle where Pat McAfee was inserted into the build for the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton night one main event. McAfee has mentioned low ticket sales during the angle, saying he wants to save the business by helping get Orton back to the top of the card.
McAfee — who offered a discount on night one tickets last week — will be in Orton’s corner when he challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. The night two main event will then see CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.
Rhodes was asked to name his five greatest WrestleMania wrestlers in WWE history, with the criteria only considering how they performed at WrestleMania. He put two of his current-day WWE peers on the list while giving the three other spots to legends:
Hulk Hogan
Roman Reigns
Shawn Michaels
Randy Savage
Charlotte Flair
While addressing the toughest omissions from the list, Rhodes said he knows the internet will eat him alive over not including Steve Austin. He noted that it was tougher to leave Austin out than The Undertaker.
Rhodes did not put himself on the list but said he hopes his stats will make him worthy of inclusion when someone else makes a ranking like this in the future. Rhodes believes headlining WrestleMania is the most difficult thing to do in WWE, and he’s now heading into his fifth main event if you count both matches from WrestleMania 40. Reigns was involved in three of those bouts.
The WrestleMania 42 main events are Rhodes vs. Randy Orton this Saturday and CM Punk vs. Reigns on Sunday. Ahead of the event, First Take will be broadcasting live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday.
Outside of his own match, Cody Rhodes is most looking forward to seeing Gunther and Seth Rollins clash at WrestleMania 42.
Rhodes stopped by ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning to help promote WrestleMania. During the interview, he was asked to name which match he’s most excited to experience as a viewer.
“There’s always a little bit of that split between the sports entertainment and the wrestling. The sports and the entertainment,” Rhodes said. “And the one that’s old-school sports style that I really like, just good, old-fashioned wrestling: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins. I’m all about that. That’s a wrestlers’ wrestling match.”
The Gunther vs. Rollins bout is happening at night one of WrestleMania 42 this Saturday, which will be headlined by Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton. ESPN personality Pat McAfee has become a big part of that build and will be in Orton’s corner for the match. On Get Up, Rhodes described McAfee as a “rat” who is surrounded by people who don’t tell him “no” enough.
Ric Flair is looking forward to watching WWE WrestleMania 42, but he wishes his daughter Charlotte was involved in a singles match at the show.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports Daily, Flair praised WrestleMania as the “greatest sports spectacular” in the world. He spoke highly of the job Paul “Triple H” Levesque is doing as head of creative, even if Flair would like Charlotte to have more of a featured spot this year. Flair knows it won’t be long until Charlotte is in a singles match at WrestleMania again.
“I think he’s done a great job,” Flair responded when asked to assess Levesque’s job performance. “I don’t think anybody truly understands how difficult it is to manage egos and talent. You can’t make everybody happy, does that make sense? You just can’t. Everybody thinks they’re the best. Everybody thinks they deserve more. I could tell you who does and who doesn’t, but I’m not going to get into that [laughs]. I’m staying neutral.
“But they have some great talent, great storylines. I’m really looking forward to watching it. I wish my daughter was in a singles match, but that’ll happen again. She’s the greatest, I’ll say it right now.”
Charlotte has been in the WWE Women’s Tag Team title picture for nearly a year now. At night one of WrestleMania 42 this Saturday, she and her tag partner Alexa Bliss will be involved in a fatal four-way match for the belts. It has Nia Jax & Lash Legend defending against Charlotte & Bliss, Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins.
Yahoo Sports asked Flair how much it’s meant to him to watch Charlotte become an icon in pro wrestling.
“I’ll put it to you like this, if she had a Roman Reigns push, no one could ever talk to her again [laughs],” Flair said. “She is an icon. I mean, she’s just raised the bar so high. And I know she gets upset when I say this, but it’s the God’s honest truth, she’s just that damn good.”
Flair also had praise for Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and John Cena during the Yahoo Sports Daily interview. He did address his removal from the Roots of Fight clothing brand, saying he wishes he would have received a phone call about the situation instead of first being informed via letter.
“Those are the kind of things that throw me off a little bit,” Flair said. “You would think they’d have enough respect to call me, but they didn’t. So it is what it is. It isn’t the financial part of it. I can remember Randy Orton telling me a couple of years ago, ‘Man, I hope that someday I can be part of that Roots of Fight.’ It’s just the prestige of being part of that, you know, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, just a lot of very famous people. To be awarded that, and the merchandise is really rare and hard to find. So I don’t know what happened. I wish they would have called me, but they didn’t.”
Roots of Fight now has a deal with WWE, which explains Flair’s removal given that he is under contract with AEW.
Cody Rhodes sees a common theme among the two WWE WrestleMania main events this year.
Taking place this weekend, WrestleMania 42 will be headlined by Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns. Both bouts have been built around long-standing personal issues. With that — and the recent addition of Pat McAfee to the Rhodes vs. Orton rivalry — Rhodes believes that it’s easy for viewers to suspend their disbelief and buy into what they’re seeing on screen.
“When wrestling is done right, the best thing ever is when you can just have a little bit of doubt on, ‘Oh, seems like those guys do hate each other.’ And we have a lot of that in both main events this year,” Rhodes said on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “There’s a lot of sincerity to the suspension of disbelief.”
The history between Rhodes and Orton dates back nearly 20 years to when they were members of The Legacy together. Given that, a lot of fans have been disappointed about McAfee’s involvement, feeling that it’s unnecessary to the story. Rhodes leaned into that sentiment on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, comparing McAfee’s inclusion to the popular meme where a clown is trying to blend in among a group of soldiers.
“Randy Orton, who I’m wrestling at WrestleMania, we have almost two decades of history. He was my mentor,” Rhodes said. “We were on screen together as part of his group Legacy. He had my dad’s last match. My first match in the company was against Randy. There is a lot of rich story material.
“And then we inserted Pat McAfee. We are literally in that part right there. So your question is everybody else’s question. You know the troops all outside and there is that clown? I’m not saying he’s the clown. It’s just an interesting fit. And we’re going to see where it goes.”
Rhodes did say that he believes McAfee is a serious person and not a clown. He just wishes the people around McAfee would say “no” to him more often — including telling him that it’s a bad idea to get involved in the main event of WrestleMania.
McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. If Orton loses, McAfee has promised to leave the wrestling industry forever.
