WrestleMania 42 Night 2 Review

If Night 1 felt like a show finding its footing, Night 2 at Allegiant Stadium was WrestleMania firing on all cylinders. With John Cena serving as host and Lin-Manuel Miranda narrating a cinematic opener, the presentation was polished and grand from the off. The card was lean — just six matches — but every bout had weight behind it, and by the time Roman Reigns stood over a fallen CM Punk in the main event, it felt like a proper WrestleMania Sunday.

The show opened with arguably the most anticipated match of the entire weekend: Oba Femi against Brock Lesnar. It was always going to be short, and at under five minutes it delivered exactly what it needed to. Lesnar tried to ground and suplex his way to victory, landing a couple of Germans and even an F5 that briefly had the crowd on its feet — only for Femi to kick out, absorb it, and put Lesnar away with a chokeslam and the Fall From Grace powerbomb. Clean. Clinical. Devastating. Femi stood over Lesnar with a look of disbelief before backing up the ramp, the crowd processing what they’d just witnessed. What followed was a genuinely moving moment: Lesnar sat up, removed his gloves and boots, and left them in the middle of the ring, sharing an emotional exchange with Paul Heyman to what sounded like genuine affection from the Las Vegas crowd. Whether it’s a permanent goodbye or not, it was a fitting scene for a man who has defined WWE’s big match era for over two decades. Femi, meanwhile, is a made man.

The Intercontinental Championship ladder match was the show-stealer. All six competitors — Penta, Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Rey Mysterio — were given something to do, and the match delivered the kind of breathless, ladder-match chaos that WrestleMania was built for. Penta’s entrance in full Shao Kahn gear set the tone for the spectacle, and the match itself didn’t disappoint. Evans hit a top-rope clothesline on McDonagh, Dragon Lee nailed a Styles Clash on Mysterio, McDonagh followed with a Spanish Fly off a ladder, and Penta connected with a Mexican Destroyer in a breathless sequence of big moments. Je’Von Evans, in his first WrestleMania, had a jaw-dropping showing and looked every inch a future star on the grandest stage. Penta ultimately climbed the ladder to retain, but this was the kind of match that elevates everyone involved.

Trick Williams and Sami Zayn had a solid, crowd-pleasing United States Championship match. Williams, also in his WrestleMania debut, had a star-making night, and with Lil Yachty at ringside, the moment had a proper big-show feel. Williams defeated Zayn to capture the United States Championship Netflix Tudum in what felt like a long-overdue coronation. The match won’t be remembered as a technical classic, but it was exactly the right outcome and Williams looked comfortable in the spotlight.

Finn Bálor revived the Demon character for the street fight against Dominik Mysterio, and it was the right call. The match delivered the kind of violent, personal grudge-match energy the feud demanded. Bálor picked up the win and, in doing so, effectively closed the chapter on his years-long involvement with the Judgment Day. Whether this springboards him back up the card remains to be seen, but on this night, The Demon got his moment and the result felt earned.

Rhea Ripley defeating Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship was the right call, and Ripley got the job done in ten minutes. Cargill has been built as a credible, dominant champion, and this won’t hurt her — but Ripley’s return to the top of the women’s division is the story here. The feud had layers — Cargill’s use of Michin and B-Fab to blunt Ripley’s momentum added heat throughout the build — and while the match itself didn’t quite reach the heights of the night’s best bouts, the crowd response for Ripley’s win more than made up for it.

And then the main event. For the second consecutive year, CM Punk and Roman Reigns delivered an instant-classic match at WrestleMania. At approximately 34 minutes, it was the longest match across both nights and absolutely earned its runtime. The build had been deeply personal — Punk invoking Reigns’ family, both men trading the kind of promos that made it feel like a genuine grudge rather than a scripted rivalry — and that emotion carried into the ring. Reigns covered Punk for the victory, claiming the World Heavyweight Championship for a seventh time. The Tribal Chief is back on top, and given the scale of this win — on the grandest stage, against one of WWE’s best in-ring performers — it feels like a significant reset for the Reigns character after a difficult couple of years.

Overall, WrestleMania 42 Night 2 was a significant step up from Night 1. The card was tight, the finishes largely satisfying, and the show delivered the spectacle you expect from WWE’s flagship event. Femi’s demolition of Lesnar, the IC ladder match, and the Punk/Reigns main event gave the weekend its defining moments. With several title changes and at least one apparent retirement, there’s plenty to build on heading into the next chapter.