Two nights at Allegiant Stadium. Thirteen matches. A card that has been through more changes than anyone can count thanks to injuries derailing half of the original plans. WrestleMania 42 is finally here and the card on paper looks stacked even if the build has been all over the place. Here are our predictions for every single match across Saturday and Sunday.
Night 1 Predictions
The Usos and LA Knight vs Logan Paul, Austin Theory and IShowSpeed
This one is all about spectacle. Logan Paul has dragged IShowSpeed into the wrestling world with Austin Theory along for the ride. On the other side LA Knight brings the noise and Jey and Jimmy reunite as The Usos on the biggest stage wrestling has to offer. The celebrity factor means this gets plenty of TV time and plenty of eyeballs. Backing the babyfaces here because the match screams “get the fans buzzing” and IShowSpeed eating a superkick through the announce table is too good a visual for WWE to pass up.
Prediction: The Usos and LA Knight win.
Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)
Fatu has openly admitted a recent injury probably cost him some opportunities on this show and the unsanctioned stipulation feels like WWE making sure his match still hits hard. Drew McIntyre is on the other side of a title run and needs a marquee performance to reset his direction. Unsanctioned means weapons and probably a few spots that make you wince in your seat. This goes to Fatu because his stock needs protecting and McIntyre can absorb a loss here without suffering much damage long-term.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu wins.
Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs Liv Morgan
Liv won the Women’s Royal Rumble and picked Vaquer which felt like the right call given how hot Vaquer has been since claiming the title. The build has leaned heavily on Morgan feeling overlooked and Vaquer calling her out for it in a now infamous backstage moment that left Liv in tears. Vaquer is being positioned as a long-term pillar of Raw and killing that momentum on her first Mania defence would be daft booking.
Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer retains.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs Becky Lynch
Nobody had this one on their 2026 bingo card. AJ Lee returning was one of the moments of the year and WWE putting the belt on her straight away tells you they want to run with it. Becky Lynch is the perfect first programme because there is proper history and proper needle and a genuine dream match feel to all of it. Both women can go and both are box office. Going with AJ to retain because they have barely had her back five minutes and cutting her reign short would undercut the whole return. AJ also needs it so they can have a surprise return on Raw on Monday (wink wink).
Prediction: AJ Lee retains.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way: Nia Jax and Lash Legend (c) vs Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs The Bella Twins
Four teams all with a hook. The Bellas are the nostalgia pop, but it looks like they may be replaced due to injury. Charlotte and Alexa are the star-power pairing. Bayley and Lyra are the wrestling-first duo. Jax and Legend are the monsters on top. Fatal 4-ways at Mania usually deliver big moments and this feels like one where WWE crowns a new team for a proper run. Charlotte and Alexa have the most heat as a pairing right now and a title win gives them a Mania moment worth remembering.
Prediction: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss win the titles.
Seth Rollins vs Gunther
Nobody saw this coming three weeks ago. Rollins was lined up for Bron Breakker and Gunther was penciled in against Rey Mysterio until injuries blew both plans apart. WWE pivoted and gave us a dream match nobody had asked for but everybody wanted the second they saw it. Gunther has been destroying legends left right and centre as The Career Killer and Rollins is back from his Crown Jewel shoulder injury desperate to prove he still has it in him. Siding with Gunther because his run needs the win more than Rollins needs the rub.
Prediction: Gunther wins.
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs Randy Orton
The Night 1 main event should have been an all-timer. Nearly two decades of history between these two and Orton brutally turning on Rhodes at the contract signing after Cody asked for the best version of The Viper. Then Pat McAfee got inserted as the mystery voice in Orton’s ear and the whole thing has gone over like a lead balloon with the fan base. The stipulation is now that McAfee must leave wrestling forever if Orton loses. Everything about this setup screams the feud continues past Mania which means Rhodes wins through a big closing sequence where he outmaneuvers McAfee’s interference. Are we getting a heel turn from Rhodes?
Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains.
Night 2 Predictions
Oba Femi vs Brock Lesnar
This one is all about the visual. Femi is the new-school monster who has been wrecking the main roster since his call-up and Lesnar is the original apex predator. There is a real passing-of-the-torch feel to the whole thing and WWE opening Sunday with it tells you they want a statement moment right out of the gate. Lesnar winning at this stage of his career adds nothing to anyone. Femi beating Lesnar clean at WrestleMania makes him a main eventer overnight.
Prediction: Oba Femi wins.
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs Je’Von Evans vs Dragon Lee vs JD McDonagh vs Rusev vs Rey Mysterio
Six-man ladder matches are chaos by design. Penta is the current champion but ladders historically go badly for titleholders because the gold does not have to be pinned off them. Rey Mysterio got slotted in after his own injury derailed the Gunther feud and he is here primarily for the legend value. Je’Von Evans is the youngest of the bunch and the one with the most breakout potential. With the momentum behind him and the sheer Mania-moment energy of a young guy hanging off a ladder with the belt in his hand this feels like the night he arrives properly.
Prediction: Je’Von Evans wins his first main roster title.
WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs Rhea Ripley
The build has been criticised pretty widely but the match on paper is still a proper heavyweight showdown. Two of the most physically imposing women on the roster finally getting their moment. Cargill has been the champion for a few months now and Ripley earned her shot by winning the Women’s Elimination Chamber match. Ripley is the more experienced in-ring worker of the two and WWE tends to put the belt on whoever has the stronger long-term momentum. Backing Mami to take it.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley wins the title.
United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs Trick Williams
Trick Williams getting a WrestleMania title match is a massive deal for him and a proper signal WWE sees him as a main roster fixture going forward. Sami Zayn has been a fighting champion and a reliable pair of hands for the US title. This feels like one of those moments where WWE hands the ball to the new guy and lets him run with it. Trick has the charisma and the moveset and the crowd support. Sami is the ideal veteran to put him over cleanly.
Prediction: Trick Williams wins the title.
Finn Bálor vs Dominik Mysterio
The Judgment Day implosion has been bubbling since WrestleMania 41 when Dom pinned Bálor in that four-way to take the Intercontinental Championship. Things finally boiled over on Raw when Bálor refused to help Dom retain the belt and told him he was just a spoiled little prick to his face. There is a proper long-form story here even if it has not had the spotlight it deserved in the final weeks. Bálor should win because he has more to gain from the outcome and sending Dom off on a loss sets up his next chapter nicely.
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins.
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs Roman Reigns
The Night 2 main event is a match fans have wanted for more than a decade. Reigns won the Royal Rumble and picked Punk over the easier option citing a grudge that dates back to Punk’s 2014 podcast comments. The feud went nuclear when Punk referenced Roman’s late father Sika Anoa’i on Raw which dragged Jey and Jimmy back into the mix and has left genuine questions over whether Reigns will go at this alone or not. Punk’s journey to finally being a world champion has been a decade in the making and dropping it at his first Mania as titleholder would feel like a proper waste. Expect Bloodline interference and expect Punk to overcome it all.
Prediction: CM Punk retains.
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