WWE initially had a different plan in mind when it came to announcing WrestleMania 42.
On the February 21st episode of SmackDown, The Rock made his return to TV in New Orleans. Following months of speculation that the Louisiana city would be hosting the biggest event of the year in 2026, The Final Boss made the news official as part of his opening statement to the fans. The news got a major cheer from the fans in attendance as it was official that the Show of Shows would be returning to New Orleans following previous iterations of the event taking place in 2014 and 2018. However, according to The Rock, the company originally had different intentions regarding the announcement.
Appearing at the post-SmackDown press conference following the show, Rock confirmed that WWE was going to initially make the new official at the Super Bowl, which also took place inside the New Orleans SuperDome:
“We were — and I’ll share this with you. We were going to be part of the Super Bowl and make the announcement at the Super Bowl that we were coming here to New Orleans. We had a couple of hiccups that we couldn’t make that happen.
But in any event, we’re here now and the improvements made to the Dome played a great factor into what we’re doing.”
While it was speculated that Rock’s appearance may have also led to a potential announcement regarding WrestleMania 41, no update was provided. Instead, Rock delivered a confusing promo where he called out Cody Rhodes and asked for his soul, becoming a corporate champion in the process.
When Is WWE WrestleMania 42?
Along with the location being confirmed for the 2026 event, so too was the date. WrestleMania 42 will take place on April 11th and 12th 2026.
H/t to 411 Mania.
Featured image: WWE
