As WrestleMania 42 fast approaches, the opening matches for each night look to be pencilled in.
As reported by WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the current plan is to have The Vision and IShowSpeed vs. The Usos and LA Knight open night one, and Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi will open night 2. For the 2026 event, the first hour of each night will be broadcast on the traditional ESPN platforms. Wrestlevotes states that ESPN pushed for Lesnar to be a part of this hour, which WWE were happy to agree to.
Given the challenge of setting the tone for the show, the opening match of WrestleMania is often seen as the second most important match behind the main event. In 2025, Jey Uso defeated Gunther in the opening match of night 1 to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. On night 2, IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley to retain her Women’s World Championship in what many believed to be the best match of the year.
It should be noted that the reported opening matches are not locked in, and are subject to change.
What Is The Announced Card For WrestleMania 42?
Earlier in the week, WWE confirmed which night each of the respective Mania matches would be taking place, along with the 2 main events of the weekend. While more matches could be announced for the biggest show of the year, the current card is as follows:
WrestleMania 42 Night One – Saturday, April 18
- Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu – Unsanctioned match
- The Vision [Austin Theory and Logan Paul] and IShowSpeed vs. LA Knight and The Usos
- Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
- Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan – Singles match for the Women’s World Championship
- The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Nikki Bella) – 4-way match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships
- AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch – Singles match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
- Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton – Singles match for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 42 Night Two – Sunday, April 19
- Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
- Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio – 6-way ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship
- Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley – Singles match for the WWE Women’s Championship
- Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams – Singles match for the United States Championship
- Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
- CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns – Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Featured image: WWE
