With 2 very different nights of action, a lack of wrestling on a wrestling show and a major retirement, WWE WrestleMania 42 was newsworthy, but not everyone will be giving it a positive review.
WWE WrestleMania 42 Review: How The Biggest Show Of The Year Played Second Fiddle To Hulk Hogan And Many, Many Adverts
The prevailing issue across the weekend was that sponsorships and advertisements were more prevalent than ever before. While it is targeted marketing to advertise the upcoming Hulk Hogan documentary on a wrestling show, the fact that Hogan was the wrestler with the most screen time says a lot about how much he was featured and how short the matches are.
Yes, WWE is a business, and yes, it is the biggest show of the year, so there will be sponsors to appease. However, when the promotions are so frequent that it is noticeable and actively damaging to the show, this is a problem. With a reduction of video packages and wrestling content in favour of movie trailers and brand deals, the magic of Mania has definitely faded.
WrestleMania 42 Night 1
Night one kicked off with The Usos teaming with LA Knight to take on Austin Theory, Logan Paul and IShowSpeed. Giving the fans a fun match to kick off the weekend, this one completed all the objectives. The fans got to Yeet along with The Usos, boo Logan Paul, and give IShowSpeed a fun moment. While celebrities at this WrestleMania has drawn the anger of many fans, Speed’s inclusion enhanced the match more than hindered it. Presented as someone who is not a wrestler, athletic and used sparingly, the streamer hit his spots and did not look out of place. Team Usos and Knight won the match, and Paul got his comeuppance as Speed hit a splash from the ring to the outside, sending Paul through a table. While the finish was drawn out, this was exactly what everyone expected and delivered.
Up next was the unsanctioned match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre, which saw the stipulation fail to deliver. Even though WWE claimed this would be violent, unsanctioned and would only be stopped when the referee called for the bell, both men were not as violent as fans would have expected. Not saying that pizza cutters and light tubes were needed here, but this felt like a very tame no DQ match as opposed to a feud ender that required the company not to be held accountable. Fatu won with a moonsault through the table, and McIntyre will now be away until further notice.
The first surprise came in the next match as Nia Jax and Lash Legend defended their Women’s Tag Titles against 3 teams: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and what should have been The Bella Twins. However, as The Bellas made their entrance, Nikki confirmed that the rumours were true and that she was unable to compete due to an ankle injury. The Hall of Famers then revealed that they had found a replacement in the form of the returning Paige, who received one of the loudest ovations of the night. WWE kept Paige’s in-ring time limited, but the British star showed no signs of ring rust during her time away. Keeping the tradition alive of always betting on the replacement, Paige picked up the win, meaning that her and Brie Bella are now the new champions.
The second title change took place afterwards as Becky Lynch finally picked up her win over AJ Lee, and as an added bonus, had her hand raised by the referee Lynch has been accusing of conspiring against her, Jessika Carr. Both women got special entrances, but it was very apparent that The Wonder Years were not playing Lynch’s theme live. Playing into their previous history, Lynch exposed a turnbuckle and got into a shoving match with Carr while Lee was down. Lee locked in the Black Widow, but Lynch fought out of it. In the end, Lynch used the exposed corner to her advantage to win the Women’s IC Title for a 3rd time. It’s unknown when or if Lee will come back to wrestling, but if this sort run is her final bow, the future Hall of Famer definitely left the fans wanting more and did not outstay her welcome here. Although it has been 10 years since her last run, this was a fitting epilogue to Lee’s career.
With Gunther looking seemingly unstoppable right now, Seth Rollins hoped to be the one to bring The Ring General’s dominant run to an end. To the surprise of no one, two wrestlers of the calibre of Rollins and Gunther put on the best match of night 1 with great back-and-forth sequences. For Rollins, his downfall was the unexpected surprise of Bron Breakker, who speared The Visionary while the referee was distracted. Gunther took advantage of the attack by putting Rollins to sleep to win the match, and Breakker hit another spear after for good measure. Here’s hoping they do more with Breakker moving forward.
What followed was the third title change of the evening as Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer to win the Women’s World Championship for a second time. The fact that Vaquer hit The Devil’s Kiss so early on should have been a sign that this was not going to go long. At under 10 minutes in total, as were the other 2 women’s matches, Morgan took advanatge of Judgment Day distraction to pin Vaquer and win back the title. Given that Stephanie McMahon, who WWE regularly credits as being integral in the development of the Women’s Division, was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, there is a major disconnect that there was less than 30 minutes of women’s wrestling on a 4-hour show. For context, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley’s banger from WrestleMania 39 was pretty much the same length as all 3 women’s matches combined on the 2026 card.
Shortly before the main event, John Cena announced that just over 50,000 fans were in attendance for night one. Although this is down on 2025, it is still an impressive number all things considered. Then came the biggest surprise of the night as Bianca Belair made her return and announced that she was expecting her first child. While it will be a shame that The EST will be taking more time away from the ring, this is a great reason for Belair to take more time away.
Then it was time for the main event. After WrestleMania played a video package, the only one of the night, Pat McAfee made his entrance, followed by a long Randy Orton entrance. Cody Rhodes entered next and paid homage to the career of Rhodes with various looks of his career on display. Before the bell rang, McAfee attacked Rhodes, leading to an angle at the start where Jelly Roll took out McAfee, who was stretchered out of the stadium. Finally down to Orton vs. Rhodes one on one, the match sadly turned into what many had feared, a slow and plodding match featuring 2 men in their 40s. With rest holds a plenty, the action didn’t pick up until Orton was busted open, leading to a series of RKOs that saw Charles Robinson also caught in the crossfire. McAfee ran down in a referee shirt, but weirdly did not hit a fast count. If he was so determined to screw over Rhodes, why didn’t he help Orton cheat to win? McAfee was then taken out by Orton, leading to Rhodes to hit 1 Cross Rhodes and pick up the win. Rhodes posed with the title as the fans booed, and Orton attacked Rhodes with the punt. With around a third of the show being actual wrestling and the rest being adverts and filler, this felt like many were shortchanged by what they were given on night 1.
WrestleMania 42 Night 2
With their back against the wall following fan backlash to night 1, was the closing night any better? Kicking things off strong with the match many were looking forward to most, Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi, there was a concern that WWE may repeat its previous plan of ensuring the veteran defeats the young star instead of focusing on the future. However, at under 5 minutes, filled with big moves and an Oba Femi win, WrestleMania 42 night 2 started out much stronger. While many hoped and expected Femi to win, few could have predicted what happened next. Showing emotion for the first time in his professional career, Lesnar took off his boots and gloves, embraced Paul Heyman, and waved to the fans, seemingly indicating he is done with pro wrestling. At 48 years of age, his recent return was shadowed in controversy and having faced every top star in the company, a Lesnar retirement is more of a relief than a shock. Lesnar’s last run has been more stale than ever, and it’s time for the next generation to rise.
The Intercontinental Championship ladder match was up next to round out the free hour on ESPN. It was impossible for this to be a bad match given that there were 5 high flyers involved, and the addition of the powerhouse Rusev made for some fun interactions. The biggest mystery here is how Rey Mysterio is still able to move so well and perform at such a high level at this stage of his career. Although retirements are coming thick and fast in pro wrestling, the Hall of Faer feels like he could still go for the next 1o years! Penta retained his title and WWE went 2 for 2 on good matches.
The first of 3 title changes followed as Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the United States Championship. Williams had a perfect opponent in Zayn, someone who is capable of having a great match with anyone and enhancing their strengths. Williams was the clear favourite right from the moment his music hit. Accompanied by Lil Yachty, Williams looked every bit the star he has become since his arrival on the main roster. Yachty provided the distraction, but has been the least obnoxious of the celebrities involved in storylines this year. Williams still has moments where he can look lost in the ring, but this was a great way to mark his Mania debut. Commentary also made note afterwards that Williams and Femi are the future of WWE. Here’s hoping they are true to their word on that one!
Former friends turned enemies were next on the card as Dominik Mysterio faced Finn Balor in his Demon persona. With no DQs as this was a street fight, both got inventive with the use of weapons, and Mysterio had some good nearfalls despite the fact that this was probably the most predictable result of the weekend. With no Judgment Day interference, Balor won after hitting the Coup De Grace on Mysterio through a table. Truthfully, this match felt more violent than the unsanctioned match between Fatu and McIntyre from the night before. With the rivalry over, it will be interesting to see what’s next for Balor, as Mysterio will likely stick with Liv Morgan for the foreseeable future.
Continuing her streak of high-profile Mania matches, Rhea Ripley faced Jade Cargill with the WWE Women’s Championship at stake. While it’s no secret that Cargill is not the most proficient in-ring worker, the power struggle between her and Ripley made for a fun opening portion. Having Cargill add the One Winged Angel to her repertoire, and having Ripley kick out of it, will surely cause anger among some fans given that it is one of the most protected moves in wrestling, but a lot of WWE fans won’t be aware of the history of the move. B-Fab and Michin tried to cause the distraction and IYO SKY made the save, allowing Ripley to pick up the win. While the celebration made for a feel-good moment, leaving IYO SKY off the Mania card is unforgivable, especially considering her matches in 2025. Here’s hoping that WWE gives SKY the opportunity to have big matches with Asuka and Ripley soon. Also, a Priority Pass VIP member joined Michael Cole and Wade Barrett at the commentary desk for some reason. The man didn’t say anything, and it would be interesting to find out just how much he paid for this privilege.
Shortly before the main event, Cena appeared one last time to announce the attendance before being interrupted by Kit Wilson. Although Wilson is a heel, it would have been nice to hear his music in Allegiant Stadium, even if it would have gotten the babyface reaction. Miz and Wilson protested that they didn’t get their Mania moment, which brought out Danhausen, a group of small wrestlers dressed as Danhausen, and the Danhausen-mobile, obviously. Danhausen and the minis attacked Wilson and Miz to send them out of the ring, and Danhausen made his comically bad escape. Cena couldn’t stop laughing at the shenanigans that just occurred, and addressed the fans one last time before making his exit. Danhausen remains popular among the fans and this was a fun inclusion on the Mania card. There were no blatant sponsorships, nothing actively bad, and Wilson and Miz can easily recover from what happened. That being said, Cena was greatly underutilised as a host here. While he shouldn’t have gotten physical, as he won’t be coming out of retirement, an endorsement to a rising star from the man WWE calls “the greatest of all time” could have been useful.
Then it was time for the main event of the weekend, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns, which had the true big fight feel that many matches were missing. With a passionate video package, both men getting big entrances and with Punk getting to compete in a WrestleMania main event World Championship match, both Punk and the fans knew that this was everything he had been working for. With no stipulation, no interference spots and no managers, this was simply 2 stars who hate each other looking to prove they are the better man and the one who should hold the top championship. The only questionable spot in the 30-minute match was that Reigns blatantly struck Punk with steel steps and was not disqualified. In the end, the story of Punk’s age played into the finish as Punk struggled to get Reigns up for another GTS, leading to Reigns hitting 2 spears on Punk to pick up the win. Defeating Punk clean, Reigns once again solidified himself as the top champion. With it being unlikely that Punk will top this match at this stage of his career, this could be the last time The Best in the World competes at the biggest show of the year. Very much the opposite of the night 1 headliner, Punk and Reigns saved the show from being one of the worst 2-night iterations of the show.
WWE WrestleMania 42 Review: Final Thoughts
While it would be easy to say that there should be fewer ads and the event should go back to 1 night, neither of these things will happen. Like it or not, this is the TKO era way of presenting shows, and the constant promotional tactics will continue, sadly at the expense of the wrestling. These are no longer shows to be enjoyed live, as watching on demand can remove a lot of the filler and make WrestleMania much more manageable.
Very much a show of 2 halves, night 1 failed to deliver on many of its promises, in particular the unsanctioned match and a disappointing main event. Night 2 felt like a much different show with more logical booking, longer match times, and a main event that fans will go back to and will likely be in conversation for match of the year in December.
With goodwill for WWE on the downturn, it will be interesting to see how popular the brand is over the next couple of years. WrestleMania is scheduled for Saudi Arabia in 2027 at the time of writing, provided it is safe to travel. In 2 years time, will absence make the heart grow fonder for fans, or is the commercial-Mania just too much?
Featured image: WWE
