These WWE WrestleMania 42 Feuds Would Blow Away the Rumored Card

In the closing moments of Survivor Series 2025, WWE seemed to heavily imply what the top matches for WrestleMania 42 might look like—and fans weren't overly impressed.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the heated confrontation between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns at the event was designed to plant the seeds for a future face-off, most likely ahead of WrestleMania if not at the event.

CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker was also at one point penciled in for The Show of Shows, and although it's been announced they'll collide before then on the first Raw of 2026 for the World Heavyweight Championship, it's possible their program will continue past that point.

If those are the directions WWE is headed in for its spring spectacle in Las Vegas, there are far more appealing options for what should be a star-studded card.

WWE TV has been largely inconsistent in creative throughout 2025 and isn't exactly tracking to end the year on the highest of notes, making it imperative that it rebounds in a major way starting with the Road to WrestleMania.

From the top title matches to several scores being settled, these are the WrestleMania 42 feuds that would blow away the rumored rundown.

Midcard Attractions

Finn Bálor and Roxanne Perez vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan resurfaced at Survivor Series ahead of schedule on her return from injury and made an immediate impact by helping Dominik Mysterio regain the Intercontinental Championship from John Cena.

All signs point to Morgan setting her sights on Stephanie Vaquer's Women's World Championship first, but the better story to tell is with The Judgment Day finally imploding.

WWE has been building to Dominik vs. Bálor for what feels like forever, and while a one-on-one bout between them at WrestleMania would work, getting Morgan and Perez involved as well for a fun mixed tag team match would make the most sense.

Randy Orton vs. Jacob Fatu

The returns of both Orton and Fatu to television should be imminent, and they'd be best paired off with each other as opponents for WrestleMania.

Orton vs. Cody Rhodes still needs to happen sooner rather than later, but The Viper should be revealed as the one behind Fatu's backstage attack to set up a 'Mania match and turn him heel.

It would be another high-profile spot for Fatu on The Grandest Stage of Them All after winning the United States Championship at last year's installment, especially if he were to knock off the 14-time world champion.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Rhea Ripley

Vaquer should continue her stranglehold on the women's world title until WrestleMania, where she can collide with fellow fan favorite Ripley for the gold.

The Eradicator has stayed out of the title picture since SummerSlam and will be overdue for another opportunity at the belt by then.

Ripley vs. Vaquer is arguably the biggest bout WWE can book within the women's division on Raw right now, and it would likely be an encounter of epic proportions.

Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker

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Come the first Raw of 2026, Bron Breakker should follow through on his promise of steamrolling through CM Punk to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.

Falling short when it matters most yet looking credible in defeat while doing so isn't enough to salvage whatever momentum he has from putting Seth Rollins on the shelf in October.

There's no need for WWE to wait to give Breakker his crowning moment until WrestleMania 42 when he can instead open the new year as the new champion.

Roman Reigns, meanwhile, has been feuding with The Vision since the spring and has lost his last two matches against the group. If Rollins isn't cleared for the event, Breakker is the next best possible opponent for The Tribal Chief, if not significantly stronger considering they have yet to clash in singles competition.

Breakker is ready to be pushed to prime time now and that includes headlining 'Mania. The idea of Reigns being involved in another world title main event may be infuriating to some, but it would be worth it if The Badass wins and uses that victory to solidify his status as the top dog on Monday nights.

Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar

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On the latest edition of SmackDown, Gunther decisively defeated LA Knight by submission to punch his ticket to Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13, where he'll face John Cena in his last match ever.

Historically, top talent tend to go out on their back in an effort to put over the next generation, but that may not necessarily be the case come Saturday.

With Cena being such a celebrated figure, it isn't impossible to imagine him barely eking out the victory to close out his career standing tall so fans can get that final feel-good moment.

Regardless of the outcome, Gunther will be just fine by WrestleMania season. While there's any number of notable names he could face at the event, Brock Lesnar stands out as being the most logical as well as the most intriguing.

The two were slated to square off at WrestleMania two years ago before Lesnar was abruptly pulled from television until his return at SummerSlam in August. He was on the winning end of WarGames at Survivor Series and squashed Cena at Wrestlepalooza, which is perfectly acceptable if he goes on to lose to Gunther at WrestleMania 42.

This hard-hitting battle of behemoths would ensure prominent placement for The Ring General on the card and give Lesnar his toughest test since returning.

Jade Cargill vs. Bianca Belair

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It's become painfully apparent in recent weeks that WWE either doesn't have a clue what to do with Jade Cargill right now or is intentionally keeping her in a holding pattern until Bianca Belair is closer to being cleared.

Cargill dethroned Tiffany Stratton as WWE women's champion at November's installment of Saturday Night's Main Event but has been spinning her wheels ever since. She's been dominant inside the squared circle but has lacked a credible challenge.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are fine foes for her in the meantime, but Belair is the one Cargill should be facing at WrestleMania 42 given their history as tag team partners, not to mention the ambiguous note they left off on earlier this year.

The Storm is in her element as a heel but needs a formidable face to bring the best out of her on the mic and in the ring. There's no exact timetable for when Belair will be back on WWE TV, but it's already been eight months, and it's safe to assume she be won't be missing 'Mania.

Belair vs. Cargill is the type of high-profile program SmackDown could use heading into its next era as a three-hour show again.

LA Knight vs. Chris Jericho

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The odds of Seth Rollins making it back from injury in time for WrestleMania 42 aren't great, and next year's installment will be without John Cena.

So, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for WWE to want Chris Jericho to participate in the PLE to give it an extra boost of star power.

As of this writing, he remains under contract to All Elite Wrestling, but a big-money offer along with the reported retirement storyline timed for WrestleMania season could be what gets him back to WWE.

LA Knight would be an excellent fit as an opponent for Jericho, if only for the entertaining promos in the buildup to the bout.

Knight recently made it as far as the finals in The Last Time Is Now Tournament but has no clear direction going forward. It's unknown how WWE intends to use him in the weeks and months ahead, but an angle with Jericho en route to WrestleMania would at least keep him in a recurring role on Raw and could even elevate him if he's booked to go over.

A quick interaction in the upcoming men's Royal Rumble could set this up for 'Mania with ease.

Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk

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CM Punk would be freed up for WrestleMania 42 if Bron Breakker is successful in taking the World Heavyweight Championship from him at the onset of 2026, specifically for a storyline with Cody Rhodes on SmackDown.

The two have teased meeting each other in a match on multiple occasions in the time Punk has been back with WWE, but outside of the war they waged at the conclusion of the 2024 men's Royal Rumble, they haven't mixed it up at all.

They came up short of winning WarGames at Survivor Series, and although the focus was firmly on The American Nightmare and Roman Reigns to close the show, Punk vs. Rhodes could be just as easily what WWE is planning instead.

Punk dropping the world heavyweight title in early January would allow him to win the men's Rumble match later in the month if not the Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Chicago the following month.

The feud would be must-see television regardless of whether either guy turned heel, though Punk leaning more toward the dark side would make for infinitely better promos and a more exciting dynamic overall.

Rhodes lacks compelling challengers for the Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown and could use a rival the caliber of The Second City Saint to heat up his title reign during such a pivotal period.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.