Predicting 5 Best Matches to Main-Event WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1
The rather unconventional approach WWE has taken to this year's Road to WrestleMania has left the entire card in a state of flux.
CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship was made official mere days removed from the Royal Rumble, but everything else is a work in progress.
The Elimination Chamber premium live event on Feb. 28 will leave fans with a better idea of what to expect over WrestleMania weekend, but it almost appears as if the higher-ups are still in the process of putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together.
The only thing set in stone is that the marquee match between Punk and Reigns will headline Night 2 of The Show of Shows in Las Vegas on April 19, meaning that the main event for Night 1 is up for grabs.
Between what's been teased and what's still possible, there are a handful of matchups that could realistically fill that spot. There have been a number of years when the Night 1 main event outshined the Night 2 closer, with last year's installment being a prime example.
These are the five matches that have the best chance of closing out Night 1 of WrestleMania 42.
Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
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Based on all the brawling Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu have been doing since the start of the year, it's safe to assume they'll be intertwined in a Triple Threat for the Undisputed WWE Championship come WrestleMania.
Rhodes recently qualified for the men's Elimination Chamber match and got one step closer to challenging for the title at 'Mania, but McIntyre attacking both Rhodes and Fatu during the bout has to imply Fatu will also be involved in the ultimate endgame somehow.
McIntyre previously headlined WrestleMania in 2020 but was robbed of his first world title win happening in front of fans as a result of the pandemic. He deserves to main-event again, as does Fatu who has never been in such a spot before.
The genuine unpredictability surrounding the outcome makes it a must-see main event as well, ensuring SmackDown's top title gets top billing.
Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
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With Rhiyo still in firm possession of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, their odds of main-eventing WrestleMania against each other aren't exactly high, but it should still be considered for the spot.
Truth be told, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky should have headlined WrestleMania 41 but had to settle for opening Night 2 with Bianca Belair. Their tremendous Triple Threat match not only stole the weekend but also may well have been the best women's match in 'Mania history.
One year later, Ripley and Sky are leading the charge in the women's tag team division and taking on all comers as champions. All signs point to them having some sort of a gimmick match at the event with multiple tandems involved, though that would be a waste of their star power.
There's enough time for them to lose the titles before The Show of Shows and fall out before then, but whether they're champs or not, they could just as easily tell the same story Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero did at WrestleMania 21 by facing each other while still allies.
The only exception being that this would be WrestleMania main event material based on the exceptional quality of their previous encounters.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
3 of 5The uncertain status of both Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins has put this WrestleMania match very much in doubt, but if it were to come to fruition, it has main event written all over it.
Fans were calling for Rollins vs. Breakker to headline WrestleMania 42 as early as last year's post-WrestleMania Raw when the two originally forged their alliance. They were a cohesive unit for those first few months, but it was always a matter of when, not if, tensions would boil over between them.
WWE had to rush into the split sooner than expected due to Rollins getting sidelined with a torn rotator cuff in October. A masked man attacking Breakker at the Royal Rumble indicated The Visionary would be back in time for WrestleMania, only for Breakker to undergo major hernia surgery immediately after.
If they're cleared to compete by 'Mania, there's no reason this can't close out Night 1. The history is there, it would give Rollins his first singles 'Mania main event and it would be a huge opportunity for Breakker, especially if he won.
Jade Cargill vs. Bianca Belair
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The overall booking of the SmackDown women's division has been abysmal for many months, and it hasn't helped that Jade Cargill has done virtually nothing during her 100-plus-day reign as WWE women's champion.
She finally defended her title in a quality contest with Jordynne Grace on Friday's episode, but there's no definitive plan for who her opponent will be at WrestleMania.
The women's Elimination Chamber match next weekend will answer that question, but only one name can ideally main-event a WrestleMania with Cargill, and that's Bianca Belair.
Belair being out injured for nearly a year has been a big blow to the blue brand's women's division. Fans have held out hope that she could be back for 'Mania to face her former friend, Cargill, despite The EST of WWE posting on Instagram that she's undergoing finger surgery on Monday.
Cargill and Belair are such stars that them being in the final match on Night 1 of WrestleMania would be an undeniable attraction, even if it would have to come together and be built up on relatively short notice.
Logan Paul vs. Bad Bunny
5 of 5Celebrities have been involved in plenty of past WrestleMania main events. They have even wrestled in 'Mania main-events, most notably Mr. T and Lawrence Taylor.
Never before have two celebrities competed against each other in a WrestleMania main event, and there's a real chance that could be the case this year in light of recent events.
Technically, Logan Paul is a full-time performer for WWE, but he still falls under the "celebrity wrestler" banner for many given his immense following. He's better than he has any right to be and the same can be said for Bad Bunny, who has shown up and shown out every time he has stepped inside the squared circle.
Paul and Bunny have been at odds on and off for years, but they rekindled their rivalry on Super Bowl Sunday when Paul publicly said that he wasn't excited for Bunny's halftime performance at The Big Game.
The social media megastar later told Sports Illustrated that it would be "the biggest wrestling match of all-time," and although that's not entirely accurate, it would certainly be a spectacle worthy of the WrestleMania main-event.
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.
