Ranking the 10 Biggest Stars in WWE's Men's Division for WrestleMania 42 Season
On the road to WrestleMania 42, everyone is fighting for a spotlight, but only a few men have captured the full attention of the WWE Universe.
These are the stars that have defined themselves as essential to The Show of Shows, defining themselves by truly walking the road to WrestleMania.
This list will not include recent NXT call-ups like Trick Williams, Oba Femi and Je'Von Evans because while they are doing well so far, their WrestleMania prospects are murky.
Instead, these are the 10 men in WWE right now that are carrying WWE into 'Mania, ranked by their star power.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11Camelo Hayes
Melo has not missed as United States champion. He is not a big star but certainly a reliable one. His workhorse run should get him a variety of interesting challengers for WrestleMania.
It is just difficult at this stage to get exciting about wherever his story is going. He needs more story focus over pure in-ring action.
Finn Bálor
The Prince lands on this list as a positive because his star is rising. From barely relevant to guiding arguably Raw's most layered rivalry against The Judgment Day, 2026 could be a big year for Bálor.
It is still hard to trust a sustainable push is coming though based on his losing history.
Jey Uso
One of the biggest names in WWE in 2025, Jey has become a high-profile tag-team star again in 2026. He may still get massive crowd support, but at best, he is support for Roman Reigns into WrestleMania.
More likely, he and Jimmy Uso will find some challengers for the World Tag Team Championships, which are barely relevant to Raw at present.
LA Knight
While Seth Rollins has returned to take over the fight with The Vision, Knight has remained a reliable foil to the heel stable with upside.
His direction is unclear, but he has likely done enough to find his way onto the WrestleMania card, especially in protecting The Visionary, who is not obvious cleared to wrestle yet.
Logan Paul
While Paul is finally working as a full-time wrestler in WWE, that has somewhat taken away from his star power. He is still an important star, just not a clear main event act.
The Maverick may be the top act of The Vision, but it is clear that his importance is only as a back-up. When Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed return, they will be prioritized.
10. Penta
2 of 11
The new Intercontinental champion has arrived as Penta has captured his first WWE gold.
The luchador captured the hearts and minds of fans from his first appearance. His signature walk, taunt and style have redefined how WWE presents luchadors.
It is surprising that it took so long to give Penta the gold since he had championship upside from day one and is coming into WWE already past 40.
Still, the time is right for Penta. Even without a strong rivalry set for WrestleMania, the fresh champion has hype behind him.
Whoever steps up to the luchador will surely find themselves a reliable spot on the 'Mania card, and many in attendance at The Show of Shows will be rooting on Penta.
9. Jacob Fatu
3 of 11
Jacob Fatu's potential for WrestleMania 42 was sky high going into 2026, but it looks like he is settling for resolving his feud with Drew McIntyre before going after a world title.
This is a great spot for The Samoan Werewolf to further raise his stock, though WWE awkwardly sidelined his feud with Cody Rhodes and kept him out of the men's Elimination Chamber match along the way.
Still, a win over McIntyre would sell that he can defeat a former multiple-time WWE champion, setting the stage for a world title journey of his own.
It is nice to have potential, but potential needs to be realized in order to see results.
The actual results for Fatu are still only on the horizon, but no one else below The Samoan Werewolf on this list can say they are more ready for a push.
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8. Dominik Mysterio
4 of 11
Dominik Mysterio made his debut for WWE at SummerSlam 2020, and he is still only 28 years old.
In these five years, Dirty Dom has gone from hot-shot rookie to underwhelming midcard act to one of the most promising rising stars in the business.
Since Mysterio turned heel, WWE has positioned Dirty Dom front and center for a reason, giving him two Intercontinental Championship reigns.
He also is carrying the newly WWE-owned AAA as AAA Mega champion, still champion after 180 days with no signs of slowing down.
Even after losing his Intercontinental Championship to Penta, Dirty Dom looks poised to be a key player on the road to WrestleMania 42, feuding with his former friend Finn Bálor.
This Judgment Day feud has the potential to truly takeover the road to 'Mania, given the history and obvious chemistry between these rivals.
After that rivalry, Dirty Dom could even rise further up the ranks as one of WWE's most reliable heat magnets.
7. Gunther
5 of 11After retiring John Cena, Gunther was the hottest heel in WWE. Fans genuinely hated The Career Killer and his constant taunting of The GOAT.
He pushed that heat forward to also retire AJ Styles at Royal Rumble 2026, putting him in the position of top heel in WWE.
However, Gunther has slowed his progression since that time, failing to qualify for the Elimination Chamber and feuding with Dragon Lee only on TV.
Dragon is a great luchador with plenty of upside, but there was no moment in this story that he came as a legitimate threat to Gunther, who ended up dominantly defeating him on Raw.
It was a story that might have worked later in the year to keep heat on Gunther, but it is WrestleMania season.
There is no reason to delay when presenting the top heel in the business.
Instead, Gunther is aimless into The Show of Shows and had been surpassed by Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre as the top heels in WWE.
He can still though firmly state that he is the only top heel that gets genuine reliable heat from the fans every week.
6. Seth Rollins
6 of 11Is Seth Rollins even cleared to compete in a WWE ring? Likely not, but he has already fallen right back into an important role on Raw since his Elimination Chamber return.
The Visionary's absence was felt in 2025, and WWE has no easy answers to replace him, especially since his former allies turned rivals Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are also hurt.
He carried The Vision forward with an angle that was far more hype than true magic. Even before multiple major injuries, the stable was losing his luster.
The man that kept his standing was Rollins, who could reliably capture the World Heavyweight Championship the moment he is healthy without anyone blinking an eye.
As WWE approaches WrestleMania 42, it is no wonder The Visionary, even while still healing, is a central figure on Raw.
5. Drew McIntyre
7 of 11
Just two weeks ago, Drew McIntyre was on top of the world, heading toward WrestleMania 42 as WWE champion.
A loss to Cody Rhodes has sent him stumbling down a cliff of relevancy that will likely end with him back in a midcard role.
It is a shame because The Scottish Warrior might be the best promo man in WWE right now and has obvious support from WWE fans.
While he is a heel, he often needs to fight the fan reaction to get heat because his hard work on the mic and in the ring shows.
He is a cool heel that fans wanted to see at the top again, but WWE did not see it the same way.
There is still a chance for McIntyre to reclaim his throne, perhaps first requiring a dramatic face turn, but that will have to come after 'Mania where he likely puts over Jacob Fatu and disappears for a while.
4. Cody Rhodes
8 of 11
While few would scoff at ranking fourth in star power amongst a stacked WWE roster, Cody Rhodes has clearly stated over the past few years that he is always aiming for number one.
That time may be passing though, especially as fans have grown tired of Rhodes' frequent and overwhelming role in the WWE Championship scene.
Fans in attendance were turning on Rhodes even after he lost to the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre, and the heat only rose when he regained the title.
Most would carry this heat into a heel run, but The American Nightmare seems poised to remain steadfast as a babyface.
In many ways, this mirrors his mentor John Cena, who had plenty of chances to freshen up his image by turning but waited far too long to finally go for it.
Unless Rhodes can deliver a classic story with Randy Orton into WrestleMania 42, at the level of his feud with The Rock into 'Mania 40, he may continue to fall down this list.
Fans are not going to accept a corporate-mandated top guy on a stacked roster of passionate stars awaiting their chance to shine.
3. Randy Orton
9 of 11No one in WWE has risen more in a short time like Randy Orton on the road to WrestleMania 42.
The Viper was aimless in 2025, particularly once his feud with Kevin Owens was cut short by injury. Orton never found another strong rival to match him.
In 2026, he has won the men's Elimination Chamber match then delivered a brutal heel turn at the expense of Cody Rhodes on SmackDown.
The parallels are obvious to The American Nightmare's 2025 feud with John Cena, but Orton has proved time and again that he is more comfortable as a heel.
The Viper stands as the top heel in WWE after his attack on Rhodes, even if fans still cheered on Orton throughout the incident.
It is a shame that WWE is so reliant on a 45-year-old Orton, who likely only has a few years left, but The Viper certainly looks ready to take back his mantle.
2. CM Punk
10 of 11
The shine is starting to wear off CM Punk past his second full year back in WWE, but The Best in the World is still vital to the main event scene of Raw.
He is the biggest name on the red brand that actively appears every week, and that workhorse status has kept him a fan favorite and allowed him to run as World Heavyweight champion into WrestleMania 42.
Punk is not quite the wrestler he once was, and his promos do not quite as deep now that he is the established veteran instead of the upstart rebel.
Still, unless Roman Reigns is looking to appear full time in the coming year, Punk is vital to Raw in a way no one else can quite replace yet.
Week after week, show after show, The Best in the World may be living off a somewhat faulty moniker, but he is doing exactly what is needed of him to keep Raw running smoothly.
Hopefully, the next stage of his career though is to use his star power to elevate the next generation of talent.
1. Roman Reigns
11 of 11No one commands attention like Roman Reigns in WWE. The difference in importance to the product is staggering.
His absence is obvious. His appearances elevate the shows he chooses to appear on.
To modify an old Simpsons quote: Whenever Reigns is not on screen, every other wrestler (and fan) is asking where's The OTC?
Even if he is not around much these days, he is always the one fans are most eager to see. That's a star power that cannot be taught.
His presence and impact rivals that of The Undertaker and The Rock in terms of the immediate effect of his music playing.
He has also consistently performed in the ring and delivered the strongest promos of anyone in WWE.
All of this makes Reigns a step above the competition, and the most likely way anyone is ever surpassing The OTC is that he steps away from WWE as a whole.
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