WWE WrestleMania 42 Matches Most Likely to Steal The Show

WrestleMania is WWE's biggest show of the year. While its iconic main events have often defined it, it is also a show synonymous with show-stealing undercard bouts that are often as buzzworthy coming out of the broadcast as anything that happened at the top of the card.

See, WrestleMania 41, also in Las Vegas and at Allegiant Stadium.

While this year's main events look strong on paper, so do the matches underneath them. From championship clashes to fiery grudge matches, these are the bouts that will steal the show on the grand stage.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

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Take some of the most talented, jaw-droppingly athletic, and risk-taking athletes, put them in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship and let them cook.

That appears to be the recipe for this year's IC title bout, as Penta will defend against Je'Von Evans, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Dragon Lee, among likely others.

Evans is the greatest highlight reel in WWE, Lee has wowed audiences of late with this work between the ropes, and McDonagh is one of the unsung workhorses of the Triple H regime.

Add the Bulgarian ass-kicker Rusev into the mix, and the fearless Penta, and you have a match that will blow minds and drop jaws with instantly classic WrestleMania moments.

There may be next to no backstory to it, but it does not matter when that much talent exists in one contest, with the added element of ladders, given their rich history at WrestleManias.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan

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One of the most surprisingly intense builds on this road to WrestleMania has involved women's world champion Stephanie Vaquer and Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan.

The latter has brought the character work, floating between elevated mic performances and body language, while Vaquer has brought the physicality. Morgan has matched La Primera, a wrestler most would argue she does not measure up to based on in-ring quality alone.

Their brawls have been outstanding; both have not hesitated to get personal in their promos, and the result has been a program that, while not as heavily featured as others on the WrestleMania card, has made for some of the best TV.

While Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez are likely to be lurking at ringside, do not be surprised if Morgan opts to go it alone with Vaquer in hopes of proving herself as a competitor, but also a worthy women's world champ for the second time.

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre

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Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre got the short end of the stick creatively, pushed out of the WWE Championship picture to accommodate a Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton feud that ran off the rails with Friday night's reveal.

Still, The Samoan Werewolf and Scottish Warrior are hard-hitting, high-intensity performers who have a real shot at stealing the show in their Unsanctioned Match.

The story is there, the aggression and dislike are, too.

There is little need for any more bells and whistles. The two combatants hate each other, the audience believes it, and they will have the opportunity to prove it without the confines of rules, come Las Vegas and the biggest show of the year.

With McIntyre leaving to film Highlander afterward, per BodySlam+, do not rule out a big spot that writes him out and puts an exclamation point on the contest, all at once.

Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill

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Few have the recent WrestleMania resume that Rhea Ripley does. Show-stealing matches against Charlotte Flair (twice) and a Match of the Year winner against Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair from last year's event have helped make her one of the most must-see Superstars on the roster come the annual Showcase of the Immortals.

This year brings with it a different challenge for her.

Flair, Sky, and Belair were all seasoned performers by the time Ripley set foot in the squared circle with them. Jade Cargill, the reigning WWE women's champion, has still seen limited in-ring performances, leaving many to question the quality fans should expect from Mami at WrestleMania.

Not only should they expect continued excellence, but one of the best Cargill performances to date. Both can throw hands and brawl. Whereas other matches on the card will be technical wonders, including the as-of-yet officially announced Sky vs. Asuka match-up, Ripley and Cargill will exchange power-based offense en route to The Eradicator winning or The Storm leaning on Michin and B-Fab to help facilitate a victory for her.

Regardless of the outcome, the match has the potential to be a crowd-pleasing, powerhouse brawl full of high-impact offense, dramatic near-falls, and a finish that propels the story forward.