CM Punk and WWE WrestleMania 42 Stars Who Will Have Biggest Impact in Vegas

Following a tumultuous, oftentimes bumpy road to WrestleMania 42, the event's return to Las Vegas will ultimately be defined by impact performances from the WWE's top Superstars in the two-night extravaganza's biggest matches.

World heavyweight champion CM Punk, undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, "The Conqueror" Brock Lesnar, and "The Ruler" Oba Femi are four Superstars with some of the biggest buzz surrounding them ahead of the April 18 and 19 ESPN broadcast.

Find out why they will have the biggest impact on the Showcase of the Immortals, live from Allegiant Stadium, in this preview of the spectacular.

CM Punk

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The reigning world heavyweight champion has already had a tremendous impact on WrestleMania 42.

Not only has he been the one star in the main event of Sunday's portion of the broadcast to be on television every week, sometimes single-handedly carrying the build for his defense against Roman Reigns, but his "pipebomb" promo on the April 6 episode of Raw rejuvenated fan interest and intrigue in the annual Show of Shows.

At a time when fan sentiment was skewing negative following the not-so-electrifying reveal of Pat McAfee as Randy Orton's heel associate, Punk took the mic and did as he has done on numerous occasions in the past: he talked the fans into caring again.

Punk fired up the audience by injecting hints of truth and reality amid his ongoing storyline, and renewed interest in a WrestleMania card that lacked the excitement and anticipation of other installments of the Showcase of the Immortals.

His performance against Reigns, in his second straight WrestleMania main event after being shut out of the top spot on the show for his entire career, will ultimately determine whether he and WWE stick the landing.

Brock Lesnar

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The legacy of Brock Lesnar's participation in this year's WrestleMania will take one of two forms. Either he will work hard to put Oba Femi over and solidify The Ruler as one of the faces of WWE's future, regardless of victory or defeat, or he will eat him up and end any excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the former NXT champion.

Thus far, The Beast has been extraordinary, selling all of Femi's signature stuff and making the main roster newcomer look like an unstoppable force who has a legitimate shot of beating the future Hall of Famer on the grand stage.

If that continues, not only will Lesnar have enhanced his own legacy, but he will have set the company, for which he has starred on and off since 2002, up for long-term success with a star who can pick up where he left off.

If not, there will be incredible scrutiny and everything that Lesnar has accomplished since the story began post-Elimination Chamber will have been for naught. Should that be the case, all criticism will have been deserved and warranted.

Oba Femi

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Much like his opponent in Las Vegas, the story of Oba Femi's WrestleMania will be determined by his performance on the grand stage.

It is, undeniably, the biggest moment of his young career and one that will dictate whether he continues to be seen as a face of the company's future or is not trusted in that position again.

Regardless of the form it takes, Femi's performance will greatly impact future creative plans which, based on the manner in which he has been utilized and the fact that he has a high-profile match with Lesnar scheduled just four months into his run as a main roster talent, have to be substantial.

Femi is a talent who has repeatedly shown up and showed out on big stages, beginning with his show-stealing victory over Josh Briggs and Dijak at NXT Stand & Deliver on WrestleMania weekend in 2024.

If he does continue that trend, WWE will have a new central figure to build around moving forward.

Cody Rhodes

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The reigning undisputed WWE champion has been punked out and disrespected by celebrities in each of the last two roads to WrestleMania, most recently at the hands of Pat McAfee.

He has been booed by fans in favor of Randy Orton, despite a vicious assault by his former friend and mentor.

All while being the company's top babyface.

No one knows or understands more the importance of a career-defining performance in Las Vegas at WrestleMania 42 than The American Nightmare, who showed the fire necessary to win the fans back with his scathing, in-ring promo directed at McAfee and "his representation," TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, on the April 3 episode of SmackDown.

If he can replicate that energy, defiance, anger, and frustration and channel it into the most intense in-ring performance we have seen from him since returning to WWE when he defends the industry's top prize against The Viper in the main event of Saturday night's broadcast, Rhodes will be one of the Superstars fans are buzzing most about coming out of the 2026 Showcase of the Immortals.