Projecting the Most Likely Heel and Face Turns at WWE WrestleMania 42

It's WrestleMania time again, the most important weekend of the year for WWE.

This is the time for the company to deliver spectacle, intrigue, excitement and surprises at a level that can resonate all the way to the next year.

With matches like Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan, Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns, WrestleMania 42 is shaping up to deliver big-time action in Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday.

However, it is less clear what WWE will do to truly surprise fans, starting conversations that resonate months down the line.

What could be the biggest face turns? What will be the most shocking heel turns? Could this WrestleMania deliver moments that change the very standard of WWE going forward?

Heel: Cody Rhodes/Face: Randy Orton

WWE has a Pat McAfee problem. His current alliance with Randy Orton has not worked since it started.

While WWE has finally built heat on the angle through McAfee's shoot antics, The Viper has fit even less as the lead bad guy in this story.

It is most likely WWE will stubbornly hold to Orton as the heel in this story, but the more intriguing option would require a monumental double turn.

While The Viper has moved far beyond the role of believable corporate heel, The American Nightmare has desperately needed that kind of fresh opportunity.

Rhodes' style and presentation would easily translate to working with McAfee instead of against him.

Meanwhile, as Rhodes gets more vicious and finds surprise assistance, Orton could gain back the crowd easily as the desperate veteran just wanting to win what may be his final world championship.

WWE would need to reshuffle a significant amount of the product to sell this moment, but it would certainly make WrestleMania 42 memorable.

Heel: LA Knight

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Are The Usos and LA Knight truly on the same page into WrestleMania?

Few have looked quite so lost in the past year as LA Knight. After coming over to Raw to feud with Seth Rollins, he was used as a vehicle for a worked injury angle.

In the aftermath, The Megastar failed to get his revenge before The Vision fell apart due to a variety of real injuries.

It may be time for Knight to step up to a new challenge, taking on a role within The Vision and contesting Rollins in his attempt to destroy the group.

At WrestleMania 42, Knight will team with The Usos despite awkward heat between himself and Jey Uso. It would be easy for The Megastar to turn on Main Event and start charting his own course.

Especially with Bronson Reed likely out for a while and Rollins fully turned face against The Vision, Knight is one of the few men left who can believably put the stable back on course.

Heel: Stephanie Vaquer/Face: Liv Morgan

The possibility of Liv Morgan turning face is always a reliable option as fans have found real admiration of the hard-working star.

With her return to relevance and winning the women's Royal Rumble, the stage has been set to give Morgan her biggest spotlight to date.

However, she may not be able to share that stage with Raquel Rodriguez or Roxanne Perez due to the contentious nature of the Judgment Day trio.

The best option could be to pull a double turn, teased early in this rivalry when Stephanie Vaquer was more willing to go low than Morgan in their back-and-forth promos.

At this stage, both women have gone low consistently, selling their mutual hatred, but there is still room for both to switch sides.

La Primera could use some backup and someone like Rodriguez to speak for her when she isn't comfortable cutting promos.

She should fit right into a new-look Judgment Day whether Dominik Mysterio chooses Vaquer or Perez as his next fling.

Face: Becky Lynch

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Is Becky Lynch setting the stage for a return to form as a fan favorite?

Becky Lynch has always struggled to get reliable heat in WWE, mainly because the fans like her too much.

The Man's latest attempt to build heat required emulating the over-the-top manic energy of Donald Trump.

While it worked for a time, it has caused Lynch to lose her edge, which was a big component of making her great.

It would be easy to turn her face to close out this rivalry with AJ Lee, showing that she can truly outwrestle her rival without the theatrics, followed by a show of respect between the two women.

This would get Lynch back on track and hopefully lead to the best match of this rivalry for the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

Heel: Sami Zayn/Face: Trick Williams

Sami Zayn has played the face in WWE for a long time, an underdog seeking world championship glory without success.

His WrestleMania opponent, Trick Williams, has played the heel for a good while between NXT and SmackDown, the cocky upstart who knows his worth and potential.

Both are leaning into a new direction, though, and this is the most likely double-turn match of the entire weekend.

The fans adore Trick while Zayn has needed a refresh that can come from a memorable heel turn, which started when he pushed his way into Carmelo Hayes' business and took his United States Championship just to get to The Show of Shows.

The story is easy to tell, especially given this is far from the first time Zayn has pushed his way into an angle over a lesser-used star due to his reliability and credibility.

This match has all the potential to deliver a weekend-defining moment, but only if WWE is ready to turn both men.

Heel: CM Punk or Roman Reigns

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Could WWE pull a dramatic switch and turn CM Punk or Roman Reigns heel at WrestleMania 42?

The main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 should feel like a bigger deal.

It involves two of the biggest stars in WWE colliding one-on-one for the first time in over a decade.

This story has so much history, dating back to the start of Reigns' career.

Despite all that, there is one missing element: anything unpredictable.

These two babyfaces have tried to sell their hatred for one another, but at the end of the day, this feels like a fairly traditional battle for a world title.

That could be a ruse, setting the stage for one of the two to turn heel, following the direction of Seth Rollins a year ago.

Whoever turns first could walk out with the gold and carry WWE forward.

Punk is the most overdue for a heel run, but Reigns is more clearly set up to turn back to being a villain and realigning with The Usos.

Either path is an opportunity to add the necessary spark to this 'Mania main event match and would resonate all the way to next year's Show of Shows and beyond.