WWE WrestleMania 42 Match Order Predictions for Saturday and Sunday Cards

As important as the overall strength of any WrestleMania card is the order in which the creative team slots each match.

Getting it wrong can result in unenergetic lulls that kill excitement for the broadcast, while getting it right can keep an audience invested all the way through the main event.

We know that Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton will headline Saturday's show and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns will cap off Sunday's. WrestleVotes on Fightful Select reported the openers for each night.

With that in mind, and using recent Showcase of the Immortals match cards as inspiration, here is the predicted match order for WWE's Saturday and Sunday WrestleMania 42 cards.

Saturday Night Predictions

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1. LA Knight and The Usos vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and IShowSpeed

A high-energy, red-hot six-man tag team match pitting Superstars fans love against heels that they can invest in seeing get their comeuppance, with a little celebrity to boot, is the perfect opener for this year's show overall and the type of match made for this spot.

2. Women's World Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan

Vaquer and Morgan probably deserve a spot higher on the card, but the intensity of their feud, their popularity among fans, and the likely quality of the match mean they will overcome any "cool down" from the opener and still deliver a damn fine match with a potentially historic title change.

3. Unsanctioned Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre

Fatu vs. McIntyre is another immensely intense feud that will culminate in a glorified no-holds-barred setting, with weapons legal throughout. A brawl-heavy contest, this one could spill out of the crowd and into the stands before settling down for the big finish inside the squared circle.

4. Women's Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch

This is the toughest spot on the card to predict. Does WWE put the tag team title match here in what is the first of two potential cool-down spots of the night, or does it look (and hope) to keep the momentum rolling with a star-studded title match and the conclusion of a feud months in the making? With the crowd likely hotter for the next match, the coin flip says to go with Lee vs. Lynch here.

5. Seth Rollins vs. Gunther

A great match with little to no story to speak of between the two competitors, this will likely steal the show. By the time the entire event is over Sunday night, it could be the match of the weekend. It will be that good.

6. Fatal 4-Way for the Women's Tag Team Championship: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend

You certainly wish there was a better option for this match on the show, but it has the distinction of being the lesser of the three matches on Saturday's card, at least on paper, and the perfect buffer match between contests with major stars involved. With that said, expect hard work and non-stop action between the eight women involved, en route to a better-than-expected championship clash that highlights a surprisingly strong women's tag team division.

7. Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

This match would have been straight fire, a story-rich epic two weeks ago, before the shenanigans of ESPN hosts and country music singers were inserted into the picture. While it will still be the best of Rhodes and Orton, the involvement of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll will likely bog it down. Regardless, this is the main event, we have known it would be, and it features the two biggest stars on the show, solidifying its position on the card.

Sunday Night Predictions

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1. Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

What better way to introduce the casual audience watching for the first hour on traditionally ESPN outlets to the spectacle of WrestleMania than with this titanic clash between The Ruler and The Beast? It is one of the most anticipated matches in a long time, arguably the best-built, and one that should be heavily buzzed about in the wake of the show.

2. Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev

The exact opposite of the opener, this one will be a lights-out, high-impact, high-flying, death-defying ladder match that features some of the brightest young stars in the industry, one of the most over in Penta, and one of the most enduring legends in Mysterio. A potential classic car wreck.

3. United States Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams

This is the most interesting match on the card, as the crowd has vehemently turned against Zayn while expressing their support for the captivating, charismatic Williams. A double-turn is not out of the question, putting an exclamation point on this one, but it may struggle early as somewhat of a cool-down from the hot start to the night's action.

4. WWE Women's Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill

Arguably the biggest mainstream star in the company, thanks to her social media superstardom, Ripley will challenge Cargill in what is shaping up to be a physically intense battle between two women who do not appear to care much for each other away from the squared circle. The question is whether Cargill can hold her own against Ripley, who has been in two of the best women's matches of all time on the grand stage.

5. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio

It may not be The Mega Powers, but The Judgment Day explodes Sunday as Balor and Mysterio unleash a year of pent-up frustration, distrust, and anger on each other in a grudge match. Oh, and Balor's captivating Demon persona makes its first appearance in three years to boot.

6. World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns

The hottest match on the entire two-night card, thanks in large part to Punk's latest pipebomb promo, this is the WrestleMania 42 main event. The question is, what effect will it have on the immediate future of WWE after it is over? Does Punk retain against the odds, or does Reigns kick off another, potentially historic title run as The Head of the Table once more?