WWE WrestleMania 42 Star Ratings Predictions for Every Match on the Card
In the wake of every WWE premium live event, star ratings are a hot topic of conversation, with some fans hotly debating the quality of the show's matches, what worked, and what did not.
Those conversations are amplified with WrestleMania, the annual pro wrestling extravaganza in which great matches are forever immortalized.
Ahead of pro wrestling's most prestigious event, in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium for the second, consecutive year, preview the two-night spectacular with these star ratings predictions for each of the 13 matches.
The Usos and LA Knight vs. The Vision and IShowSpeed
1 of 13
The Usos, Knight, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory have wrestled countless matches against each other over the last four months, meaning their in-ring chemistry should be well-established at this point.
Their contests have been high-energy, and the crowd is hugely into the babyfaces, which bodes well for the match's ability to get the show off to a hot start.
What will matter most is how IShowSpeed performs. If he can do the minimum, flash his personality, and not overreach to the detriment of the match, the opening contest of this year's WrestleMania could end up a hidden gem.
Of course, there is such a thing as a particular pairing being overdone, and fans may be at that stage with all involved, given how often they have fought, which may bring the overall quality down a hair.
Star Rating Prediction: ***
Women's Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch
2 of 13
Lee and Lynch did not have the banger match they had hoped to in Chicago. Undoubtedly, ring rust played a part in that, as Lee had not wrestled a singles match in over a decade, but the overbooking of the finish with referee Jessika Carr did not help matters.
With their first encounter out of the way, and Saturday's match likely the conclusion of their rivalry, expect a better outing from both.
Lee and Lynch have wrestled at the highest levels, in front of the hottest fans, and understand the magnitude of the moment that comes with having a match on the Show of Shows.
As long as they shored up timing and all involved resist the urge to overthink the finish, there is no reason that Lynch and Lee cannot have an excellent match on the grand stage.
Star Rating Prediction: ***1/2
Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
3 of 13
If Rollins vs. Gunther is not at or near the list of highest-rated matches from the entire WrestleMania weekend, something went terribly wrong.
The Architect and The Ring General are, arguably, the two best in-ring performers on the male side of the roster today. They are synonymous with delivering the best in-ring performances in the biggest moments. Their pairing may not come with the most complex backstory, but it does not have to because when the bell rings, the master craftsmen do their finest work.
A lengthier, physically demanding match with a touch of interference from Paul Heyman and an emphatic finish should be on the order. As long as the Superstars involved do not get caught up in trying too hard to have an epic match-up, this should stick the landing and earn as many stars as anything else on the card.
Star Rating Prediction: ****1/2
Fatal 4-Way Women's Tag Team Championship Match
4 of 13
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins vs. Lash Legend and Nia Jax
Multi-team matches always struggle to find a higher star rating on the WrestleMania card, if only because they are typically the afterthought of the lineup. Right or wrong, they are the matches where the Superstars, with nothing else going for them, end up in, with the direction to do their best with the time they have.
Add to that the possibility that another team takes The Bella Twins' spot amid Nikki's ankle injury, and you have more than a few moving parts.
Flair and Bayley, though, are veterans of big-time WrestleMania bouts, and Jax and Bliss have had their own moment on the grand stage together.
There is enough talent involved for this one to be better than your standard multi-team fare, but the question is whether they will have the time they need.
Prediction: **1/2
Unsanctioned Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre
5 of 13
There is every possibility that Fatu and McIntyre are going to tear the house down in Allegiant Stadium and deliver a high-impact, violent, Unsanctioned match that lives up to the stipulation and pays off weeks of brawling.
There is also every possibility that the match will be an underwhelming fight that includes a lot of walking around ringside, some bland kendo stick shots, a few steel chairs, and a generic table bump in the corner.
Last year's showdown between McIntyre and Damien Priest, a Street Fight, was a solid match that paid off that chapter of their rivalry. Hopefully, this is a feud-ender that leaves no doubt in the fans' minds, elevates The Samoan Werewolf to main event status permanently, and gives McIntyre that truly great WrestleMania match missing from his resume.
Approach this one with hesitation, though.
Prediction: ***1/2
Women's World Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan
6 of 13
Vaquer and Morgan may have the sleeper match of the weekend if the physicality of their brawls leading into WrestleMania is any indication.
The women's world champion and the 2026 Royal Rumble winner beat the ever-loving hell out of each other every time they have touched in the build-up to the match. Yet, the full potential of their contest remains relatively unknown, if only because they have yet to wrestle a single match against each other.
Still, Vaquer has repeatedly proven to be one of the best wrestlers in the world with her match-ups against Giulia, Roxanne Perez, Iyo Sky, and Raquel Rodriguez. Morgan, before the shoulder injury that put her out of action, had sneakily developed into a workhorse between the ropes and impressed in her Royal Rumble appearance.
With enough time and no shenanigans, this could be one of the better matches of the entire weekend.
Star Rating Prediction: ***3/4
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
7 of 13
The ghost of WrestleMania 41 will hover over this one like a pregnant cloud, ready to rain on the parades of Rhodes fans. For the third year in a row, he has had upper management meddle in his program at the big event and faces the possibility of outside forces undoing his big moment.
While Rhodes and Orton are more than capable of having a WrestleMania-caliber main event that satisfies fans and adds to their enormous legacies, the likelihood of Pat McAfee getting involved in the contest is incredibly high, especially given the prominence of his role in the story over the last two weeks.
That means shenanigans, chicanery, and a screwy finish that could potentially drag down the quality of the match.
Rhodes and Orton should will this bad boy to be the best match it can, but even that feels like it has a ceiling based on the creative interference of late.
Star Rating Prediction: ***1/2, with the potential to be less if the overbooking reigns supreme
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
8 of 13
Fans should be ecstatic at the extent to which Lesnar has gone to put Femi over thus far in the build to their WrestleMania showdown. He has shown renewed energy in working with The Ruler and, hopefully, brings that level of effort to the squared circle Sunday night.
With the eyes of the wrestling world, both casual and die-hard, watching on ESPN proper and the ESPN app, it stands to reason that more people will see Femi vs. Lesnar than any other match on this year's show. With that in mind, expect the best out of The Beast in Vegas.
A hard-hitting battle of the big men takes the fans on a short, albeit explosive roller coaster ride that ends with an audience satisfied with the in-ring work, no matter who wins.
Star Rating Prediction: ***1/2
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
9 of 13
Penta vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev
It would be difficult to imagine a match with the talent involved in the Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship, Sunday at WrestleMania, would not be a jaw-dropping display of athleticism and high-risk that captivates fans and leaves them buzzing afterward.
It is equally as difficult to imagine a ladder match at this point in the pro wrestling landscape that does something so wildly different that it elevates its quality exponentially.
It is one of the more tired gimmick matches thanks to its oversaturation over the years. While the creative minds involved will execute awe-inspiring spots, the actual story and formatting of the match may not be inherently different from anything we have seen before.
A very good match is likely, but do not expect it to be the showstopping, industry-revolutionizing one like Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon popularized 32 years earlier.
Star Rating Prediction: ****
United States Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams
10 of 13
Williams is a megastar in the making, a Superstar the likes of which will be headlining the biggest show of the year for the next 15 years. He is that good, that charismatic, and that over with the crowd.
What is still evolving is his in-ring talent. He has shown up and performed at a high level against top in-ring talent, but at times, looked a bit lost against veteran Superstars working at a different level and speed than him.
Enter Zayn, who is an emotional in-ring performer and feeds off the energy in the stands.
Expect a good match that does not necessarily reach greatness, but does potentially give fans a double-turn that makes up for it.
Star Rating Prediction: ***
"Demon" Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
11 of 13
This may be a legitimate squash match based on the story at play and the return of Balor's Demon persona.
Even if it is not a short, quick, abrupt squash, it should be relatively one-sided and end with the Demon standing tall, a measure of revenge taken from his former Judgment Day teammate and protege.
Star Rating Prediction: **1/2
WWE Women's Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill
12 of 13
Ripley has had three consecutive years of high-level performances at WrestleMania, including two Match of the Year contenders (vs. Charlotte Flair in 2023 and against Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair in 2025). She has become a measuring stick for women's wrestling, and as one of the sport's biggest and most recognizable stars, there is a certain level of expectation that comes with her appearance on a card.
Even more so when the marquee reads, "WrestleMania."
Cargill is still growing and evolving as an in-ring performer, and the recent lack of long-form, televised wrestling matches has not done her any favors. Yet, she is a naturally charismatic Superstar with the aura and presence that catapults performers to the next level.
This is the biggest mystery on the card from an in-ring perpective.
Can Cargill hang with Ripley? Can the two work together despite issues that reared their ugly heads early on in the program? We will find out, for better or worse, on Sunday.
Prediction: ***
World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns
13 of 13
The key to predicting the Punk vs. Reigns star rating lies in what kind of match they will have at the top of the WrestleMania card late Sunday night.
Punk has been at his best when he is allowed to have a wrestling match. When it is about the action in the ring and meshing the story within the contest of the work, there are few better than him.
When the match enters the cinematic range and the story trumps the physicality, things falter.
Last year, both men were involved in an excellent Triple Threat Match against Seth Rollins that accomplished the latter to tremendous effect. If the world champion and Royal Rumble winner are allowed to have a wrestling match in the main event, a banger and potential Match of the Year should be expected.
Star Rating Prediction: ****1/2
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