Final Picks for Reigns, Rhodes, Ripley, Rollins and WWE WrestleMania 42 Match Card
WWE's Road to WrestleMania 42 has been nothing short of eventual—for better or for worse.
Roman Reigns and CM Punk have had to carry a majority of the build, and not even all of their interactions have been home runs. Despite that, their World Heavyweight Championship clash is guaranteed to be must-see.
The same can't be said for Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton considering how convoluted WWE has made their storyline. With Pat McAfee expected to factor into the finish, Jelly Roll unfortunately may not be far behind.
Rhea Ripley and Seth Rollins are also set for major matches with WWE Women's champion Jade Cargill and Gunther, respectively.
Mere hours ahead of WrestleMania 42, these are the last-minute predictions that matter most.
Night 1 and Night 2 Quick Picks
1 of 10
AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch (Women's Intercontinental Championship)
The hype for this match isn't at the level it should be because of the feud going on for so long, but they've made the most of it and have produced some quality television, both on the mic and in the ring. Lee has gotten the better of Lynch at every turn up to this point, so The Man has to walk out of WrestleMania once again the Women's Intercontinental champion.
The Irresistible Forces vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)
WWE has done a better job with the women's tag team division over the last nine months than at any other point in the entire existence of the titles. Bayley and Valkyria have the most momentum of any of these teams and would be the best fit to lead the division as champions post-WrestleMania.
Penta vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio (Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match)
Although the build for this bout has been virtually nonexistent, it's bound to be a barn burner, regardless. Penta shouldn't be losing the title so soon after winning it and is therefore the safe pick to retain, but Evans can't be completely counted out, either.
"The Demon" Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
With Balor bringing back his Demon persona, it would be booking malpractice to have him lose again (he hasn't won as The Demon since 2019). Mysterio is over enough with the audience that he has little to lose here, whereas Balor can reestablish himself as a credible singles star by winning when it matters most at 'Mania.
The Vision and IShowSpeed vs. The Usos and LA Knight
2 of 10
For all the talk of celebrities stealing the spotlight en route to WrestleMania this year, to his credit, world-renowned content creator IShowSpeed has excelled in the handful of appearances he's made for WWE this year.
His six-man tag team affair alongside The Vision's Logan Paul and Austin Theory against The Usos and LA Knight feels more appropriate for Raw than it does WrestleMania, but at least it fulfills its goal of getting multiple notable names on the card.
IShowSpeed pinning Knight for the win would arguably be the most egregious booking decision WWE could make all weekend, but IShowSpeed has to get his comeuppance from Knight for accidentally striking him with brass knuckles last month.
This could be an entertaining opener that sets the stage for the rest of the night, provided it's properly booked and doesn't entirely consist of unnecessary shenanigans.
Prediction: LA Knight and The Usos win.
Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)
3 of 10
Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre will wage war in WrestleMania's only second-ever Unsanctioned match, a fitting stipulation for a feud that has become so personal over the last several months.
The Samoan Werewolf has had his sights set on McIntyre since returning from his hiatus at the onset of the year and they've at odds ever since. Fatu also played a pivotal role in costing McIntyre the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes back in March.
Fatu has been on the fast track to super stardom for the past two years, but he has especially stood out as a singles star since breaking away from Solo Sikoa and The MFTs. He was very much involved in the world title scene earlier this year and should be back in that mix coming out of WrestleMania.
After winning his Las Vegas Street Fight against Damian Priest at last year's installment, The Scottish Warrior can afford to lose to Fatu this weekend. A win for Fatu would mean much more for his career compared to McIntyre at this point.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu wins.
Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
4 of 10
For a match that practically came out of nowhere, Seth Rollins vs. Gunther is amazingly one of the more anticipated outings on the WrestleMania 42 card.
Gunther has yet to fully explain his reasoning for attacking Rollins, and that could be because the rivalry will resume regardless of who wins at WrestleMania. This feels like WWE's way of keeping two of their top stars busy before they branch off into different directions and the few interactions they've had in recent weeks have been tremendous.
As the self-proclaimed "Career Killer," Gunther winning is a must. More importantly, he should do so in clean fashion.
The easy out for Rollins would be for Bron Breakker to return and cost him the victory. While that would effectively rekindle their rivalry, it would overshadow Gunther going over and take away from what should be his moment at 'Mania.
Gunther should reign supreme, and with Rollins coming off a pretty significant injury, it would make sense that he'd fall short, anyway.
Prediction: Gunther wins.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan (Women's World Championship)
5 of 10
Liv Morgan winning the women's Royal Rumble and subsequently choosing to challenge Stephanie Vaquer for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania was perhaps the most predictable path WWE could have chosen.
However, it's worked out for the best and the two of them have had a heck of a feud over the last month or so.
Vaquer has finally had something to sink her teeth into and Morgan has proven to be the perfect foil for her. Their rivalry has heated up at just the right time, not to mention it feels genuinely unpredictable who wins.
La Primera is obviously the much fresher face and would have more to gain from retaining her title, but she'll have many more 'Mania events ahead of her. Morgan, on the other hand, has been a part of plenty of WrestleManias in her career but has yet to have a real WrestleMania moment.
Morgan taking the title not only accomplishes that but simultaneously puts Vaquer back in chase mode, which she would benefit from.
Prediction: Liv Morgan wins.
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton (Undisputed WWE Championship)
6 of 10
What should have been such a simple storyline between two friends turned foes has devolved into an absolute mess of a main event for Night 1 of WrestleMania 42.
Randy Orton's heel turn, while flawed in execution, gave the program promise. It wasn't long after that Pat McAfee was revealed as Orton's mystery caller and it's been downhill since then.
Jelly Roll was also incorporated into the angle on the April 10 edition of SmackDown, leading to fan speculation that he could end up at ringside in Cody Rhodes' corner to counteract any potential interference from McAfee.
It's almost a lose-lose scenario with neither outcome looking all that appealing on paper, but even with the awful McAfee alliance, Orton's heel run would quickly be killed if he didn't capture the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Rhodes losing yet again the main event of 'Mania isn't ideal, but him retaining may actually do more damage in the long run.
Prediction: Randy Orton wins.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
7 of 10
For the many mistakes WWE has made on this year's Road to WrestleMania, they've nailed the ascension of Oba Femi since his explosive debut at the Royal Rumble.
Additionally, pairing him up with Brock Lesnar for a WrestleMania rivalry was the smartest move they could have made. Femi has been made to look like Lesnar's equal at every turn and has been the last man standing on more than one occasion.
Now the question is whether he'll have his hand raised when the lights are on bright at The Show of Shows, or if he'll be unsuccessful but be made to look like dominant in defeat.
Any outcome other than Femi winning would be a major misstep. Lesnar can lose this weekend even if the idea is for him to retire at SummerSlam in his home state of Minnesota.
The time is now for WWE to pull the trigger on Femi and catapult him to the top of the card, starting with a decisive victory over the multi-time world champ. At the end of the day, it's WWE, and they have a tendency to go with the wrong winner in situations like this.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.
Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams (United States Championship)
8 of 10
WWE has quietly been telling one of its better stories so far this year over on SmackDown going into WrestleMania with Sami Zayn and Trick Williams.
They've been feuding on and off since Williams arrived on the main roster at the beginning of 2026. Throwing the United States Championship into the mix wasn't needed, and if they wanted to have something at stake, Carmelo Hayes should have defended the title in a Triple Threat.
The singles match we're left with is still intriguing, though, as well as the possibility of a double turn. Williams is already being cheered by the audience and Zayn has gradually leaning more heelish as of late.
Zayn could cheat to retain his title and cement his heel turn that way, but it would be a waste of a WrestleMania moment with Williams, who should come out on top with the star-spangled prize in his possession.
Prediction: Trick Williams wins.
Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley (WWE Women's Championship)
9 of 10
There hasn't been anything remotely interesting about the ongoing rivalry between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill. The star power of the match sells itself, but the material they've been working with been basic at best.
The bout itself could just as easily underwhelm as well. The outcome will be important as it will determine the immediate direction WWE intends to take SmackDown's women's division in.
Cargill's reign as WWE Women's champion has been less than impressive. Some may suggest taking the title off of her and giving it to Ripley as a result of that, but Cargill beating a name of Ripley's caliber would be the better choice.
With the depth of the division being fairly weak, Ripley wouldn't have anyone to defend against from the get-go. Assuming she'll be cleared to compete imminently, Bianca Belair returning at WrestleMania to target Cargill following her victory would be an excellent segue into a feud between them.
Prediction: Jade Cargill wins.
CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns (World Heavyweight Championship)
10 of 10
Despite not being one of WWE's originally planned main events for WrestleMania, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns has become the biggest attractions on the WrestleMania card because of what they've brought out of each other since the Royal Rumble, both on television and on social media.
As far as the finish is concerned, it could realistically go either way. It's been two years since Reigns last held world title gold and it still hasn't felt like it's been long enough, but that won't stop from WWE possibly putting the belt back on him, anyway.
Punk, meanwhile, has been a fighting champ all year long and has thrived as the face of the flagship show. The main concern is that Reigns won't be around often enough to defend the title if he wins, along with it not being an exciting outcome.
Punk defeating Reigns would be the way to go, but all signs point to WWE planning something more sinister with a Reigns win. Whether that's a Bloodline reunion, a partnership with Pat McAfee or something else remains to be seen.
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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