WWE WrestleMania 42 Predictions for Likely Swerves on Sunday's Updated Match Card
When WWE returns to Allegiant Stadium for the second night of WrestleMania 42, there are three potential swerves the company could produce that fans should keep an eye on.
One could occur in the night's marquee match, the main event of the entire weekend.
The other is a first-time WrestleMania participant, leaving Las Vegas with championship gold.
The final is an outcome that would potentially enrage the entire fan base at the top of the show.
Dive deeper into each in this preview of Sunday night's card.
Sunday Match Card
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Announced for night two of this year's event are:
CM Punk Prevents Another Roman Empire
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The entire lead-in to WrestleMania 42 has felt like one long preparation for another Roman Reigns coronation.
From the Royal Rumble win to his Bloodline teases to the storyline crumbs potentially tying him to whatever is going on with Pat McAfee and getting WWE back to "when it was great," it feels like Reigns is preparing for another championship celebration come the end of the extravaganza.
But what if he does not win?
CM Punk, the reigning world heavyweight champion, has been the best overall performer in the company for the last year. His work on the mic, his evolution into the best babyface on the roster, and the connection he has with the audience is invaluable to WWE.
We saw as much when he rescued the build to the WrestleMania main event from mediocrity with his pipebomb promo on the April 6 episode of Raw. Taking the belt off of him, a guy who shows up every week to be the face that runs the place, to put it on a star in Reigns, who is not a relevant and consistent presence on the show at this point, is a mistake.
Unless there is a long-term story in place for Reigns with a clear beginning, middle, and end, Punk should (and will) retain the title.
Je'Von Evans Leaves With Gold
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On the surface, Sunday's Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship looks like a foregone conclusion.
Penta is the defending champion, has been red-hot with the gold, and, despite the stature of Rey Mysterio, the mounting momentum of Dragon Lee, and dark horse candidates in JD McDonagh and Rusev, they have not been presented in a manner that would suggest they are about to win a substantial title at WrestleMania.
Except, that is, for Evans.
The Young OG has had a presence across WWE television for months, had a longevity run in the Royal Rumble, and holds a win in a Triple Threat Match over Gunther and Dominik Mysterio.
An Elimination Chamber appearance in February was his latest, high-profile showing.
Evans is a young, exciting, thrilling performer who can easily win the title on Sunday night, be believable in the role of champion, and have fans genuinely enthused about his future with the gold.
With the possibility that no other titles change hands Sunday, something has to give and Evans doing something jaw-dropping to capture the gold seems like a fine choice.
Brock Lesnar Defeats Oba Femi
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Anyone thinking it is not at all possible that The Beast Incarnate rolls into WrestleMania, beats The Ruler, and rolls back out has not paid attention to WWE programming for the last decade.
Lesnar has a way of appearing for these big matches, with the expectation being that he will lose, only to F-5 his way to victory, leaving some scratching their heads about the logic of the outcome.
Even when he is giving in the lead-up to the show, as was the case with Samoa Joe in 2017, he has won the match come the premium live event.
That the booking was overwhelmingly in favor of Femi is another reason to suspect that Lesnar will get the win to balance things out. As much as WWE has changed creatively, it still likes to protect talent with 50-50 booking.
It should be an easy layup for WWE for Lesnar to lose, but this is a company operating under the "let's make things more difficult than they have to be" mentality.
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