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Oba Femi, Real Winners and Losers of WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 2 Match Card
A polarizing Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 meant WWE had to swing the momentum the other way in order to salvage whatever goodwill they had left with fans, and ultimately, it didn't disappoint.
CM Punk and Roman Reigns didn't have much difficulty when it came to outshining the mess of a main event on Night 1. The Tribal Chief winning the World Heavyweight Championship will be a debatable decision, but the match itself undoubtedly delivered.
Jade Cargill had a lot to prove in her WWE Women's Championship clash with Rhea Ripley. Although she more than held her own, the outcome wasn't ideal as it now puts both her and Ripley in precarious positions coming out of the event.
Danhausen didn't even wrestle but still emerged as one of the biggest stars of the night by just interacting with event host John Cena. His turnaround since his botched debut at Elimination Chamber has been a sight to behold, and he's found his footing as a fantastic fit for the WWE environment.
These were the real winners and losers of an overall enjoyable installment of WrestleMania 42 on Night 2.
Winners: Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar
1 of 10
For a match built entirely around the ascension of Oba Femi, Brock Lesnar also walked away from their highly anticipated outing even better than before.
Femi beating Lesnar was always going to be the correct call. Any other outcome would have been egregious, but it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for WWE to go with a win for The Beast Incarnate so Femi would be made to look credible in defeat without actually having his hand raised.
Femi had to win in order to cement his status as a star on the rise. He was already over with the audience from the moment he arrived on the main roster, but now he's officially on another level of elite.
To his credit, Lesnar did the honors when it mattered most and had his moment with the fans afterward.
It appeared to be implied that Lesnar is definitively done with active competition. Of course, WWE can always revisit him for one more match—perhaps against Gunther in Lesnar's home state of Minnesota at SummerSlam—to put him into retirement for good.
WWE nailed everything about the Lesnar vs. Femi feud and thankfully followed through with an appropriate ending.
Winner: Je'Von Evans
2 of 10
With Penta only having captured the Intercontinental Championship a month ago, it would have been premature for him to lose the title as early as WrestleMania 42.
Penta not only retained his title in his grueling six-man Ladder match but also had a stellar showing. Penta's stock was already high, but Je'Von Evans gained even more with the standout performance he had.
Evans has been a welcome addition to the Raw roster this year and has proven he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. He didn't need to walk away with the Intercontinental title to remind viewers of what he's capable of.
At such a young age, Evans has plenty of time to climb the ladder—literally and figuratively—to win gold. His WrestleMania debut couldn't have been better booked and now he can capitalize on all the attention he garnered going forward.
Loser: Sami Zayn
3 of 10
Along with fellow NXT call-ups Oba Femi and Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams got his own WrestleMania moment by besting Sami Zayn for the United States Championship.
It's an awesome endorsement of Williams and he's bound to have a quality title run, but their match was not afforded enough time to tell a proper story. Williams won clean and quickly, and that was it.
Williams being on the fast track to super stardom was never in question. Zayn will be fine considering his credibility, but there was ever a time to do a double turn with the two of them, it would have been at WrestleMania.
Zayn won the star-spangled prize mere weeks ago simply so his 'Mania match with Williams could have something at stake. Although it made the matchup more meaningful, playing hot potato with the title came at the expense of Carmelo Hayes, who was excluded from the card completely.
Zayn can easily bounce back by going full-fledged heel on the sooner side, but the lack of development for his conflicted character left a bit to be desired on the grand stage.
Winner: 'Demon' Finn Balor
4 of 10
WWE did such damage to Finn Balor's alter ego with his losses to Roman Reigns and Edge in high-profile situations that it looked like the Demon was dead in the water.
In the first quarter of 2026, however, Balor has experienced a career resurgence and been back on track. He was portrayed as a total star against CM Punk in their back-to-back World Heavyweight Championship bouts, and now his stock is even higher coming off his WrestleMania win over Dominik Mysterio.
Balor may never be a world champion again in WWE, but there's no reason he can't continue to be featured at a prominent level on the card. It's possible his program with Mysterio resumes post-WrestleMania, but it would be better for him to move on to a fresh storyline and work his way back up to title contention.
As for Mysterio, he's had a tremendous transformation and will excel no matter what's next for him.
Loser: Jade Cargill
5 of 10
To say Jade Cargill's nearly five-month reign as WWE women's champion was underwhelming would be the understatement of WrestleMania weekend.
She defended her title only once coming into the event and was finally on the verge of doing something significant when Rhea Ripley beat her decisively to take the title on Sunday night.
The match exceeded expectations and Iyo Sky's involvement was well done, but the outcome begs the question of where WWE goes with the two of them from here.
Ripley hasn't held gold in over a year, so it's far from a case of her being shoved down the throats of fans. Rather, it's more an indictment on Cargill's booking and how she hasn't been made out to be the main event player she has the potential to be.
Cargill needed a statement win to turn her reign around but fell short. This won't be the end of the road for her, but with the SmackDown women's division already depleted, there's no obvious direction WWE goes in with either of them.
It's time for the company to start from scratch with Cargill and establish her as a force to be reckoned with, starting with some important victories.
Loser: WWE's Women's Division
6 of 10
WrestleMania 42 could have been a stellar showcase for its women's division, which has consistently become one of the best parts of their program in recent years.
It at one point appeared there could have been up to six women's matches on the 'Mania card. WWE instead went the usual four matchups and didn't allow them to do anything overly special.
The return of Paige and the four title changes were a considerable shake-up for the division, but WWE has heavily prioritized everything with the men at the top of the card over them. The star power with the women is there, but WWE isn't putting enough effort behind them.
The lack of time for the bouts that were booked also sent the message that WWE sees them as being at a certain level. WrestleMania not having a women's main event in five years is almost egregious for how deep the division has gotten on the whole and the many promising prospects they have waiting in the wings in NXT.
Winner: Danhausen
7 of 10
Danhausen was already the star of WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas and his quick cameo at the end of Night 2 simply solidified it.
John Cena's attendance announcement turned into a segment that succeeded in being both entertaining and memorable with Danhausen interrupting The Miz and Kit Wilson. Danhausen was arguably among the most popular performers of the night without having to wrestle.
As long as WWE doesn't overexpose Danhausen for the rest of his run, he'll be extremely effective in small doses. His strong suit is segments where his personality can shine and not necessarily in matches where he's considered adequate at best.
Danhausen has been a big success story for WWE and doesn't need to do much more than what he's done to date to remain a massive fan favorite.
Loser: Limited Match Time
8 of 10
A common theme throughout WrestleMania weekend was that there were just as many matches as there were commercials.
There certainly wasn't as much of an emphasis on the actual wrestling as there was the commercials in between the matches and other ads. It hurt the pacing of the event and hindered the crowd's interest in the matches themselves.
The TKO-ification of WWE has been evident for some time now, but it was especially apparent on both nights of WrestleMania. There wasn't enough time for a majority of the matchups to get beyond a certain level and feel 'Mania-worthy.
It's an issue WWE has to address and attempt to fix with future shows, but it's more likely it will continue to emphasize the corporate nature of its product despite overwhelming fan criticism on social media.
Loser: CM Punk
9 of 10
No one quite knew what we would get out of CM Punk upon his shocking return to WWE at the end of 2023.
After his messy AEW stint, he could have come back to the company he once walked out of playing the hits and sticking to the status quo. He's instead added to his already-exceptional legacy as a once-in-a-lifetime performer.
The nod to his Ring of Honor past during his entrance combined with his ability to capture a crowd's attention saw him match Roman Reigns in aura before the bell even rang for their WrestleMania match, which is no small feat.
The match didn't have to do much to be better than the atrocity of an ending to Night 1, but it was excellent regardless and lived up to the hype as a WrestleMania main-event attraction. The story on the Road to WrestleMania was that Punk was old, and the finish ensured that Reigns was right.
If Reigns leaves for the foreseeable future, Punk's character may have to follow suit and also disappear for a period of time for his character to avoid the embarrassment. Punk losing his second straight 'Mania main event does him no favors as far as his claim to the title of Best in the World is concerned.
Winner: Roman Reigns
10 of 10
If WWE's goal was for Roman Reigns to come out of WrestleMania with fans fully behind him, it worked.
The Las Vegas crowd was certainly pro-Punk for most of the matchup and also split down the middle at other times, but once Punk hit Reigns with a low blow, it became clear that Reigns was intended to be the fan favorite.
The reaction to his latest title triumph in person was positive, but it's all about the aftermath. Reigns spent nearly four years with the world title and could have gone even longer without winning it back.
The question now becomes whether he's going to disappear again until SummerSlam or actually stick around until then to defend his title on shows such as Backlash and Clash in Italy. Reigns' character hasn't truly evolved, so while fans could be happy about him getting the belt back, there's no guarantee it will last.
The endgame could be worth it if Oba Femi or Bron Breakker are the ones to dethrone him for the title in the not-too-distant future.
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.
