Ranking All 13 Matches From WWE WrestleMania 42 Results
After the mixed bag of an event that was WrestleMania 41, WWE returned to Las Vegas with the intention of redeeming themselves, especially after a less-than-stellar build dating back to the Royal Rumble.
Night 1 was widely panned by fans but was still solid compared to other installments WWE has produced in the past. Night 2 was significantly stronger on the whole with the best being saved for last in CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns.
The many title changes sent the message that the company intends to switch things up going forward. Whether it will truly be a new era, however, remains to be seen.
WrestleMania 42 won't be remembered for its barn burners or even its outcomes as much as it will be for the excessive amount of ads and commercials. When the talent are allowed to do their thing, the matches have the potential to be something special.
In the wake of WrestleMania weekend, this the official ranking of the match card from worst to best.
Matches That Missed the Mark
1 of 9
13. Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
When it wasn't all about Pat McAfee, the Undisputed WWE Championship bout between Rhodes and Orton actually wasn't awful. In fact, it turned into an entertaining affair when it was just them in the ring, particularly down the stretch.
McAfee's interference right before the finish made this a mess of a main event more convoluted than it needed to be. To make matters worse, Rhodes won on his own, only for Orton to attack him afterward and be the last man standing.
12. The Usos and LA Knight vs. The Vision and IShowSpeed
The Night 1 opening with The Usos and Knight besting The Vision and IShowSpeed was exactly what it needed to be. At the same time, however, there truly wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it.
All six stars played their roles well, especially IShowSpeed, but from an in-ring standpoint, this would have worked much better as a match on Raw or SmackDown. It seemed to only exist so IShowSpeed could put Logan Paul through a table afterward.
11. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan
For how hot their feud has become, Vaquer vs. Morgan was equally disappointing. What we got was good, but the bout was too short to reach that next level. That's in addition to the excessive amount of interference from the rest of The Judgment Day.
Morgan winning the Women's World Championship was the more appealing outcome, but their match was just starting to heat up right when the finish was booked. Vaquer will excel being back in chase mode, but the matchup left a lot to be desired.
Fine Yet Forgettable
2 of 9
10. WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way
The biggest highlight of the women's tag team match was far and away the return of Paige. It was an amazing moment, but that's entirely where the focus turned to instead of the in-ring action itself.
Paige immediately winning the women's tag team titles was questionable in itself, but the match could have been better based on who took part. The rest of the combatants were overshadowed and the belts went back to being glorified props.
9. Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams
The ongoing story between Zayn and Williams has been about Zayn falling deeper into madness and Williams slowly embracing the audience. Williams winning the Untied States Championship was well deserved and the crowd was happy to see it, but the match itself was only decent.
It suffered from the same issue as other matches on the card in that they were short yet sweet. In the case of this contest, there should have been more meaningful character development if they weren't going to be given more time to work with.
8. Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre
This Unsanctioned outing hardly lived up to its stipulation. It was a perfectly fine Street Fight by WWE standards, but it never reached an intense enough level for the stip to be worthwhile.
If nothing else, it was well worked and Fatu winning decisively gets him one step closer to competing in the main event scene more consistently on SmackDown. This ended before it could be more than what it was.
7. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
3 of 9
At the very last minute, WWE added a No Disqualification stipulation to Finn Balor's bout against Dominik Mysterio. The feud has been surface-level stuff, so the addition of the stipulation felt unnecessary.
The match being basic almost didn't matter, however. Balor's Demon entrance alone was epic and reminded fans of just how cool he can be.
As the lovable heel that he is, Mysterio was a fun foil for him. They, too, were the victims of time constraints and not being allowed to do anything exceptional, but the crowd didn't seem to mind as much for this match as they were solidly behind Balor throughout.
Balor going over in clean fashion should mean that their rivalry is over, but almost anything involving The Judgment Day tends to get dragged out well past its expiration date. Balor once again feels "cool" again and should capitalize on the momentum he now has.
6. AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch
4 of 9
Becky Lynch and AJ Lee's rivalry lasted longer than it should have, but both women did great work the whole way through.
Lynch has been among the MVPs for WWE's women's division since returning to the company at WrestleMania a year ago. She has made it her mission to make the Women's Intercontinental Championship coveted and she's succeeded through her feuds with Lyra Valkyria, Maxxine Dupri and now AJ Lee.
On a show with several gimmick matches, this was the one that would have benefited more from a stipulation than any other. It was a rematch from Elimination Chamber and could have used a little extra something to reach that next level.
Despite the standard nature of the bout, Lee and Mysterio had an adequate outing that correctly culminated with Lynch avenging her previous submission losses to Lee and regaining the gold. Lee looked like she belonged while The Man put their rivalry to rest once and for all.
5. Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
5 of 9
It was no secret that Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi was the most anticipated outing coming into WrestleMania weekend, but the bigger question is how long it would last and if WWE would do the right thing by putting Femi over.
Femi winning should have been a slam dunk, but it was impossible to say that WWE was definitely going to do it. Thankfully, they did the right thing, and it was over in under five minutes.
While it wasn't a straight-up squash, Femi did dominate a majority of the matchup before putting Lesnar away with only one finisher. It was a huge endorsement of Femi as the next big thing and a message sent as far as establishing him as a main event player right out of the gate.
The match had excellent energy because of the crowd's investment and never once felt boring. It was wise to have that serve as the opener and have that be what kicked off the event on a high note.
4. Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley
6 of 9
There was no reason to think ahead of WrestleMania 42 that Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship would be anywhere near the top matches of the weekend. The feud was lazily built and their lack of chemistry together was apparent.
Cargill and Ripley surprised the world by delivering a much better than expected match. Ripley brought her A-game per usual, but Cargill was the one who was extra impressive by looking smoother in the ring than she ever has before.
Interference is rarely ideal, but Iyo Sky running down to ringside to combat B-Fab and Michin added to the excitement of the match. It also resulted in Ripley besting Cargill for the championship.
WWE's women's division isn't being focused on as much as it should be at the moment, but Cargill and Ripley made the most of their situation and over-delivered. It's all a matter of how WWE intends to follow up on the title change and where the two of them go from here.
3. Gunther vs. Seth Rollins
7 of 9
Gunther vs. Seth Rollins came completely out of nowhere and wasn't on anyone's radar even a month ago, but the WrestleMania match they put together was nothing short of fantastic.
Gunther explained prior to the premium live event that he had a personal score to settle with Rollins without fully revealing the reason. All signs point to WWE revisiting that soon, but before then, they were tasked with having a quality contest and ended up stealing the show.
The two never let it up and worked a frantic pace. The only knock against it was the finish, not because Gunther won but rather because Bron Breakker offered the assist.
Rollins vs. Breakker is a storyline worth looking forward to in the spring, but it doesn't leave Gunther in a very important position. He won against Rollins as he should have but doesn't have any obvious direction in the months ahead.
2. Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
8 of 9
Random multi-person Ladder matches are always good for a spectacle even if the build-up lacks logic, and this year's Intercontinental Championship car crash was no exception.
Defending champ Penta walked into the star-studded bout with the odds stacked against him. All six stars had their time to shine and captivate the crowd with their exciting aerial offense.
Aside from Penta, Je'Von Evans stood out in a major way as well and excelled in that environment. Rey Mysterio, Rusev, Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh had strong showings and it made for an incredibly enjoyable matchup.
Penta secured the win to retain his title, but in reality, everyone emerged a winner in that one, including the fans. Regardless of whether the story is there or not, the talent just have be let loose and cool things are bound to happen.
1. CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns
9 of 9
WrestleMania 42's Night 2 main event was drastically different from Night 1's but in the best way possible. Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton was more about the shenanigans, whereas CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns told a straightforward story and felt like a high-profile WrestleMania attraction.
It was given plenty of time, but it never dragged. Punk and Reigns traded finishers back and forth until Punk finally collapsed under the pressure and was pinned following a devastating Spear.
It was exactly what WrestleMania weekend needed to be in order to close out with some faith from fans being restored. That's despite Reigns winning the World Heavyweight Championship not being the best outcome WWE could have gone with.
Reigns holding world title gold again isn't fresh, but the endgame could very well be Bron Breakker or Oba Femi taking the title away from him sooner rather than later. Helping elevate young talent is the perfect use of Reigns at this stage of his decorated career.
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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