Matches WWE Must Book in 2026 After WrestleMania 42 Results

With WrestleMania 42 in the rear view mirror, WWE's attention has turned toward booking the rest of 2026, with feuds and matches either hinted at or already made official following Monday's much-anticipated Raw After Mania.

What are some of the matches the company must consider presenting throughout the rest of the year and why?

Find out with this preview, as well as the results from both nights of this year's Showcase of the Immortals.

WrestleMania 42 Results

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Saturday

LA Knight and The Usos defeated The Vision and IShowSpeed

Jacob Fatu defeated Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match

Paige and Brie Bella defeated Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and The Irresistible Forces to win the Women's Tag Team Championship

Becky Lynch defeated AJ Lee to win the Women's Intercontinental Championship

Gunther defeated Seth Rollins

Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer to win the Women's World Championship

Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton to retain the title

Sunday

Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar

Intercontinental champion Penta defeated Rey Mysterio, Je'Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, and Rusev to retain the title

Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the United States Championship

"Demon" Finn Balor defeated Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight

Rhea Ripley defeated Jade Cargill to win the WWE Women's Championship

Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton II

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Taking into consideration that their match at WrestleMania was an overbooked mess that never made sense within the context of the story leading into it, which also did not make sense, WWE must book the rematch between Rhodes and Orton at some point here in 2026.

Furthermore, they need to look at what made CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns such a critical success and let Orton and Rhodes have the kind of straightforward, championship match they are more than capable of.

If so, a lot of what was critically panned about their match on the grand stage will be forgotten amid a classic wrestling match between two guys with old-school roots and the ability to captivate audiences without the bells, whistles, and shenanigans

Rhea Ripley vs. Tiffany Stratton

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There were a few notable stars not on the WrestleMania card this weekend but one that stuck out, especially after her presence on last year's show, was Tiffany Stratton.

The former WWE women's champion was nowhere to be found, appearing only on the go-home edition of SmackDown and in media and press-related ventures the rest of the weekend.

While she already has a guaranteed shot at Giulia's United States Championship, the match that would help elevate her back to the top of the division is a showdown with Ripley.

That there is already grounds for the match after Mami beat her to win the Elimination Chamber match certainly helps with any potential storyline.

Two polar opposite characters, they would play off of each other well and more importantly, Ripley could help further develop Stratton's in-ring game.

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

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This feels like the surest thing coming out of WrestleMania as Breakker returned and cost Rollins his match with Gunther. The next night, The Visionary got a measure of revenge with a steel chair shot.

Originally slated for WrestleMania this year, the match is a year in the making as is and cannot be saved for anything too far out for risk of audience fatigue.

Expect Rollins vs. Breakker sooner rather than later as WWE looks to pay off that story, potentially with the returning Street Profits partnering with the Babyface to battle The Badass and his Vision teammates, Logan Paul and Austin Theory, in a Six Man Tag Team Match first.