THISIsMYReview!

WrestleMania 42 took place over two nights, April 18 and 19, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, drawing 50,816 fans on Saturday and 55,256 on Sunday, for a combined announced attendance of 106,072. The broad reaction coming out of the weekend was not especially complicated: Night 1 was widely seen as a disappointment, while Night 2 was viewed as a substantial rebound. Cageside was especially hard on the first night and much warmer on the second, while 411Mania graded Night 1 a C+ and Night 2 a B+. ProWrestling.net’s coverage and reader-poll framing also reflected that divide.

That split felt real watching the show.

Saturday often felt overproduced, under-wrestled, and weirdly rushed for a WrestleMania card. Sunday, by contrast, felt more like the event people thought they were buying in the first place: bigger matches, stronger pacing, more crowd investment, and a main event that finally gave the weekend the sense of occasion it had been missing.

So the honest way to review WrestleMania 42 is not as one giant monolith, but as two very different shows that happened under the same logo.

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NIGHT 1 — SATURDAY, APRIL 18

1. THE USOS & LA KNIGHT vs. THE VISION & ISHOWSPEED

   Time: 7:08

   Result: The Usos and LA Knight won.

This was a perfectly serviceable opener, though “serviceable” is not exactly the adjective anyone wants to use for WrestleMania. The crowd liked the celebrity energy once the heels turned on Speed, and the table splash gave the match one clean visual people would remember. But as a wrestling match, it never rose above being a quick, functional start. ProWrestling.net more or less treated it the same way: decent enough, but not remotely special.

My rating: ★★¾

2. JACOB FATU vs. DREW MCINTYRE — UNSANCTIONED MATCH

   Time: 14:09

   Result: Jacob Fatu won.

This was the first match on Night 1 that actually felt like it had some blood in it. Fatu wrestled with the right level of mayhem, McIntyre brought real physical intensity, and the stipulation allowed them to get a little uglier than the rest of the card. At the same time, it never quite became the kind of violent, memorable war an “Unsanctioned Match” at WrestleMania ought to be. Several reviews called it decent but underwhelming relative to the premise, and that is basically where I land. There were good spots, real effort, and enough impact to make it worthwhile, but it stopped short of greatness.

My rating: ★★★½

3. BRIE BELLA & PAIGE vs. THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCES vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR & ALEXA BLISS vs. BAYLEY & LYRA VALKYRIA

   WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

   Time: 8:33

   Result: Brie Bella and Paige won the titles.

This was one of the clearest examples of Night 1’s biggest problem: everything felt compressed. Four teams, a title change, a returning Paige, and less than nine minutes to make any of it breathe. There was enough movement to keep it from collapsing entirely, but not enough time for anyone to establish rhythm or for the title switch to feel as meaningful as it should have. Even some of the more forgiving reviews of Saturday treated this match as more about the surprise and nostalgia than about ring quality. That feels right.

My rating: ★★½

4. BECKY LYNCH vs. AJ LEE

   WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship

   Time: 8:15

   Result: Becky Lynch won the title.

There was real talent in the ring and some clever counters, but once again the clock worked against the match. The story should have felt personal and big. Instead, it felt abbreviated. Becky did a lot of the heavy lifting, AJ had her moments, and the title change at least gave the division a talking point, but this never felt like the payoff to a WrestleMania-caliber women’s feud. Night 1 had a habit of making things feel smaller than they should have, and this match suffered from exactly that.

My rating: ★★¾

5. GUNTHER vs. SETH ROLLINS

   Time: 17:52

   Result: Gunther won by technical submission.

This was the best match on Night 1 and, frankly, the one bout that felt like it fully understood what a WrestleMania match between these two should be. Gunther and Rollins gave the show some sorely needed gravity. They worked stiff, worked smart, and let the match feel important. A few reviewers argued it was the only real high point of Saturday, and while I think that is a touch harsh, I understand the sentiment. This was the first match of the night that got proper time and used it well. It was not a complete classic, but it was absolutely the standard-bearer for the evening.

My rating: ★★★★¼

6. LIV MORGAN vs. STEPHANIE VAQUER

   Women’s World Championship

   Time: 6:51

   Result: Liv Morgan won the title.

This is where Night 1 became genuinely frustrating. The build for this match had some real juice, and then WWE gave it less than seven minutes. That is not enough time for a WrestleMania world title match to become anything but a headline. Liv winning is a major result on paper. In practice, the match barely had the chance to become a match before it was over. More than one reaction piece coming out of Saturday specifically called this out as one of the night’s biggest failures, and that criticism is entirely fair.

My rating: ★★¼

7. CODY RHODES vs. RANDY ORTON

   Undisputed WWE Championship

   Time: 22:44

   Result: Cody Rhodes retained.

This was the defining disappointment of Night 1.

The match had a few strong ideas buried inside it. Cody and Orton know each other well enough to structure a big-match main event around counters, familiarity, and old history. But the bout was smothered by excess: McAfee’s involvement, the referee nonsense, the interference rhythm, the belt shot, the post-match punt. Instead of feeling like the culmination of a bitter personal title feud, it often felt like WWE could not stop decorating the thing long enough to let it breathe. Cagematch users were brutal on the match and on the show overall, and while I do not think this was the worst WrestleMania main event ever, I absolutely understand why so many people came away angry. The match was not a disaster in every second. It was worse than that in a way: it was a major WrestleMania main event that should have mattered much more than it did.

My rating: ★★½

NIGHT 1 FINAL THOUGHTS

Night 1’s biggest issue was not one bad finish or one bad performance. It was structural. Too many matches were too short, too many major moments were crowded by ads and overbooking, and too little of the card felt like it had the time or patience to become memorable. Gunther vs. Rollins was the clear standout. Beyond that, the show mostly felt like an expensive event that kept interrupting itself. Reviews from Cageside, 411Mania, and the wider fan reaction all reflected that disappointment.

Night 1 grade: C

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NIGHT 2 — SUNDAY, APRIL 19

1. OBA FEMI vs. BROCK LESNAR

   Time: 4:46

   Result: Oba Femi won.

Short match. Huge moment.

This was the perfect use of Brock Lesnar in 2026. He came in as a legend, got his signature offense, and then made Oba Femi look like a star. Femi surviving the F5 and shutting the door with Fall From Grace was exactly the kind of decisive WrestleMania statement a young powerhouse needs. The post-match image of Lesnar leaving his boots and gloves in the ring only added to the sense that this was a passing-of-the-torch moment. Multiple outlets praised the match not because it was long or complex, but because it did its job flawlessly.

My rating: ★★★¾

2. PENTA vs. JE’VON EVANS vs. DRAGON LEE vs. JD MCDONAGH vs. RUSEV vs. REY MYSTERIO

   Six-Pack Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

   Time: 15:08

   Result: Penta retained.

This was the stunt spectacle Night 2 needed, and it delivered. The pacing was frantic, the spots were huge, and the match knew exactly what kind of chaos it wanted to be. Penta dressed like Shao Kahn, Je’Von Evans kept doing absurd things, Rey turned the 619 into ladder art, and everyone involved seemed fully committed to making the first hour feel alive again after the drag of Saturday. Cageside flat-out argued that this ladder match blew away everything from Night 1, and that is not hard to defend. It was reckless in the right way.

My rating: ★★★★½

3. TRICK WILLIAMS vs. SAMI ZAYN

   WWE United States Championship

   Time: 7:07

   Result: Trick Williams won the title.

This was less about the quality of the match and more about the quality of the moment, though the match itself was perfectly solid. Trick got a star entrance with Lil Yachty, hit enough of his big signature offense to keep the crowd with him, and then won the title in a way that felt like WWE very consciously signaling the next phase of his rise. Sami did what good veterans do in these spots: he gave the challenger enough to work with and then let the moment belong to the younger man. Coverage coming out of the show broadly treated this as one of the breakout WrestleMania moments of the night, and I think that is fair.

My rating: ★★★¼

4. “THE DEMON” FINN BÁLOR vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO

   Street Fight

   Time: 10:27

   Result: Bálor won.

This was good, nasty fun.

The Demon entrance gave the match some theatrical heat, the street fight stipulation gave both men the excuse to be more vicious than usual, and Dominik continues to have a real gift for making crowds want to see him get hit with furniture. The chair-assisted 619 spot, the table destruction, and the Coup de Grâce finish all landed. This was not an all-time WWE plunder match, but it was a very effective WrestleMania street fight that gave the crowd something ugly and satisfying.

My rating: ★★★½

5. RHEA RIPLEY vs. JADE CARGILL

   WWE Women’s Championship

   Time: 10:08

   Result: Rhea Ripley won the title.

This was probably Jade Cargill’s best WWE match to date, which is important to say even in defeat. Rhea worked the bout exactly as she should have: with veteran control, enough violence to make the match feel heavy, and enough generosity to let Jade look dangerous without giving the impression that Jade was carrying the pace. Iyo Sky neutralizing Michin and B-Fab helped unclutter the ending, and the Riptide finish gave the title change a clean, emphatic close. Night 2 reviews routinely cited this as one of the better non-main-event matches on the card, and that feels right.

My rating: ★★★¾

6. CM PUNK vs. ROMAN REIGNS

   World Heavyweight Championship

   Time: 33:56

   Result: Roman Reigns won the title.

This was the match that saved WrestleMania 42 from being remembered as a complete fiasco.

Punk and Reigns wrestled like two men who understood they were not merely closing Night 2 — they were trying to redeem the entire weekend. The structure was smart, mean, and dramatic. The blood mattered. The table spots mattered. Punk stealing Roman’s Ulafala for the spear tease was excellent character work, and the run of counters and near-falls in the middle stretch finally gave WrestleMania the kind of sustained drama it had been missing. Most importantly, the finish made sense within the story of the match. Punk got his shots. Roman survived them. Exhaustion became the deciding factor. Then Reigns put him away. Outlets across the board treated this as the clear centerpiece of Night 2, with some calling it an instant classic and others simply calling it the match that brought WrestleMania back to life. That is where I land too.

My rating: ★★★★¾

NIGHT 2 FINAL THOUGHTS

Night 2 did not become a masterpiece just because it was better than Night 1. It became a good WrestleMania because the matches had more time, the card had more shape, and the event finally started behaving like WWE’s biggest weekend instead of a bloated content package. The Oba Femi result landed, the ladder match delivered spectacle, the women’s title bout was strong, and Punk vs. Reigns gave the show a worthy main event. The consensus from 411Mania, Cageside, the New York Post, and other reaction pieces was basically identical: Sunday was the correction.

Night 2 grade: A-

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FINAL VERDICT

WrestleMania 42 was a tale of two completely different shows.

Saturday was undercooked, overstuffed, and too often maddening.

Sunday was sharper, stronger, and much closer to what WrestleMania is supposed to be.

If you judge the weekend as one combined event, the truth lands somewhere in the middle. There was one very good night, one disappointing night, one excellent main event, one great ladder match, and one desperately needed star-making moment for Oba Femi. There was also too much bloat, too many short Saturday matches, and a Night 1 main event that will be criticized for a long time.

Overall WrestleMania 42 grade: B-

Best match: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns

Show-stealer: Penta’s ladder match

Biggest moment: Oba Femi defeating Brock Lesnar

Biggest letdown: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

— Tim Larson  

The Good

This show was like comfort food—easy to digest and mostly satisfying. The wrestling was solid, the results made sense, and the crowd was all-in, making it an enjoyable watch. Let’s dive into the highlights:

Rhea Ripley Retains Her Title

The Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley, kicked off the night by retaining her title against Nia Jax in a strong opener. Rhea continues to dominate without much character development lately, but when you're that big of a star, who needs layers? She's the superhero we root for—even if she’s missing the dramatic backstory. Call it the “Rhea Effect.”

Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus: The IC Title Saga

Bron Breakker defeated Sheamus to retain his Intercontinental Championship in what may have been the match of the night. It’s Sheamus’ 798th attempt to capture the IC Title (at least it feels that way), but who’s counting? Oh, wait—I am.

Sheamus’ quest for the IC belt is like a long-running TV series. Think Supernatural—great in the beginning, but after a while, you’re wondering, “Are we still doing this?” Don’t get me wrong; the story works, but if they want to keep the momentum, a WrestleMania career vs. title match might be the way to go. Sheamus needs that defining, all-or-nothing moment.

As for Bron, he’s in an odd spot. The man’s barely on TV these days, except for the occasional backstage promo where he growls about dogs barking. His last televised match was over a month ago on 12/16, but somehow, it hasn’t hurt his credibility. WrestleMania season is here, though, so let’s hope the dogs start barking a little louder.

Gunther Retains Against Jey Uso

In the main event, World Champion Gunther retained his title against Jey Uso in a surprisingly strong showing for Jey. Now, let’s be real: No one over the age of seven thought Jey was walking out with the belt, but the crowd was firmly in his corner. Jey’s popularity carried the match, and Gunther remains an unstoppable force.

With WrestleMania looming, both men are in intriguing positions. Gunther is clearly set for a marquee moment, while Jey remains a fan favorite with untapped potential. Will they strike gold with his storyline, or will he remain the eternal “almost” guy?

The Bad

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens Contract Signing

This segment wasn’t technically bad, but it felt lukewarm for a program as well-written as this one. Cody and Kevin are both incredible on the mic, and Shawn Michaels served as the mediator (tolerable, if not impactful), but this feud is severely lacking buzz.

One big problem? No one really wants to boo Kevin Owens. He’s too beloved for fans to truly buy into him as a credible heel against Cody, who is clearly the chosen one on a collision course with John Cena at WrestleMania. The outcome feels like a foregone conclusion, which dampens the stakes. My guess? Owens pivots to a program with Sami Zayn after this. It’s not bad; it’s just… there.

The Ugly

The WWE Transfer Portal

Okay, I’m cheating here because this doesn’t directly tie into Saturday’s show, but the Transfer Portal is a glaring issue across WWE programming. What is it, you ask? Great question. No one knows.

For months now, WWE has been casually allowing superstars to jump between shows with zero explanation, creating a chaotic free-for-all. It’s as if someone handed WWE the Infinity Gauntlet of storytelling tools, and they snapped away all logic. Sure, I understand the real-world reason—flexibility to keep storylines moving—but would it kill them to explain this on TV?

At its core, the Transfer Portal undermines the brand split structure, making it hard to care about roster alignments when there’s no foundation. It’s bush-league storytelling, plain and simple, and easily the worst creative decision under Triple H’s leadership—yes, even worse than those endless bad finishes (which, to his credit, have improved recently). WWE has done so much right, but this? Fix it, please.

Final Thoughts

Saturday Night Main Event was a fun, breezy show overall, with solid matches and strong crowd energy. Rhea Ripley continues to shine, Bron and Sheamus delivered a great match despite a tired story, and Gunther remains a world-class champion. However, the Cody-Kevin feud needs more heat, and the Transfer Portal remains a mess WWE needs to address.

With WrestleMania season officially underway, there’s plenty to look forward to, but here’s hoping WWE cleans up its loose ends. Because no one likes a house built on a shaky foundation—unless that house happens to belong to the Addams Family.

Stay tuned, wrestling fans. Things are bound to get interesting.