Jason Burgos
After being on the road to WrestleMania 42 since January’s Royal Rumble, the wait is finally over. This weekend brings wrestling fans the 2026 edition of WWE’s yearly extravaganza, and this year’s event features two strong nights of action in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
The card for WrestleMania 42 Night 2 will include the two most anticipated bouts at the event. One is the huge showdown between “The Beast” Brock Lesnar and “The Ruler” Oba Femi. The other is in the night’s main event, when CM Punk defends the WWE World Heavyweight title against hated rival Roman Reigns.
With that in mind, we offer up some bold predictions for every match on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42.
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
Considering how often Femi has gotten the upper hand on Lesnar over the course of their feud, WWE history would suggest that the future Hall of Famer will get the last laugh, as he has against so many stars during his legendary career. But this is a different time and situation.
Reports have suggested for some time that Lesnar is very close to the end of his WWE career. Like legends of the past, “doing the honors” and helping to build future stars is what he should do on the way out. Femi scoring a win at WrestleMania 42, especially a dominant one, could create a new main event star. Expect the former NXT champion to have the torch as the new beast in WWE pass to him on Sunday night.
WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
The ongoing feud between WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill and Elimination Chamber winner Rhea Ripley has felt different because of reports that they are not fans of each other in real life. It has added a unique tension and physicality to the situation. It is also different because Cargill has seemed like the smarter of the two and is consistently getting the better of the future Hall of Famer.
WWE’s booking history would suggest that Ripley gets her vengeance. But heels are going to win at WrestleMania 42, and this feels like one of those instances. Look for Cargill’s new cronies — Michin and B-Fab — to get involved and rescue the champ from a near loss. This would then set up a long-rumored feud with former pal Bianca Belair.
Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
A moment many long-time WWE fans are looking forward to on Sunday night is the return of Finn Balor’s “Demon.” And what a perfect time for his alter ego to reemerge as he looks to teach former Judgement Day brother Dominik Mysterio a violent lesson.
There were rumors that when Balor signed his current deal two years ago, he was expected to get a big push. That never happened. Now seems like the right time to rebuild him and “The Demon” as a force on Raw. Look for a dominant win from the first-ever Universal Champion.
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rey Mysterio
A match that could easily steal the show on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 is the six-pack Intercontinental Championship ladder match. The current champ, Penta, will defend his gold against Rusev, high flyer Je’Von Evans, fellow lucha star Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, and Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio.
This is a match perfectly set up for a surprise win. While many might expect Je’Von Evans to pull out an unexpected victory in a match built for his skillset, look for the return of “Rusev Day” and the Bulgarian to win the bout. WWE invested good money in his return a year ago. They need to get him back in a featured role, and a long-term feud with Penta for the belt will be fun.
United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
There have been rumors swirling around the United States title match between Sami Zayn and Trick Williams. Zayn has surprisingly drawn the ire of fans by beating Carmelo Hayes for the title a couple of weeks before WrestleMania. While Williams has quickly become one of the company’s most popular stars, despite being a heel, since he arrived from NXT late last year.
The rumors suggest we could get a rare wrestling double turn. Pulling the trigger on such an idea makes perfect sense for this match, and like Femi earlier in the night, a Williams title win and baby face turn will create a new top star. Expect to hear “and new” at the end of this one.
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Punk and Reigns have done a fantastic job of building huge interest in what was a dream fight for wrestling fans a few years ago. They have made things personal, then just a week before the event, revealed that while they hate each other, they still have a lot of respect for their foe.
Despite the hype, the result seems predictable, and Reigns will return to the mountain top after being knocked off the perch two years ago at WrestleMania 40. But what fun is that? We predict something different. Punk shocks fans by turning heel, re-aligning with Paul Heyman, and becoming the new leader of the Vision. Is it likely? No. But how wild would that be?
