The 2026 edition of WWE’s Royal Rumble is officially in the rear view, and the road to WrestleMania 42 has begun. Just like years past, the January classic seemingly set up many major matchups at the April two-night event.
With that in mind, we offer up our bold predictions on what the top matches at WrestleMania 42 will be following the results of this weekend’s mega event.
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk
In the night’s main event, to the delight and chagrin of WWE fans around the world, company icon Roman Reigns was the last man standing after the 30-man battle royale. There were rumors late last year that a third clash with Cody Rhodes at ‘Mania was being considered. However, that seems unlikely with Drew McIntyre holding SmackDown’s top title.
That leaves only one logical target with his right to challenge a champion at WrestleMania 42: CM Punk. While the pair were part of a triple threat with Seth Rollins last year, a focused one-on-one affair could be intriguing and still is a dream match.
Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer
In the night’s opening bout, two-time women’s Royal Rumble runner-up Liv Morgan checked off another huge career achievement. While a clash with WWE women’s champ Jade Cargill would be fresh, she is sure to challenge women’s world titlist Stephanie Vaquer.
It is still an intriguing matchup, but it will be bolstered by the developing schism between her and Judgment Day sister Raquel Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been trying to dethrone Vaquer for weeks, and the fact that Morgan eliminated her from the Rumble could lead to some intriguing storytelling in the months ahead.
Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes
This year’s Royal Rumble showed things between McIntyre and Rhodes are far from over after the WWE champion surprisingly played a role in Rhodes’ elimination. While some fans may not like it, all signs point to Rhodes vs. McIntyre again at WrestleMania 42. There is also an outside chance that Jacob Fatu could be added to the bout further down the road.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Expect former NXT champion Oba Femi to get a very big push in the months ahead. And judging by the focus on him and Brock Lesnar facing off in the Rumble, it would not be surprising if the two monsters battle at WrestleMania 42.
Similar to when Lesnar faced Omos at ‘Mania a few years ago, this will be used to elevate Femi. However, unlike Omos, Femi will get the win over the WWE legend.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
The men’s Royal Rumble began with the shocking moment of another masked man arriving to curb stomp Bron Breakker and assisting in his quick elimination from the match. It surprisingly took the rising star out of the title picture and put him in limbo. That seems like something Seth Rollins would take great joy in.
While it is unclear if Rollins can return from injury to compete at WrestleMania 42 after he was jumped out of the faction he formed by Breakker and his pals, signs continue to point to it being a real possibility. A clash between the two one-time Vision brothers would be a top match at the event.
El Grande Americano vs. OG El Grande Americano
One of the fun highlights of the Rumble was El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) coming mask-to-mask with the OG El Grande (Chad Gable). A battle between the two masked men for ultimate control of the moniker would be a perfect addition to WrestleMania 42 and was seemingly set up over the weekend.
LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed
After being battered and sent to the sidelines for nearly two months, LA Knight made his return this weekend to get some sweet revenge by eliminating both Austin Theory and Bronson Reed from the Rumble. With him unlikely to get a title match at the event, continuing his war with the faction and facing Reed at WrestleMania 42 seems likely.
Asuka vs. Kairi Sane
An eventual split between Asuka and Kairi Sane was a question of when, not if. That was seemingly set up at the Rumble when Sane accidentally eliminated her bestie and tag team partner. A fun and dramatic build as Sane finally stands up to her mentor and challenges her to a match at WrestleMania 42 would be a fun part of the road to the big event.
