WrestleMania 42 Latest Updates, Rumors And Potential Surprises

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Oba Femi speaks during Monday Night RAW at Golden 1 Center on April 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

WWE via Getty Images

Highlights:

• A country music star is expected to find himself in the middle of a world championship main event.
• A former WWE figure could make a shocking appearance that no one saw coming.
• One of the most decorated veterans in company history was inserted into a match at the last minute.

There’s one more piece of WWE programming to drop before WrestleMania 42, and it's SmackDown on Friday from Las Vegas. It's the going home show and that normally means we'll see small details added going into the premium live event, but there could be even bigger things than normal in motion. Here's the latest updates, rumors and potential surprises causing conversation in the WWE universe.

WrestleMania 42 — Full Card

Night 1 — Saturday, April 19, 2026 | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas How to Watch: Peacock (US) | Netflix (International)

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton

• Six-Man Tag Team Match: Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) & LA Knight

• Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre — Unsanctioned Match

• Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan

• Women's Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch

• Women's Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way: Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Nikki & Brie Bella

Night 2 — Sunday, April 20, 2026 | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas How to Watch: Peacock (US) | Netflix (International)

• World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns

• WWE Women's Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

• "The Demon" Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio

• United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams

• IC Title Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio

• Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

What's the Latest on Celebrity Involvement?

Jelly Roll will almost certainly find himself in the middle of the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton main event on Saturday. Besides that, keep an eye on rapper and podcast personality Cam'Ron. Jey Uso was recently a guest on It Is What It Is and things got physical.

This could be a seed planted to add even more star power to the six-man tag that already features IShowSpeed and The Vision taking on The Usos and LA Knight. Dave Meltzer has reported Jelly Roll’s involvement as virtually a given, and the physical chemistry he's already shown on WWE TV makes a hands-on moment feel inevitable.

What Are the Key Injury and Card Concerns?

There are rumors and speculation about injuries surrounding the women’s title matches. Nothing is confirmed, but there's scuttlebutt discussing potential replacements should someone's injury force them out of WrestleMania 42.

WWE has built two flex slots into the 14-match target across both nights, which gives creative enough room to pivot if a late medical flag forces a change. The official listings remain unchanged heading into the go-home SmackDown.

What Surprises Could Still Be Coming?

Surprises are always a big part of WrestleMania weekend. There's some speculation Vince McMahon could make an appearance of some kind.

That would be shocking, but it’s 2026 and anything is possible. More mildly, perhaps Bianca Belair, Bron Breakker or an NXT call-up could shake things up.

Names like Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, Jacy Jayne, and Sol Ruca have been floated in rumor circles as candidates for main roster debuts, whether in open card slots or post-match moments that set the stage for the Mania fallout Raw.

What Are the Main Event Scenarios?

I fully expect Randy Orton to dethrone Cody Rhodes with help from Pat McAfee, but I'm also not ruling out The Rock returning and being the man behind McAfee.

As for Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk, it’s possible The Rock slots in there as well, but I'd be surprised if that match goes over without something crazy happening.

I think Reigns wins, but we'll see. Punk's pipe bomb on Raw blurred the line between reality and fiction in a way that makes almost any finish feel plausible — and that unpredictability is exactly what makes this WrestleMania feel different heading in.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com