WWE WrestleMania 42 predictions: 2026 card breakdown with picks for Night 1, Night 2 matches

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)

McIntyre's ceiling and floor are set. He's a main event heel who can slot into the world title picture, and even hold it briefly. It would take a lot to shake his baseline in either direction. That's why Fatu needs to win. "The Samoan Werewolf" was on track for an undisputed WWE title program with Rhodes before getting injured last year. A win is an important step to getting back there. Pick: Jacob Fatu wins -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

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

Vaquer is a fantastic wrestler, but Morgan has seemed destined to return to the title since returning from injury, which winning the Royal Rumble only further cemented. Morgan also has ways to win that don't hurt Vaquer much, such as interference from Raquel Rodriguez. There is a wild card at play in Roxanne Perez, who is seemingly ready to turn on Morgan and break away from Judgment Day. Despite that, a Morgan win is still the likely outcome. Pick: Liv Morgan wins the title -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

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

Giving Lee a title run of any sort was nice, but it was never something that felt destined to be a long-term play. It's a little bit funny that after winning the belt, Lee gave a fiery promo about being a fighting champion, only to make a single defense heading into WrestleMania. Lynch represents a more consistent presence as champion, something the women's intercontinental title needs at this point. Lee's run should come to an end on Saturday. Pick: Becky Lynch wins the title -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

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

Bayley and Valkyria are the only fresh options. The defending champions aren't an interesting unit. Bliss and Flair have already accomplished their goal of rehabilitating Flair's image. The Bella Twins probably won't be here for long, especially after Nikki's potential ankle injury. Bayley and Valkyria are aimless after the Lynch saga. Winning the titles gives them much-needed stability. Pick: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria win the titles -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Seth Rollins vs. Gunther

Rollins needs momentum post-WrestleMania if WWE wants to salvage The Vision storyline. The stable has been ravaged by injuries. The only two remaining members, Paul and Theory, aren't even part of the original unit. Gunther has been boxed in by his legend-killer persona, further driving home why Rollins is the best option. Pick: Seth Rollins wins -- Mahjouri

Obviously, the original plan was Rollins vs. Bron Breakker before Breakker was injured. This led to a kind of disjointed story where Gunther helped Paul Heyman but not to work with Heyman, just because he has "personal issues" with Rollins, which turned out to be that it's "personal" that Rollins thinks he's a better wrestler. Regardless, these two are capable of putting on a match that steals the weekend. In the end, I lean toward a Gunther victory, likely with a returning Breakker costing Rollins the match. Pick: Gunther wins -- Brookhouse

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

It doesn't feel like the outcome here matters. WWE's obsession with celebrity crossovers has spoiled what should have been a straightforward, story-rich feud. Saturday's result, one way or another, probably spins off into a tag team match involving Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll. There might also be a mastermind pulling the strings. I'll give the nod to Orton so that he can enjoy a 15th world title reign, but either result is a means to an end. Pick: Randy Orton wins the title -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

WrestleMania 42 Night 2 predictions

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

This might be the most anticipated match of the weekend. It's a throwback monster vs. monster encounter that jumps off the poster. It's been almost a decade since a superstar under 30 has won a world title. That's a far cry from the days when Lesnar, Orton and John Cena were coming up. Femi, 27, has the chance to break that cycle. Beating Lesnar goes a long way to accomplishing that. Pick: Oba Femi -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Intercontinental Championship -- Penta (c) vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio (Ladder Match)

Not many superstars in the modern era captured fan imagination as quickly as Penta did. It arguably took too long for him to win the intercontinental title, and it'd be a shame for him to lose it so quickly. Evans might be the future, but Penta needs to be the present. Pick: Penta retains the title -- Mahjouri

Evans feels like a solid pick for a "surprise" win, though not that surprising. He's young, exciting and the kind of wrestler who can really show out in a ladder match. A minor "WrestleMania Moment" win for the youngster feels appropriate. Pick: Je'Von Evans wins the title -- Brookhouse

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

Cargill's new goons serve no purpose if she loses the title. I believe they were introduced to give Cargill a convenient win over Ripley, one of WWE's most talented and popular stars. The champ's new faction is one of WWE's better creative decisions lately. Cargill has the star power to carry the title and the power moves to win. What she lacks is the wrestling skill to believably get to the finish line. B-Fab and Michin are perfect fodder to protect her: taking beatings and stealing wins. Pick: Jade Cargill retains the title -- Mahjouri

Cargill just hasn't really worked out as a top champion, plus there are constant rumors of her clashing with the locker room behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Ripley could benefit from a change of scenery by moving over to SmackDown with a title victory. If Ripley remains on Raw and Morgan takes the women's world championship, you're stuck running back a tired program between the two (not that WWE has had any hesitation about running things into the ground over the past few years). Ripley getting a win solves many issues on both shows. Pick: Rhea Ripley wins the title -- Brookhouse

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

I'm at a loss with Zayn. WWE has effectively neutered one of the company's most beloved and enduring underdogs. How many times can WWE tease Zayn finally winning the big one, only to get cold feet and toss him a midcard title instead? The creative team has unintentionally turned fans against Zayn by having him stunt other rising stars. Zayn is only here because WWE believes Williams gets a bigger rub from taking the title from Zayn as opposed to Carmelo Hayes. Pick: Trick Williams wins the title -- Mahjouri (Brookhouse)

Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio

The smarter long-term move might be to have Mysterio win with the help of his Judgment Day teammates and force Balor into chasing a rematch Mysterio doesn't want to give. But Balor scoring a clean victory wouldn't be a big misstep. If Balor is going to win, he should win a very one-sided match that shows why Mysterio should have continued to learn from the accomplished veteran, but that's not really how WWE approaches matches. Either way ... Pick: Finn Balor wins -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

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

My head says Reigns is once again world champion at the end of Sunday night, possibly with the help of The Usos or even The Rock. However, the more interesting play is for Punk to retain the title and force Reigns to deal with coming up short. Does anyone really want to see the return of The Bloodline? Reigns is around so infrequently that you almost need him back with The Usos so that there's someone around to represent the champion on television. Reigns winning is the boring option, and I'm not picking the boring option. Pick: CM Punk retains the title -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)