WrestleMania 42 Card Update: Why Sami Zayn Has a Match and Gunther Still Doesn’t

The biggest WrestleMania 42 card update of the week dropped on Friday night’s SmackDown, and it tells you everything you need to know about where WWE’s head is at right now. Two new matches were made official — Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre in an unsanctioned match and Sami Zayn defending the United States Championship against Trick Williams — while Cody Rhodes finally returned to confront Randy Orton. That’s the good news. The bad news? With three weeks of television left before the biggest show of the year, the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther still doesn’t have a match booked. We’ve been talking about WWE’s depth problem for weeks, and SmackDown didn’t exactly put those concerns to rest.

Dave Simon and Genesis Johnny North — fresh off winning the Project X World Championship in Sudbury — broke down the entire show on the 775th episode of Wrestling Uncensored. From the controversial finish to the US Title match to the head-scratching Bella Twins segment to AEW Dynasty shaping up to potentially blow WrestleMania away, they covered it all with the kind of analysis you won’t find on the corporate wrestling sites.

Johnny North Wins Project X World Championship

Before diving into SmackDown, the show opened with a personal celebration. Genesis Johnny North won the Project X World Championship in Sudbury, Ontario, defeating former Elite member Marty Scurll to capture the gold. The booking was supposed to see Sin Cara challenge Scurll, but Sin Cara couldn’t get across the border — so Johnny cashed in his X Factor briefcase and made the most of the opportunity. “In terms of matches I’ve had over the years, it’s the match that definitely stands out the most,” Johnny said. “To wrestle someone like an Elite member, it’s totally different than what I’m used to.”

Dave was genuinely emotional about it, and rightfully so. This is a guy who drives hours through Canadian snowstorms, performs for crowds of 500-600 people, and does it because he loves the craft. In a world where we’re watching WWE performers make millions, there’s something pure about a guy like Johnny North winning a title in front of fans who dress up as him, paint their faces for him, and treat him like their hero. “You should appreciate the big moments because they don’t come all the time,” Dave said. “That’s why they’re big.” Johnny defends the title next on May 9th in Sudbury.

This Week’s WrestleMania 42 Card Update Changes Everything for Sami Zayn

The biggest development on SmackDown was Sami Zayn capturing the United States Championship from Carmelo Hayes in a controversial finish. Trick Williams — who had been feuding with both Sami and Carmelo — tried to retaliate against Sami for a backstage punch earlier in the night. He missed. Hit Carmelo instead. Sami capitalized, hit the Helluva Kick, and became the new US Champion. Nick Aldis immediately made it official: Sami Zayn versus Trick Williams for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42.

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“Who would have thought Sami Zayn would have a match booked for WrestleMania before Gunther?” Dave said during the SmackDown wrap-up, and that sentence captures the entire problem with this card in one breath. Sami deserves to be at WrestleMania — nobody’s arguing that. He’s a veteran who has earned his spot. But the fact that a midcard title feud got resolved and booked while the World Heavyweight Champion is sitting at home waiting for a phone call tells you something is fundamentally off with the booking right now.

Johnny made a sharp observation about the Carmelo Hayes situation: the storyline going into SmackDown was Carmelo versus Trick for the US Title shot. Sami wasn’t even supposed to have a match. He hijacked the whole thing, won the belt, and now Carmelo — who carried the division for months — doesn’t even factor into WrestleMania. “It sucks for Carmelo, but Sami should be on Mania,” Johnny said. That’s the truth, even if it stings.

Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre: An Unsanctioned Match Nobody Asked For

The other match made official this week was Jacob Fatu versus Drew McIntyre, an unsanctioned bout at WrestleMania 42. On paper, it makes sense — these two have been circling each other, and the Cody Rhodes situation pushed Drew into a different direction. But there’s a problem: Fatu doesn’t seem all that excited about it.

Dave caught an interview where Fatu was talking about the match, and the energy wasn’t there. “He seemed disappointed that his match was just him and Drew at Mania. He seemed not too thrilled with Drew,” Dave noted. And you can understand why. Fatu was involved in the world title picture. He cost Cody the championship. He helped Drew win it. His trajectory suggested a main event spot, not an unsanctioned grudge match with a guy he doesn’t have a deeply personal history with.

The “unsanctioned” stipulation itself drew some eye-rolls. As Dave put it: “You’re putting this on your biggest show of the year, a match you don’t sanction. We want nothing to do with this match, but we’re putting it on WrestleMania.” Johnny prefers “no holds barred,” and honestly, so do we. The match will probably be good — both guys can go — but the framing feels like WWE is overselling the violence to compensate for the feud lacking the emotional depth it needs.

Giulia and Tiffany Stratton: A Complicated Path to WrestleMania

Giulia defeated Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown via small package after Kiana James provided a distraction at ringside. Dave initially assumed this was a US Women’s Championship match, but it turned out to be a non-title “prove yourself” situation — which raises the question: why does Tiffany Stratton need to prove herself for a US Title shot when she defended the World Championship against Charlotte Flair at last year’s WrestleMania?

The match itself had a rough spot — Giulia took a nasty bump that had both Dave and Johnny wincing on the live call. Nikki Bella caught her during a spot that didn’t look clean. But the bigger picture here is Giulia continuing to establish herself as a credible champion while Tiffany presumably works her way back into the title conversation for the biggest WrestleMania 42 card update still to come in the women’s division.

Cody Rhodes Returns — But Does Anyone Care About This Feud?

Cody Rhodes made his return to SmackDown in the final segment of the night, arriving fashionably late — with about 10 minutes left in the show — to confront Randy Orton. Security tried to stop him. He pushed through. He and Orton brawled through security guards, fought to the announce table, and eventually, Jelly Roll of all people tried to play peacemaker before eating an RKO for his troubles. That’s how SmackDown ended: Randy Orton RKO-ing a country music star while Jelly Roll convulsed in the ring with what Dave charitably described as “some pretty bad selling.”

“It doesn’t have real intensity,” Dave said about the Cody-Orton build. “They try to create this intensity, and it’s just not really there.” That’s been the recurring theme with this feud. The match itself will probably be good at WrestleMania — both guys are excellent workers — but the road there has felt manufactured rather than organic. The security guard brawl, the late arrival, the Jelly Roll involvement — it’s all surface-level heat with no genuine animosity underneath.

WrestleMania 42 Confirmed Card and What’s Still Missing

That’s eight official matches with three weeks of TV left. Dave and Johnny estimated two to four more will be added, potentially bringing the total to twelve across two nights — roughly six or seven per night. The women’s tag four-way is almost certainly happening after the Bella Twins won a tag match on SmackDown (Bellas, Charlotte & Alexa, Bayley & Lyra, and Nia Jax & Lash Legend are the likely teams). IYO SKY vs Asuka feels inevitable given the Kairi Sane storyline, and Dominik vs Finn Balor has been building for months without being made official, which is puzzling.

Gunther’s WrestleMania Problem Is WWE’s Biggest Blind Spot

“IYO SKY is somebody that should be on WrestleMania. A couple of other people that don’t have matches so far — LA Knight and Gunther. What’s up with that?” Dave asked, and it’s the question every fan should be asking. The World Heavyweight Champion has been conspicuously absent from television, and the reason is ugly: Rey Mysterio reportedly has a rib injury that may prevent him from working WrestleMania.

If Rey can’t go, Gunther is left without a dance partner for the biggest show of the year. Dave and Johnny brainstormed alternatives: maybe a confrontation with a legend — The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, or even Chris Jericho showing up to get chopped. “I’d give Gunther some kind of promo and then a confrontation with a legend that they can pull out where Gunther beats up some legend of the business,” Dave suggested. Johnny agreed that The Undertaker would be the best option. But none of those are real matches, and a guy who just retired John Cena deserves better than a glorified segment at WrestleMania.

LA Knight is in a similar limbo. He was reportedly supposed to face Brock Lesnar, but those plans changed when Oba Femi entered the picture. Now, Knight is tangled up with the Usos in a storyline that has no clear WrestleMania destination. “He exists, but that’s about it,” Dave said. “It’s weird because he’s over. You would think he’d have a spot.”

The Bella Twins Return and the Women’s Tag Mess

The Bella Twins defeated Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss in a tag match on SmackDown, but the finish was a disaster. Lash Legend punched Alexa Bliss right in front of the referee — who clearly saw it — and there was no disqualification. “The ref sees that. They’re not even trying to distract the referee,” Dave said. Johnny, who is notoriously strict about match logic, was livid.

More concerning was what happened after the match. All the babyface women were in the ring together — Brie, Charlotte, Alexa, Lyra, and Bayley — but Nikki Bella was notably absent, staying outside the ring. The commentary didn’t mention it. Then Charlotte randomly pushed Brie, which felt like a last-minute audible. “Where’s the other Bella Twin?” Dave asked. The speculation is that Nikki may have aggravated an injury — her history with neck problems is well documented — and the post-match was adjusted on the fly. If Nikki is hurt, the WrestleMania women’s tag four-way becomes even more complicated.

The Oba Femi–Brock Lesnar Paradox

Paul Heyman cut a promo on Raw this week listing all the men Brock Lesnar has defeated at WrestleMania — Goldberg, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and John Cena — which was interesting for who it included (Dean Ambrose, now Jon Moxley in AEW; Bobby Lashley, also in AEW) and who it didn’t. “One name he didn’t mention — Omos,” Dave laughed. “They want everybody to forget that happened.” Fair point. Especially when you’re pushing another Nigerian big man against Brock at WrestleMania.

The real question is whether Oba Femi wins. He’s been dominating Brock in recent weeks — powerbomb one week, clothesline over the top rope the next — which actually has Dave worried. “Oba keeps getting all the wins over Brock. You think Brock is just going to take beatings and then lose at Mania? I don’t think so. F5, 1-2-3,” Dave predicted. Johnny disagreed, arguing Oba needs the win more than Brock does. “They’ll probably argue that losing will help Oba in the end,” Johnny said. “I can understand that point, but you’ll get him off to a better start if he gets that win at Mania.” This is classic WWE — giving a rising star the spotlight but not the victory, treating WrestleMania as a proving ground rather than a coronation.

WWE Hall of Fame: Sid Vicious and Bad News Allen Deserve Better

WWE announced that Sid Vicious and Bad News Allen will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing at WrestleMania 42 weekend. Dave’s reaction was telling: happy they’re being recognized, frustrated by the format. “Kind of annoying that they give Dennis Rodman a real induction and Sid just gets a video package,” Dave said. The Legacy Wing doesn’t include a formal induction speech or acceptance — just a tribute package. For two legitimate legends of the business, that feels insufficient.

Sid main-evented WrestleMania twice, held the WWF and WCW Championships, and was one of the most terrifying big men in wrestling history. Bad News Allen was an Olympic judo medalist who came up through Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling and was one of the most legitimately dangerous performers in the business. Both men deserved full Hall of Fame inductions while they were alive. “You get to induct them before you have to put them in the Legacy Wing, right?” Dave said. That’s the lesson WWE keeps refusing to learn.

AEW Dynasty Could Embarrass WrestleMania’s Undercard

While WWE struggles to fill its WrestleMania 42 card update with meaningful matches, AEW is quietly stacking Dynasty in Vancouver with three bouts that are each individually better than half the WrestleMania card: MJF defending the AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley versus Will Ospreay one-on-one, and FTR defending the AEW Tag Team Championships against Edge and Christian. “Damn,” Dave said when he listed them out. “Better than Mania.”

The timing is brutal for WWE. Dynasty falls during WrestleMania week — the Sunday before WrestleMania Saturday. Fans will watch Dynasty, see three potential match-of-the-year candidates, and then, six days later, potentially sit through Cody-Orton and a celebrity match with Jelly Roll. The comparison won’t be kind.

Kenny Omega looked phenomenal in his match against Swerve Strickland on Dynamite — Dave called it the best wrestling match of the week. “He was fast. The moves were very crisp,” Johnny said. “It shows me that Kenny is really on his game.” With Dynasty in Vancouver, Kenny’s hometown, the crowd will be nuclear for an Omega world title win. Dave’s prediction: Kenny beats MJF in April, holds the belt through summer, and drops it to Ospreay at All In in August. “This might be one of your last shots to put it on a very healthy Kenny who’s performing at 100% top level,” Dave argued. Hard to disagree.

AEW’s Women’s Division Is in Trouble Without Toni Storm

The AEW women’s division took a massive hit this week with confirmation that Toni Storm — the 2025 Wrestler of the Year — will be gone for the rest of 2026. On-screen, they’re running a “Who killed Toni Storm?” mystery angle. Off-screen, reports say it’s not an injury, but nobody knows the reason. Speculation ranges from pregnancy to movie roles, but nothing is confirmed.

With Toni gone and Mercedes Moné also missing in action, the division is thin. “No Tony and no Mercedes,” Dave said. “It really shows you that the division revolves around a couple of stars and then everybody else is just existing,” Johnny suggested, bringing back Britt Baker, who has been absent for over 300 days, but Baker apparently said in an interview she’ll wrestle this year — just not in AEW. Rough timing for Tony Khan’s women’s division.

Chris Jericho: Winnipeg or Bust

AEW runs three shows in Western Canada over the next two weeks — Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver for Dynasty. Chris Jericho, the Winnipeg native, has been absent from AEW for months, and the speculation is rampant: Does he show up in his hometown? “If we don’t see Jericho in any of these Canadian shows, I don’t think we’ll ever see him in AEW again,” Johnny predicted. Dave is 50-50 on it, noting that many fans expected Jericho in the Royal Rumble for a retirement match against Gunther at WrestleMania. That obviously didn’t happen, but a Dynasty appearance in Vancouver isn’t out of the question.

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