WWE WrestleMania 42 Predictions: Complete Night One and Night Two Breakdown

WrestleMania 42 is here. On episode 778 of Wrestling Uncensored, Dave Simon and Genesis Johnny North delivered their full WrestleMania 42 predictions for both nights — match by match, with picks and the reasoning behind each one. The show came directly off the WrestleMania SmackDown, which was light on wrestling but heavy on a few things that mattered: Randy Orton’s best promo of the entire McAfee angle, a CM Punk and Cody Rhodes moment that felt like a farewell, and a theory from Dave connecting Randy, Roman Reigns, and McAfee in a way that would reshape the entire post-Mania calendar. This is where those dots get connected.

Also on SmackDown: Royce Keys — formerly Powerhouse Will Hobbs in AEW — won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in just his second match on the main roster. It’s not a career-defining accolade historically, but for a guy who was going nowhere after the Royal Rumble, a WrestleMania-weekend win on the biggest stage means something. Whether WWE builds on it is a separate question. They usually don’t.

Randy Orton’s Best Promo of This Angle Had No Pat McAfee in It

The crowd told you everything you needed to know. When Randy Orton stood alone in the ring on WrestleMania SmackDown — no McAfee, no distractions, just a man with a microphone — they cheered. The moment his manager’s name came up, they booed. That’s the entire problem with this WrestleMania 42 predictions nightmare scenario in a single snapshot.

The promo itself was the sharpest argument for why Randy should win on Saturday. Cody Rhodes never asked for Randy’s help at WrestleMania. He replaced Randy with Seth Rollins. He gave Kevin Owens a title shot instead of Randy. And then Kevin Owens attacked Randy — because of Cody. The logic holds together cleanly, and hearing it delivered without McAfee playing the clown beside him was the clearest this story has been in weeks. “I thought that it was a decent job by Randy Orton to explain the story of this match and his motivations,” Dave said. “And I think that they did it on purpose. They said, ” Hey, maybe this isn’t working so well. We need to let Randy do some of the talking.”

The problem is structural. As a solo performer, Randy Orton is a babyface who can’t help being cheered. As a heel character using Pat McAfee as his mouthpiece, he’s supposed to draw heat — but McAfee lacks the sharp wit that made Bobby the Brain Heenan and Paul Heyman effective. Dave’s comparison was direct: “Pat McAfee has a boisterous personality. He’s kind of loud. But I don’t find him entertaining. Heyman is clever. He’s sometimes funny. Jimmy Hart is clever and funny. Good managers have a sense of humor and are sharp-witted. Pat McAfee doesn’t have that.” The commentary bar is low enough that McAfee passed the test as an announcer. As a wrestling heel manager on the road to WrestleMania, the gap is showing.

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Dave’s read on what comes next: “I don’t think this McAfee thing is over. I believe in the WWE wanting to do Jelly Roll and Cody Rhodes versus McAfee and Randy.” If that tag match is the plan for Backlash, then Randy wins on Saturday. The stipulation that McAfee leaves wrestling forever if Randy loses becomes a clever piece of misdirection — because if he’s wrestling at Backlash, the stipulation was never real.

The McAfee-Roman-Orton Faction Nobody Is Officially Confirming

Here’s the theory Dave laid out, and it tracks better than anything WWE has explicitly announced. Roman Reigns appeared in a viral video this week, cutting a promo in the back of a car, with a passenger in the front seat. From behind, the passenger looks remarkably like Randy Orton. Dave’s observation: “Not a lot of guys are that big and look like Randy Orton from the back.” Johnny hadn’t seen the video. When CM Punk walked out at the end of SmackDown — suited up for the WWE Hall of Fame, sharing a moment with Cody — Punk’s entrance happened almost exactly as Dave was making his point. Dave’s reaction: “What did I just say? What did I just say?”

The picture that emerges from those dots: Pat McAfee has spent weeks trading promos with CM Punk on television. Roman Reigns has spent months making clear he hates CM Punk. The end of SmackDown showed Punk and Cody — both champions — sharing the ring together for what felt like a last hurrah. If Randy is with Roman, and McAfee is managing both, then Saturday night and Sunday night are choreographed moves in the same storyline. Randy wins Night One with McAfee’s help. Roman wins Night Two with Randy and/or McAfee’s involvement. Two champions fall on the same weekend, and the faction that rises from it has the most heat WWE has generated in a single angle in a long time.

“I think something major will happen,” Dave said of the Punk-Roman main event. “I think a major angle will go down in this match. And unfortunately, I think it will involve Pat McAfee.” His preferred Backlash scenario over the celebrity tag: Roman and Randy versus Cody and Punk. “That’s a fun tag team match for Backlash. That’s a main event. I watch that.”

WrestleMania 42 Predictions — Night One Match by Match

The six-man tag opener puts The Vision — Logan Paul and Austin Theory, with Paul Heyman managing, alongside YouTube phenomenon iShowSpeed against The Usos and LA Knight. This is celebrity-showcase wrestling, which means the booking decision is as much about entertainment optics as it is about storyline logic. Dave goes with The Vision and iShowSpeed getting the win. Johnny goes with The Usos and LA Knight, noting that starting WrestleMania with the faces going over is standard WWE practice. They’re the only two hosts with different picks in this one on Night One’s opener.

Both agree on Jacob Fatu over Drew McIntyre in the unsanctioned match. Dave called it a potential show-stealer while acknowledging the build was “kind of lukewarm,” mostly due to Jacob’s long, winding promos that spend more words than they land ideas. “He says a lot of things like that. Get a calculator, do the math. And I’m like, all right. He says a lot of words, but there’s not a ton of substance.” In the ring, it’ll be different. Drew had his reign. Jacob hasn’t gotten his shot. The result should match that math — and this match is one of two being broadcast on ESPN2, which means WWE wants it to land with a mainstream audience.

On AJ Lee’s return versus Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, both go with Becky. The honest sentiment from the show: the match feels like it’s happening because Becky requested a WrestleMania win, not because the story demanded it. AJ came back to put someone over. Becky is the right person. The match makes sense; the excitement around it doesn’t quite match the stage. Johnny was blunter: “I don’t think we really needed this match at WrestleMania.” Still — Becky Lynch wins.

Stephanie Vaquer loses the Women’s World Championship to Liv Morgan — both hosts agree there too. Liv’s go-home Raw performance changed the conversation around this match in a way nobody expected. Coming in with genuine fire after being accidentally pushed into Roxanne Perez, black eyes and all, Liv Morgan looked like a completely different performer. Dave compared the moment to Becky Lynch’s bloody nose from Nia Jax: “A happy accident that actually worked in her favor.” She won the Royal Rumble. The formula says she wins here. The formula is right.

The Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way — Nia Jax and Lash Legend defending against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and Brie Bella with her still-TBD partner (Paige replacing the injured Nikki Bella is the strong rumor) — is the one where Dave’s son contributed an impressive stat: Charlotte wins even-numbered WrestleManias and loses the odd ones. WrestleMania 42 is an even number. Dave picks Charlotte and Bliss. So does Johnny, though he sees Nia and Lash as a legitimate possible retain. The tag-team dynamic between Nia and Lash is real — Dave called them “great” — but narratively, Charlotte winning at an even-numbered Mania is hard to argue with.

Seth Rollins versus Gunther is the match that went from generating no heat to generating genuine excitement based almost entirely on one Gunther promo on Raw. He told Seth directly: ” It’s not because of Paul Heyman, it’s because he hates the idea that anyone thinks Rollins is better in the ring. He is the best wrestler. He’s going to prove it. Dave’s response said it all: “I was like, ooh, yes. Gunther, you tell them.” Both pick Gunther. Dave acknowledges the pull toward Seth — it’s his return match, Roman likely wins Night Two, a Seth victory sets up potential summer feuds — but ultimately, Gunther’s current run makes losing counterproductive. “These are two of the top in-ring wrestlers, bell-to-bell wrestlers in the world,” Dave said. “I think the match will be very good.”

The main event. Dave picks Randy Orton. Johnny picks Cody Rhodes. Dave’s argument is structural: if the WrestleMania stipulation says McAfee leaves forever if Randy loses, and WWE is already reporting McAfee-Randy versus Cody-Jelly Roll for Backlash, then McAfee at Backlash means Randy wins Saturday. It’s clean logic. Johnny’s counter: WWE has been telegraphing the Randy win so hard all month that it reads like misdirection. “I think it’s one of those matches where they’re making you think that so much that it’s going to go the other way.” He also noted that Cody needs to successfully defend a title at WrestleMania — he’s won it there but never defended it on that stage. The match itself should deliver. “Cody versus Randy, I think, will deliver,” Dave said. That much is consensus.

WrestleMania 42 Predictions — Night Two Match by Match

Oba Femi versus Brock Lesnar is the night’s biggest split on this show. Dave picks Oba Femi. Johnny picks Brock Lesnar. The case for Oba is generational: he’s 27, Brock is 48, and a clean win over the Beast on the biggest stage credentialed him for the next decade of main-event programming. Dave was blunt: “Make him all the way. Have him beat Brock.” The concern is the promo game — Oba is performing a Nigerian accent that, as Dave noted, isn’t quite authentic and limits his ability to connect on the mic. He drew direct parallels to Kofi Kingston’s Jamaican accent and Lana’s Russian one. Both got dropped. “At this point, he’s too far into the gimmick,” Dave acknowledged. But the ring work, the presence, the reactions — those are all real. Johnny’s counter: “This isn’t the end game for Brock right here, just to lose. Brock doesn’t come back just for that.” Both arguments land. This is the coin-flip match of WrestleMania Night Two.

The Men’s Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match — Penta defending against Je’Von Evans, Rey Mysterio, Ilja Dragunov, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and JD McDonagh — is a consensus call: Je’Von Evans wins. WWE has been openly hinting that he will become the youngest IC champion in history. The ladder match gives him the theatrical, athletic moment that announces someone to the biggest crowd of the year. “This is where you start somebody right here,” Johnny said. He’s right. Evans has the athleticism to deliver a WrestleMania highlight reel moment. This should be one of the best matches of the two nights, purely from an entertainment standpoint.

Jade Cargill versus Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Championship splits the hosts again. Dave backs Jade to retain, with help from The Baddies — arguing that Backlash in Tampa needs main-event matches, and that a Rhea rematch at that show is ready-made. “Jade will win this one thanks to the Baddies. I think the Baddies will help. There’ll be some interference, and Jade will win.” Johnny goes with Rhea. His argument: “Rhea Ripley is the biggest star they have in the Women’s Division. It just makes sense to put the title on her on their biggest show.” Both hosts see a rematch as inevitable. The question is just which direction they go first.

Sami Zayn versus Trick Williams — with Lil Yachty in Trick’s corner — for the United States Championship produces one more split. Dave picks Sami to retain, sensing a full heel turn coming: his SmackDown promo was laced with frustration at the crowd for not being happy with him. “He seems like annoyed with the crowd. That’s when you turn on them.” Johnny goes with Trick Williams winning the US title, arguing WWE is clearly invested in making him a bigger star, and this is the coronation. This one is genuinely close.

Demon Finn Bálor versus Dominik Mysterio is the night’s simplest call. Both hosts pick Demon Finn. Johnny’s reasoning is sound: “Finn without the Demon, it’s pretty much over for him.” Dominik loses this one and lives to fight another day within Judgment Day. This is probably the match with the most obvious outcome on either card.

CM Punk versus Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship closes everything. Both hosts take Roman. The reasons stack: Roman has lost his last two WrestleManias. The entire McAfee-Randy-Roman theory points to interference. And the post-Mania Raw calendar makes more sense with Roman as the dominant champion heading into summer. “I think something major will happen,” Dave said. “I think a major angle will go down in this match.” Whatever form it takes, Night Two ends with Roman Reigns standing with the World Heavyweight Championship. Both hosts agree on that.

WrestleMania 42 Card — Full Predictions Summary

“It’s not because of Paul Heyman. It’s because I hate this idea that you think you’re better than me in the ring. I’m the best wrestler. I’m going to prove it at WrestleMania.” — Gunther, Raw go-home show, Wrestling Uncensored Ep. 778

Reality Check: WWE Might Crown Five New Champions This Weekend

The Reality: If Dave Simon’s WrestleMania 42 predictions hold across both nights, the weekend will produce the following title changes: Randy Orton wins the WWE Championship. Becky Lynch wins the Women’s Intercontinental title. Liv Morgan wins the Women’s World title. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss win the Women’s Tag titles. Then on Night Two: Je’Von Evans wins the Men’s IC ladder match. Roman Reigns takes the World Heavyweight title. That’s six title changes in two nights. Even a conservative version of these predictions lands at four or five new champions. WrestleMania is WWE’s annual reset button, and that’s a legitimate creative function — but Backlash is in Tampa just three weeks later, and you need something to sell. Title changes without direction are just hot potatoes. The real test isn’t Saturday or Sunday. It’s the Monday after, when Raw has to turn all this chaos into something with forward momentum.

Relive the moment that @DarbyAllin reached the top of the mountain and became AEW World Champion!

Watch the #AEWDynamite: Spring BreakThru replay RIGHT NOW on @SportsOnMAX! pic.twitter.com/0fa2lyXxee

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 17, 2026

AEW Dynasty’s Biggest Moment Happened Two Days After the Show

While WWE dominated every conversation this week, Darby Allin became the new AEW World Champion on Dynamite — in his hometown of Everett, Washington, with Sting watching from ringside — and it was one of the best feel-good moments in AEW’s history. Dave has been calling for Darby to get this run for years. It finally happened.

The setup came from AEW Dynamite, where Darby Allin won a match to earn a world title shot, then announced on the pay-per-view that he wanted the shot immediately — Wednesday night in Everett, at the start of Dynamite. MJF objected. Management moved it to the main event instead. When it finally happened, Darby hit four Coffin Drops and then pinned MJF with a headlock takeover — the same move MJF had used to beat Darby years earlier. Full-circle storytelling, in a hometown building, with his mentor Sting at ringside. Dave’s reaction: “I’m thrilled with this move from AEW. I think it’s great.”

The criticism has been that Darby isn’t a physical heavyweight. Dave addressed it with the same logic that applies to Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and any high-risk performer who compensates for size with something nobody else in the industry offers: “Darby Allen offers something that no one else provides in professional wrestling. It is a full-on car crash style that leaves you wondering how he is still walking after almost every one of his matches. He is an unreal performer.” Nobody who actually watches Darby Allin thinks he shouldn’t be champion. As Dave put it: “Watch for two minutes and be amazed.”

As for AEW Dynasty itself — a very good pay-per-view stretched into an offensive runtime. Dave and Johnny both enjoyed it while agreeing it was at least ninety minutes too long. MJF versus Kenny Omega was the match of the night, a forty-minute war with genuinely frightening spots, including a top-rope One-Winged Angel and multiple tombstone-style sequences. “Very athletic match. Really impressive,” Dave said. “But exactly as advertised, exactly as expected.” The Young Bucks defeated Okada and Konosuke Takeshita in a strong opener. And Will Ospreay retained the AEW Continental Championship over Jon Moxley. The show ran four and a half hours. Dave’s rule: “Four is your max. Anything over four is offensive.” AEW cleared that bar in the wrong direction.

WrestleMania 42 Predictions — Frequently Asked Questions