411’s WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Preview

Hello Folx, and welcome to 411’s WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Preview! We are once again at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 42nd annual WrestleMania! This will be the third WrestleMania in Las Vegas, with last year’s event and WrestleMania IX being the other two.

It seems going back to Vegas has been a misstep for the WWE, as ticket sales have been slow. That might also have to do with ticket prices, because I think some of the prices would be a hard sell anywhere.

Another issue is that WrestleMania is a destination event. People fly in from all over the world to go. And anyone who went last year is probably less likely to want to go back to Vegas again this year.

The last issue would be the booking. While some of the matches have had great builds, things like Pat McAfee’s involvement in the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes match have probably done more harm than good.

Regardless, we are once again ready for the Showcase of the Immortals! Tonight, we will see LA Knight and The Usos continue their issues with The Vision as they take on Austin Theory, Logan Paul, and IShowSpeed! Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre look settle their issues, but their escalating violence has become too much for the company, so they will meet in an Unsanctioned match! Women’s Royal Rumble winner, Liv Morgan, will try to beat Stephanie Vaquer to win her third Women’s World Championship!

Becky Lynch is once again trying to get a win against AJ Lee and get the Women’s Intercontinental Championship back!! The Irresistible Forces of Nia Jax and Lash Legend will defend their Women’s Tag Team Championships against the teams of Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins!

While Seth Rollins is looking to destroy the Vision tonight, he has to try to beat the seemingly unstoppable Gunther! And in our main event, Randy Orton looks to win his 15th World Championship as he takes on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes!

LA Knight & The Usos vs. The Vision & IShowSpeed

Image Credit: WWE

LA Knight and The Usos have had issues with the Vision since it formed after last year’s WrestleMania. Of course, Logan Paul and Austin Theory weren’t in the group at the time. But with both Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker out injured, Knight and The Usos are getting the newer members.

The addition of IShowSpeed in this reeks of TKO’s attempt to garner views and fans through the involvement of streamers and influencers. While IShowSpeed had a brief moment in last year’s Royal Rumble, he hasn’t done anything else until a couple of weeks ago. I’m hoping he has been taking his training seriously, because he is getting a WrestleMania debut as part of a pretty big storyline.

Speed aside, I’m just glad Knight was able to get a match on this year’s show. It would have been better if Reed hadn’t been hurt, but Paul and Theory are pretty decent wrestlers. And Jimmy and Jey are back to doing what they do best, being a tag team. So, I expect this to at least be a fun and short match.

I’m going with Knight and The Usos for the win, especially if this opens the show. Nothing like a fun face win to pop the crowd and get them into the show early.

Winners: LA Knight & The Usos

Unsanctioned Match
Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre

Image Credit: WWE

Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre have had issues going back to January, when Fatu interfered in the Three Stages of Hell match. While his interference helped McIntyre win the Undisputed WWE Championship, these two have continued to attack one another.

While Rhodes has also been involved, he is busy tonight. So, that leaves these two to settle their score. The escalating violence has forced Nick Aldis to allow the match to happen, but he wouldn’t sanction it.

It’s been just over a year since our last Unsanctioned match, when Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had a hellacious match at Elimination Chamber.

These are two athletic and big men who know how to bring the brutality needed to sell this type of match. I have no doubt we are going to see some unique spots, crowd brawls, and creative weapon use.

Assuming the winner is going to be next in line for a title shot, and with McIntyre set to film the new Highlander movie, I think Fatu winning is the better choice. McIntyre can be written with a big spot. And Fatu can make a good match-up for either Rhodes or Orton.

Winner: Jacob Fatu

WWE Women’s World Championship
Liv Morgan vs Stephanie Vaquer

Image Credit: WWE

Liv Morgan won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble to earn a shot at Stephanie Vaquer.

There has been a nice escalation during this feud. With Morgan and Vaquer trading verbal shots each week, before blowing up into an all-out brawl. I’m looking forward to this match, as I think it has a chance to be the best women’s match this weekend.

Vaquer is one of the better in-ring talents, and Morgan is no slouch either. I fully expect Dom, JD, Raquel, and/or Roxanne to be involved in this match. It’s the Judgement Day way, and this match should be no different.

I am a bit torn on who wins, though. Because if Morgan wins, Raquel or Roxanne could win the Money in the Bank, leading to the end of Judgement Day. But you could also get there with some botched interference and then Roxanne or Raquel beating Vaquer at Backlash or over the Summer.

So, it really comes down to how they want to play the Judgement Day ladies splitting, and if they feel Vaquer’s time as champion is over. Vaquer has held the title since September, and she has been a decent champion. I could see her carrying it for a while longer, but now it seems like a good time to end her first reign.

I’m going with Morgan winning. It won’t be a clean win, and Vaquer will be able to move on to other things. Maybe they can move her to SmackDown to feud with Ripley, while bringing Guilia to Raw for some much-needed rehab.

Winner and new WWE Women’s World Champion: Liv Morgan

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Becky Lynch vs AJ Lee

Image Credit: WWE

These two have been feuding since the build to Wrestlepalooza, and so far, AJ is up 3-0. Lee and Punk beat Rollins and Lynch; Lee’s team beat Lynch’s team in WarGames (with Lee tapping out Lynch). And then Lee beat Lynch clean at Elimination Chamber.

Honestly, the only thing that keeps Lynch credible is that she is absolutely delusional and refuses to believe she has lost fairly. It’s her character work that has kept her in this feud. And if she loses here, I can’t see her being able to keep that going.

This feud has to end tonight. I don’t want to see Lynch beat Lee two more times so we can have a rubber match. I say this as a fan of both women. Please don’t keep this feud going after tonight.

The match at the Elimination Chamber was probably the best Lee has looked in her return. So, I’m expecting more of the same tonight. Lynch knows how to get the best out of someone, and while Lee is a step behind the current roster, she is still a decent wrestler.

I feel like Lynch has to win tonight; losing four straight would just feel bad. Also, Lee, as the champion, doesn’t have as many options for good matches. If Lynch wins it back, she can easily slot into feuds with IYO, Bayley, Giulia, and Valkyria.

The only match I can really see post Lynch for Lee would be Nattie. And while I want Nattie to have a run with the belt. I think that will come down the road. So, I’m calling this one for Lynch, and she can have her over-the-top celebration on Raw.

Winner and new WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion: Becky Lynch

Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs
The Bella Twins vs The Irresistible Forces

Image Credit: WWE

Two of these teams are excellent, one is surprisingly decent, and the other one is the Bella Twins. Niki and Brie weren’t great when they left, and they haven’t gotten any better. And putting them in there with a roster that has far outpaced even the original Women’s Evolution roster is just proving they didn’t need to come back.

On the other side, Jax has actually improved since she teamed up with Legen. I’m sure her work getting into better shape has also helped her. Not having to carry as much weight helps to prevent wear and tear and allows you to move better. I am actually enjoying the Irresistible Forces, and it’s been a good way of introducing Legend to the main roster, while keeping her out of the United States and Women’s Championship scenes.

While I don’t want anyone to be injured, a part of me hopes that Nikki and Brie get replaced by the Kabuki Warriors. It would be a better match overall, and all four teams have a history together. While it still leaves IYO without a match, she could be the one to cost the Kabuki Warriors the match to set up for Backlash.

Fantasy booking aside, I am thinking the best story is for Bayley and Valkyria to win here. It would bring the whole last year of storylines full circle. Bayley gets retribution for missing last year; she finally overcomes her demons, and here, Valkyria can hold the division down until Bayley is ready to take on Lynch for the Intercontinental Championship.

Winners and new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

Seth Rollins vs Gunther

Image Credit: WWE

Holy last-minute Batman. I understand injuries threw a lot of wrenches into this whole storyline; there is nothing they could have done about that. I also think this is a better match than Rey Mysterio vs Gunther. But they seriously could have gotten here a week or two earlier. After his match with Lee Gunther vanished for a couple of weeks. And Rollins kept messing with the Vision with no real retribution in sight.

So, I would have had the Gunther reveal a week or two earlier. If Seth wasn’t fully cleared, they could have figured out a safe spot with the Sleeper or something. Regardless, this is the match, and honestly, it could be the sleeper hit of the weekend. We all know how good both these men are, and I have faith they are going to put on one hell of a banger.

Gunther works in a very old school style, and Rollins can play off that well. I think this will have a lot of that old NWA feel, like Gunther’s match with Punk at SummerSlam. With a slow build that takes us on a rollercoaster of big moves and emotions. While Rollins is returning, a win could help to give him some momentum. I think Gunther winning is the way to go here. Just not cleanly, Rollins’ real issue isn’t with Gunther; Gunther is basically a hired gun here. His real issue is with Bron Breakker.

So, I’m predicting that just as Rollins is about to go for a second (or third) Stomp, he is going to get Speared out of his boots by Breakker. That will allow Gunther to pick up an easy win and set up Rollins and Breakker for the next few months.

Winner: Gunther

Undisputed WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

Image Credit: WWE

Orton earned this match by winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber match.

The build to this match had so many possibilities. And then Ari Emanuel had to stick his nose into the booking. Look, I’m not going to say that someone outside the business can’t understand it. But it’s a whole lot less likely. Ari decided to bring in Pat McAfee, and Nick Khan helped to write his promo that crapped on the current product. (Well, tried to crap on it, but then seemed to be calling out AEW and not the WWE.) This is Vince Russo’s level of asinine booking.

Russo’s booking in WCW proved that fans don’t want worked shoots. We don’t want people on the show to tell us how everything on it sucks. This is a terrible booking decision, and the fact that it’s for one of your main events at the biggest show of the year? That is just stupid, stupid, stupid. I’m hoping that Ari and Khan learn from this and let Triple H actually cook like he used to. But we know they won’t.

Regardless of the terrible booking going into the match, I do think Orton and Rhodes will be able to put on a great match. Well, they should be able to, but it depends on how much involvement we get from McAfee and the rumored Jelly Roll. Look, Jelly Roll actually works in this story; he was friends with Orton and even teamed with him at SummerSlam. But he should be used in the build, not trying to keep McAfee out of the match itself.

And now they’ve also booked themselves into a corner. Any result other than Rhodes leaving as champion is terrible for this story. We just ran Cena ruining wrestling last year. And now Orton is out to save wrestling by bringing it back to the Attitude era? Just ugh, no. Cody has to prevail here; he doesn’t need to rise against the odds again. He needs to beat Orton and send McAfee packing.

Winner and still Undisputed WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes