CM Punk’s difficult WrestleMania 42 weekend extended well past the final bell, with a tense confrontation at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino caught on video in the hours after his loss to Roman Reigns.
According to footage obtained by TMZ, Punk got into an altercation with a fan in the hotel lobby just after midnight. The incident began when the fan was filming Bayley as she embraced someone nearby. Punk intervened and knocked the fan’s phone down.
Ace Steel was also present and stepped in to keep the situation from escalating further as security rushed over to separate everyone involved. The fan, who initially appeared upset, quickly backed off and apologized multiple times before leaving the area. The confrontation did not turn into a physical fight, but the tension in the footage is clear.
Punk had already been seen backstage at Allegiant Stadium looking worn down after the loss, with the Night Two main event defeat to Reigns visibly hitting him hard. The lobby incident added another difficult chapter to an already painful night.
Reigns pinned Punk in the WrestleMania 42 Night Two main event to capture the World Heavyweight Championship, ending Punk’s title reign and capping off a weekend that did not go the way the Best in the World had planned.
Pat McAfee is done with WWE, and his wife made it official on Instagram Saturday morning.
Following Randy Orton’s loss to Cody Rhodes in the WrestleMania 42 Night One main event, McAfee’s wife posted to her Instagram story confirming it was the first morning since 2017 that her husband was completely out of the wrestling business. The post put into effect the stipulation McAfee had placed on himself before the show, when he publicly vowed that if Orton failed to win the Undisputed WWE Championship, he would walk away from WWE for good.
Orton lost. The stipulation went into effect. McAfee is out.
The send-off was not a quiet one. McAfee absorbed punishment during the Night One main event, taking a Cross Rhodes from Cody Rhodes, going through a table courtesy of Jelly Roll, and being stretchered out of the arena. He returned to the ring later in the match only to receive an RKO from Orton himself. Despite all of it, McAfee was spotted later that night at a 50 Cent concert with Tyrese Haliburton, still wearing a neck brace.
McAfee had been part of WWE in various capacities since 2017, most prominently as a SmackDown commentator and occasional in-ring performer.
Rhodes himself had addressed the McAfee involvement in the Rhodes vs. Orton build directly on SmackDown in an unscripted promo, while CM Punk called McAfee a tourist who forgot he was invited into the business. Whether McAfee’s departure marks a permanent exit from the wrestling world or simply the end of his WWE run remains to be seen.
Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night One main event of WrestleMania 42, but new reports reveal the outcome was far from settled heading into the weekend.
According to Fightful Select, there was heavy internal consideration given to Orton winning the title at WrestleMania 42. The decision to keep the championship on Rhodes was ultimately made in the final weeks leading up to the show.
Bodyslam goes further, with sources indicating that Orton was initially scheduled to become the Undisputed WWE Champion at WrestleMania before the plan was changed within the last few weeks of the build.
The post-match angle that followed the main event appears to have been designed with the feud’s continuation in mind. Per Bodyslam, WWE was already aware the rivalry between Rhodes and Orton was going to continue beyond WrestleMania, which is why the company ran a post-match segment to advance that direction rather than pulling the trigger on the title change at this point in the story.
Orton was chasing his 15th world title, which would have tied Ric Flair for second-most in WWE history, and Pat McAfee was in his corner with his wrestling television career on the line. The decision to keep the title on Rhodes suggests WWE sees more chapters left in this program before it ends.
The Randy Orton storyline at WrestleMania 42 almost looked completely different, and the version fans saw was not the original creative pitch. According to PWInsider, WWE’s early plans for Orton’s WrestleMania role centered around Aleister Black rather than Pat McAfee, with a much darker psychological concept at the heart of the story.
“A pitch for Orton’s WrestleMania role back in January involved SmackDown star Aleister Black tormenting Orton, trying to bring out the old Apex Predator version of Orton,” the report states.
The concept was built around Black targeting Orton in the weeks leading into WrestleMania, attempting to prove that Orton had never truly changed from his most dangerous self. The story would have escalated into a WrestleMania weekend match between the two, with Orton wrestling with an internal struggle throughout and hesitating at a critical moment.
“The idea was that if Black succeeded, it would prove Orton had never changed or evolved and was still the old Orton deep inside. The idea was that Black and Orton would face off Mania weekend, with Orton hesitating to use his punt kick and likely losing,” the report notes.
The pitch did not end there. A post-match angle was planned that would have tied directly into the Cody Rhodes storyline, with Orton ultimately snapping and using the punt kick on Rhodes to prove Black right all along.
“But then later attack Cody Rhodes as a WrestleMania angle, using the punt to bring back the old Apex Predator and prove Black right all along,” according to the report.
The core of the idea survived the creative process even as the vehicle for it changed entirely. McAfee’s role replaced Black’s in the manipulation of Orton, and the end result remained the same: the return of the Apex Predator, the punt kick on Rhodes, and Orton embracing his dangerous persona.
“So, at some point, McAfee’s role effectively replaced the pitched version featuring Black,” PWInsider noted.
It remains unclear how far the Black and Orton pitch progressed through WWE’s creative process before the direction shifted. What is clear is that the destination stayed the same even as the road to get there changed completely.
The origin of Cody Rhodes’ eye injury at WrestleMania 42 night one has been revealed.
According to PWInsider, it was a Randy Orton punch that caught Rhodes and opened him up, occurring right before the eyepoke spot that led into Orton hitting an RKO on referee Charles Robinson during the closing sequence of their Undisputed WWE Championship match.
Rhodes’ eye swelled shut following the bout. He was subsequently placed in concussion protocol and pulled from a scheduled WWE World appearance and photo session on Sunday. There is currently no update on his condition beyond what was visible at the post-show.
Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship by hitting the Cross Rhodes despite being bloodied and visibly impaired in the match’s final moments. After the victory, Orton attacked him with the title and delivered a punt kick, leaving Rhodes laid out on the canvas.
Paige is back in WWE, and she is a champion again. The former Divas Champion made a surprise return at WrestleMania 42 on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, replacing an injured Nikki Bella and capturing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Brie Bella in the Fatal Four-Way.
The moment carried an unmistakable echo of Paige’s WWE origin story. When she made her main roster debut on the Raw after WrestleMania 30 in 2014, she won the Divas Championship from AJ Lee in her first match. Twelve years later, in her first WWE match back after an eight-year absence, she walked out with gold again.
Nikki Bella Personally Introduced Her Replacement
The Bella Twins’ music hit during the match’s intros, but only Nikki walked out, wearing a walking boot and using a crutch. She told the Allegiant Stadium crowd that she was unable to compete and had called in an old friend to make sure her sister Brie still had her WrestleMania moment.
That friend was Paige, who had not stepped into a WWE ring since December 27, 2017. Her appearance had been heavily rumored throughout Friday after PWInsider first reported she had signed a multi-year contract and was hidden in Las Vegas all week for rehearsals.
The match featured champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend (c) defending against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the Bella and Paige team. The finish came after Nikki Bella got involved at ringside, yanking Charlotte Flair out of the ring and striking her with a crutch as Alexa Bliss climbed the ropes for a Twisted Bliss.
The distraction allowed Paige to get her knees up, blocking the move. She then hit her finisher on Bliss to score the pinfall and win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships for herself and Brie Bella.
Paige and the Bella Twins celebrated together in the ring after the bell, a full-circle moment for three women whose last shared WrestleMania appearance came as opponents in 2015.
Paige had not competed in a WWE ring since taking a kick to the back during a house show match against Sasha Banks at Nassau Coliseum in late 2017. She lost feeling in her extremities, and WWE doctors ruled her medically unable to compete in January 2018. She was 25 years old and believed her in-ring career was over.
She remained with WWE in non-wrestling roles, including a stint as SmackDown General Manager and as the manager for the Kabuki Warriors, until her contract expired in June 2022. She then signed with AEW under her real name Saraya, was eventually cleared to wrestle again, and captured the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In London in 2023. Her AEW deal expired in March 2025.
A Full-Circle Night With AJ Lee
The booking carried added weight given who else returned to a WrestleMania stage on Saturday. Paige’s last WrestleMania match before tonight came at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, when she teamed with AJ Lee to defeat Nikki and Brie Bella. AJ Lee retired the following night and did not appear on a WrestleMania card again until tonight, when she defends the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch.
Both Divas-era stars are back on the same WrestleMania for the first time in 11 years. This time, Paige stood beside the Bellas instead of across from them, and walked out a champion.
By late 2017 she had fought through all of it and was back at the WWE Performance Center preparing for a television return, appearing on Raw as part of the Absolution faction with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville before the injury closed the door again just weeks later.
Chelsea Green has cleared up the confusion surrounding her ankle injury, explaining why she can walk normally despite breaking her ankle and why that still does not mean she is anywhere close to returning to the ring.
Speaking to The Sportster on April 18, Green addressed questions circulating about why she is not wearing a boot or appearing more visibly sidelined.
“So, the ankle is confusing, and I never know how to answer because everyone is like, ‘Well, why aren’t you in the boot?’” Green said.
She broke down the specific nature of the fracture, explaining that the location of the break is what makes her situation appear less severe than it actually is for an in-ring performer.
“Look — I broke my ankle, but I broke it on the side, which means it is weight-bearing. I’m okay to walk. However, there’s more nuance to wrestling than just running straight and walking. So it is still painful, but I can live my life normally — it’s just, unfortunately, I can’t wrestle normally,” Green said.
She offered one encouraging update, revealing that this week marked a small but meaningful milestone in her recovery. “But I hope to be back really soon, because this is my first week in heels.”
Green is missing in-ring action at WrestleMania 42 due to the injury, staying involved through media appearances and backstage work while she continues to recover. The former Women’s United States Champion had been building momentum on SmackDown before the setback.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is in Las Vegas for WrestleMania weekend, and he is already doing what he does best.
A video surfaced on April 18 showing Austin at Fuel Bar in Las Vegas, chugging multiple cans of beer while a crowd gathered around him and cheered him on. The bar acknowledged the appearance on social media.
“There is nothing better than Stone Cold Steve Austin showing up at your bar! Hell Yeah!! Don’t forget to stop by Fuel Bar to experience the fun and drinks for yourself while you’re in town for WrestleMania,” the bar wrote.
The sighting confirms Austin is in Las Vegas right now and aligns directly with earlier reports from Bodyslam indicating he is scheduled to be backstage at WrestleMania 42. Whether his involvement extends to an on-screen appearance remains unconfirmed, but his presence in the city during the busiest weekend of the WWE calendar adds significant weight to the speculation.
Austin also has meet and greet appearances scheduled at WWE World on both Saturday and Sunday, further cementing his involvement in the WrestleMania 42 weekend experience even if his role inside Allegiant Stadium has not been officially announced.
WrestleMania 42 Night One takes place tonight, April 18, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States with the first hour airing on ESPN2. Night Two follows tomorrow, April 19.
John Cena knows what it is like to be on the verge of release before everything clicks, and he used that perspective to highlight Chelsea Green as a performer who embodies the mentality required to survive and thrive in WWE.
Speaking to The Undertaker and Michelle McCool on Six Feet Under, Cena drew on his own early career experience to make the point. Cena made a memorable debut against Kurt Angle but was lost in the shuffle shortly after and, by his own account, was nearly released before reinventing himself as the Doctor of Thuganomics. That character became the launching pad for a decade at the top of the company.
The lesson he took from that experience is one he sees Green applying in real time.
“There are performers like Chelsea Green, who is a great example, of taking an inch and making it a mile, and not being afraid to commit to what is right for business,” Cena said.
The Undertaker has also publicly declared his support for Green, making her something of a favorite among WWE’s most respected legends.
Cena is set to host both nights of WrestleMania 42, which takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
LA Knight & The Usos vs. The Vision (Logan Paul, Austin Theory, IShowSpeed) — six-man tag
Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu — Unsanctioned Match
Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way: Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins
AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch — Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins vs. GUNTHER
Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan — Women’s World Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton (w/ Pat McAfee) — Undisputed WWE Championship (main event)
The reported lineup for WrestleMania 42 Night One has been revealed, giving fans a preview of how Saturday’s show is expected to unfold. According to BodySlam.net, the Night One card on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will open with John Cena, who is serving as host for both nights of the event in his first WWE television appearance since retiring in December.
From there, the show moves into the six-man tag team match pitting LA Knight and The Usos against The Vision’s Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and IShowSpeed, followed by the Unsanctioned Match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu. The Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way comes next, with champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend defending against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the Bella Twins.
AJ Lee defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch is up next, followed by Stephanie Vaquer defending the Women’s World Championship against Liv Morgan. Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton, with Pat McAfee in Orton’s corner, closes the show as the Night One main event.
As always with spoiler reports, last-minute changes remain possible before the show airs live. Seth Rollins vs. GUNTHER is not listed in the order above, suggesting it could slot in elsewhere on the card.
WrestleMania 42 Night One streams live tonight, April 18, on the ESPN app in the United States with the opening hour on ESPN2. International markets have access through Netflix. Night Two follows tomorrow, April 19.
Cody Rhodes has learned a lesson about referencing fan-given nicknames on live television, and he is candid about why the moment did not land the way he intended.
During the February 6 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes made an on-air reference to “Raheem,” the nickname fans had given him, while commenting on the tension between Roman Reigns and CM Punk. The moment was meant to be funny, but Rhodes has since reflected on why taking ownership of it himself changed the dynamic entirely.
Speaking on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, Rhodes addressed the decision with characteristic self-awareness.
“I referenced my nickname on TV, Raheem, and that was funny until I said it. Now, I live with it. It’s not mine to say. It’s not mine. I learned. I learn every day,” he said.
The comment captures something genuine about how fan culture works in wrestling. A nickname that generates organic laughter and goodwill when it exists in the crowd or on social media can lose its energy the moment the person it belongs to tries to adopt it themselves. Rhodes acknowledged that reality directly rather than trying to walk back the moment or pretend it did not happen.
Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night One main event of WrestleMania 42 on Saturday, April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Paul Heyman has delivered a lengthy and genuine endorsement of Oba Femi ahead of their WrestleMania 42 collision with Brock Lesnar on Night Two, and the praise goes well beyond surface-level hype.
Speaking to Stephen A. Smith in the lead-up to the show, Heyman described Femi as a rare performer who carries the kind of inner confidence that cannot be manufactured or coached into someone.
“He’s poised. He’s calm. He knows it. He knows it, but it’s with no arrogance. He’s not walking around saying, ‘Yeah, I know it all, you bitches just bow down and kiss my ass.’ It’s not that way. You sit there and you look in his eyes and you realize he’s not nervous. He’s not flinching. It’s not overwhelming to him,” Heyman said.
He then connected that quality to Femi’s on-screen identity, arguing the name is not a character but a reflection of who the man actually is.
“He calls himself ‘The Ruler’ Oba Femi and that’s exactly what he was born to do. He was born to rule,” Heyman said.
From there, Heyman turned to Lesnar and made the case that Femi’s presence is doing something that very few opponents in Lesnar’s career have managed: giving The Beast a reason to push himself.
“I would love someone that I could look at and say, ‘That man can beat Brock Lesnar. That man is bigger than Brock Lesnar, that man is faster than Brock Lesnar, that man is a better combat athlete than Brock Lesnar,’ because that’s when Brock Lesnar gets challenged. The problem for Brock Lesnar in life is it’s tough to find a challenge for him. It’s tough to find someone that can make him raise his levels.”
Heyman acknowledged Lesnar’s losses while framing them as part of what makes him dangerous rather than evidence of vulnerability.
“Yes, Brock Lesnar has lost in life but who amongst us has not suffered a defeat? It’s those that come back. What’s the first lesson you learned when you were a kid and you’re riding a bike? You fall off and you get back on.”
He closed by framing the matchup as a gift to fans who have never seen Lesnar truly tested. “Finally there’s somebody who can push Brock Lesnar and we can see what Brock Lesnar’s limits are. This man, this Oba Femi, the momentum he’s riding, the physicality that he brings, the sheer violence that he now returns to WWE is going to enable us to present the best Brock Lesnar ever.”
John Cena is ready for WrestleMania 42, and he made his feelings known on social media Saturday morning ahead of his return to WWE television as host of the two-night event.
Cena retired from in-ring competition on December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event, losing his final match to GUNTHER in what served as the capstone of his farewell tour. His hosting role at WrestleMania 42 marks his first appearance back on WWE television since that night and his first time serving as host of the Show of Shows.
Taking to X on Saturday, Cena set the tone for the weekend with a message that captured both the intensity of the build and his optimism about what fans are about to witness.
“The Road to WrestleMania has been vocal, chaotic, and unpredictable. With all the hype and trash talk it is definitely a make or break weekend for veterans and rookies alike. This time of the year brings out the best in our Superstars, and I have a feeling this will be one of the most talked about WrestleManias in history,” Cena wrote.
The descriptor fits. The road to WrestleMania 42 has featured Randy Orton’s heel turn against Cody Rhodes, Pat McAfee’s polarizing insertion into the main event storyline, CM Punk and Roman Reigns brawling through Madison Square Garden, and a wave of injury reshuffles that reshaped multiple matches in the final weeks of the build.
WrestleMania 42 takes place tonight and tomorrow, April 18-19, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
The Road to WrestleMania has been vocal, chaotic, and unpredictable. With all the hype and trash talk it is definitely a make or break weekend for veterans and rookies alike. This time of the year brings out the best in our Superstars, and I have a feeling this will be one of the…
MyBookie has released full betting odds for WrestleMania 42, including match odds and an extensive list of prop bets ahead of the two-night event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The full odds are as follows:
Match Odds
Undisputed WWE Championship: Randy Orton -400 (favorite) vs. Cody Rhodes (c) +250
WWE Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan -450 (favorite) vs. Stephanie Vaquer (c) +275
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch -550 (favorite) vs. AJ Lee (c) +275
Unsanctioned Match: Jacob Fatu -650 (heavy favorite) vs. Drew McIntyre +375
Gunther -600 (heavy favorite) vs. Seth Rollins +350
The Usos and LA Knight -175 (favorite) vs. The Vision and IShowSpeed +135
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Odds pulled
Rhodes vs. Orton Prop Bets
First Finishing Move Performed: RKO -140 / Cross Rhodes +100
First Signature Move Performed: Cody Cutter -125 / Elevated DDT Off the Ropes -115
Method of Victory: Pinfall -1000 / Any Other Method +550 / Submission +700
Total Cross Rhodes Performed: Under 4.5 -130 / Over 4.5 -110
Total RKOs Performed: Over 2.5 -140 / Under 2.5 +100
WrestleMania 42 Special Props
Will The Rock appear at WrestleMania 42: No -1000 / Yes +500
Will Jake Paul appear at WrestleMania 42: No -300 / Yes +200
Will IShowSpeed take the pin in the tag team match: No -140 / Yes +100
Total title changes: Over 4.5 -200 / Under 4.5 +150
Total referees hit accidentally: Over 2.5 -120 / Under 2.5 -120
Does Paul Heyman walk out with Gunther: No -300 / Yes +200
WrestleMania 42 takes place Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
Paul Heyman has addressed the ongoing speculation about a potential alliance with Jade Cargill, and his answer reveals a deliberate strategy rooted in patience rather than timing.
Speaking on The Stephen A. Smith Show, The Wiseman framed any future partnership with the WWE Women’s Champion not as a question of if, but when, while making clear he has no intention of inserting himself into her story before she has written enough of it on her own.
“I’m going to continue to let her ride the momentum by herself as a Women’s Champion for all of humanity to be proud of,” Heyman said. “Let her get that solidified into the history books so that when Jade Cargill unites with Paul Heyman you are seeing two superpowers of the universe come together instead of Paul Heyman endorsing a talent that at this time is not accepted by the public, though she should be, as a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer.”
Heyman was direct about his reasoning, pushing back on any reading that his absence from her storylines reflects hesitation or lack of confidence in Cargill as a performer.
“It’s not willing to, it’s that I want her to have that on her own. I never want it to be that, ‘And then Paul Heyman stepped in and that’s when Jade Cargill really became a star,’” he said.
The comments come as Cargill heads into WrestleMania 42 defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley on Night Two at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The WrestleMania 42 stage is taking shape at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and early looks at the construction have given fans their first glimpse of what awaits when the Show of Shows kicks off this Saturday.
WWE’s production crew began work on the WrestleMania 42 setup at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday evening, six days before Night One of the event.
The official stage reveal is expected to drop on WWE’s social media channels before Night One kicks off on April 18. WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
Night One on Saturday, April 18 features Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and IShowSpeed vs. LA Knight and The Usos, Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match, Stephanie Vaquer defending the Women’s World Championship against Liv Morgan, AJ Lee defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch, the Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way between champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the Bella Twins, Seth Rollins vs. GUNTHER, and Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the main event.
Night Two on Sunday, April 19 features Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar, the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match with Penta defending against Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Rey Mysterio, Jade Cargill defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn defending the United States Championship against Trick Williams, Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio, and CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns in the main event.
AJ Styles is heading into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame alongside Stephanie McMahon, Demolition, Dennis Rodman, Sycho Sid, and Bad News Brown, and he already has some thoughts on how the ceremony is structured.
Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro podcast, Styles suggested that the Hall of Fame might benefit from being held less frequently, arguing that spacing out the event would make each induction feel more significant.
“I really believe we could probably do the Hall of Fame every other year, or maybe put some years in between and make it more special. I think it’s going to be really difficult to do this every year. Just a suggestion. I don’t know if it’s about money. There is a reason WrestleMania is two nights. One night WrestleMania was difficult because it was a lot of matches. You didn’t want to be the main event because everyone was cooked,” Styles said.
He also addressed the ceremony’s length, acknowledging that controlling how long inductees speak is easier said than done, including for himself.
“Do we need it to go that long? I don’t know that we need to. I’m sure they give these guys times, ‘No longer than 30 minutes.’ An hour and a half later, ‘Alright. Wrapping it up.’ I understand it. I’m sure once I get up there, I’m thinking, ‘This won’t be long,’ but then you’ll talk about things that are important to you.”
The 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place April 17 at Dolby Live in Las Vegas and airs at midnight ET, hosted by The Miz and Michael Cole. WrestleMania 42 follows on April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium.
Pat McAfee built up a countdown clock at WWE World that had the crowd expecting a major surprise, and when the clock hit zero, it was just a live feed of The Pat McAfee Show.
The crowd reacted poorly, and McAfee leaned into it completely.
“Surprise nerds! The surprise that you thought was maybe going to be your favorite wrestler of all time, maybe somebody from AEW was going to sign with WWE at WrestleMania, and you marks were gonna get zipper burn all over yourself. Instead, Pat McAfee is smarter than all of you dumb marks yet again!”
He also took a shot at the crowd’s hygiene before turning his attention back to WrestleMania weekend.
“What me and Randy are about to do to your WrestleMania weekend is something you can’t prepare for, you can’t control, you’re going to be crying your ass off as you leave WrestleMania knowing that what was, what you all let happen, is over. Randy Orton is going to run this industry back to what it’s supposed to be out of your dumbass hands.”
McAfee confirmed he was on his way to Las Vegas as the segment aired. He will be in Orton’s corner Saturday night when The Viper challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the Night One main event of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
WWE President Nick Khan is not concerned about the online reaction to the build-up to WrestleMania 42, and he made that clear two nights before the show.
Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Khan pushed back on the mixed fan sentiment surrounding both main event storylines and said the internal read on where things are heading looks very different from what critics have been saying.
“Let’s see the reaction when the show is done,” Khan said. “I think a lot of times with WWE storylines, they take a moment to develop. We have the good fortune when we’re on the inside of knowing where we’re going. If you look at the two main events, there is real heat there and when the storylines are blurred between reality and pre-determined outcomes in WWE, we think that always delivers, and with the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, especially with the addition of Pat McAfee, we think both will overdeliver. Let’s see.”
Khan singling out McAfee is deliberate. The ESPN personality’s heel turn as Orton’s mystery caller has been the most polarizing element of the WrestleMania 42 build, with Rhodes himself telling the SI Media podcast it was “the most ill-received thing in the history of wrestling.”
Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Orton in the Night One main event on Saturday, April 18. Orton is pursuing his 15th world title, which would tie Ric Flair for second-most in WWE history.
Night Two on Sunday, April 19 is headlined by CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns, a match built on years of documented real animosity between the two.
Both nights stream live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the opening hour airing on ESPN2 on Saturday and ESPN on Sunday before the full show moves to ESPN Unlimited.
Becky Lynch has offered a thoughtful and empathetic response to the criticism that wrestlers face from fans who are unhappy with creative decisions.
Speaking with Dan Soder, Lynch was asked how long it took her to get used to fans criticizing the booking and what her relationship with that kind of feedback looks like now.
“It goes in waves. It’s your art. I’m trying my best. I’m trying to get you to care. I’m trying to get you entertained. On the other end, I go, this person cares so much and they have an attachment to how they want to see things and how they want it to be. In their head, it can be so much better, and it’s only because they care and they love this thing that I love so much.
I hope that they see that we’re not trying to screw them in any capacity. We are all going out there going, ‘How do we do the best? How do we put on the best show?’ Nobody is going out there going, ‘How do we insult the fans? How do we just phone it in?’” Lynch said.
Lynch challenges AJ Lee for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship on night one of WrestleMania 42 on Saturday, April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Paige is returning to WWE, and she is doing it at WrestleMania 42.
PWInsider reports that Saraya Jade-Bevis, known to WWE fans as Paige, has signed with WWE and is expected to compete this Saturday as part of the Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way. She is believed to be substituting for Nikki Bella, who has not been cleared to return from the ankle injury she suffered on SmackDown several weeks ago.
According to the report, WWE brought Paige into Las Vegas discreetly and she has been kept out of public view, though she was seen participating in a run-through for the match earlier this week. WWE did not return a request for comment at the time of publishing.
Paige was medically disqualified from competing by WWE in January 2018 following a serious neck injury sustained during a tag team match at the Nassau Coliseum in December 2017. In that match, a kick from Sasha Banks connected with her back and Paige collapsed, briefly losing feeling in her extremities before walking out under her own power. Given her previous neck surgery, WWE pulled her from the ring and subsequent testing led to the decision to remove her from in-ring competition entirely. She was 25 years old at the time.
In the years that followed, Paige transitioned into the role of SmackDown General Manager, was the subject of the Dwayne Johnson-produced film Fighting with My Family starring Florence Pugh, and eventually departed WWE when her contract expired in June 2022. She signed with AEW that September, making a surprise debut and winning the AEW Women’s Championship from Hikaru Shida. She competed for the promotion through March 2025.
AJ Lee, who Paige defeated on her debut, is competing on Night One of WrestleMania 42, defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch.
WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Charlotte Flair has singled out Bayley as the person she is most excited to be sharing the ring with at WrestleMania 42.
Speaking with Kay Adams in a new interview, Flair reflected on her extensive history with Bayley, which spans close to 60 televised matches dating back to 2013. The two have shared the WrestleMania stage once before, at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando where Bayley successfully defended the Raw Women’s Championship in a four-way match that also included Flair, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks.
“Probably Bayley because she’s one of the four horsewomen. We’ve actually competed against each other when she retained the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. We have so much history, I feel like we’re always trying to outdo one another. Being on the same card and in the same match with her again at WrestleMania, it feels pretty special. It’s one thing to be on WrestleMania, but it’s another to be on two different WrestleManias with the same girl,” Flair said.
Flair teams with Alexa Bliss to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships in the fatal four-way at WrestleMania 42 night one on April 18, with Bayley and Lyra Valkyria also in the match alongside the Bella Twins and champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend.
Becky Lynch has opened up about the behind-the-scenes fight to protect the story between herself and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38, revealing that WWE wanted to add a third person to the match before Lynch pushed back hard enough to change the outcome.
Speaking on Vulture’s Good One podcast, Lynch reflected on the full arc of the program, starting with the moment she returned from maternity leave and took the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Belair in seconds at SummerSlam 2021.
“We paid off the story in the most amazing way. And what was so incredible about Bianca — I could write a book about how amazing she is — but when I took that title from her, I know how upset she was because she thought, ‘Oh, they don’t believe in me anymore. They think I’m doing a bad job, and I get squashed in this way,’” Lynch said.
She acknowledged that Belair had every reason to feel aggrieved but chose graciousness instead. “She was so gracious. She was like, ‘I’m so happy.’ She could have been like, ‘This bitch is coming in, taking my spot. She’s been gone, I’ve been here putting in the hard work, and now I just have to roll over for her.’”
Lynch said she always wanted to pay that back in the biggest way possible and that reaching their WrestleMania 38 rematch required a fight of its own. At one point, WWE wanted to bring in a third competitor and turn the match into a triple threat.
“I was like, ‘That’s not the story.’ That was going to be the hill I died on — I was ready to really fight,” Lynch said.
The creative direction was eventually changed and the match remained one on one. Lynch said keeping it that way was essential to the story being told properly.
“Thankfully, they changed it, because it needed to go back to Bianca. If it had gone to a triple threat, they would have kept it on me. But the story needed Bianca to win and take that victory. And it just felt like such a happy, perfect ending.”
Lynch challenges AJ Lee for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship on Night One of WrestleMania 42 on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The creative favorites heading into WrestleMania 42 weekend have been revealed, with Roman Reigns, Trick Williams, and Penta identified as the most likely winners according to a new report.
A source with knowledge of the situation told WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select that these three outcomes are currently considered the most probable heading into the weekend, though decisions are said to remain fluid until showtime.
A Reigns victory would see him capture the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk in the Night Two main event on April 19, marking his return to the top of the company following his record-setting 1,316-day title reign that ended at WrestleMania 40.
Williams winning the United States Championship from Sami Zayn on Night Two has been widely anticipated given the crowd reactions he has been generating in recent weeks.
Penta retaining the Intercontinental Championship in the Ladder Match on Night Two would keep the title with the first-ever Intercontinental Champion from Mexico.
WrestleMania 42 takes place Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
Night One on April 18 features Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Stephanie Vaquer defending the Women’s World Championship against Liv Morgan, Seth Rollins vs. GUNTHER, AJ Lee defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch, the Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way between champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and Nikki and Brie Bella, and the Unsanctioned Match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre.
Night Two on April 19 features CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns, Jade Cargill defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn defending the United States Championship against Trick Williams, the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match with Penta defending against Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio, and Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar.
Liv Morgan says a career-derailing shoulder injury rewired the way she thinks about success, and she told Holly Madison on the latest episode of You Wish that she is now actively trying to want less.
The Women’s Royal Rumble winner challenges Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship on Night One of WrestleMania 42 on Saturday, April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Morgan dislocated her shoulder on live television in a match that lasted less than ten seconds, forcing surgery and a lengthy absence. The time at home sitting with everything she had been chasing gave her a perspective she had not expected.
“Right before I got injured, I was in a great spot at work. I had a lot of things going for me, a lot of things coming that I was so happy for,” Morgan said. “But something about me was like, I could still do more. I still want more. I get injured on live TV, 10 seconds into my match, and I have to stop because my shoulder’s dislocated. I remember after my surgery being home and just being like, I had all these blessings in front of me and I was still wanting more and I don’t have any of it. I just learned a big lesson in being present and being grateful. I live more in the moment now.”
Since returning, Morgan has made a deliberate choice to stop setting goals the way she always had, describing it as actively manifesting less rather than more.
“Ever since I came back from my injury, I’m actively manifesting less because I’m trying to not wish for more. I’m just trying to see what comes,” she said. “Since I’ve been doing it, I’ve had a lot of really cool things happen to me, things I’ve never even wanted to do or thought to do. They say when you stop wanting is when you receive. I’ve just surrendered, and then I’ve just been getting blessed with these things that blow me away.”
Since her return, those things include a Women’s World Championship reign, the 2025 Royal Rumble win, a music video, and a Paper Magazine cover.
Morgan also drew a distinction between the parts of her career that feel meaningful and the parts that feel temporary, offering a definition of success that has little to do with titles or recognition.
“I don’t feel successful as in famous or known. I feel successful in that I’m happy and I’m healthy and I have financial freedom and I’m able to take care of my loved ones. I find major success in that,” she said. “Being Liv Morgan and getting to do the amazing opportunities I get to do, that doesn’t feel like success to me. It’s like fleeting. Knowing I can take care of my family, or help this person in need, that resonates so much more and longer-lasting. I thought success was accolades. I don’t think that.”
