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WHAT SHOULD GO DOWN WRESTLEMANIA 42 NIGHT ONE: THE TIP SHEET

WWE will present Wrestlemania 42 this Saturday and Sunday on ESPN Unlimited and Netflix from Las Vegas, Nevada with a 6:00 PM Eastern start time for the show (with the first hour also airing on ESPN2).  Here is what we think will happen on Saturday.

Men's WWE Undisputed Championship Match:  Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton

Dave: Boy, I was really looking forward to this until they forced Pat McAfee into it.  Every single thing he has done has been awful.  His promos suck.  His "Cody attacked my Thunderdome" was putrid.  Has sucked, period.  The worst part is, this feud had so much to play off of that it was super interesting before he showed up.  Pre-Pat, I was 100 percent in the camp of putting the belt on Randy.  Cody needs to take a step back and start fighting to get to the top again.  They have booked him like John Cena lately and the "always on top" stuff is alienating a portion of the fan base.  Plus, the fans truly are (were?) behind Randy and wanted to see him get number 15.  But now?  I want Cody to win so that we never see Pat again (or at least for a while).  My fear, however, is the opposite will happen and we will get Cody and Jelly Roll vs. Randy and Pat at Backlash.

Mike: Cody should win and then lay out McAfee but I suspect Orton wins with the RKO after McAfee gets involved over and over.  Perhaps Jelly Roll will even turn heel, the Rock will return and Ari will come out with Mark Wahlburg to create a new Hollywood Corporation and it can be pro wrestling vs. sports entertainment for the next year.  Probably not, but man, what a derailed train!

Richard: There is a Joe Derosa bit where he talks about great food and then the person making the meal adds ingredients that ruin the original meal.  That is what WWE has done by adding Pat McAfee to this match.  This is the Yankees vs Red Sox, the Celtics vs the Lakers.  It does not need anything fancy to mess things up.  I wasn't the biggest fan of Cody beating Drew to get the title because I was excited for Drew and Randy.  Cody and Randy would have been good and I liked how they built Randy's turn (and annual Kick Cody in the balls at Elimination Chamber moment).  Randy having no problem 'going there' against Drew but having issues doing that to Cody made sense.  The match did not need any bells and whistles.  Now this match will revolve around how will someone help Randy win the title.  I expected to see Randy win the title regardless of the opponent in the match because it is a great story to end Saturday with him winning number fifteen.  Unfortunately, it will revolve around the side characters and not the guy who holds the title.  This can't get worse after Mania, can it? (looks at graphic of Jelly Roll and Cody vs Randy and Pat for Backlash)  What if Jelly Roll comes to ringside to 'help' Cody only to attack him (we never saw Randy 'attack' Jelly Roll in the back)

Women's World Championship Match:  Stephanie Vaquer vs Liv Morgan

Dave: The build to this has been fantastic.  WWE was really blowing it with Vaquer a few months back with the Nikki Bella program, but she has caught fire since.  I think it's important for her to continue that growth and get the win here.  Liv is awesome and doesn't need the belt.  Plus, remember she threw Raquel out at The Rumble and was also at ringside for Raquel's Title losses.  I could see something involving Raquel leading to Liv's demise.

Mike: This is the match I am looking forward to the most.  Either has a case to win, but my gut is Liv takes the title.

Richard: I liked the intensity of the brawl on this week's Raw and I feel that this could be the match of the night.  However, there are three things that could hold back the 'greatness' of the match . . . Raquel Rodriguez, Roxanne Perez, and Dominik Mysterio.  This match does not need bells and whistles to keep the crowd into this match.  I don't think this is the time where they establish a rift between Raquel, Liv, and Roxanne, the result of the match could factor into what happens in the rest of 2026.  It would make sense for Liv Morgan to get the win and the title, but I think a Vaquer win would be the most important for anyone on the show.  Liv winning would be safe, but it feels like WWE is not always elevating the best wrestlers and it is done at the expense of the 'Entrance over Action' talents, not that Liv falls into that category.  Vaquer retains.

Women's Intercontinental Championship Match:  AJ Lee vs Becky Lynch

Dave: I expect this match to be outstanding.  They are both so, so good. To me, the finish comes down to one simple thing: Is AJ going to stay around full time (or close to it).  If she is, I keep the belt on her.  If not, I flip it.  

Mike: It's time for Becky to get her belt back.  AJ has gotten the better of her over and over so perhaps Becky gets an ally and she interferes.  Either way, it's time for Becky to get her win back. 

Richard:  This feels like the match they are trying to hide in the corner over the last few weeks.  Is this the match that has had the least amount of build on Raw and Smackdown of the thirteen on the show this weekend?  This week, we had a video package for AJ and that was it.  There is something missing from this match to make me fully invest in these two women.  The animosity they have built since AJ's return to television should be enough to sustain this match.  This match has the potential to steal the show, but could also be the anchor around the show.  I hope they will have the chemistry you would expect and their hatred will give us a quality match.  I can see Becky getting the win if they want to pull back on AJ's involvement on TV.

Women's Tag Team Championship Match:  Irresistible Forces vs Bella Twins vs Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyria

Dave: As I have said before, I hate when the champs lose the title in matches like this.  With that said, if one of them takes the pin, it would be better at least.  And this situation has been going on for a while so it just seems to call for a Title change.  If it's me, I have Bayley and Lyra win, with Bayley pinning Nia.  Bayley got left off of Mania last year so I would love to see her have a big moment this year.

Mike: Since we have no real sign of Nikki being cleared, I am going to go with her not being good to go.  So, I will predict whoever Brie and the sub are win the titles, because this is WWE and that's the logic.

Richard: At this time, we do not know if all four teams will be involved due to Nikki's injury (and if there will be a replacement).  If Nikki cannot go, I hope they have the three remaining teams battle for the title.  I will assume that all four teams are involved.  They have put the focus of this feud on only two teams, but will they be the focus of the match on Saturday?  I would think if the WWE is looking for the 'big moment' from this match, the Bellas win the tag titles.  While that might not be the best option for the in-ring product, it would get some buzz from casual fans who might be watching the show.  It would be nice to see Bayley get her big moment after being taken out of last year's Mania.  Maybe Lyra can start a streak of winning the title every year at Mania.  I am most intrigued by Lash's development in this match.

Seth Rollins vs Gunther

Dave: There isn't much story here, obviously.  Seth's real issues are with Paul Heyman and The Vision.  I see those issues costing him the match here.  Maybe we get Bron Breakker's return.  Whatever the case, I see it costing Seth the match.  They have pushed Gunther too hard lately to have him lose here.

Mike: The only thing that makes sense, to me, is Bron showing up and killing Seth.  I don't even expect a clean finish here.  I expect Bron to destroy.

Richard: While they tried to explain why this match is happening, it feels like creative looked through their toy box and found Gunther and Seth by themselves and decided to make this match.  Gunther has had a few disappointing Wrestlemania matches, but will the streak end on Saturday night?  I think the result depends on how much longer Bron Breakker is out of action.  If Bron is coming back before Backlash, I would expect Seth to win to set up their feud.  It is a shame that they don't have more for Gunther because I think his promos have been solid for the last few months.  What is the favor that Paul promised Gunther?  I think Seth gets the win.

Unsanctioned Match:  Drew McIntyre vs Jacob Fatu (also airing on ESPN2)

Dave: The build to this has been crazy, to the point that I wonder what they will do to top what they have already done.  I am sure both of these guys will feel whatever it is that they do to themselves on Sunday.  I could see them going with Jacob here and then pushing him hard as a babyface after the show.  Drew has already shown that no matter what they do to him, he always stays strong so a loss won't hurt him here.

Mike: Man, did Drew get hosed this year or what?  I guess the consolation prize is that he can have a kickass brawl with Jacob.  That said, I think the right call is for Jacob to win here.  Drew attacked him and injured him and Jacob needs to get his revenge.  I'd like to see some edge violence here to establish Jacob is back to being the werewolf!

Richard: While some of the build to this match got a little goofy (the falling off the side of the building in Raleigh), this is one of the matches I am really looking forward to this weekend.  Last year at this time, I was hoping for Fatu/Roman, but Drew is one of the best in the company.  Making this an Unsanctioned match, it adds to what they can do in the match without having to worry about a disqualification.  I don't see any run ins or unnecessary interference so they can add to the brutality for this match.  I hope being on ESPN2 does not mean they have to hold anything back (not that I was expecting a blood bath).  Drew has a huge chip on his shoulder by losing his 'main event' spot, but this is where he can show the people in charge that they made a mistake.  Fatu wins this match but Drew has another strong performance.

The Vision and IShowSpeed vs The Usos and LA Knight (also airing on ESPN2)

Dave: I see the Usos and Knight going over here.  Theory probably takes the pin for his team.

Mike Johnson: It would be hilarious if LA Knight wins because iShow Speed accidentally nails Logan with the knucks.    I know WWE loves the hell out of Speed so I don't think this will be his last appearance.

Richard: With the social media people involved in this match, it makes sense to have this on ESPN2.  Speed seems like he wants to be involved because he likes wrestling and not solely to collect a paycheck.  I wonder how much of this match will be Logan and Theory doing everything they can to get Speed involved in the match to get his ass kicked.  I would assume that this match is a way to set up the next Usos/Vision match for the tag titles.  Somehow, Speed will not take the pin, but he will not win the match.

 

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