Night 1 sets the stage; Night 2 is where history is made.
Sunday, April 19 closes out the Showcase of the Immortals, and the main event alone is enough to send shockwaves through the entire wrestling world. For the first time ever, CM Punk and Roman Reigns go one-on-one with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line — two of the most complex, compelling characters in WWE history finally colliding on the grandest stage of them all. This is a match years in the making, built on mutual respect, mutual resentment, and a rivalry that has simmered just beneath the surface for most of their careers. Whoever walks out of Allegiant Stadium with that title will have earned it in front of the biggest audience in professional wrestling.
But the main event only scratches the surface of what Night 2 has in store. Jade Cargill puts the WWE Women’s Championship on the line against the returning Rhea Ripley in a clash of two of the most physically dominant women in WWE history — a collision that has been building since Ripley’s absence and Cargill’s rise to the top of the division. Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar makes his WrestleMania return against the rising powerhouse Oba Femi, a matchup that pits the most decorated monster in WWE history against the man who may be the future of the company. Sami Zayn defends the United States Championship against Trick Williams, Finn Bálor faces Dominik Mysterio in a Judgment Day grudge match that has been a long time coming, and the Intercontinental Championship is up for grabs in a six-man ladder match featuring Penta, Rey Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, and Rusev — a match that has instant Match of the Night written all over it.
Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 is about legacies being cemented, rivalries being settled, and the next chapter of WWE being written. The Showcase of the Immortals doesn’t get bigger than this.
Finn Balor v Dominik Mysterio
Fingers crossed this match is scheduled after sunset in Las Vegas. Dominik Mysterio always produces a high level ring introduction at WrestleMania, but the prospects of Demon Finn Balor in a blackout setting through Allegiant Stadium should be breathtaking.
This match could be predictable with the “face” turn of Balor an indicator at WrestleMania, but the rebirth of the Demon character adds further indication of a victory. However, Edge did beat the Demon Balor character at WrestleMania 39. This could be the start of a three match series at WWE premium live events, but Balor gets the nod as a good guy dawning an old character.
Pick: Finn Balor -600
United States Championship
Sami Zayn (c) v Trick Williams
There are a number of indicators that this will be a short reign as US Champion for Zayn. The crowd has been quite displeased with the dethroning of Carmelo Hayes as US Champion, as Zayn continues to question live crowds about their hostility. Hayes is the personality everyone wants as the champion, but Trick Williams is the star WWE is strapping a rocket on.
Williams is a former NXT Champion and the first ever WWE competitor to win the TNA Heavyweight Championship. Where WWE Creative has an issue is the usage of Hayes, as Williams may be forced to float as a heel after defeating Zayn. The more likely scenario is a three-way US Title match at Backlash with Williams entering as champion
Pick: Trick Williams +135
Oba Femi v Brock Lesnar
WrestleMania 35 “started off with a bang”, as Seth Rollins throttled Brock Lesnar to win the Universal Championship in an opening match squash. The loss for Lesnar was not the first time The Beast had been in a squash, dating back to 2016 Survivor Series in which Goldberg won in short fashion.
Lesnar’s previous squash record should come into play here, as Oba Femi has been groomed to be the next coming of the most intimidating Superstar. During the introduction of these two competitors, Brock has orchestrated in-ring movements to sell Oba as a dominant force, even instructing the rookie to “put your foot on my chest”.
Look for Lesnar to groom Femi throughout this match, taking home a large paycheck for getting the rookie to the next level.
Pick: Oba Femi -300
Intercontinental Championship Match
Penta (c) v Je’Von Evans v Rey Mysterio v Dragon Lee v JD McDonagh v Rusev
If you could wager on match of the night, this should be the odds on favorite. A mix of young talent, seasoned luchadores and a Bulgarian brute will do everything to light up the Las Vegas skyline. That may be a literal statement considering Evans high flying game that has raided WWE content.
The Intercontinental Championship has been a mainstay on WWE dating back to Pat Patterson as the initial champion in 1979. The title has always been an onboarding for younger talent on track to be in a future heavyweight championship program from the Macho Man to Gunther. For that reason, Rey Mysterio would be an odd choice with younger talent as his competitors.
The insertion of Rusev in this match give the event some bulk, as those contenders generally catch superstars off a ladder instead of climbing one themself. Dragon Lee has had a hard time generating above the level of his tag team partners or opponents, as no victory here is expected.
There are three real contenders in this field, from Penta retaining to provide stability to the title or two younger competitors seeking first ever singles gold. Je’Von Evans will generate the best highlights from this match, but that does not guarantee a victory. The more sneaky competitor in this match is JD McDonagh.
The WWE roster has witnessed the work of McDonagh over the past couple of years while being a member of The Judgement Day. It would be no surprise to see McDonagh win the title his stablemate Dominik Mysterio just lost. With the expected dissolution of The Judgement Day on Monday Night RAW, McDonagh veering into a program with Balor and Mysterio is easy writing for WWE Creative. Still, an investment on Penta is needed when taking a deep shot like McDonagh.
Pick: Penta -105 (half unit) | JD McDonagh +2200 (half unit)
WWE Women’s Championship
Jade Cargill (c) v Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley spent the majority of the past year in tag team competition with IYO SKY, but victory at Elimination Chamber sent her directly to a title shot against Jade Cargill. There is real heat in this match between the competitors, but Cargill could be inline to lose the title because of her locker room standing and not so much on the singles rise of Ripley.
Ripley holds previous WrestleMania championship wins against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. If there was ever a competitor to serve as a safe landing from a controversial title holder, it is Rhea Ripley.
Pick: Rhea Ripley -350
World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk (c) v Roman Reigns
The lead up to this match has been nothing short of confusing, as each character has played into a heel or face personality depending on the week. The rivalry was ignited when CM Punk made mentioned of burying Roman Reigns next to his dead father, Sika. The project turned red hot with the Uso’s confronting CM Punk for an apology.
This could have been the breaking point to send CM Punk full heel with a reunion of The Bloodline. Instead, Reigns and Punk have been wearing kid gloves with jabs on crowd popularity and envy. There potential of the reformation of The Bloodline with The Rock rose in potential when Punk sent a few pipe bombs about TKO and ticket sales. Still, nothing on the go home show of Monday Night Raw indicated a finish that will include outside interference.
Still, there is question as to why Roman Reigns is referencing Pat McAfee in a soft light in comparison the Punk’s description of Pat “MAGA-fee”. Will Randy Orton and Pat McAfee make an appearance in this match on the behalf of Roman? Will the two world champions combine for a corporate faction? Will any of The Bloodline members make an appearance on behalf of Punk’s comments?
While all signs point to a title change as the show ends in Las Vegas, Roman Reigns is not the perfect fit for the World Heavyweight Championship. That title is defended frequently on Monday Night RAW, but Roman’s title defenses are limited to a couple of times a year. Roman relishes a part-time role, something that may not be a fit for the Netflix executives that need weekly numbers.
There are many avenues that could be opened with a screw job in favor of CM Punk. First, a turn of The Rock could lead to an instant WrestleMania 43 main event against Roman Reigns. A turn of Jey Uso as the new Tribal Chief could be wildly popular in keeping Reigns from the title while entering a program with Punk this summer.
There is no long term payoff for a Roman Reigns victory over CM Punk. However, the long term prospects of keeping Reigns a face and in more long-term PLE main events would come with a screw job. Let’s call for an upset that gives WWE Creative the most opportunity.
Pick: CM Punk +185
