Wrestlemania 42, the show that was supposed to be hosted in New Orleans, is now basically Wrestlemania 41 Part Two, as Las Vegas came in and outbid New Orleans for the right to host the event for the second time in a row.
That change highlights just one of the problems hindering ticket sales. Some fans also believe the change shows the influence of TKO, the parent company of WWE, and its executive chairman, Ari Emanuel, who is also co-CEO of WME, a Hollywood talent agency.
Critics of Emanuel claim he has used his position to pull strings behind the scenes this year, using his influence to get his client, Pat McAfee, shoehorned into one of the top stories. McAfee will be in Randy Orton’s corner during the main event of Saturday’s night one, as Orton looks to become a 15-time World Champion by dethroning Cody Rhodes.
Night one will open with a fun throwaway match featuring LA Knight and the Usos vs. The Vision and popular streamer iShowSpeed. That match will be followed by an “unsanctioned” match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu, which promises to be one of the best of the weekend.
The Women’s World Championship up for grabs as Liv Morgan challenges Stephanie Vaquer in one of the fiercest feuds in all of wrestling.
The Women’s Intercontinental Championship is on the line, too, as AJ Lee and Becky Lynch clash for it. The final women’s match will be a Fatal Four-Way between Nia Jax and Lash Legend vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins.
The only match besides the main event for night one is Seth Rollins vs. Gunther, a match that is set to be a classic, with two of the best in-ring technicians in pro-wrestling going at it.
Night two is set to open with two of the most exciting matches of the weekend, with “The Ruler” Oba Femi taking on “The Beast” Brock Lesnar in a match that will probably shake the earth. The other match is a six-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.
Night two will also host Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill going for the WWE Women’s Championship. Plus, it will feature the return of the “Demon” Finn Balor as he takes on “Dirty” Dom Mysterio, as well as Trick WIlliams vs. Sami Zayn for the United States Championship.
The weekend is set to be capped off between the “OTC” Roman Reigns and the “Voice of the Voiceless,” the ever-controversial CM Punk, for the World Heavyweight Championship. The feud started hot with Punk saying he’d bury Reigns next to Reigns’ deceased father.
Overall, the matches look better than last year’s, but the stories haven’t gotten as hot as they could have. Both nights will start at 6 p.m., with the first hour of each being aired live on ESPN, then switching to the ESPN app or Netflix internationally.
