WrestleMania 42 took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. John Cena was the host for the event. It was the first WrestleMania to stream on the ESPN app. Additionally, the first hour of each night were simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPN. This post will review Night 2. Night 1 review is here.
WrestleMania 42 Night 2 Recap: This Is What Night 1 Should’ve Been
I’ve never really warmed up to WrestleMania being split into two nights. This year didn’t change my mind. In fact, in reinforced my opinion that it should go back to a single night. I KNOW it never will (too much money at stake) but that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
What used to feel like a single, larger-than-life event now feels stretched out, losing some of that special “all-in-one” magic. Instead of building momentum toward one unforgettable climax, the excitement gets diluted across two evenings, making it harder for the show to feel truly must‑see from start to finish.
Night 2 saved WrestleMania 42.
Not perfect, but this actually felt like a big show. Better matches, better pacing, and a main event that delivered.
A Note About PPV Dates | All photos courtesy WWE.com
Oba Femi Defeated Brock Lesnar
Under 5 minutes. That’s all you need to know. They’re clearly trying to make Oba look like the next big thing, and it worked.
The entire build to this match was damn near perfect. Not your typical build for a ‘big man’ match headed into Mania. And then, after Brock did the job to put Oba over in the biggest way possible, he straight up retired?
I’ll be honest… I hope that’s in for Brock. Not cause I don’t like him any more, but that was the most gangster way to go out imaginable.
Penta Defeated Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Rey Mysterio To Retain The WWE Intercontinental Championship – Six-Pack Ladder Match
This was chaos… but the good kind.
I’m usually not a huge fan of these types of matches, but this one was just fun. Stuff was happening everywhere and it actually worked.
One of the highlights of the night. I’m not sure how long Je’Von Evans will keep being able to wrestle the way he does, but for as long as he’s physically able, I’m here for it. I’m no fan of Penta, but I liked seeing him keep the strap here.
Trick Williams Defeated Sami Zayn To Win The WWE United States Championship
Meh.
Another super short match (like 7 minutes again), and it never really got going. Easily the weakest match on Night 2.
“The Demon” Finn Bálor Defeated Dominik Mysterio
Good match.
But why announce the Demon ahead of time?
That should’ve been a WrestleMania moment. Lights out, surprise reveal, huge pop. Instead, it just kinda… happened.
Missed opportunity. Dom will be a world champion before Finn is again.
Rhea Ripley Defeated Jade Cargill To Win The WWE Women’s Championship
Better than I expected—and that’s mostly because of Rhea.
Jade just isn’t there yet. At all. She looks the part, but once the match starts, it falls apart pretty quickly.
If anything, this should be a sign that maybe she shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the card right now.
Roman Reigns Defeated CM Punk To Win The World Heavyweight Championship
This was awesome.
No interference. No nonsense. Just two guys going out there and putting on a WrestleMania main event.
Didn’t love seeing Punk lose, but the match itself absolutely delivered. This is the kind of stuff you expect from WrestleMania. If there’s a single match you HAVE to see from either night of WrestleMania 42, this is it.
I’m a huge fan of a Punk so I hate to see him lose this match… I’m a huge fan of Roman as well. And while I think the Bloodline story went a tad too long, I can’t dispute that it was the best thing we’d had in years. I’m super interested to see how this title rain plays out.
A Note On Danhausen
I was wrong. Plain and simple. When he debuted during Elimination Chamber I couldn’t have been less enthused. I’m happy to say just how wrong I was. Dude is straight up entertainment and I’m here for it. Midgets during Mania weekend? WIN.
WrestleMania 42 Night 2 – Final Thoughts
Night 2 fixed a lot of what was wrong with Night 1:
- Matches felt bigger
- Better pacing
- Crowd was way more into it
Still too many ads, but that’s clearly just how it is now and I don’t love the fact that we only got 6 matches on this evening. Also… I still hate the two-night format but I’m going to have to learn to live with it.
Night 2 delivered in a big way.
