WrestleMania 42 is here, as WWE attempts to adequately deliver for its fans during the biggest wrestling show of the year.
The hype around WrestleMania is always considerable, yet it has seen a dip this year amid criticism of the build-up as well as ticket prices. There has also been criticism of the decision to return to last year’s host city, Las Vegas, after the initial announcement that New Orleans would stage WrestleMania 42.
But amid these criticisms, the WWE has started to swing big, for example with the instalment of retired wrestler John Cena as the host for both nights of action.
Furthermore, there will be many famous faces from both the wrestling world – e.g. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and CM Punk – and the wider world of pop culture – like YouTubers Logan Paul and IShowSpeed, and musicians Jelly Roll and Lil Yachty.
Here’s all you need to know.
When is WrestleMania 42?
WrestleMania became a two-night event in 2020, and this year it will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In the US, each evening of action will begin at 4pm PT / 5pm CT / 6pm ET. In the UK, that works out to 11pm BST.
How can I watch it?
WrestleMania 42 will stream live on Netflix in the UK and most territories worldwide, as part of subscribers’ existing plans (at no additional cost, in other words). In the US, however, the event will air live on ESPN.
Confirmed matches
Night 1
Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight vs Logan Paul, Austin Theory and IShowSpeed
Drew McIntyre vs Jacob Fatu (Unsanctioned Match)
Lash Legend and Nia Jax (Women’s World Tag-Team Champions) vs Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs Nikki Bella and Brie Bella
AJ Lee (Women’s Intercontinental Champion) vs Becky Lynch
Seth Rollins vs Gunther
Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Champion) vs Liv Morgan
Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Champion) vs Randy Orton
Night 2
Penta (Intercontinental Champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs JD McDonagh vs Rusev vs Je’Von Evans vs Dragon Lee (Ladder Match)
Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi
Sami Zayn (United States Champion) vs Trick Williams
Jade Cargill (Women’s WWE Champion) vs Rhea Ripley
Finn Balor vs Dominik Mysterio
CM Punk (World Heavyweight Champion) vs Roman Reigns
Which celebrities will be involved?
YouTubers Logan Paul and IShowSpeed will compete, even teaming up together, while music star Jelly Roll will also feature in some capacity. The same applies to rapper Lil Yachty, while wrestler-turned-actor John Cena will act as the host of WrestleMania. NFL kicker-turned-sports analyst Pat McAfee is also expected to feature.
How much do WWE stars earn at WrestleMania?
The specifics of WWE contracts have long been hard to ascertain. However, WWE star-turned-executive Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) told The Athletic in 2022 that $250,000 is the minimum base salary for wrestlers in the company. That figure might have risen since, of course, and it reportedly only applied to members of the Smackdown and Raw rosters – not wrestlers on NXT, which is WWE’s developmental show.
However, wrestlers’ wages are boosted by merchandise sales and, it is believed, by cuts of pay-per-view sales as well. Of course, merchandise sales are likely to be significant on a WrestleMania weekend, as well as pay-per-view sales, so 18 and 19 April could be the most lucrative days of the year for most WWE wrestlers.
In 2023, The Mirror reported some of the highest WWE wages as these: Roman Reigns $5m per year; Randy Orton $5m per year; Seth Rollins $3.5m per year; Cody Rhodes $3m per year; Logan Paul $2m per year. These figures reportedly don’t include bonuses.
