WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Streaming Live on ESPN Unlimited, April 18th, 2026 — The Premium Live Event Recap:

Bron Breakker returned as he cost Seth Rollins his match with Gunther, as he speared him twice to send a message, as Paul Heyman grinned at the top of the WrestleMania Ramp. (Image courtesy of WWE)

• Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

• Where to Watch: Streaming Live on ESPN Unlimited.

• What to Watch: WrestleMania Night Two Starts tomorrow at 6 P.M. ET / 5 P.M. CT / 3 P.M. PT, Streaming Live on ESPN Unlimited, with the First Hour being live on ESPN.

WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One — The Official Match Results:

The Opening Match: LA Knight & The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) defeated IShowSpeed & The Vision (Austin Theory & Logan Paul) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (07:08)

The 2nd Match: Jacob Fatu defeated Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match | via Pin-Fall — (14:09)

The 3rd Match: Brie Bella & Paige defeated The Irresistible Forces (Lash Legend & Nia Jax) (c) and Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria in a WWE Women's Tag Team Title Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (08:33)

The 4th Match: Becky Lynch defeated AJ Lee (c) in a WWE Women's Intercontinental Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (08:15)

The 5th Match: Gunther defeated Seth Rollins in a Singles Match | via TKO — (17:52)

The 6th Match: Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer (c) in a WWE Women's World Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (06:51)

The Main Event Match: Cody Rhodes (c) defeated Randy Orton in a WWE Undisputed Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (22:44)

My Official Thoughts on WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One:

My Official Thoughts: A huge failure. In my lifetime, I have never seen a WrestleMania this awful. I know there was WrestleMania 27 and WrestleMania 32. But holy shit, those events had some quality moments. This show only had one amazing match, and the rest felt rushed, with no substance added. The Main Event of the show sucked and made zero sense whatsoever. I don't have anything else to say, but Night Two needs to deliver.

WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One — My Official Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: LA Knight & The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) vs. IShowSpeed & The Vision (Austin Theory & Logan Paul) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: *.75 — This was a very quick match. I was excited for this because there was one LA Knight in this, and to see how IShowSpeed does for this match. And when I said I was utterly disappointed. I was because of what this match was. It ended that quickly? After the match, LA Knight & The Usos are cool with IShowSpeed, then hit an insane splash to Logan Paul on top of the announce table as Logan Paul was crushed. But this match simply stunk because it was never given the chance to really get going.

The 2nd Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — This felt like a typical Extreme Rules Match in the WWE brass, but the match was solid. I knew coming in that Jacob Fatu was going to get the win because he needed this so he could go on to bigger things. Drew McIntyre lost, as we know, he's going to film a movie with Henry Cavill. There were some moments that were intense, but it being an Unsanctioned Match is fun because it didn't give that vibe off whatsoever.

The 3rd Match: The Irresistible Forces (Lash Legend & Nia Jax) (c) vs. Brie Bella & Paige vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria in a WWE Women's Tag Team Title Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: **.50 — Paige returned. When I was in Middle School, she debuted on the Main Roster, and I wasn't the biggest fan of hers, but it was cool, I guess, to see her return. But the match was okay, I thought the in-ring stuff was cool with Lyra Valkyria showing out, then we saw Lash Legend showing out, but in the end, Brie Bella and Paige got the win as Alexa Bliss got pinned for the win, as we have new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.

The 4th Match: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch in a WWE Women's Intercontinental Title Match | The Match Rating: ** — This match was short, and Becky Lynch was feuding with the Referee the whole time, which made no sense. Then, the end of the match was with AJ Lee hitting the exposed turnbuckle as Becky Lynch became a 3x WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion. The match was good in-ring wise, but it felt rush this wasn't what people wanted: an eight-minute sprint? This is the trend we saw throughout the show, but oh yeah, we got to see Hulk Hogan for every Ad Break, and no one wants to see that. Why can't we get long matches for feuds that are heated?

The 5th Match: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.50 — The match I was most excited for entertained everyone wanna know why? Because they actually were allowed to wrestle in the ring. Not having some washed-up Punter or a Country Singer involved in a proper professional wrestling match, which got the fans on their feet, and this match was amazing, delivering big-time. I thought Seth Rollins was moving amazingly, and Gunther was doing Gunther things as he's simply one of the best professional wrestlers in the damn world. But the ending of the match, I liked that Bron Breakker returned, spearing the daylight out of Seth Rollins, in which Gunther made Seth Rollins pass out. Afterwards, Bron Breakker speared Seth Rollins again, and we saw Paul Heyman at the top of the ramp as the face of the Vision has returned.

The 6th Match: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan in a WWE Women's World Title Match | The Match Rating: DUD — One of the best builds for WrestleMania, it was personal, it was a deeply blood-boiling level. They disrespected each other, had intense brawls, and had only six minutes to go out there and perform. A match that could've stolen the show if given time, but nope, TKO, and Triple H thought it was okay to have this match be nothing more than Judgement Day come out and attack Stephanie Vaquer, and help Liv Morgan become a 3x WWE Women's World Champion. Pathetic produced match, and pathetic the creative did nothing to make this match feel special, and remember for good reasons now it's going to be remembered for how utterly mishandled it was, I feel for both women, and Stephanie Vaquer’s first reign as World Champion was poorly booked as she faced Raquel Rodriguez, I believe four times, and Nikki Bella twice. Didn't get to feud with the likes of Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Rhea Ripley & Roxanne Perez. I'm mad and frustrated because they ruined what could've been a hell of a match.

The Main Event Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton (with Pat McAfee) in a WWE Undisputed Title Match | The Match Rating: ** — This match made no sense. Is Jelly Roll the savior? He put Pat McAfee through the table, then he gets stretched out, but returns as a referee, then gets RKO'd by Randy Orton, then cost Randy Orton the match as Cody Rhodes wins, but gets Punt Kick by Randy Orton as the show ends? Who made this, Vince Russo? Is the WCW 1999-2001 Writing Team backstage? Is this a joke? What was this? Is this what everyone was waiting for as WWE fumbled what could've been a Feud of the Year candidate? What the hell is this company anymore?

WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One —  My Match of the Night: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.50 — The match I was most excited about ended up entertaining everyone, and you know why? Because the wrestlers were actually allowed to wrestle in the ring. There wasn’t some washed-up punter or country singer involved in what should be a serious professional wrestling match. The crowd was fired up, and the match absolutely delivered. I thought Seth Rollins looked fantastic, moving incredibly well, and Gunther was just being Gunther, one of the best professional wrestlers in the world, plain and simple. I also really liked the finish. Bron Breakker’s return, spearing the life out of Seth Rollins, led to Gunther making Rollins pass out. Then, after the match, Bron Breakker speared Rollins again, and we saw Paul Heyman appear at the top of the ramp, signaling that the face of the Vision has returned.

WWE WrestleMania XLII Night One — My Official Event Grade: 1.75/10 (F) — An absolute disaster. In my lifetime, I’ve never seen a WrestleMania this bad. Sure, WrestleMania 27 and 32 had their issues, but at least they still had some memorable moments. This show had only one truly great match; everything else felt rushed and empty. The main event was terrible and made no sense at all. I don’t have much more to add, except that Night Two really needs to deliver.