WrestleMania 42: Everything We Know About The Upcoming WWE Event

In a little over a week, the world of professional wrestling will descend upon Sin City (for the second year in a row) for WrestleMania 42. The two-night extravaganza, which is often referred to as the “Super Bowl of Wrestling,” will bring the biggest, brightest, and baddest superstars in all of WWE to the ring, where they’ll look to make their mark on the sport.

If you want to know all about WrestleMania 42 before the “Showcase of the Immortals” is headlined by the likes of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton (plus dozens of others), come along as I break down everything we know about the upcoming WWE event. From the start time to how to watch live on ESPN to who’s appearing on Night 1 and Night 2, and so much more, there’s so much to break down on the final stretch of the Road to WrestleMania!!!!

When Is WrestleMania 42?

Those hoping WWE would go back to the old days of having WrestleMania on a single day are in for some bad news, as the company has announced that the show will once again be a two-night event. WrestleMania 42 Night 1 is taking place on Saturday, April 18, 2026, while Night 2 will kick off on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Though this forces wrestling fans to spend an entire weekend (plus all those shows throughout the week leading up to the event) watching wrestling, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Plus, this setup has prevented WWE from having another WrestleMania 35 situation where the show went late into the night, and fans had a hard time getting out of MetLife.

Where Is WrestleMania 42 Being Held?

For the second year in a row, Las Vegas will be the host city for WrestleMania, as the “Grandaddy of Them All” will once again call Allegiant Stadium home. Typically, WWE moves the event from city to city each year, but that won’t be the case after the company made what could be considered a controversial decision to run it back in Sin City.

Originally, WWE announced it would host WrestleMania 42 in New Orleans, which would have been the Big Easy’s third Mania in the past decade-and-a-half (WrestleMania 30 in 2014 and WrestleMania 34 in 2018 were both held at Caesars Superdome).

Not long after the dust had settled from last year’s big event, and a few months after NOLA was announced as the host, WWE revealed it would be returning to the desert for the second year in a row.

How Can You Watch WrestleMania 42 Live?

Wrestling fans in the United States will be able to watch the two-night event as it happens live with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, making this the first WrestleMania in the past five years to not be on Peacock..For the first time ever, WWE will also broadcast WrestleMania on cable, as the first hour of Night 1 and Night 2 will air live on ESPN 2 and ESPN, respectively. WWE and ESPN are going all out with these broadcasts, as seen in the match card below…

One more thing to note: international audiences will be able to watch the two-night event with a Netflix subscription, much like other WWE weekly shows and monthly PLEs.

The WrestleMania 42 Card

With around a week until the “Showcase of the Immortals” kicks off in Vegas, the WrestleMania 42 card is pretty much set. There’s always the chance something will lead to a change or two, but for now, here’s who you can expect to see tear it up in the ring…

Please note: (C) denotes the champion heading into the match

Just like in previous years (and all other wrestling events), the WrestleMania 42 card is subject to change between now and next weekend. If there are any changes, I’ll make sure to keep these tables updated.

John Cena Is The WrestleMania 42 Host

Less than six months after having his last match and retiring from wrestling, John Cena will be appearing at WrestleMania 42… as the host. The 17-time world champion took to his social media channels in March 2026 to tell the world that he would be stepping in to handle hosting duties for the big WWE event, but it’s not known how much he’ll be doing besides kicking off the show and being involved in random segments between matches.

While it’s unlikely he gets physical so soon, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if he didn’t give someone an Attitude Adjustment…

How To Watch Previous WrestleManias While We Wait

I like to kill time in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania by watching the event’s biggest and baddest shows from over the years. In the past, I’ve used everything from Dailymotion to the WWE Network (RIP, you $9.99 friend) to my Peacock subscription. Well, with the vast majority of the WWE collection of old PPVs/PLEs shifting platforms a few months ago, I have been continuing this annual tradition with my Netflix subscription.

It’s really easy to check these out, and all previous 41 WrestleMania events are there, so all that’s left to do is watch a few of the most iconic years before tuning into the big show in mid-April. From WrestleMania matches that changed history to some of the greatest entrances of all time, it’s all there.

• Stream the WrestleMania Vault on Netflix.

When Does The 2026 WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremony Take Place?

The two-night WrestleMania isn’t the only big event taking place in Las Vegas this April, as we also have the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on the horizon. As in previous years, the special ceremony will be held the night before the big show, on Friday, April 17, 2026.

WWE has already announced the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame class, which includes Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, Demolition, Sycho Sid, and Bad News Brown. The iconic WrestleMania III main event between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant will also be going in as the Immortal Moment Award recipient.

Non-WWE Shows Worth Watching During WrestleMania Weekend

WrestleMania 42 isn’t the only wrestling show going down in Vegas later this month, as dozens of promotions from around the world will be setting up shows in Sin City in the lead-up to the big event. Though you won’t be able to watch shows like Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV or Joey Janela’s Spring Break or Effy’s Big Gay Brunch on Netflix or ESPN, Triller TV has you covered for those events and more. In fact, the streaming service even has a Mania Week section that will be a hub for independent wrestling the week of WrestleMania 42.

Though I’m not as well-versed in the indie world as I was back 10-15 years ago, I love watching these shows each year, especially The Immortal Clusterf---, which is, without a doubt, the most insane wrestling show of the year. I’ll put it this way: there are 75+ competitors in this year’s over-the-top battle royal, where anything and everything can happen.

Well, that about does it for everything we know about WrestleMania 42. With only days left until WWE runs it back in Las Vegas, it’s safe to say that business is about to pick up over at WWE.