The most exciting match of WrestleMania 42 isn’t even in the headlines

Wrestlemania 42 It’s around the corner, and I have ideas. WWE’s biggest professional wrestling event returns to Las Vegas for two nights – Saturday and Sunday – and you can stream all the action on ESPN Unlimited. That is if you feel like it.

I think I feel it. But this urge to watch was mostly inspired by a recently put together match: Brock Lesnar vs. Aoba Femi. I know I’m not alone in this opinion; I’ll get into my thinking in a second.

The road to WrestleMania is the most important time for WWE, and it is during these few months that the strongest storylines are brought together with the goal of creating huge in-ring moments at the big event.

WWE needs stronger stories

And hey, a few storylines have come together well during this time – Stephanie Vacker vs. Liv Morgan is one example I can think of. Another event is the beloved Finn Balor’s turn against Dominik Mysterio, as he will revive his “Satanic” persona three years later.

But aside from all that, WrestleMania as a whole doesn’t look very exciting this year. Ever since John Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber in 2025, then steadily continued the character’s pivot until the story fizzled out, it’s seemed as if cracks in the creative foundation of the biggest company in sports entertainment were beginning to show.

Realize that, after all, this is live theater, and unexpected tensions can be introduced into the mix to change the planned story. However, adding YouTube streamer iShowSpeed ​​to this year’s event seems like a ploy to take advantage of its following and nothing more. A match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton may have been a success, but the tone of that story is essentially a retread of Cody’s drama with Cena last year.

And don’t get me started on Pat McAfee returning to WWE. McAfee left his ringside commentator role last year due to fatigue, which is understandable given his busy schedule. However, his return as Orton’s in-ring hype man is so out of character for the popular ESPN host and former NFL player that his involvement in Orton’s heel role makes it seem like a big joke.

It wasn’t long before he was standing at the table, listening to Jey Uso’s music, and challenging Gunther to a match to defend the honor of his host and friend, Michael Cole. With his ridiculous role, it feels like all those good intentions have been thrown out the window.

But there’s one thing that has him relevant to the WrestleMania storyline: his recent promos about declining ticket sales. Both Rhodes and CM Punk addressed this in their own separate promos, where they called out TKO about the high cost of entry to WWE shows – and that includes WrestleMania.

A quick tour of the internet turned up all sorts of comments from fans about the issue, including the ticket prices mentioned above. Combined with feuds that were made up out of thin air — I’m looking at you, Seth Rollins and Gunther — he made it clear that rumors of creative differences behind the scenes may actually ring true.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention WWE’s move to put everyone on the live broadcast. The luster of watching pay-per-view events like the Royal Rumble and Summer Slam has worn off. The playing field has been leveled, and you can now dive into WrestleMania the same way you watch RAW or Saturday Night’s Main Event – as long as you have the necessary subscription.

This brings me back to the Lesnar vs. Femi match.

WWE’s agreement with ESPN has sparked new energy and interest in WWE programming. More eyes on the product given ESPN’s reach. Both companies know this, and for the first time ever, WrestleMania will be broadcast live on cable TV for the first hour each day, on ESPN2 on Saturday and on ESPN on Sunday.

Take a wild guess which match has been tapped to start the second night.

The ruler faces the monster

A few days ago, I was listening to an episode of The Smartless podcast where guest Stephen Colbert suddenly started talking about Brock Lesnar. This reminds me of the reputation and fame of a WWE Superstar outside the squared circle. None of the people who spoke were wrestling fans, per se, but you could hear the energy when they talked about it – and that’s exactly what Triple H and the rest of the team are hoping to bring here.

At the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, Paul Heyman and Lesnar An open challenge On multiple episodes of RAW for any opponent brave enough to step up and fight the man known simply as The Beast.

At the beginning of the era of merciless aggression, Kurt Angle presented a similar challengeA then-unknown wrestler named John Cena assigned him the task, thus beginning his legendary career.

Now it’s Oba Femi’s turn.

I first got a glimpse of Femi’s talent during Cena’s final show on Saturday Night’s Main Event. He stood alone against Cody Rhodes, who tossed him across the ring like a rag doll. Months later, he was a formidable opponent at the Royal Rumble, which lasted over 39 minutes and eliminated five wrestlers before Lesnar, of all people, tossed him over the top rope.

You can see the writing on the wall with Lesnar’s challenge. When Femi answered the call, he instilled fear in the monster and showed everyone why he was called the ruler. He proceeded to Hit the guy – Something no one thought was possible. Since then, the promising newcomer has developed into the next dominant star in WWE. I found myself humming his entrance music while trying to do his autograph.

More Oba Femi energy, please

The chemistry between the two is undeniable. You can see it in their few encounters in the ring, including a brawl that saw them throw office furniture at each other. Separately, they signed the contract to make this fight official.

After Femi finalized his signing, he confronted Heyman and delivered a promo strong enough to throw Hakeem off his game. Triple H patted him on the shoulder, and you can see from his body language that there was a lot riding on this match, which Heyman correctly called the true main event of WrestleMania.

This is definitely exciting. But when you look at the roster of talent packed into WrestleMania, it’s clear that there’s a big gap between the tried-and-true performers who may be on the verge of retirement and the promising newbies tasked with taking the company into the next era.

But it’s not just about talent. I can watch CM Punk and Roman Reigns trade barbs until the cows come home, and they, along with many on the roster, deliver the goods day in and day out.

Ultimately, we need strong stories that pay off. These big emotional moments are what WrestleMania is built on. The scene will definitely be there when the show starts this weekend. But fireworks, celebrity stars and surprising twists in the story can only take things so far. Without exciting new faces, infectious energy, and original narratives, it feels like a stereotypical revamp.