Pat McAfee chaos factor headlines biggest talking points as WrestleMania 42 lands in Las Vegas

WrestleMania is just around the corner, and Las Vegas will host WWE’s biggest event for the second-straight year.

The most iconic names in professional wrestling are set to touch down in Sin City ahead of a two-night extravaganza at Allegiant Stadium.

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Home to the NFL‘s Las Vegas Raiders franchise, the state-of-the-art venue played host to WrestleMania 41 last year, when 60,000 fans packed in to witnessed John Cena break Ric Flair’s record to become a 17-time WWE champion.

But 12 months on, the ‘Show of Shows’ has quite a different feel.

‘Big Match John’ has retired from in-ring action, and the landscape of WWE has changed since his departure.

The likes of Roman Reigns, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes now stand at the top of the mountain, as some of the biggest draws in wrestling.

All of those names will be in action at WrestleMania 42, but the event has been somewhat overshadowed by ticket sale struggles, celebrity-driven builds and a bizarre Pat McAfee comeback.

But amid all the noise, thousands of fans will pack into Allegiant Stadium once more, with millions more watching worldwide, to witness the biggest show of the year unfold.

Ahead of this weekend, here are five things to look out for at WrestleMania in Vegas.

CM Punk vs Roman Reigns in biggest bout of weekend

CM Punk is set to go toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns as he defends his World Heavyweight Championship in the main event on Night 2.

The ‘Original Tribal Chief’ punched his ticket to WrestleMania by winning the 2026 Royal Rumble, and it quickly became clear that Punk was the man he wanted to face.

While some match builds have been panned by fans, this one was done right, with a bout between the two men feeling highly personal, given they have traded plenty of insults on the mic.

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Reigns admitted to ‘hating’ Punk when he first announced his decision to challenge for the heavyweight title at WrestleMania, and suggested his opponent was only brought back to WWE to ‘entertain the 30-to-40 year old virgins’ in the fan base.

With insults going back-and-forth the two men, unsurprisingly, have come to blows in the ring on RAW in recent weeks.

While some builds have been lacking, this main event match feels massive, and will almost certainly shift the landscape of WWE if the champ is dethroned.

Fans could be in for an all-timer when Punk and Reigns face-off in the bright lights of Sin City at WrestleMania 42.

Pat McAfee madness could ruin Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton

From a good build to a bad one.

Announcer McAfee walked back into the WWE spotlight on SmackDown earlier this month, having taken a nine-month sabbatical to pursue other projects.

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He revealed himself as the mystery voice behind Randy Orton’s phone calls, and immediately inserted himself into one of WrestleMania 42’s biggest rivalries — all while running down the state of the company and touting 25% off tickets for Night 1.

Now, celebrity involvement in pro-wrestling is commonplace, but the decision to bring McAfee back feels like a scramble, and hasn’t gone down well with the WWE Universe.

It has even been criticized by other talents in the locker room, who have taken issue with the former NFL punter loudly criticizing their work.

Orton and Rhodes are two of the biggest names in pro-wrestling, generational talents forged from family greatness.

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If any two men can carry a main event without celebrity appeal, it’s them.

So why is McAfee involved, beyond promoting discounted WrestleMania tickets, and how will he really attempt to ‘save the business’ at WrestleMania? We’ll find out on Saturday night, when he stands in Orton’s corner.

‘Demon’ Finn Balor to make rare comeback

Finn Balor will collide with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania, after he was kicked out of The Judgement Day.

His run with the villainous stable stretched back almost four years, but animosity over title shots left him on a collision course with Mysterio that concluded with a brutal RAW assault last month.

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Judgement Day sided with Dom, and Balor has been left to battle on without any allies — or so we thought.

He still has ‘The Demon’ in his corner, and will summon his alter-ego for the first time in three years on the ‘Grandest Stage of them All.’

This grudge match feels like the perfect time for Balor to bring his powerful form out of retirement, and his iconic ‘Demon’ entrance will be must-see at WrestleMania.

Some fans, though, weren’t happy that WWE ruined what could have been an incredible surprise.

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Had Balor not announced the return of his alter-ego, the reveal would no doubt have got one of the biggest pops of the night from the fans inside Allegiant Stadium.

Still, while it won’t be a surprise, it’s sure to be a special moment.

Will Las Vegas crowd bring WrestleMania hype?

Much has been made about the ticket prices — and location — for WWE’s biggest event in 2026.

The decision to return to Vegas for back-to-back WrestleManias baffled plenty of fans.

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No place has hosted for two-straight years since way back in 1988 and 1989, when Atlantic City had the fourth and fifth editions.

A return to Sin City has made flogging tickets a bigger struggle than usual for an event that often sells out within hours.

The pricing certainly didn’t help either.

When tickets were first released, the get-in price to attend both nights of WrestleMania stood at more than $850.

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That’s a similar cost to last year, but demand 12 months ago was fueled by the promise of Cena’s final match on the biggest stage.

Punk advocated for lower prices during a recent episode of RAW, which led to McAfee’s discounted ticket segment.

According to WrestleTix, 40,610 tickets had been distributed for Night 1 of WrestleMania by April 10.

While that’s a solid percentage of the 45,000 seats, it’s still a big drop from the near 60,000 tickets sold for Night 1 last year.

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It seems the attendance could be lower this year, and that could make the WrestleMania crowd interesting.

Will the atmosphere suffer, or will WWE be forced to lower prices in the coming days, to ensure a sell out that could offer those in Sin City the chance of snapping up a bargain?

Could WrestleMania spring big surprise?

It wouldn’t be WrestleMania with a few twists and turns along the way.

WWE know all eyes wil be on the ‘Show of Shows’ this weekend, and now would be the perfect time to spring a surprise and shift the landscape of a product that has been criticized in recent months.

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Big names like Bron Breakker, Sheamus and Bianca Belair have all been nursing long-term injuries, but various reports have each star on a timeline to return very soon.

The appearance of just one of those would send fans wild at WrestleMania, should it be in the form of a shock promo, or answering an open challenge.

Then there’s the established icons like The Rock, who’s part-time involvement in the Cena build was slammed last year, who could also make a crowd-pleasing cameo.

A big surprise would add to the excitement in Vegas, and we already know that at WrestleMania, anything can happen.

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