7 Things We’ve Learned About WWE Before WrestleMania 42

The road to WrestleMania 42 has been quite the experience for WWE and its fanbase with many twists and turns along the way.

With less than a week until the two-night premium live event, many things have become clear to everyone involved.

From storylines to the business side of the company, WWE has taught their fans several notable elements in the weeks leading into Mania this year.

Here are seven things we’ve learned about WWE before WrestleMania 42.

7. Awareness Of The Current Perception Around Their On-Screen Product

Unlike the widely positive sentiment towards WWE’s on-screen product in 2023/2024, the past year has seen a great deal of fans become disillusioned with the company’s offerings.

Dating back to Monday Night Raw’s move to Netflix, the company has seen their creativity called into question by the fans.

Along the road to WrestleMania 42, WWE has addressed that head-on with Pat McAfee most notably insulting the current state of the company as well as their weekly television.

This shows that the company may be aware of the current perception from their audience and the current state of the on-screen more than they have done since Triple H took over as the head of creative.

6. Danhausen Becoming One Of The Most Popular Stars On The Roster

At WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, Danhausen made his debut with the company, being revealed as the individual locked inside of the mystery crate that was seen backstage in the weeks leading into the PLE.

Over the past two months since his debut, Danhausen has been featured on a weekly basis on both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

It has become clear the former AEW star’s brand of humor and “You Are Cursed” catchphrase has caught on with the fans in a major way.

Danhausen becoming one of the most popular stars in the company could see him getting a featured spot during the WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas.

5. Changing Dynamics Between Trick Williams & Sami Zayn

On the March 27 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Sami Zayn defeated Carmelo Hayes to win the United States Championship.

For years, WWE fans have greeted Zayn with unanimous cheers as one of the best underdog babyfaces in the company’s history.

Meanwhile, Trick Williams has been garnering more and more cheers from the audience ever since making his WWE main roster debut at the start of 2026.

The nature of his US Title win combined with Trick’s growing popularity, could lead to Zayn turning heel, while Williams could become one of the biggest babyfaces in WWE coming out of their showdown at WrestleMania 42.

4. Potential Bloodline Reunion

Heading into his World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 42, Roman Reigns has been teasing a reunion with his cousins The Usos.

In the midst of his rivalry with Reigns, CM Punk disrespected him by stating he planned on burying “The OTC” next to his late father at Mania.

This led to The Usos confronting “The Best In The World” to demand an apology, with Jey Uso calling the shot for Reigns to beat down Punk a few weeks before their World Heavyweight Title match.

With their involvement in this storyline, it seems like there’s a chance WWE could reunite The Bloodline, with The Usos helping Reigns regain the top prize at “The Show of Shows.”

3. Oba Femi Is WWE’s Next Top Star

Brock Lesnar issued an open challenge to anyone on the WWE roster to face him at WrestleMania 42.

On the March 16 episode of Monday Night Raw, Oba Femi confronted and laid out Lesnar to accept this challenge in emphatic fashion.

“The Ruler” has shown no fear heading into this collision course with “The Beast Incarnate” and is fully aware he could launch himself into the stratosphere with a win.

Femi winning against Lesnar would immediately make him one of the biggest stars in WWE and the road to Mania has showcased why that is a big possibility.

2. Celebrities Will Continue To Be A Major Part Of The Company’s Programming

WrestleMania has always been known for their celebrity involvement over the years, dating back to the first iteration with the likes of Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper and Liberace playing key roles.

However, the road to WrestleMania 42 has shown that WWE might be leaning into celebrity involvement even more after “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

Whether it be Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll being heavily featured in the Undisputed WWE Championship program or the likes of iShowSpeed and Lil Yachty being pivotal in other stories, it seems like celebrity involvement is at an all-time high in the company.

Moving forward, fans could see this reliance on celebrities becoming part of the identity of WWE long after Mania this year.

1. The Presence Of TKO Behind The Scenes As Well As On WWE TV

Speaking of Pat McAfee, his inclusion in the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes storyline has become a major point of contention among fans heading into WrestleMania 42.

This has led to WWE referencing their parent company TKO in storyline more than they have since the merger in 2023.

With reports of McAfee’s involvement being thanks to TKO President Ari Emmanuel and CM Punk referencing him in a Pipebomb promo, it feels like the presence of WWE’s parent company has been more apparent than ever.

Whether it be their influence behind-the-scenes or in storylines on WWE TV, it feels like TKO isn’t going anywhere and may be part of the on-screen product even more after WrestleMania 42.

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