WrestleMania 42 Predictions (Saturday): Will Randy Orton Win World Title No. 15?

WrestleMania 42 is nearly upon us, and for the second year in a row, the fate of the entire professional wrestling industry is apparently at stake.

The heel version of John Cena said he wanted to ruin the business by retiring with the WWE Championship around his waist, and now ESPN's Pat McAfee has arrived to save it by helping put the title around the waist of Randy Orton.

Has TKO ruined one of WWE's marquee programs by shoving McAfee into the forefront it? Will Saturday be Liv Morgan's night against Stephanie Vaquer? Can Becky Lynch finally best AJ Lee and will Gunther back up his bold claims against another one of the industry's best?

Rick Ucchino, Zack Heydorn and Matt Black are back to break down each match on the card and offer up their final predictions, including whether any surprise appearances will be in store for the Las Vegas crowd. Also, could every single championship match end with, AND NEW!?

You can get more in-depth discussions about each match taking place on WrestleMania Saturday in our predictions video above, and please subscribe to The Takedown on SI YouTube channel for access to all of our talk shows and exclusive interviews. We've recently dropped conversations with Women's Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee, Kenny Omega and AEW TNT Champion Kevin Knight.

The Usos & LA Knight vs. The Vision & IShowSpeed

After experiencing a series of unfortunate events, almost as if he were under some sort of curse, IShowSpeed has found himself in the crosshairs of LA Knight and The Usos. The popular streamer has reluctantly been called into action, alongside World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Logan Paul, and Speed will step back into the ring for his first official match since Bron Breakker cut him in half during the Royal Rumble a couple of years back.

Celebrity matches usually go one of two ways. They either exceed even the loftiest of expectations, Bad Bunny style, or they turn into the train wreck that most fans expect them to be. It's impossible to predict how Speed will perform, but he has plenty of athleticism to pull off something flashy.

There's also more than enough talent to help mask any deficiencies he may have. As long as he's under Danhausen's curse, however, the babyfaces will over and then fire up the crowd with a Yeet party.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: The Usos and LA Knight
Zack Heydorn: The Usos and LA Knight
Matt Black: The Usos and LA Knight

Seth Rollins vs. Gunther

The WWE creative team had to travel a very bumpy road to get to this one as there was seemingly a major injury at every turn. Both of these men reportedly had very different paths to WrestleMania 42 originally, but when their planned opponents both got hurt, they found themselves on the same detour that is going to end in a massive head-on collision. And frankly, none of us are mad about this destination.

After suffering a hernia injury in early February, Bron Breakker unfortunately finds himself as the odd man out in Las Vegas. That doesn't mean that the Unpredictable Badass is going to be a no-show. Breakker is reportedly cleared to return to the ring, and we expect him to be at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. He'll lend an assist to The Ring General and officially kick-start his long-awaited program with The Visionary.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: Gunther
Zack Heydorn: Gunther
Matt Black: Gunther

Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned Match

It wasn't that long ago that Drew McIntyre thought he was going to be walking into WrestleMania 42 as the WWE Champion, but Jacob Fatu made sure that didn't happen. The Samoan Werewolf has been operating under the assumption that McIntyre cost him months of his career by attacking him backstage last fall, even though Drew has always maintained his innocence, and that quest for revenge has brought both men to this one final battle.

This Unsanctioned Match has the potential to be carnage candy at its finest. It has all the ingredients: two monster opponents who have no issues working snug, who are radiating hatred and are stepping into a bout with no rules and that carries no repercussions for their actions.

The anything goes aspect also offers a level of protection for the loser. We consider this a coin flip that leans slightly in Fatu's favor. Some outside interference could tip the scales back toward McIntyre.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: Drew McIntyre
Zack Heydorn: Jacob Fatu
Matt Black: Jacob Fatu

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match

There may be no other match on the entire card that means more to the participants than the Women's Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way. Whether it's Lash Legend making her WrestleMania debut, Bayley working her way back on the show after being removed last minute in 2025, Alexa Bliss wrestling her first Mania match in six years, or The Bella Twins making their return, there's no shortage of feel-good stories in this one.

It would not be surprising to see any of these teams emerge victorious, but our panel has narrowed it down to a two-team race. Assuming that Nikki Bella is healthy, Zack and Matt like The Bella Twins to kick-start their final run by winning the tag team titles that did not exist until after they retired in 2018.

As much as they want the gold, winning this match may just mean more to Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and it would be the perfect full-circle moment if they did after what happened to Bayley last year.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: AND NEW!... Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
Zack Heydorn: AND NEW!... The Bella Twins
Matt Black: AND NEW!... The Bella Twins

AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship

Your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler is undefeated since making her return to WWE back in September, and she's never lost on the 'Grandest Stage of Them All.' She's also 3-0 against Becky Lynch in her career, but The Man is an entirely different performer under the bright lights of WrestleMania. After months of putting AJ Lee over, Lynch is a betting favorite to win the Women's Intercontinental Championship for the third time this Saturday night.

With Lee working less than a full-time schedule, it would just make sense to have Lynch carry the belt for a while coming out of this weekend. This will likely be the final bout between these two for a while, so if Lynch does win, it needs to happen in a way that allows both parties to accept the outcome and move on.

Becky loves being a heel, but perhaps a clean win and a show of respect to AJ Lee afterward will be the start of her latest turn to the good side.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: AND NEW!... Becky Lynch
Zack Heydorn: AND NEW!... Becky Lynch
Matt Black: AND NEW!... Becky Lynch

Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship

Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer and Liv Morgan are ready to tear each other to shreds, even with the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble winner coming into this one pretty banged up. Morgan is still showing the effects of her collision with Roxanne Perez a couple of weeks ago, but she's not going to let that ruin her moment at the 'Showcase of the Immortals'. This is her first-ever singles match on the main show, but will she walk out with the title?

While this rivalry has gotten very personal over the past few weeks, there's one underlying storyline that may prove to be the most vital. This is a battle of superstars who have traveled vastly different roads to get to WrestleMania. One spent years working her way through the global independent circuit, while the other has spent over a decade busting hump in WWE.

Knowing how Triple H operates, Rick and Zack will bet on the WWE system prevailing above all others.

Regardless of how it ends, Stephanie and Liv are the best they've ever been and the build has been excellent. This is could end up being the match of the night.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: AND NEW!... Liv Morgan
Zack Heydorn: AND NEW!... Liv Morgan
Matt Black: Stephanie Vaquer

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 42 — Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes | WWE

This will be the fourth year in a row that Cody Rhodes is competing in the WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania, and once again, he's having to navigate outside interference. This time, it comes in the form of TKO executives and ESPN's Pat McAfee. Multi-time Grammy Award winner Jelly Roll also looks to be getting involved in this one, which will only serve to further muddy up the waters of what should have been a simple story based on Rhodes' history with Randy Orton.

McAfee has said that he'll never show his face in WWE again if The Viper fails to win his 15th World Championship this weekend, which means he's either lying or Orton is winning the title. But Zack brought up a good point on the predictions show. Triple H may not have been able to overrule McAfee's involvement in this feud, but he still holds the power to choose the winner of the match. If he's as frustrated as reports say, he may ultimately decide to put his new golden boy over.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: AND NEW!... Randy Orton
Zack Heydorn: Cody Rhodes
Matt Black: AND NEW!... Randy Orton

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