WrestleMania 42 Plans Taking Shape

The road to WrestleMania 42's main event is complex, with Cody Rhodes considered a "virtual lock" to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, there is reported internal hesitation about a standard singles match, as the two have faced each other multiple times recently, making a Triple Threat match involving Jacob Fatu a strong possibility. The history between the current champion and challenger is recent and heated. McIntyre captured the WWE Championship from Rhodes on the January 9, 2026, episode of SmackDown. The victory came in a "Three Stages of Hell" match after Jacob Fatu interfered, attacking both competitors and allowing McIntyre to escape the cage for the win. Recent changes to the Elimination Chamber match, which will determine the final challenger for WrestleMania, were necessitated by a legitimate injury to Bronson Reed. Jey Uso initially won the revised qualifying match but was later written off the show with a backstage attack, leading to Logan Paul defeating Jacob Fatu to claim the final spot in the high-stakes match. The ongoing "Masked Man" storyline saw a major reveal when the assailant was unmasked as independent wrestler Don Furio. Furio is a trainee of Seth Rollins' Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, heavily implying Rollins is orchestrating the attacks against his former faction, The Vision, as a form of revenge. Despite being featured in WrestleMania promotional material, Brock Lesnar has not appeared in WWE since his loss to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023. His absence follows his implication in the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon, and a new report states there are currently no creative plans for his return. Country music star Jelly Roll's involvement extends beyond