WrestleMania Final Hype
WrestleMania 42 is building toward a Las Vegas show with John Cena set to host and WWE running a final Monday Night Raw in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center that will feature Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk in a final buildup segment. ( ) WWE also pulled Kaiser vs. Gable from the card and is teasing a future mask‑vs‑mask storyline. (wrestling-world.com)
WrestleMania 42 enters its final week Monday, with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Roman Reigns set for one more Raw confrontation before they meet in Las Vegas. (wwe.com) World Wrestling Entertainment lists the last Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania for Monday, April 13, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The company has spent the past month building Punk vs. Reigns through March 16, March 23, March 30 and April 6 Raw segments, including a brawl and Punk’s April 6 “pipe bomb” promo. (wwe.com) The match itself is locked in for Saturday, April 18, at Allegiant Stadium, with WrestleMania 42 running across April 18 and April 19. WWE says the show will stream on the ESPN App in the United States and on Netflix outside the United States. (wwe.com) John Cena is not returning as an active wrestler for this event; WWE announced on March 30 that he will serve as WrestleMania 42 host. The company said Cena retired from in-ring competition in December after losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. (wwe.com) Las Vegas has become a repeat WrestleMania site after hosting WrestleMania 41 in 2025, and WWE and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced WrestleMania 42 for the same stadium last June. WWE’s corporate site said the 2026 show will be the third WrestleMania held in Las Vegas, after 1993 and 2025. (wwe.com) (corporate.wwe.com) The WrestleMania card around Punk and Reigns is also still shifting. WWE’s official match-card page includes the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match and notes that Rey Mysterio added himself to that bout on the April 6 Raw, but Ludwig Kaiser vs. Chad Gable does not appear on the announced Saturday or Sunday lineups. (wwe.com 1) (wwe.com 2) Another thread running under the WrestleMania week card is the El Grande Americano angle. WWE posted footage from April 11 showing “Original” El Grande Americano unmasking Octagon Jr., then posted a follow-up challenge for a future mask-vs.-mask match. (wwe.com 1) (wwe.com 2) By Monday night, the last sales pitch is straightforward: Cena hosts, Punk and Reigns get the final face-to-face, and WWE heads into April 18 with Sacramento serving as the last stop before Las Vegas. (wwe.com 1) (wwe.com 2)
