{"id":154362,"date":"2026-03-05T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=154362"},"modified":"2026-03-08T01:24:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T06:24:02","slug":"why-this-years-wrestlemania-42-build-is-lackluster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/05\/why-this-years-wrestlemania-42-build-is-lackluster\/","title":{"rendered":"Why this Year&#8217;s WrestleMania 42 Build is Lackluster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/04\/the-grandest-roadmap-of-them-all-post-elimination-chamber-prediction-of-wwe-wrestlemania-42-card\/\" target=\"_self\">WrestleMania 42<\/a> is less than seven weeks away. WWE Elimination Chamber, the last PLE on the Road to Mania, is also in the rearview mirror. Yet, fans can&#8217;t feel the typical excitement and entertainment value that &#8216;Mania season brings. The Show of Shows is considered the &#8220;Super Bowl&#8221; of sports entertainment, and the build contributes extensively to the show&#8217;s success.<\/p>\n<p>A few years ago, WWE put together one of the most exciting builds to Mania. The Road to WrestleMania 40 was filled with drama surrounding Cody Rhodes, the Bloodline, and the Final Boss. Last year, John Cena&#8217;s shocking heel turn injected excitement into the build. However, the feeling is missing this year.<\/p>\n<p>On that note, let&#8217;s look at a few reasons why this year&#8217;s WrestleMania 42 build feels lackluster.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Injuries Have Made the Road Rocky to WrestleMania 42<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Injuries are part and parcel of life as a WWE Superstar, but the Road to WrestleMania is the worst time to get injured. Unfortunately, the injury curse has hit the locker room pretty hard in the last few months.<\/p>\n<p>Seth Rollins, who recently returned to TV, injured his shoulder at WWE Crown Jewel 2025 last October. Bron Breakker had to undergo emergency surgery following his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/03\/bron-breakker-has-massive-meltdown-on-2-2-wwe-raw\/\" target=\"_self\">meltdown<\/a> on the February 2nd edition of RAW. Last week, Bronson Reed tore his triceps.<\/p>\n<p>The injury curse hit the Vision storyline pretty hard, forcing WWE to make several pivots. Many fans feel as if Triple H should drop the angle since the essential ingredients have effectively been eliminated.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, RAW had been built around the Vision for much of 2025. The absence of Rollins, Breakker, and Reed has robbed the red brand of some serious starpower. In addition to these three men, prominent names like Bianca Belair and Kevin Owens are also on the sidelines.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bron Breakker SNAPS after being attacked at Royal Rumble: Raw highlights, Feb. 2, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ja1wAmk81jU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Top Stars Have Been Sparingly Used<\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest selling points of WrestleMania annually is the return of WWE&#8217;s biggest draws, especially the part-timers. The company announced Roman Reigns and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/23\/brock-lesnar-issues-massive-open-challenge-for-wrestlemania-42-and-weeks-leading-up-to-it\/\" target=\"_self\">Brock Lesnar&#8217;s &#8216;Mania schedule weeks in advance<\/a>. While this is a great marketing strategy, WWE has pushed its dates to the back end of WrestleMania season.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar and Reigns were virtually absent for the majority of the build to WWE Elimination Chamber. Fan interest was low for the PLE, and the presence of part-timers could have elevated excitement. Furthermore, the company has also misused many of the available top stars.<\/p>\n<p>Gunther has been sparingly used and doesn&#8217;t get enough TV time. Over on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Randy Orton have been more regular with their appearances, but they haven&#8217;t wrestled as frequently as they should.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"UNREAL ENDING | CM Punk said WHAT to Roman Reigns: Raw highlights, March 2, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lk3XaMTeog0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Weak Storylines Have Further Derailed WWE&#8217;s Momentum<\/h2>\n<p>AJ Styles hinted in a backstage interview that WrestleMania has lost much of its lustre, and the Phenomenal One echoed the opinions of many members of the WWE Universe. Weak storylines are a significant reason for the dwindling interest during &#8216;Mania season.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at some of the undercard storylines on Raw and SmackDown. Solo Sikoa and the MFTs have been feuding with the Wyatt Sicks for months. Their feud has held the tag titles hostage, and WWE has needlessly prolonged the storyline beyond its expiration date.<\/p>\n<p>On Raw, the never-ending tussle between the &#8220;Original&#8221; El Grande Americano and the impostor has dominated TV time. Talented and credible talents like Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser have been used in this comedic angle that has lasted more than a year. Given the reaction Americano received in the 2026 Men&#8217;s Royal Rumble, fans obviously have little interest in the storyline.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u201cOriginal\u201d El Grande Americano defeats Rayo Americano: Raw highlights, March 2, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y364TCWxjzw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The WrestleMania 42 Card is Up in the Air<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Once upon a time, WWE used to have the WrestleMania card planned and pre-booked months in advance. That feels like a lifetime ago as we&#8217;re only several weeks away from WrestleMania 42, and only a handful of matches have been announced.<\/p>\n<p>The WWE title scene on SmackDown is a mess, which has been made more complicated by <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/28\/randy-orton-wins-2026-mens-wwe-elimination-chamber-seth-rollins-returns\/\" target=\"_self\">Randy Orton&#8217;s Elimination Chamber win<\/a>. Drew McIntyre is the current champion, and he is currently involved in angles with Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Jacob Fatu. Triple H could opt for a multi-man match or put the title back on Rhodes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_142595\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-142595\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestleMania-Vegas-poster-240x300.jpeg\" alt=\"WWE WrestleMania 42 Poster\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-142595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestleMania-Vegas-poster-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestleMania-Vegas-poster-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestleMania-Vegas-poster-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestleMania-Vegas-poster.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-142595\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Similarly, Gunther has spent his weeks tormenting and dismantling Dragon Lee, but his direction for WrestleMania also remains unclear. Brock Lesnar has issued an open challenge for the Show of Shows, but no one has stepped up to challenge the Beast. Injuries to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed have also thrown a dent in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/13\/seth-rollins-at-wwe-wrestlemania-42-4-backup-plans-after-bron-breakker-injury\/\" target=\"_self\">Seth Rollins&#8217; expected &#8216;Mania plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Seth Rollins STOMPS Paul Heyman: Raw highlights, March 2, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uc8xrBS9soY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WrestleMania 42 is less than seven weeks away. WWE Elimination Chamber, the last PLE on the Road to Mania, is also in the rearview mirror. Yet, fans can&#8217;t feel the typical excitement and entertainment value that &#8216;Mania season brings. The Show of Shows is considered the &#8220;Super Bowl&#8221; of sports entertainment, and the build contributes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5689,"featured_media":153995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[9655],"class_list":["post-154362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-wwe-wrestlemania-42"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5689"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154362"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154539,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154362\/revisions\/154539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}