{"id":159621,"date":"2026-04-20T13:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=159621"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:08:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:08:03","slug":"directions-for-wwe-following-wrestlemania-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/20\/directions-for-wwe-following-wrestlemania-42\/","title":{"rendered":"Directions For WWE Following WrestleMania 42"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The two-night extravaganza that was WrestleMania 42 is now over. It has been a polarizing weekend for World Wrestling Entertainment, to say the least. The fans are not sold on what WrestleMania had to offer, with many of the matches failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on them.<\/p>\n<p>As much as WrestleMania had divided the audience, the WWE machine will keep chugging along. WrestleMania is seen as an endpoint for WWE. As we move forward, the world is wondering where the company goes from here. We have over a month before the Clash in Italy PLE, and there is much to decide regarding the direction of WWE. Let\u2019s examine some of the more intriguing possibilities.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_159632\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-159632\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/20260418_WM42_N1_ortoncody_final.webp\" alt=\"Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 Night One\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" class=\"size-full wp-image-159632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/20260418_WM42_N1_ortoncody_final.webp 960w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/20260418_WM42_N1_ortoncody_final-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-159632\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Orton stares at the Undisputed WWE Championship after being defeated by a lying bloody Champion, Cody Rhodes, at WrestleMania 42 Night One (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins Rekindle Past Issues<\/h2>\n<p>Injuries got in the way of these two men meeting at WrestleMania. WWE had to shuffle the deck for Seth Rollins. Then, judging from the conclusion to his and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/19\/4-things-wwe-got-right-at-wrestlemania-42-saturday\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Gunther\u2019s match<\/a>, Breakker and Rollins are back on. Bron Breakker hit Seth Rollins with a huge spear, thus costing him the match against the Ring General.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/18\/bron-breakker-makes-shocking-return-at-wrestlemania-42-rekindling-rivalry-with-seth-rollins\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins<\/a><\/span> are a program without a conclusion, so we should expect WWE to make this the focal point of their programming in the weeks to come. This will be a summer-long program, but should produce some fantastic matches along the way.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bron Breakker returns and SPEARS Seth Rollins: WrestleMania 42 Saturday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V3X_E5iDw00?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<h2>Paige &amp; The Bella Twins Continue The Freebird Rule<\/h2>\n<p>Seeing <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/18\/paige-makes-triumphant-return-to-smackdown-to-set-up-huge-wwe-wrestlemania-42-match\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">Paige make her triumphant return<\/a><\/span> to WWE was one of the highlights of WrestleMania Night One. It\u2019s fantastic to think about Paige being back with WWE, but the biggest question must be, where does she go from here? There is a long relationship between her and the Bella Twins, so we can expect that partnership to have some legs.<\/p>\n<p>From how the Women\u2019s Tag Team match ended, it looks like WWE is going to have this trio operate as heels, making sure the straps stay securely around their waists. Having the women adopt the free bird rule would be a perfect way to turn them heel and have Paige and The Bella Twins run the tag team division.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: WrestleMania 42 Saturday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/soOkVUvoLXY?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<h2>Stephanie Vaquer Gets Her Revenge<\/h2>\n<p>A match that left a sour taste in a lot of people\u2019s mouths was the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/18\/liv-morgan-reigns-supreme-claiming-womens-world-title-over-stephanie-vaquer-at-wrestlemania-42\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">World Heavyweight Championship Match<\/a><\/span>. Not for the result as much as the way in which it was achieved. Giving these great talents only six minutes was a mistake. Hopefully, it means that this isn\u2019t the last time that these two women will face each other. The build towards their match was great, so WWE has plenty of material to work with.<\/p>\n<p>The Judgment Day had too much to do with the finish to this WrestleMania match. Yes, one would expect that to take place, but it would have been better to see Vaquer put up more of a fight. WWE needs to keep going with Vaquer and Morgan\u2019s program, leading to a match where Judgment Day won\u2019t have an impact on the proceedings.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer | Women\u2019s World Title Match: WrestleMania 42 Saturday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_5fX7PmlBVE?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<h2>Jacob Fatu and Gunther Search For A World Championship<\/h2>\n<p>Jacob Fatu and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/12\/wwe-wrestlemania-42-gunther-should-use-seth-rollins-as-a-bridge-to-brock-lesnar\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Gunther<\/a> were on the receiving end of massive victories at WrestleMania. They vanquished their opponents, and it&#8217;s safe to say that neither man will be getting a return match. There was a finality to each match, and to the victor go the spoils.<\/p>\n<p>Both <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/27\/drew-mcintyre-vs-jacob-fatu-on-for-wrestlemania-42-stipulation-set\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">Jacob Fatu<\/a><\/span> and Gunther are at the top of their respective programs. They are now going to march out of WrestleMania with huge victories under their belts. It will allow both men to claim their right to a World Championship match, and it will be hard to find anyone with a better case. The World Championship scenes, on either brand, are usually up for a refresh after WrestleMania. These two men would be ideal candidates for a title match.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre | Unsanctioned Match: WrestleMania 42 Saturday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VLiGZIMS6e8?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>Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton Move Onto Italy<\/h2>\n<p>The finish to the WWE Championship match was draped in shadiness. It was a messy ending to WrestleMania\u2019s first night, and one that isn\u2019t going to end there. After Cody Rhodes retained the WWE Championship, Orton laid a brutal beatdown on the champion, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/18\/randy-orton-unleashes-on-cody-rhodes-at-wrestlemania-42\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">which included a Punt Kick to the head<\/a>. An odd way to end the night, considering Randy Orton was not victorious, but one that will keep these two together for at least another month.<\/p>\n<p>Cody Rhodes defending against Randy Orton at WWE Clash in Italy makes sense. This program has more of a story to tell, and frankly, they could use the time to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/06\/why-randy-orton-vs-cody-rhodes-doesnt-need-pat-mcafee\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Pat McAfee<\/a> taste out of everyone\u2019s mouth. Adding a stipulation to their match would make sense and give them a more definitive ending to their feud.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Randy Orton PUNTS Cody Rhodes: WrestleMania 42 Saturday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_YgP2O6YhW4?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<h2>Get Oba Femi Fitted For A Rocket<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/19\/oba-femi-slays-the-beast-at-wrestlemania-42-brock-lesnar-seemingly-retires\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">Oba Femi is WWE\u2019s next big star<\/a><\/span>. There is no denying that anymore from the reaction the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/19\/john-cena-shares-wrestlemania-42-moment-with-danhausen\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">55,000 in attendance<\/a><\/span> gave him when he came marching out at WrestleMania. His name was echoing from every corner of Allegiant Stadium, and when Oba stepped into the ring, the wrestling world was turned on its head.<\/p>\n<p>No one has ever handled Brock Lesnar with such ease as Oba Femi did. Everything the Beast threw at the Ruler was repelled. At no time did it look like Oba Femi was overwhelmed by Lesnar. It was quite a sight to see Brock Lesnar look out of his wits against a larger opponent. It was utter domination by Oba Femi as he established himself as the new beast of WWE. This is his moment, and WWE needs to capitalize on this by pushing him up the card. A World Championship reign cannot be far off for Oba Femi.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Oba Femi era arrives at WrestleMania 42\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZKxEE2p79ZY?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<h2>Trick Williams Reignites The United States Open<\/h2>\n<p>The youth movement continued for WWE at WrestleMania when <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/19\/trick-williams-whoops-sami-zayn-wins-1st-u-s-title-at-wwe-wrestlemania-42\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\">Trick Williams captured the United States Championship<\/a><\/span>. It was a crowd-pleasing moment, and one that will be the first of many for one of the best young talents that WWE has produced. Williams is going to be a figurehead of the division for years to come, and he can start by keeping a time-honoured tradition going.<\/p>\n<p>Trick Williams would be smart to start the United States Championship Open up again. As a babyface, this will get him a great pop and keep him the focal point of Friday Nights. The United States Open matches have consistently been the highlight of the night. There is no doubt that Trick Williams will put on banger after banger. It will be a great showcase of his talent and the talents of SmackDown\u2019s midcard.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams | United States Championship Match: WrestleMania 42 Sunday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NKk_g-qnCKo?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<h2>Roman Reigns Being Present From Week To Week<\/h2>\n<p>WrestleMania Night Two ended on the highest of high notes. The World Championship match between Roman Reigns and CM Punk was an amazing contest. The one that would have logically had either man walking away the winner. In the end, it was the<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/19\/roman-reigns-dethrones-cm-punk-to-become-wwe-world-heavyweight-champion-at-wrestlemania-42\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" target=\"_self\"> Tribal Chief who took home the World Heavyweight Championship<\/a><\/span>, which is where the real work will begin.<\/p>\n<p>Roman Reigns needs to be making weekly appearances on Raw for this reign to mean something. His absence was ok when he wasn\u2019t a champion, but that won\u2019t work this time. WWE needs to have him around to push programs forward and work with the younger talent on Raw. As a babyface, he doesn\u2019t have a stable to keep the tension running while he isn\u2019t around. Yes, Hollywood will be calling, but Roman Reigns and WWE need to resist this temptation and keep the Tribal Chief on Raw where he belongs.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns | World Heavyweight Championship Match: WrestleMania 42 Sunday highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sbgMb2HrjlE?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>The two-night extravaganza that was WrestleMania 42 is now over. It has been a polarizing weekend for World Wrestling Entertainment, to say the least. The fans are not sold on what WrestleMania had to offer, with many of the matches failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on them. As much as WrestleMania [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4518,"featured_media":159631,"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":[2,2192,25,26,4,3,320],"tags":[98,8238,3006,217,8734,194,7988,9192,9655],"class_list":["post-159621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wrestling","category-raw","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women","tag-cody-rhodes","tag-gunther","tag-jacob-fatu","tag-liv-morgan","tag-oba-femi","tag-paige","tag-trick-williams","tag-wrestlemania-42","tag-wwe-wrestlemania-42"],"modified_by":"Steph Franchomme","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159621","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\/4518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159621"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159637,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159621\/revisions\/159637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}