Part Two of my two-part analysis of Wrestlemania 42 focuses on Sunday’s action. Find Part One (Saturday’s action) here.
THE BEAST VS THE RULER: Wrestlemania 42 Sunday kicked off in a very big way! The opening contest saw “The Beast” Brock Lesnar take on “The Ruler” Oba Femi. While the match itself was relatively short, Brock and Oba told an incredible story of the once-unstoppable beast finally meeting his match. Every move that Brock threw at Oba, The Ruler had an answer. With the crowd firmly behind him, Oba Femi slayed the beast and pinned Brock for the three-count in under five minutes, creating a shocking moment that solidified Oba as the next big thing. After the match, Brock Lesnar shocked the world. He removed his fight gloves and his wrestling boots and left in the middle of the ring, signifying his retirement. Brock then shared an emotional embrace with his longtime manager and friend, Paul Heyman. The two then made their exit as the crowd gave Brock Lesnar one final standing ovation.
LADDER MATCH MAYHEM: Wrestlemania Sunday continued full steam ahead as the very next match was the six-pack ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship! This match saw defending champion, Penta, take on Rusev, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Je’von Evans, and the legendary Rey Mysterio with the championship literally hanging in the balance. These multi-man ladder matches have often been called a “human demolition derby,” and this one was no different. Early on, McDonagh was climbing the ladder to try to win the championship when he was hit with a flying clothesline from Evans, sending him off the ladder. At one point, a ladder bridge was set up between the ring and the announcer’s table. Rusev was on the ring apron, and Penta launched Mysterio over the ropes, and as he did so, Mysterio hit Rusev with a modified west coast pop that sent both him and Rusev crashing through the ladder bridge. Not long after, Dragon Lee was closing in on the belt when he was cut off by McDonagh, who hit Lee with a Spanish fly off the ladder. McDonagh was going for the belt again when he found himself battling the defending champion on top of the ladder. This exchange came to an end when Penta hit McDonagh with a Mexican Destroyer off the ladder and onto another ladder bridge that had been set up in the corner. Rusev was back in the mix and was climbing toward the belt when he was hit with a springboard cutter from Je’von Evans. It was crazy, frantic, and a ton of fun to watch. But in the end, Penta showed “Cero Miedo” and walked out of Wrestlemania still the Intercontinental champion!
DOM VS THE DEMON: Finn Balor and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio have been teammates in The Judgment Day faction since Mysterio joined in 2022. However, things took a dramatic turn a few weeks ago when “Dirty Dom” led the group in betraying Balor. Since then, Balor had been out for revenge. Finally, a match between Balor and Mysterio was made official for Wrestlemania, at which point Finn announced his demon persona would return on the grandest stage of them all. The Demon is the darker side of Finn’s personality, complete with a frightening face and body paint, as well as a more aggressive in-ring style. The Demon hadn’t been seen in the WWE in years, but at Wrestlemania, he was back, much to the dismay of Dominik Mysterio. The match was turned into a street fight during the WrestleMania Sunday pre-show.
Both men took full advantage of the street-fight rules, using a variety of weapons, including steel chairs, kendo sticks, and tables. But with everything Dom threw at The Demon, he kept fighting back, and it was Balor who won the day by hitting his finishing move, the “Coup de Grace,” on Dominik and sending him through a table.
WRESTLEMANIA-HAUSEN: Comedy and wrestling don’t always mix, but sometimes they do. In Danhausen’s case, it works very nicely and very evilly! Much like the night before, John Cena was in the ring to announce the attendance for the Sunday portion of the show when he was interrupted by The Miz and Kit Wilson, who were seeking their own Wrestlemania moment. However, they themselves would be interrupted by Danhausen. Who came to the ring driving a coffin car, followed by a group of mini Danhausens. Things quickly went off the rails when Kit Wilson attacked one of the minis, and the rest, in turn, ganged up on him. The Miz tried to help his buddy but was stopped by Danhausen himself, who hit Miz with a direct shot south of the border. While Miz was down, Danhausen then hit him with Cena’s legendary five knuckle shuffle. After that, the army of minis carried Miz away on their shoulders. Danhausen then had a failed attempt to disappear in a cloud of smoke. It was an epic fail, so much so that Cena couldn’t hide his laughter.
THE MAIN EVENT: The main event for Wrestlemania Sunday was perhaps the biggest possible match the WWE could’ve put together for the event. CM Punk defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns. Once upon a time, CM Punk, the man who became a megastar through rebellion and going against the system to the point of leaving the WWE for almost a decade, took on Roman Reigns, the guy who became the very face of the WWE during that decade. Anti-establishment vs THE establishment. While this was hit on very little during the build-up to the match, these two still delivered an all-time classic!
For over half an hour, two of the very best wrestlers of a generation, together, a masterpiece on the grandest stage of them all. These men used every tool at their disposal to make this match count. It wasn’t just wrestling moves; it was wrestling moves, trash talk, facial expressions, body language, and storytelling at its finest within the context of the WWE.
In my opinion, Wrestlemania 42 on Sunday was the superior of the two nights of action. The Saturday portion had its moments for sure, but everything from Brock retiring to Roman dethroning Punk–and everything in between–made Wrestlemania 42 Sunday truly special.
