WrestleMania 42 Night 2: Shock Retirements, Logic Gaps, and the Death of the ‘Finisher’

If Night One was about “The Swerve,” Night Two was about “The Shock.” We saw an era end, a world title battle that bled buckets, and a few booking decisions that left me scratching my head. As someone who has been watching this “soap opera” since 1985, here is my unfiltered take on the final night of the Showcase of the Immortals.

The End of the Beast: Brock Lesnar’s Final Bow

The biggest shock of the night—and perhaps the decade—was Oba Femi beating Brock Lesnar in short order. In the business, we call this “putting someone over,” and it’s the ultimate courtesy a veteran can show on their way out.

Seeing Brock leave his boots and gloves in the middle of the ring was a “mint” moment. It makes sense why he’d lose quickly if he’s truly hanging them up. He gave Femi the “rub,” and while the match was just “okay,” the significance was massive.

Match of the Night: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee

For pure action, the tag match took the cake. Seeing Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee combine to drive Rusev through a table was high-flying storytelling at its best.

I’ll admit, I was pulling for the underdog in the Intercontinental ladder match. Penta is great, but I wanted to see Javon Evans or JD McDonagh take that next step. JD, in particular, is a warrior—that back body drop into the ladder was absolutely brutal. He’ll get his moment, but it felt like a missed opportunity to crown a new face.

Where is the Logic? (The DQ Rant)

I have to talk about the Main Event: Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk.

This match had the time, the blood, and the storytelling it deserved. They traded finishers, they went through tables, and they beat the hell out of each other. But as an old-school fan, two things bothered me:

1. The Chair Shot: Early in the match, Roman hit Punk with a chair. In a standard championship match, that’s a DQ. Period. Why did the ref just let it go? It takes me out of the story when the rules only apply when they’re convenient for the finish.
2. The Death of the Finisher: We saw kick-out after kick-out. Back in the day, a finisher meant the end. Now, everyone kicks out of everything. It started with those legendary Taker vs. Shawn matches, but now it’s every match. If everyone kicks out of a Superman Punch or a GTS, those moves lose their power.

The Underwhelming and the Predictable

Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams was, unfortunately, a letdown. Sami is a guy who almost ended Roman’s 1,316-day reign; he’s a top-tier underdog. Putting him in this spot felt like a step backward for a guy who should be in the main event picture.

On the flip side, Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio delivered. “The Demon” never disappoints with the high spots, and that match lived up to the hype. Similarly, Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill went exactly how we thought it would. Ripley is back on top, and it’s clear Jade has been working tirelessly on her in-ring skills—it showed.

Final Verdict: WrestleMania 42 Night Two was a rollercoaster of emotion and questionable logic. We said goodbye to a Beast, saw a title stay put, and reminded ourselves why we love (and occasionally hate) this business.

---