Background
WrestleMania is WWE's flagship professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, having first been held in 1985. It was the company's first PPV produced and was also WWE's first major event available via livestreaming when the company launched the WWE Network in February 2014. It is the longest-running event in WWE history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April, featuring wrestlers from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. [1] Along with Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, it is one of the company's five biggest annual events, referred to as the "Big Five". [2] [3] [4] WrestleMania was ranked the sixth-most valuable sports brand in the world by Forbes , [5] and has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment. [6]
In February 2025, reports emerged that WrestleMania 42 would take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the same venue that hosted WrestleMania XXX in 2014 and WrestleMania 34 in 2018. [7] On the February 21 episode of Friday Night SmackDown , TKO board of directors member and WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced WrestleMania 42 would emanate from the Caesars Superdome on April 11 and 12, 2026. [8] However, on May 22, 2025, WrestleMania 42 was confirmed to no longer take place in New Orleans. While the specifics of the change were not revealed, this came as part of a larger agreement, with New Orleans instead hosting a future WrestleMania as well as the 2026 Money in the Bank. [9] Reports also emerged alleging that, with the financial success of WrestleMania 41 being held in Las Vegas, WrestleMania 42 may return to the city, while other reports suggested a possible international location. [10] [11]
During the 2025 Money in the Bank on June 7, WWE confirmed WrestleMania 42 would be held at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on April 18 and 19, 2026, marking the third WrestleMania in the Las Vegas area, including WrestleMania IX in 1993. [12] Allegiant Stadium will also become the first venue since the Atlantic City Convention Hall [a] in Atlantic City, New Jersey to host consecutive WrestleManias, having hosted WrestleMania IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989. [13] [14]
Broadcast outlets
In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view worldwide, WrestleMania 42 will be available to livestream on ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, and the WWE Network in any remaining countries that have not yet transferred to Netflix due to pre-existing contracts. This marks the first WrestleMania to livestream on ESPN's platform, as ESPN acquired the streaming rights to WWE's events in the United States beginning with Wrestlepalooza, following the expiration of WWE's contract with Peacock at the conclusion of Clash in Paris in August 2025. ESPN had originally been slated to begin broadcasting main roster PPV and livestreaming events in the United States starting with WrestleMania 42, [15] but as Peacock's contract allowed them to broadcast a select number of events per year, additional events such as Evolution and the 2nd night of the prior year's SummerSlam and all WrestleManias since Peacock's contract began in March 2021 made them pass that quota and end the main roster portion of their contract ahead of schedule. [16] [17]
