Photo illustrations above and below courtesy of WWE.
By JEFF WILEN / JAWBreaker
Wrestling columnist for Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On Saturday and Sunday, your's truly and Headline Surfer's Henry Frederick (who also writes about sports entertainment with his Wrestling ReWind), will join forces again and watch WrestleMania 42, at Frederick's home turf in Lake Mary.
We're kicking it back old school with some picks on each match (and we've even thrown in our wive's picks for fun: Sera King-Frederick and Shannon Sullivan Wilen.
Enjoy!
WrestleMania 42 Night 1 (Saturday, April 18)
Unsanctioned Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "This is where Jacob Fatu brings that head-shaking, abdomen rumbling energy to life and pins Drew McIntrye with his signature Mighty Moonsault after he misses with a claymore." The Pick: Jacob Fatu.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Jacob Fatu.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Drew McIntyre has a movie coming out, and will need some time off. Fatu has friends, and will likely utilize them. This one will be a slobberknocker." The Pick: Jacob Fatu.
* Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The pick: Drew McIntyre.
3 On 3 Match: iShowSpeed, Logan Paul & Austin Theory vs. LA Knight, Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "The time is at hand to start elevating Knight and with that mantra, the Usos bring that tag-team experience to bear. Jey Uso with the spear on Theory and the pin by LA Knight." The Pick: Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso.
* Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: LA Knight, Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "iShowSpeed and Logan Paul have way too much of an Internet following to lose here, although LA Knight deserves a victory with the super over (and annoying) Usos. Letting Knight and the Usos get their revenge after WrestleMania, and going with the Internet sensations is an option. But you simply can't bury LA Knight any longer." The Pick: LA Knight, Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: iShowSpeed, Logan Paul & Austin Theory.
Singles Match: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "Gunther may have developed a reputation for sending aging wrestling greats into retirement as he's done with his sleeper on Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles, but Seth "Frickin'" Rollins still has that fighting spirit. He'll get out of that sleeper and finish off Gunther with his trademark stomp!" The Pick: Seth Rollins.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Seth Rollins.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Gunther is still on a mission to retire wrestlers. While a win over Rollins doesn't mean a Rollins retirement, it pushes Gunther as the monster he needs to continue to be. And he'll likely set his sets eventually on Brock Lesnar." The Pick: Gunther.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Seth Rollins.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship fatal four-way match: Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. The Bella Twins vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "This will be a free-fo-all, but in the end newcomers Lyra and Bayley will emerge as the new champs!" The Pick: Lyra Valkyria & Bayley.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "I have zero interest in the champions. Alexa and Charlotte really don't need the belts, and their friendship has become very stale. Alexa is likely to turn heel too. It seems like now or never for The Bella Twins, on the big stage. And the Lyra-Bayley tandem remains interesting. When in doubt, playing it safe and letting the heels win is wise. But I like the feel-good story." The Pick: Lyra Valkyria & Bayley.
Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: The Bella Twins.
Women's Intercontinental Championship match: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "Becky Lynch has something to prove and does just that in a fast-paced match with Lee, escaping the Blsck Widow that leads to a manhandle slam and a Dis-arm-her to get her belt back." The Pick: Becky Lynch.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: AJ Lee.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "If Becky wins here, it cements her legacy and dominance on the Mount Rushmore of women's wrestlers. If she loses, it hurts her case some. Is anyone really sold on AJ Lee as a lengthy and believable champion? I'm not. There's more future feuds with a win by 'The Man.'" The Pick: Becky Lynch.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Becky Lynch.
Women's World Championship match: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "Stephanie Vaquer is just too hot to acquiesce to crybaby Morgan. A botched oblivion by Liv leads to Stephanie knocking her into oblivion with her Devil's Kiss and giving the champ the precious few seconds to launch her aerial Vaquer Inferno for the pin." The Pick: Stephanie Vaquer.
• Sera king-Frederick - The Pick: Stephanie Vaquer.
Jeff Wilen Prediction: "This is a hot feud, literally and figuratively. Stephanie has had a good run as champion. But annoying Liv just released a music video and is way "over" even as a heel. It's time to let Liv shine and have some new feuds." The Pick: Liv Morgan.
Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Stephanie Vaquer.
MAIN EVENT - Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "It seems too obvious from all the pre-Wrestlemania shenanigans by Pat McAfee that Cody Rhodes would fall to Randy Orton with a couple of RKOs. This time around, it's Pat McAfee with the swerve on Orton that will give Rhodes the opening for two Cody Cutters and the pin! The champ retains." The Pick: Cody Rhodes.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Cody Rhodes.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Throwing Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into this feud was stupid. On paper, this is a superb matchup. I'm tired of Rhodes as a face, and an Orton win here would probably make fans happier. Since Punk will likely retain Sunday, I'm going with a title change here." The Pick: Randy Orton.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Randy Orton.
WrestleMania 42 Night 2 (Sunday, April 19)
Singles Match: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "Brock Lesnar really has nothing left to prove. He put Cody Rhodes over a couple of years ago. And he'll do the same with Femi in a brutal slugfest. Oba Femi will get the best of Brock with his pop-up powerbomb - the Fall from Grace - for the 1-2-3." The Pick: Oba Femi.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Oba Femi.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Oba Femi impressed me on the microphone this past Monday on Raw. It also would be believable if he beats Lesnar, who could get some heat from the Las Vegas crowd. I originally had this with Femi being one of my weekend 'lock picks.' But will Lesnar face a loss here if he's facing a retirement loss later in the year?" The Pick: Oba Femi.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Oba Femi.
Intercontinental Championship ladder match: Penta (c) vs. Je'Von Evans vs. JD McDonagh vs. Dragon Lee vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio
• Henry Frederick Prediction: Too many bodies and Penta is on fire. Look for Penta to seize on McDonaugh, softened up by Rusev before the Bulgarian Brute and Dragon Lee get tangled in the ropes and out of the ring, leading to the masked superstar's devastating finisher, The Sacrifice, to retain his title. The Pick: Penta.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Penta.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "This match should steal the show. I would be stunned if McDonagh, Rusev or Mysterio win. That leaves the other three. It won't be Lee. Evans likely will steal the show, and that means he won't win. The champ with a solid world following retains." The Pick: Penta.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Je'Von Evans.
Singles Match: Demon Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "This one's not even close. Balor's Demon destroys Dirty Dom in a laugher." The Pick: Demon Finn Balor.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Demon Finn Balor.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "If it wasn't Demon Finn, I'd say Mysterio. But with it being Demon Finn, and Mysterio having too much drama around him, this one seems easy. Mysterio has a long future ahead of him, and doesn't need the win here." The Pick: Demon Finn Balor.
• Shannon Wilen Sullivan - The Pick: Dominik Mysterio.
United States Championship match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "This match is perhaps the most boring of 'em all, but Zayn retains over Williams with his Helluva kick. The Pick: Sami Zayn.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Sami Zayn.
Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Never been a huge Zayn fan. He's the champion, though, and while Trick will impress here, it's too soon to give him a title run. Sami needs to do something underhanded to win, and create some fan interest again." The Pick: Sami Zayn.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Sami Zayn.
WWE Women's Championship match: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "Jade Cargill has shown nothing in the way of championship material and will be outclassed by Rhea. or will she? Look for Asuka and Kai Sane to interfere, but here comes Iyo Sky to save the day, giving Ripley the opening she needs to use her riptide to pin the paper champ." The Pick: Rhea Ripley.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Rhea Ripley.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "Jade Cargill has the look, but a long championship run shouldn't be in the cards for her. This match probably won't be all that great either, so play it safe and go with the one who can get it done each night." The Pick: Rhea Ripley.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: Rhea Ripley.
MAIN EVENT - World Heavyweight Championship match: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
• Henry Frederick Prediction: "CM Punk may be "the Best in the World" but not after a
couple of superman punches and two spears from Reigns - payback for
disparaging the legacy of his late father, Sika." The Pick: Roman Reigns.
• Sera King-Frederick - The Pick: Roman Reigns.
• Jeff Wilen Prediction: "I've really never been a Punk fan. However, his mic work is top-notch. One of the WrestleMania Mount Rushmores, Reigns remains over with the crowd but with each passing day he becomes more of a part-timer. This one seems pretty easy, even though the Vegas odds favor "The Original Tribal Chief" over the "Best in the World." The Pick: CM Punk.
• Shannon Sullivan Wilen - The Pick: CM Punk.
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