Why WWE Announced John Cena As WrestleMania 42 Host
John Cena will be back on WWE television to host WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
The “host” role for WrestleMania has been occupied by celebrities and even WWE superstars like The Miz, but this year the hosting role got even bigger.
On social media, John Cena broke the news that he’ll be the host of WrestleMania 42 on April 18 & 19.
“Ah, retired life in the sun. I’m kidding! Check out the backdrop. I’m shooting a movie for Netflix called One Attempt Remaining that you can see when it comes out. I’m also on the road…which is ironic because there’s a Road to WrestleMania going on and Hollywood is really close to [Las] Vegas.
Rumor around this town is, WrestleMania needs a host. Well, I’m already on that road. So, I will C-U at WrestleMania.”
At WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, John Cena won his record-breaking 17th Undisputed WWE Championship in his final WrestleMania match.
Cena wrestled in his final WWE match in December 2025 when he lost to Gunther on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
WWE Using John Cena As WrestleMania Host To Boost Ticket Sales
As for why John Cena is the host of WrestleMania 42, Fightful Select reports that “the move was made in order to help boost ticket sales.” It’s also expected that WWE will heavily promote Cena’s WrestleMania appearance on WWE television as the road to WrestleMania 42 continues.
Regarding WrestleMania 42 tickets for the April 18 & 19 event in Las Vegas, it was reported recently that this year’s WrestleMania is about 13% behind last year’s pace.
After retiring as a wrestler, John Cena announced that he had signed a 5-year deal as a WWE ambassador, so hosting WrestleMania is another way to perform for the company.
WWE WrestleMania 42 takes place on April 18 & April 19 in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup so far:
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
- WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
- WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
- WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
- Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
- Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
- United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
- John Cena will be the host
There will be more matches added in the weeks ahead.
WrestleMania 42 will STREAM LIVE Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on ESPN in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.