WWE WrestleMania 42 Sneaker Power Rankings

The tradition unlike any other continues this week as WrestleMania returns to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the second year in a row. For fans who love the exquisite pageantry of The Masters and the absurd spectacle of WrestleMania, this time of year is undefeated. Every year, fans gather from all around the world to converge in one place to share their passion for the sport and sports entertainment that they love performed at its brightest stage. And when the stage is at its brightest, everybody shows up and shows out in their best looks that people will remember for years to come.

Long the domain of the high cut boots, the worlds of sneakers and pro wrestling have found each other in a mutual desire to shine. For wrestlers looking to update their character or to generate buzz for themselves, they might wear an expensive sneaker collaboration or write hidden messages on them to retain the fans’ attention. At times, they have even become gimmicks that have elevated performers to new heights. While injury has sidelined him from this year’s WrestleMania, Bronson Reed’s star rose last year when he started stealing the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns’ sneakers and dubbing himself the Tribal Thief. Making sneakers part of a wrestling storyline might sound silly when said out loud, but in the upside-down world of the business, it makes all the sense in the world.

What has not made sense to fans of the WWE is the build to WrestleMania 42. After running a hot streak that began with Roman’s Bloodline story, the company’s efforts this year to build excitement for Mania are not on the level of the recent past. While the show and the matches will no doubt be exciting because the level of talent on the roster is unparalleled, it might be too late to get as many to care and be invested in the why these matches are happening and why they matter. If only they had not run the same venue two years in a row in a political climate that is super unappealing for foreign travelers and an economic one that is charging prices that have discouraged families from taking the plunge, maybe fans would be more forgiving.

Before we head into the weekend with the hope that WrestleMania Saturday and Sunday will be a worthwhile watch (on television), let’s do a power ranking of the matches that will be on the card and the sneakers that have been featured in the buildup or what we can expect to see. Let’s start things off with the pre-show matches that will unfortunately be left out of the main card. Just not enough sneaker heat to justify a spot in the big show (no, not that Big Show).

Note: As always, card is subject to change. There is a rumored Iyo Sky-Asuka match that could be added to the Sunday schedule, but that would probably land on the pre-show in our rankings.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio

While the match is guaranteed to be a beautiful train wreck with a bunch of stars who can do amazing aerial acrobatics and one guy in Rusev to provide the contrast by truck-sticking them all to oblivion, there’s not a lot to work with here on the sneaker front. Rey Mysterio is a style icon going on four decades now with his sartorial choices that range from gaudy luxury to effortless cool, but recent injuries have prevented us from seeing the best of the best from his footwear. Rusev, Evans, McDonagh, Lee, and Penta might be seen out in public in standard Jordan 1s or Dunks, but we’re trying to keep it kayfabe here, brother.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match

Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. The Bella Twins

Another match where one wrestler, or in this case, one team, is doing all the work. WWE Hall of Famers The Bella Twins have long incorporated sneakers into their repertoire. Brie Bella recently returned to the ring in adidas wrestling shoes while rocking checkerboard Vans for promos, while Nikki Bella continues to wear custom Dunks and Jordan 1s as part of her standard attire.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are known more for their opulent drip and quirky goth, respectively. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria are wrestlers’ wrestlers who go to work in traditional wrestling boots, and despite being the champions, Nia Jax and Lash Legend have yet to establish an instantly recognizable style as a team. However, Legend - real name Anriel Howard - was a former college hooper who had a cup of coffee in the WNBA, so there’s always the possibility her sneaker game could give her more personality for fans to latch on to in the future.

WWE Women's Championship Match

Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

When it comes to fandoms, the energy between Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley fans could light up the entire Vegas strip for decades. There might not be two more dedicated groups of fans who ride or die for their favorite, and the heat from that and some alleged real-life issue between the two should make for a must-see match on WrestleMania Sunday.

It’s just not enough to crack our rankings as neither performer has shown an interest in the sneakers we love. Jade’s character doesn’t lend itself to wearing anything other than fits inspired by high fashion. And despite appearing on an episode of Sneaker Shopping, Rhea Ripley’s association with sneakers was at its peak during her run with the Judgment Day. Vans might want to look for that DM Rhea sent about a potential deal now.

Now let’s check out the main card and see who closes out the show…

10. Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Kicking off the night is a showdown that many people have wanted to see ever since Oba Femi arrived on the scene. Brock Lesnar does not have many matches left, so before he hangs up the boots for good, he will have to do the time-honored tradition of building up the generation after him by losing. It’s not talked about, but Lesnar has already lost on one front, and that’s on the sneaker side. While Brock’s knowledge or ability to care about sneakers is probably nonexistent, Oba Femi showed he can carry the load when during one of their many brawls to build hype for the match, he wore a pair of the Air Jordan 6 Oreo as he laid the smackdown on Lesnar.

9. United States Championship Match

Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams (with Lil Yatchty)

Sami Zayn has been a Veja man for years now, rocking all types from casual sneakers to trainers and everything in between. There’s not a direct connection between the two besides Zayn being a Montreal native and Veja being a French brand, but it would not shock us if Sami wears the brand as a show of solidarity. Meanwhile, Trick Williams is arguably the fastest-rising star in the WWE, thanks in no small part to the catchy nickname he has bequeathed his wrestling boots, the Lemon Pepper Steppas.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the sneaker equivalent yet, but when you think about WWE’s ability to shamelessly monetize everything, a boot collab or sneaker version is on the way. The x-factor of the match will come in the form of Lil Yachty, the latest celebrity to jump into the ring to the dismay of wrestling fans online. Sneakerheads need not care about what the fans think about Yatchty, but they should care if there’s a possibility he debuts a new Nike Air Force 1 collaboration or something never before seen at the show.

8. Undisputed WWE Championship Match

Cody Rhodes (c) (with Jelly Roll probably) vs. Randy Orton (with Pat McAfee)

Critics online have been trashing the build for the match that will close out WrestleMania Saturday. The anger stems from the inclusion of ubiquitous talking head and part-time WWE performer Pat McAfee and ubiquitous country music star and part-time WWE performer Jelly Roll into a match that already had decades of story to mine from.

But with ticket sales lagging previous Manias, adding celebrities reeks of a desperate attempt to boost numbers at the last minute. However, McAfee and his Air Jordan 11 Gamma Blues and Jelly Roll and his custom Nike Sabrina 2s have added a level of sneaker prestige to match. Left on their own, Randy Orton has been gravitating to the dad shoe phase of his career with the New Balance AC Runner, while Cody Rhodes does run-ins in Air Jordan 1 Lows. Yeah, they absolutely needed a sneaker boost.

7. Seth Rollins vs. Gunther

A match that has no other obligation to the fans other than to be a banger, Rollins and Gunther have been paired up because injuries lit their respective original plans on fire. Prior to Rollins most recent injury, a sampling of the sneakers that he has worn under his gear includes the Air Jordan 12 Field Purple and the black and gold Nike DT Max 96.

Gunther is as old school as they come with his no-nonsense pure wrestling gimmick, and that includes wearing luxury loafers during promos. However, during his run-ins with Rollins to set up the match, he’s been wearing the Reebok Club C, probably because doing a sneak attack in Gucci loafers isn’t going to be comfortable.

6. Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match

AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch

AJ Lee was everybody’s favorite women’s wrestler in the early 2010s, breaking through in an era when the Divas - WWE’s brand name for the division back then - were only getting five minutes at most for matches. When she returned last year, it was like she never left, as her gear included Vans and knee-high Chuck Taylors as fresh as a Paramore album. Ever since Becky Lynch became The Man, she has worn a number of notable sneakers, including the Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey, customs by Mache, and most recently, adidas Fear of God Athletics.

5. Unsanctioned Match

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre

In the promos leading up to this match, Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntrye have been brawling all over the arena in their regular street clothes. This change-up in style has meant they’ve also been duking it out in sneakers instead of their regular wrestling boots. McIntrye has taken the fight to Fatu in the Air Jordan 3 Pure Money and the Air Jordan 4 Black Cat, and Fatu has returned the favor in the Air Jordan 13 Chicago. If booking for this match necessitates them to go all around Allegiant Stadium, expect them to go to work in jeans and sneakers.

4. Women's World Championship Match

Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan

A contender for sneaker show stealer is the Women’s World Championship Match between Stephanie Vaquer and Liv Morgan. Morgan has been featured on a number of sneaker shopping shows both as a solo act or with her Judgment Day faction mates, while Vaquer will occasionally rock an Air Jordan 4 or Air Jordan 1 during a promo.

In arguably the biggest moment of her career to date, Liv wore the Air Jordan 1 Low Swarovski Stealth when she won the 2026 Royal Rumble. She will have to do the heavy sneaker lifting for the match as Vaquer typically wears black wrestling boots, but it would not be surprising to see Liv rock something different to catch sneakerheads’ attention.

3. Six-Man Tag Team Match

Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed vs. The Usos & LA Knight

Wrestling purists are shuddering at the thought of this match as it involves celebrities interloping as pro wrestlers and pro wrestlers who are far from the indie darlings that the internet likes. Our main concern is whether or not IShowSpeed is going to try some sort of crazy stunt in his Yeezy Foam Runners, despite claiming to have retired them a year ago.

The brothers Uso are longtime fans of the white-on-white Nike Air Force 1 so expect both to break out with a fresh new pair for the grandest stage, even though Jey Uso has been breaking from tradition lately with white boots by boxing gear store Superare as of late.

LA Knight might not wear sneakers during promos and backstage segments, but his ring gear is a tribute to Jordan retros with boots based on OG colorways of the Air Jordan 11 and Air Jordan 12. The wild card is Logan Paul because he is just as likely to wear Louis Vuitton trainers as he is custom Air Force 1s or his own brand of sneakers.

2. “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio

For several years, the Judgment Day has been a staple of WWE programming. If the goal of a faction is to build up its members into genuine wrestling superstars and not just in the way the WWE calls everybody a superstar, Judgment Day has been a huge success. While Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and R-Truth (kinda) have gone on to bigger and better things, two of their longest-standing members are set to face off in what will likely be the final chapter of Finn Balor’s tenure with the group.

Like Ripley and Priest, Balor has shown a preference for the Air Jordan 1 and its easily customizable canvas. It feels like for every big match Balor breaks out with a new custom pair and with his Demon alter ego set to return for the first time in years, the possibilities for a Demon-themed Air Jordan 1 are limitless.

Even though Dominik Mysterio hates his father Rey Mysterio in kayfabe, the younger Mysterio certainly inherited his father’s expensive taste in fashion. There might not be a bigger hypebeast in WWE than Mysterio, as he often wears obnoxiously priced custom wrestling boots for matches and equally obnoxiously priced sneakers for promos.

Dom will continue the trend and likely wear boots for his match that’s valued at the same price as a pair of ringside seats, but keep an eye out for his kicks outside of the ring because it too might also be valued at the same price as a pair of ringside seats.

And finally, the main event. There was only ever one choice, just like there’s only one true Tribal Chief.

1. World Heavyweight Championship Match

CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns

The match that will close out WrestleMania Sunday is also the match that tops our rankings. CM Punk’s evolution from wrestling anarchist whose character rallies against the system to a guy who rocks expensive Jordans because he understands his role as an entertainer in 2026 is something to behold. His current rotation in the buildup to the match has been a mix of Hoka runners and Jordan 1s.

And then there’s Roman Reigns. There’s a famous story of Gary Payton once upon a time talking trash to Michael Jordan about all of the cool things he’s able to buy, implying he’s on Jordan’s level. Jordan’s response? He gets the same things GP was talking about, but for free. In the world of wrestling where there are thousands of Gary Paytons like CM Punk, Roman Reigns is the one Michael Jordan. Roman’s recent care package hauls that have made their way to television include the Levi’s x Air Jordan 3 collaborations and the Air Jordan 4 Flight Club. For the past several WrestleManias, Jordan Brand has gifted Reigns with something special for the main event and we fully expect the tradition to continue this year.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com