Summary

Nick Khan believes WWE's two WrestleMania 42 main events will deliver once the weekend is over, even with some fan criticism around the build and ticket prices.

Speaking ahead of the show, Khan pointed to the heat around both headline matches, Randy Orton challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on night one and CM Punk defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns on night two. He also specifically mentioned Pat McAfee's involvement in Rhodes vs. Orton as part of why WWE expects that match to land.

McAfee's role has already become part of the story around the Saturday main event, including Cody Rhodes questioning McAfee's place in the Randy Orton feud.

Quote from Nick Khan

Khan addressed the response to WrestleMania season by saying:

"Let's see the reaction (when) the show is done. I think a lot of times with WWE storylines, they take a moment to develop. We have the good fortune when we're on the inside of knowing where we're going. If you look at the two main events, there is real heat there and when the storylines are blurred between reality and pre-determined outcomes in WWE, we think that always delivers, and with the (Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes), especially with the addition of Pat McAfee, we think both will overdeliver. Let's see."

What Khan's comments mean for Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and CM Punk

Khan's framing puts extra focus on payoff over pre-show perception. For Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, that matters because McAfee's addition has turned a straight title program into something with another moving part attached to it. WWE is clearly treating that wrinkle as a feature of the match, not a distraction.

On the other side of the card, tying CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns to the same "real heat" language tells fans WWE sees both nights as major creative statements. If the company is leaning that hard into the two headline matches, the immediate fallout from WrestleMania 42 should shape the title picture coming out of the weekend.

Sources

Nick Khan while speaking with the Las Vegas Review-Journal