Planned WWE WrestleMania Match May Not Happen

The IYO SKY versus Asuka match that many expected to round out the WrestleMania 42 card may not be happening in Las Vegas after all. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is now considering moving the match to Backlash on May 9, with the report stating the later date “may not even be the backup plan, but the plan, to save the match for Backlash.”

The match was listed on WWE’s internal lineup last week but was conspicuously absent when the company officially announced both nights’ cards on ESPN on April 7. A previous Wrestling Observer report had described it as “probable” as the 14th and final match across both nights while noting it was “not like 100%” confirmed — and the latest update suggests those doubts were well-founded.

WWE’s Loaded WrestleMania 42 Night Two Card Is Central to the Decision on IYO SKY vs. Asuka

The primary driver behind the potential move is time management. Night Two of WrestleMania 42 currently has six announced matches, and adding a seventh significant bout raises genuine questions about how long the show would run and how much time could be allocated to each match on an already packed card. Both women have been actively building toward the matchup in recent days — Asuka filmed a taped interview on the April 6 Raw to advance the storyline, and IYO SKY posted a photo of Allegiant Stadium on social media teasing a WrestleMania appearance — suggesting neither performer nor the creative team has completely abandoned the idea of a Las Vegas match.

If the decision is made to move the bout to Backlash, it would give WWE additional runway to develop the deeply personal feud between the former Damage CTRL partners. The angle has been building since the group’s dissolution, with Asuka, SKY, and Kairi Sane all involved at various points in a storyline that carries genuine emotional weight given the real-life bonds these performers developed during their time as stablemates. Backlash 2026 is scheduled for May 9 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, and a match of this significance would immediately elevate the card for that event.