WWE Wrestlepalooza Review

Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2025

by Matthew Nazario

Brock Lesnar Decimates John Cena in Shocking, Yet Dull Encounter 

Grade: D

This match certainly did not help justifying the return of the controversial Brock Lesnar, as it was a very much watered down rehash of Cena and Lesnar’s encounter from Summerslam 2014.

Outside of a few flurries of offense, Cena stood absolutely no chance and it was very evident from the early goings of the bout. Lesnar dominated in nearly every aspect and dispatched of Cena in 8 minutes, hitting him with a malicious total of 6 consecutive F5’s to secure the victory.

With such little time before John Cena’s retirement run concludes, it begs the question: Did we really need more than one Lesnar match? Let alone one a rehash of a decade old match which did not carry nearly the same effect?

The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed) Defeat The Usos in Violent Affair

Grade: B-

Having LA Knight as the special guest referee was interesting, and seeing The Usos reunited once again back with their old gear and theme song was a great moment. The match itself suffered from a slow start as well as the bout evolving into an extreme rules match by the end, making it feel a little out of tune.

There were certainly some great action pieces in this personal feud, including Breakker delivering a double spear to both Usos through a table.  This set up a monstrous Tsunami Splash through a table to Jey which allowed Breakker and Reed to secure the victory.

The Vision needed this win badly, making this very much the correct decision. Jey Uso has been growing more and more violent over the past few weeks with a heel turn looking more and more likely, and his issues with LA Knight seem to be the catalyst for it. While this did not live up to the usual Uso standards of mach quality, it was still a harmless and fun watch.

Stephanie Vaquer Defeats Iyo Sky to Become Women’s World Champion for the First Time

Grade: A

While Naomi having to vacate the Women’s World Championship last month was unfortunate, Vaquer and Sky wowed the Indianapolis crowd in their battle for the vacant championship.

A mix of high flying and technical action led to this bout being an energetic race to the finish, with both competitors pulling out all the stops in order to call themselves champion. Working on Sky’s knee throughout the bout proved to be crucial in Vaquer’s win, as she was able to take advantage and hit a Spinal Tap off of the top rope to win the Women’s World Championship for the first time.

This match managed to live up to its lofty expectations and even surpass them, as it was a much deserved crowning moment for “La Primera,” and an excellent display of how talented the women’s division on RAW is.

CM Punk and AJ Lee Defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch to Continue Their Personal Feud

Grade: B+

Firstly, despite not having competed in the squared circle in over a decade, AJ Lee has not missed a step and looks even better than ever. My major gripe with this bout was that it just went too long. Clocking in at just about a half an hour it caused quite a bit of fatigue. However, when the match was clicking, it was firing on all cylinders with great set pieces and exciting moments.

While it did not secure the victory, Punk and Lee were able to lock in both Rollins and Lynch in their respective submission manuevers, the sharp shooter and the Black Widow in stereo which caused the crowd to erupt. Lee forced Lynch to tap out to the Black Widow to give Punk and herself the victory to conclude the battle of WWE’s power couples.

Lynch and Lee are surely to collide for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in the near future, while Punk and Rollins’ bloodfeud continues to roll on. 

Cody Rhodes Defeats Drew McIntyre to Retain the WWE Championship in Underwhelming Match

Grade: C

When it was announced that the WWE Championship would be main eventing this show, fans began to speculate the possibility of a title change or massive surprise to conclude the show. Despite this, there really is not much to say about the main event, as it was oddly short and did not have time to kick it into the next gear.

McIntyre missed a potential match ending claymore kick and went right through the announcer’s table as a result, allowing Rhodes to hit the crossrhodes back in the ring to retain his title.

When the match concluded, it felt incomplete and more like a main event of Smackdown rather than the main event of WWE’s first PLE on ESPN.  McIntyre continuously losing title matches has become tiresome as well, and as years go by, it seems as though he will never be at the top of the mountain again as he was in 2020.

Overall Grade: B-

For WWE’s first PLE on ESPN, WrestlePalooza felt a bit underwhelming. Throughout the buildup to the event, Triple H and WWE’s marketing hyped surprises and shocking moments, but in the end we did not see much out of the ordinary. 

The mixed tag, as well as Vaquer and Sky saved the show from being a disaster. WWE should look to perhaps add more bouts or make their cards more worthwhile as at a new price point of $29.99 a month rather than as low as $12, it may prove difficult to justify tuning into every PLE moving forward.

Matthew Nazario can be reached at matthew.nazario@student.shu.edu.

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