A match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar is now official for Wrestlepalooza on September 20. The confirmation came during the September 5 episode of SmackDown, moments after Lesnar interfered in the United States Championship match between Cena and Sami Zayn, leaving both men down with his signature F-5.
The attack cut short a significant night for Cena, whose match against Zayn was taking place during his final scheduled appearance on SmackDown, poignantly held in the same Chicago arena where he made his WWE television debut 23 years ago.
As Cena was on the verge of winning the title, Lesnar made his return for the first time since his initial assault on Cena at SummerSlam. He stormed the ring and pulled the referee out to stop the pinfall.
Lesnar then hit Sami Zayn with an F-5 before turning his attention to Cena, dropping him with the maneuver twice.
Shortly after the beatdown, a backstage camera caught Lesnar delivering a direct message. “I’ll see you at Wrestlepalooza, b—tch,” he stated. Following the challenge, WWE immediately confirmed the match would take place.