While Cody Rhodes is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in the main event of tonight’s WrestlePalooza, that marquee matchup wasn’t the company’s original plan. A new report from Fightful Select reveals the show was initially slated to be headlined by a blockbuster encounter between Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
The report clarifies that the pivot away from the two legends was a creative decision. It explicitly refutes speculation that the change was made to accommodate Lesnar’s well-known preference for leaving events early. “It was confirmed to us that at one point, Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena were slated to main event,” Fightful stated. “We were told it in fact was not changed because Brock wanted to fly out early, which is something he does actually like to do.”
The backstage shuffle aligns with public confusion earlier this week, when ESPN’s Joe Tessitore stated on SportsCenter that Cena vs. Lesnar would headline the event. Pat McAfee later corrected the report, clarifying that the two icons would instead open the show.
WWE made the main event official during a chaotic contract signing on last night’s SmackDown. The segment saw Rhodes mock McIntyre as a “keyboard warrior,” prompting the challenger to fire off a tweet mid-segment. After the contract was signed, McIntyre leveled Rhodes with a sudden headbutt, sparking a massive brawl.
The fight spilled to the outside, where McIntyre appeared ready to drive Rhodes through the announce table before stopping himself, declaring he wouldn’t risk his main event spot. That hesitation created an opening for Rhodes, who blasted McIntyre with a suicide dive. Although officials swarmed, McIntyre broke through to nail Rhodes with a Claymore Kick, leaving the champion down as the show went off the air.
During their heated verbal exchange, Rhodes also brought up their shared history, noting that it was exactly 15 years ago they held tag team gold together before dismissing the nostalgia entirely.
With the main event now firmly set for the ESPN era launch, WrestlePalooza still features the massive Cena vs. Lesnar bout. The card also includes a major mixed tag team match pitting CM Punk and AJ Lee against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, IYO SKY defending her Women’s World Championship against Stephanie Vaquer, and The Usos facing the duo of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.