Brock Lesnar’s in-ring return after two years was poorly received, as his match against John Cena at Wrestlepalooza on September 20 in Indianapolis earned a two-star rating from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Lesnar ultimately defeated Cena in the bout.
The finish saw Lesnar deliver six F5s to secure the victory, after Cena had landed three Attitude Adjustments earlier in the contest.
Meltzer’s evaluation reflected the broader negative reaction, as the match was widely criticized. ESPN’s Andreas Hale gave it a C- grade on September 22, the lowest score for any match on the card.
In his ESPN review, Hale described the match as serving storyline purposes rather than standing on its own. “Everything else was either underwhelming (the short Rhodes-McIntyre match) or a setup for a future match (Lesnar dominating Cena),” Hale wrote. “For a card that promised to have epic moments, it fell a little short of expectations.”
The decisive loss frustrated many fans following Cena’s retirement tour and has fueled speculation of a future rematch.
The contest took place on Wrestlepalooza, WWE’s debut pay-per-view on the ESPN platform. Reports suggest the company intends for the event to become an annual tradition on the scale of WrestleMania.