WWE’s pay-per-view debut on ESPN this past Saturday failed to deliver the impact the company had anticipated. Wrestlepalooza, held September 20, 2025, in Indianapolis, was promoted as a spectacular event but has since been described as falling short of its lofty ambitions.
In his post-show review, ESPN’s Andreas Hale offered a lukewarm assessment.
Grades for the five matches were mixed. Stephanie Vaquer’s Women’s World Championship win over Iyo Sky earned a B+, the night’s highest mark. From there, the show dipped: The Vision’s victory over The Usos and Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship defense against Drew McIntyre both received Cs. The heavily hyped in-ring return of AJ Lee, who teamed with CM Punk to submit Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, was also graded a C.
The opener, featuring Brock Lesnar’s dominant win over John Cena with multiple F-5s, drew the lowest score of the night with a C-.
Hale summarized his thoughts: “The excellent Vaquer vs. Sky match saved this show from being truly average. It was a phenomenal display inside the squared circle. Everything else was either underwhelming (the short Rhodes-McIntyre match) or a setup for a future match (Lesnar dominating Cena). For a card that promised to have epic moments, it fell a little short of expectations.”
This critique echoed fan sentiment on social media, where many pointed to the lack of surprises despite heavy promotion from Triple H.
A key source of frustration was Cena’s decisive loss to Lesnar, viewed as a letdown in his retirement tour. The defeat now hints at a possible rematch, complicating his final run.
With reports suggesting WWE intends for Wrestlepalooza to become an annual WrestleMania-level tradition, this underwhelming debut may have tempered enthusiasm for future installments.