wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Wrestlepalooza Review 9.20.25
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of Wrestlepalooza (gag), I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the event. This marks the first WWE event on ESPN so they’ve tried to make it feel like a big deal. We’ve got John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, The Usos vs. the Bronies, Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer for the vacant women’s world title, CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, and the only Smackdown match on the card in Cody Rhodes defending the WWE title against Drew McIntyre. Your individual mileage will vary on this one but personally, there’s not really anything here I’m looking forward to. That said, Cena and Brock has some potential of course, Iyo and Vaquer could pretty easily be the best match of the night as well. Cody and Drew is kind of a non-issue for me, the build has been very bad as Cody only returned from a 5 week hiatus last week, and nothing about Seth or his stories interests me in the slightest. I’ve been bored by that man for longer than I’ve been entertained by him, and that goes all the way back to Tyler Black in Age of the Fall. But as always the potential for good action is here, and if nothing else I’m curious to see if ESPN finally fixed their streaming issues. The laundry list of issues ESPN+ had broadcasting UFC events is legend at this point so we should definitely keep an eye on how smooth this goes. Alright that’s the preamble so let’s get to the action.
We see various wrestlers arrive at the venue then transition to the cold open which celebrates the history of ESPN and WWE leading to their current partnership. After that Triple H is in the ring, which is plastered with ads creating a rather unpleasant visual. Trips says this is the final form of sports and entertainment, if tonight is your first night then welcome to WWE and ESPN, and welcome to the show. Yeah, I’m not typing the title of this show out any more than I am contractually obligated to.
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be on commentary.
In the back we see Pat McAfee arrive and he heads down to join commentary since we’re in Indianapolis and he’s kind of a big deal around these parts.
Brock Lesnar then heads to the ring for our first match. John Cena follows to a big ovation, he’s in yellow and blue and has a bunch of kids with him. Way to sell the seriousness of the task ahead of you Cena. Eh, the kids are happy so I can’t be too sour about it and Cena’s demeanor changes once he hits the ring for the introductions. After Cena gets his intro Paul Heyman shows up to surprise everyone and provide Brock with his introduction.
Match #1: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
Cena runs into a kick and Brock starts abusing him in the corners. Cena fights back with punches but Brock clotheslines him down. Another clothesline from Brock. Brock launches Cena into some corners and Cena takes the Bret Hart bump in one of them. Running powerslam from Brock. German suplex from Brock sends Cena out of the ring. Cena pulls himself back into the ring and Brock then grabs a reverse bearhug, Cena breaks the grip briefly but Brock gets it back. Again Cena fights free but then eats a clothesline from Brock. German suplex for Cena and Brock keeps count at 2. Cena shoves Brock into the corner and tries some shoulder blocks but he just bounces off Brock a few times before finally getting Brock to bump. Attitude Adjustment from Cena, then another one, and a third but only a near fall.
Cena with the 5 Knuckle Shuffle attempt but he runs into a couple of F5’s. Brock yells at the downed Cena, the hits another F5 when he does pull himself up. Another F5 from Brock, the kids are not happy in the crowd. Again Cena pulls himself upright, and takes another F5. Brock then pulls Cena up again and hits yet another F5 and finally chooses to get the pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Brock Lesnar won in 8:49
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: As a callback to the most famous match between these two I enjoyed this, and Brock possibly realigning with Heyman in some capacity might mean Brock still has something to give to WWE while Cena should now get to continue his retirement stuff with some good fun.
Post match Brock looks to leave, then gets back in the ring and massacres the ref with an F5 then just tosses that man out of the ring. F5 to Cena again, the kids are definitely not alright and Brock pulls off the gloves then heads out. We do get a “thank you Cena” chant for the downed all time great as Cene pulls himself to the apron. Cena is able to walk up the ramp with those chants accompanying him, then offers his heart to the crowd before heading to the back.
We get a recap of the preshow stuff and how LA Knight became the special guest ref for the next match. LA Knight heads to the ring first. The Usos come through the crowd and Jimmy has a mic, then he plays with the crowd then Jey plays with the crowd as well. The fans all have cellphones out for a nice little visual as we get the Jey entrance bit. The crowd want an encore and Jey obliges, because we’ve just got so much time to fill on this event.
Match #2 – Special Guest Referee (LA Knight) Tag Team Match: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) vs. The Bronies (Bron “Pinkie Pie” Breakker and “Applejack” Bronson Reed) w/ Paul Heyman
22 minutes between matches. Jey and Reed start things off, they tie up and Reed shoves Jey into a corner then starts stomping him down. Jey avoids a corner attack then lands a few kicks and tags in Jimmy. Double superkicks for Reed. Jimmy then runs into a back elbow from Reed and he’s down. Bron tags in for some corner work then tosses Jimmy out of the ring before tagging Reed. Reed goes under the ring for a chair but Knight sees it and that allows Jimmy to get the chair and Knight turns around to let him hit Reed with the chair. Bron comes over to help Reed so Jey then jumps from the top rope onto both Bron and Reed. Jimmy and Reed back in the ring and Jimmy with a 10 punch while Bron rams Jey into the ring post. Bron low bridges a running Jimmy then tags in. Bron lines up on the floor and hits a running shoulder tackle. Back in the ring Bron with some mounted punches then he tags Reed and they combine for a standing Splash for a 2 count.
Reed tosses Jimmy out of the ring again, Reed gets another chair and whacks Jimmy but Knight just tells Reed not to do it again. A couple of chairs go into the ring, then Reed fakes out a table pull for some heat before they head back into the ring. Reed wedges a chair in the corner for later then Bron tags in and throws Jimmy around a bit. Suplex from Bron gets a 1 count and Bron then does some pushups. Reed tags in and hits a senton then sets up a chair but Jimmy dropkicks his knees and Reed face plants into the chair. Bron tags in and cheap shots Jey then rams him into the ring steps before throwing Jimmy again. Reed comes in and gets Jimmy up for a Doomsday Bulldog, that connects for a 2 count. Bron objects to the count but it was a fair count from Knight. Reed tags in and misses a senton, then charges at Jimmy in a corner and Reed goes into the chair he wedged in there earlier.
Jey pulls himself up and wants the tag, both men tag out and Jey gets to run wild on Bron with strikes then a hip attack in the corner. Bron takes a kick from the apron, Jey then up top for a crossbody and a 2 count. Another pretty fair count from Knight. Jimmy goes under the ring and gets a Slim Jim sponsored table into the ring. Jey and Jimmy set up the table but Bron and Reed attack them then Reed puts the table in the corner. Bron lines up a Spear to Jey but Jey with superkicks to Bron and Reed, then Jimmy gets in on the action for more superkicks and a 1D to Bron but Reed breaks up the pin. Jimmy gets sent out of the ring then Reed puts Jey up top but Jey headbutts him down, then Bron runs for for a Frankensteiner and Reed follows by missing a moonsault and Jimmy then lands a Swanton Bomb but Bron Spears Jimmy. Bron is pleased with himself but Jey Spears him then hits a Splash for a near fall. Jey is unhappy with that but it was a fair kick out.
Knight and Reed talk on the floor and Jey then hits a dive onto Reed but nearly hit Knight. Jey and Knight now bicker and Heyman tosses Bron a chair. Bron then gets superkicked, Jey has the chair but nearly hits Knight. Jey hits Bron a couple of times with the chair then throws it into Reed’s face. Jey is bleeding, not sure what caused that. Bron with a Spear to Jey then he lines up another one and hits both Jimmy and Jey through the table. Reed tags back in for a Tsunami to Jey and that’ll do it.
OFFICIAL RESULT: The Bronies won in 16:50
Rating: 3.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent little brawl, the drama with Knight was kept to a minimum but was used appropriately to enhance things. Oh, we see what cut Jey open, the rebound from the chair when he hit Bron on the back caused the edge to hit him in the forehead. The outcome wasn’t really in doubt here as we’re clearly building towards WarGames with these people and the heels getting the edge leading to that is pretty standard stuff.
Match #3 – Women’s World Title Match: Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer
They shake hands to start then tie up, Vaquer with a mat return then a front headlock and Iyo slips behind her. Hammerlock from Vaquer, Iyo escapes and trips up Vaquer and they wind up in the ropes then we get a stand off. Another tie up, headlock takeover from Vaquer then Iyo counters into a head scissors then they repeat that spot going the other way and Iyo with a headstand escape then she grabs a side headlock again. They hit the ropes and trade pin attempts but neither woman can get a 3 count. Back suplex from Vaquer, she’s done with the pleasantries. Iyo hits the ropes and lands an arm drag, then we get some gymnastics followed by a low dropkick and some taunts from Iyo. Scoop slam from Iyo then a handstand into a double knee drop. Bit of an Ankle Lock from Iyo, Vaquer kicks free of that then boots her way out of a corner and grabs an armbar over the ropes for a 4 count to attack the arm of Iyo.
Iyo fails a Sunset flip and Vaquer then lands a leg drop for a 2 count. Suplex from Vaquer then she grabs a chin lock. Iyo fights up to her feet but gets caught with another suplex then Vaquer grabs a double gift wrap but Iyo rolls through and gets it herself. Vaquer with a head scissors takeover then Iyo with a butterfly backbreaker and both women are down. Both women pull themselves up, Iyo looks to fire up with palm strikes then a Flapjack. Iyo to the apron and lands a punch then hits a springboard dropkick and kips up then does the pointing taunt while Vaquer rolls out of the ring. Suicide dive from Iyo connects, slightly scary landing but everyone’s OK it seems. They head back into the ring, Vaquer on the apron for now and Iyo kicks her then tries a Sunset powerbomb to the floor but Vaquer stalls that out and drops a knee onto her across the apron.
Springboard crossbody to the floor from Vaquer then they head back into the ring. Another springboard crossbody from Vaquer then a suplex. Iyo avoids a corner Meteora and hits a German suplex. Vaquer avoids a corner rush and hits a German suplex of her own, these two are engaged in a game of one ups manship and we haven’t yet seen either fully pull away from the other. They start trading strikes from their knees, the crowd seem pretty split. Knee from Vaquer, Iyo returns an elbow but Vaquer lands a back suplex. Iyo avoids a Devil’s Kiss and lands a double stomp. Crippler Crossface from Iyo, Vaquer rolls out of it but Iyo lands a knee. Iyo heads up top but Vaquer yanks her down then hits a sick looking Dragon Screw out of the corner. Iyo avoids a SVB but takes a headbutt, but catches a running Vaquer with a hurricanrana for a 2 count then a roundhouse kick to the head and both women are down.
Corner Meteora from Iyo then she tries Over The Moonsault but her knee is just enough of an issue that Vaquer is able to get her legs up to block the move. Superkick from Vaquer then another suspended Dragon Screw. Devil’s Kiss from Vaquer, then the SVB but only a near fall. Vaquer goes up top now, but Iyo pulls herself up and lands a palm strike. Iyo up top with Vaquer, they fight for position and eventually Iyo hits a Spanish Fly but her knee gets tweaked and her cover is way too slow to find a pin. Another corner Meteora from Iyo, then she pulls down her knee pads and hits another one. Running knee from Iyo connects then she lines up an Over The Moonsault but Vaquer avoids it and Iyo eats canvas. Vaquer pulls herself up top, Sky Twister Press/corkscrew moonsault connects and Vaquer gets the pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Stephanie Vaquer won the title in 19:41
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thoughts: Well that was pretty great. The story here was Vaquer keeping pace with Iyo, always being able to find one little extra advantage and that just compounded the longer the match went on until she found the knee attack which kept Iyo from her offensive potency. Iyo’s knee selling was good, Vaquer’s selling too even on offense was top notch. These two should be proud of this one. I think the only thing keeping this from the full boat is the crowd, which was good but not quite enough to push this over the top.
Post match Vaquer and Iyo share respect and Iyo hands the title to Vaquer. Vaquer celebrates with her father who’s in the crowd from Chile then Pat McAfee leaves commentary, guess he was only here for half the night.
Match #4 – Mixed Tag Team Match: CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
This is AJ’s first match in over a decade. So no intergender stuff with this rule set, which of course means the heels will ignore that at some point. AJ wants to start but Rollins so we get Punk and Rollins again. Becky then tags in and tries to goad Punk but network standards and practices prevent that so Punk plays nice and backs up until AJ tags which isn’t necessary given the rules but they do it anyway. AJ and Becky circle, Becky cheap shots Punk then runs around to tag in Rollins so Punk becomes legal. Punk with a suicide dive onto Rollins as he was on the floor and Punk batters Rollins around the ringside area for a bit. They get back into the ring and Becky gets in a few cheap shots on Punk. Punk rams Rollins into the face corner and shoulder blocks him a few times then AJ with some cheap shots. Manhattan Drop to Rollins then Punk with a chop. Punk up top, ax handle connects then he’s back up and hits another one.
Rollins blocks a third ax handle with a kick then tries a Pedigree, Punk counters and then lands a kick but Becky lands a cheap shot to let Rollins take over again. Punk gets kicked out of the ring and Becky shoves him into the ring steps, the amount of work Punk had to do to make that work was almost comical. Rollins starts attacking Punk on the floor before they head back into the ring, Rollins goes up top and lands an ax handle of his own. A few more strikes from Rollins then a running boot. Cheap shot from Becky, again because repetition is the name of the game here I guess. Punk tries to tag out, but Rollins blocks that. Rollins tries a suplex, he and Punk fight over that spot for a moment until Punk connects with the suplex.
Rollins recovers and blocks a tag with a front headlock, not even much heat for that as the crowd is starting to check out. Punk tries to march to a tag, Becky distracts the ref as the tag is made so the ref doesn’t see it. That gets at least a modicum of heat and Rollins presses Becky overhead then drops her onto the mat as Punk avoids the attempted splash. Becky rolls out of the ring, AJ laughs because who doesn’t love Looney Tunes? Rollins then misses a Stinger Splash, Punk crawls for AJ but Becky pulls her off the apron to block the tag. Falcon Arrow from Rollins gets a 2 count. Rollins tries for heat by skipping around to mock AJ, not much response, so he goes out of the ring to skip around AJ’s fallen form. That’s slightly more successful but this is repetitive and boring work from everyone, and not in the heat generating way. Back in the ring Punk its a Go To Sleep on Rollins and both men are down. Becky tries to wake up Rollins, then tries to block Punk from tagging out but she’s too weak to stop him so he tags in AJ.
That wakes up the crowd, finally. AJ with a Thesz Press and mounted punches, then a double leg and more punches that look pretty bad. Some corner work from AJ including a 10 punch but she only gets 8 before Becky tries a powerbomb but AJ counters with a hurricanrana. Wheel kick from AJ then she trips Becky and heads up top for a crossbody and a 2 count. That gets the “you still got it” chants. Becky with a slap, AJ returns it but man these two are throwing weak slaps. AJ fires up with a barrage of strikes so Rollins pulls her away from Becky. AJ then slaps Rollins and doesn’t have to pull these ones so they look better. Becky pulls AJ for a Manhandle Slam but AJ avoids it then hits a tornado DDT by kicking off of Rollins. Punk shows up to help AJ hit a Shiranui onto Rollins and land with a splash on Becky for a 2 count. Everyone’s just hanging out int he ring and we get stereo high knees and bulldogs from the good guys then Shining Wizards connect and the guys head out of the ring. AJ skips around then loses the Black Widow attempt but eventually she and Becky get into it, Becky counters into a pin for 2. They repeat the Black Widow spot and this one works and Punk grabs a Sharpshooter on Rollins to keep him out of play but Becky rakes Punk in the eyes.
Rollins then pulls AJ off of the Black Widow but AJ gets him in it, Becky pulls AJ off and hits a Bexsploder suplex. Pedigrees from the heels but only a 2 count on the covers. There’s a fairly weak “this is awesome” chant. Rollins and Becky call for Go To Sleep, they try it but Punk slips free and takes out Rollins with a Cactus clothesline. AJ with a Bexsploder to Becky then she gets tripped up by Rollins. Punk Stomps Rollins in the ring and lays in mounted punches. Becky slaps Punk, Punk no sells her and menaces her then trips her down but Rollins recovers and Punk punches him out of the ring. Becky now tries a Sharpshooter on Punk, she gets it but man is it ugly, almost Rock levels of Sharpshooter here. Punk powers out and counters into his own Sharpshooter, Rollins shows up to break that up and hit another Pedigree then a Stomp to Punk but AJ breaks up the pin. Becky with a Manhandle Slam but only 2, AJ missed the timing on that kick out but the ref was obliging.
Becky pulls up AJ, they trade some strikes then Rollins pulls AJ away from Becky, and Punk returns the favor. Punk and Rollins trade punches now and the women pull the men apart. Becky and AJ get back to brawling, Punk and Rollins join in and the heels get tossed out of the ring. Now we’ve got some ringside brawling, Punk tosses Rollins over the announce table as AJ pulls apart the Spanish announce table. Punk joins in taking apart the other table. Everyone climbs onto the tables, they try move steals but the heels fight them off and we get stereo Manhandle Slams attempted, then Punk fights back for a Go To Sleep so Becky shoves AJ into Punk and Rollins then that table collapses under their weight. Back in the ring for Becky and AJ, Becky with a Manhandle Slam but AJ counters into a Black Widow and Becky taps out.
OFFICIAL RESULT: CM Punk and AJ Lee won in 29:16
Rating: 3.5 stars
Thoughts: This did not need almost 30 minutes, at least 10-12 minutes lost the crowd in a pretty big way. It’s a testament to the wrestlers that they were able to get the crowd back after a middle third or so that struggled that hard. AJ looked OK with some of the physicality but her timing, especially on pins and kick outs was visibly off.
Post match Punk and AJ celebrate while Becky throws a hissy fight and Rollins looks like a very sad panda.
After a break here comes The Undertaker to American Badass, because who doesn’t love biker Taker? He parks in front of Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, both of whom seem happy to see him. Taker gets a mic and talks from the floor, he moves to Stephanie and asks if a seat beside her is open then climbs over the barricade to sit beside Stephanie and jokes about never sitting on this side before. He talks about being at the fight in Vegas last week, he saw something special then because Bud Crawford is great, but he saw Stephanie there. Now he’s seeing her here and asks if she’s following him. They’ve known each other a long time, and Taker asks Stephanie if she’s ready. No he said “are you ready”? That gets a pop. Taker then says it’s his honor to induct Stephanie into the Class of 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. Stephanie gets emotional at that and she gets a brief “You deserve it” chant. The two hug then Taker gets the crowd to cheer for Stephanie again.
Match #5 – WWE Title Match: (c) Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre
23 minutes between matches BTW. Drew laughs and gets slapped, Cody wants a fight but Drew keeps laughing. Eventually Drew backs Cody into a corner but gives a clean break. Back elbow from Drew then he starts laying in chops, Cody then with a drop down right hand but he runs into a headlock takeover from Drew and Drew holds the headlock. Cody fights up then gets free and they reset. They start trading punches, Cody lands a flurry of jabs then the Bionic elbow and a drop down kick. Cody stumbles trying a Cody Cutter, that connects anyway but something might be up with Cody’s knee. Now Cody tries an arm attack, Drew fights up and arm drags Cody but then gets sent to the apron and Cody with a triangle kick to send him to the floor. Cody hits the ropes and connects with a suicide dive. Another suicide dive from Cody but Drew catches this one and rams Cody into the ring post then picks him up and tosses him over the Spanish announce table. Back in the ring now and Cody kind of staggers around then Drew with an overhead belly to belly throw. Another overhead throw from Drew and commentary is selling that Cody’s physical issues are related to his head getting stomped on Smackdown.
Corner chops from Drew, but Cody fights back with a kick then Drew posts himself charging at the cornered Cody. They head out of the ring now and Cody kicks Drew but Drew catches a second one and yanks his legs away so Cody bumps on the apron. Now Drew with the inverted Alabama Slam onto the ring steps, quickly Drew gets back in the ring and looks for a pin but only 2. Mounted punches from Drew as he’s targeting the head of Cody. Drew heads up top, Cody jumps up with him and hits a superplex to put both men down. Both men climb to their feet and they start trading punches for a bit then we get a hockey fight with Cody getting the better of things and hitting a snap powerslam. Disaster Kick from Cody connects but he’s slow to follow up, but when he does he hits a Cody Cutter. Drew takes that move with some slightly awkward timing. Drew with a knee to block a Cross Rhodes, Cody kicks him and hops up to the ropes but Drew hits a jumping headbutt. Now Drew climbs up with Cody and bites him then hits an avalanche Air Raid Crash for a 2 count.
Drew kips up and lines up a Claymore but Cody counters into a weak looking powerbomb, the timing wasn’t there on that one. Headbutt from Drew but he misses another Claymore and Cody with the Figure Four leg lock. Cody cranks on the hold, Drew tries to chop free but Cody just mocks him so Drew musters enough force to punch Cody in the face and break the hold. Drew pulls a turnbuckle pad off then tosses the cover away in front of the ref. Cody recovers, avoids getting shoved into the corner but the ref had to avoid getting rammed into it too and he’s slow getting back into the ring as Drew rolls up Cody for a visual pin but only a 2 count officially. Cross Rhodes from Cody but only a near fall. Drew blocks a Cody Cutter and Cody rolls out of the ring, then Drew with the Flying Scotsman dive which connects. Back in the ring Drew connects with a Claymore but only a near fall. Cody rolls to the floor as Drew can’t believe that he didn’t get the pin.
Drew looks to snap, he follows Cody out of the ring and punches him down to his knees then lines up a Claymore through the announce table and the ref tries to talk him out of it. Eventually Drew tries the kick but Cody avoids it and Drew kicks through the table and starts selling his right leg like death. Drew limps and pulls himself to the ring, Cody’s already there and tries a Disaster Kick but Drew intercepts with a headbutt. Drew tries a Claymore but his leg gives out, Cody with a super Cody Cutter then a Cross Rhodes for the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Cody Rhodes retained the title in 16:53
Rating: 3.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent match, the lack of heat was a problem and they did a decent job protecting Drew with a few odd moments from the ref. The story of Cody’s head being a bit of a weak spot was a decent one, but I do wish it had played more into things.
Post match Drew gets his leg checked out and Cody celebrates in the ring as the show concludes.
Alright everyone, that concludes *sigh* Wrestlepalooza. I hope you had some fun, and there was in fact fun to be had here but all in all a bit of an inauspicious start to the ESPN era. I’ve got Smackdown on Friday’s per usual so I imagine I’ll see you all then, and next Saturday for the next UFC event if you’re so inclined. Until then thank you for reading whether it’s live or after the fact. Stay safe out there and keep checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.
