WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025: Draws And Duds

Thanks to the magic of rebranding, welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s new feature, Draws and Duds! We kicked things off with AEW All Out 2025 earlier this week, but that's just the first major event taking place on September 20. Later the same day, WWE re-takes the center stage, joining with ESPN for the first time ever to present Wrestlepalooza!

Unless more gets added on Friday's "WWE SmackDown," Wrestlepalooza remains what has become the standard Paul Levesque five-match card, but there are lots of options to choose from when deciding which match the WINC staff is most excited about — and which match isn't really doing it for us. It's time to find out the biggest draw and the biggest dud in terms of our personal hype levels as we head toward Indianapolis!

There aren't very many things that can draw one to a wrestling match than one with the prospect of a title change, and ever more the case when a title change is guaranteed. That is what awaits the WWE Women's World Championship at Wrestlepalooza, after the bittersweet news that Naomi would be relinquishing the title while she carries the next member of The Bloodline. 

Although she has promised to recapture the title upon her return, fresh shoulders are due to carry the mantle one way or the other when Stephanie Vaquer gets her long-awaited opportunity against the former holder, Iyo Sky. That's easily a competition between two of the best wrestlers in the division and it is one that follows up on what had been teased earlier this year, with Vaquer challenging Sky in April and July and both bouts ending in no-contest. 

Those were on TV, this will be at a Premium Live Event and a victor will surely have to be determined, and that itself presents two very worthy options to continue on as champion. Vaquer has been nothing short of amazing since coming into WWE, putting on star-studded performances backed with booking that saw her reign as NXT Women's and Women's North American Champion prior to her main roster call-up in less than a year. For her part, Sky carried the title with aplomb and etched her place in the match of the year conversation with several entries throughout this year alone. 

So there really isn't a bad option in terms of winning and carrying the title, there's very little chance the match itself doesn't prove to be entertaining, and more importantly it's not quite clear who will win the match – in a scripted format, that unpredictability can be key to drawing emotion, with each and every near-fall conceivable as the finish until it comes. A match with all of the upside in the world, genuine significance in terms of the product going forward, and guaranteed to be a moment in history for either of the would-be victors. 

Is it objectively the biggest match on the card? Probably not. But it carries zero baggage and exhibits two of the best stars on the roster, a likely candidate for the best match on the card. It's a draw no matter which way you look at it, an instant classic in waiting. Vaquer wins, we have a new champion, a blue chip prospect legitimized as World Champion. Sky wins, the belt returns to familiar hands, someone that has proven to be reliable in the role and really deserves the flowers she's received already. I cannot stress how excited I am for this match specifically.

Written by Max Everett

WWE wanted to hype Wrestlepalooza as another WrestleMania-esque premium live event ahead of the announcement that WrestleMania 43 will be in Saudi Arabia in 2027. Part of the hype for the newest PLE included John Cena, who is now on the final leg of his retirement tour, taking on career-long rival Brock Lesnar, who made a surprise return to conclude the company's first-ever two-night SummerSlam. Many fans were unsure if Lesnar would ever return to the company, so seeing him hit his F5 on Cena was truly shocking. That all sounds exciting as can be, but sadly, the build-up to the match hasn't exactly cemented the main event of Wrestlepalooza as the most exciting match on the card.

The excitement, or lack thereof, in some cases, around Lesnar's SummerSlam return is kind of where things stopped dead for this dud of a match. The promos haven't been good. Lesnar has looked blown up by just delivering F5s in the ring, which was really noticeable during is extremely lackluster segment alongside R-Truth on last week's "SmackDown." I don't think any of us ever thought that the most exciting aspect of a Lesnar appearance would be the fact he ripped his pants, SpongeBob style, in the middle of the ring.  

Cena hasn't been much better, with his final appearance before Wrestlepalooza taking place on "WWE Raw" on Monday in Springfield, Massachusetts, close to where he went to college. The promo wasn't much of anything outside of a "hello" to his hometown crowd and a push for fans to watch Wrestlepalooza on ESPN on Saturday. While Lesnar wasn't advertised, I kind of thought he might be there to deliver another F5 to Cena. Since he wasn't, it leads me to believe he's going to emerge victorious on Saturday, perhaps laying out "The Never Seen 17" to give him some time off before his final five appearances. And that is indeed just how many appearances Cena has left after Saturday and all of them are announced.

This match is just a dud for me overall, due to the build, and the fact I highly doubt the in-ring action is going to be anything to write home about. Cena has been showing off in his last few singles matches Sami Zayn, Logan Paul, and Cody Rhodes, but after seeing Lesnar sucking wind after just hitting his finisher, I don't have much confidence, especially how good and enjoyable those bouts were. 

Lesnar's controversies aside, this was a questionable decision for Cena's retirement tour, with the likes of AJ Styles, Dominik Mysterio, GUNTHER, and more stars that Cena has even named himself, available to go head-to-head with the star. Lesnar's controversies considered, it doesn't seem like it's going to be a good enough match to risk even just the fan discourse and unhappiness and a potential dark cloud toward the end of Cena's farewell tour, as the failed heel run did enough damage as it is.

Written by Daisy Ruth