WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025 Predictions: Wrestling Inc. Picks The Winners

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WWE's inaugural Wrestlepalooza event emanates from Indianaplois, Indiana, tomorrow, and it's putting some big names in the spotlight. Retiring former world champion John Cena will face Brock Lesnar in the "Beast Incarnate's" first match in over two years, since his 2023 trilogy with reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Rhodes himself is in action, defending his title against the always-dangerous "Scottish Psychopath," Drew McIntyre.

In other championship action, Stephanie Vaquer faces IYO SKY for the WWE Women's World Championship that Naomi vacated when stepping away from action due to her pregnancy. And according to reports, WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton may be in action at Wrestlepalooza — if she can get cleared. That bout could be added to the card on the go-home episode of "WWE SmackDown."

Of course, not every match needs a championship on the line for intrigue; sometimes, wrestlers just have something to settle. Such is the case for a couple of tag team matches, the first of which pits Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker of Seth Rollins' Vision stable against a reunited Jey & Jimmy Uso, who, along with LA Knight, have had their issues with the BronBrons. Rollins himself, will, of course, be in action alongside his wife, Intercontinental Champion Beck Lynch, in a mixed tag match against his nemesis CM Punk and wife AJ Lee, who recently returned to WWE after a decade away.

Here's who the Wrestling Inc. staff thinks will come out on top at WWE Wrestlepalooza!

John Cena has just six appearances left before drawing a close to his WWE career, and Saturday night will see his next opponent on the retirement tour come in the form of Brock Lesnar. Lesnar returned moments after Cena had lost the WWE Championship back to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam; he becomes the latest on a nostalgia tour comprised of bouts against CM Punk, R-Truth, and Randy Orton. 

For his part, Lesnar had not been seen since his own loss to Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023; Lesnar has since reared his head further in segments with Truth and to call an abrupt halt to Sami Zayn's United States Championship bout against Cena on "WWE SmackDown." Cena was his first opponent when he returned to the company in 2012, losing that bout before returning the favor in dominant fashion at SummerSlam 2014. They did meet one more time that year at Night of Champions, with Cena seemingly set to win that bout before Seth Rollins made sure it ended in disqualification. And this will be their first singles match since then, 11 years later. 

The majority of the Wrestling Inc. staff believe Saturday will see Cena get that elusive saga-breaker, with 77% voting for him to beat "The Beast Incarnate" at Wrestlepalooza. Naturally, that does mean 23% saw Lesnar getting the win upon his return, and it would be hard to argue the merits of that belief when Lesnar was the one who ended the Undertaker's WrestleMania streak and so rarely loses, especially not back-to-back. Ultimately, time will tell how the story unfolds so close to end of Cena's chapter in professional wrestling. 

Written by Max Everett

Jimmy and Jey Uso are scheduled for a tag team reunion at Wrestlepalooza, but as they prepare to go up against the Vision's Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, shades of doubt, strife, and "old habits" threaten the cohesion of WWE's iconic tag team. While Jey's flashes of "Tribal Chief" behavior have set Jimmy (and us) on edge, we doubt those differences will impact their performance come Sunday, as 82% of us at Wrestling Inc. are betting on an Usos victory at WWE's ESPN debut.

An official loss against Roman Reigns at Clash in Paris has not stopped the Vision's momentum, as Reed and Breakker are dominating Monday nights with every post-main event beatdown on "Raw." With Vision stable leader Seth Rollins going up against CM Punk and wildly popular AJ Lee, Reed and Breakker shoulder the heavy responsibility of one of (and, perhaps, the only) the Vision's wins for the night. Both Reed and Breakker are on three-match win streaks each, and if things go their way in Indianapolis, that may become four.

What is a three-match win streak, however, against a record-setting tag team? The former Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions are the crowd favorites heading into Wrestlepalooza, and after Jey's efforts to regain the World Heavyweight Championship went up in smoke at Clash in Paris, this team has plenty motivation to secure the win. A majority of us believe in the power of brotherhood, but Monday night tensions between the Usos may make them work for a Wrestlepalooza victory. Jey has shown a dramatic shift towards a more aggressive persona, much to Jimmy's concern, and if one LA Knight emerges at Wrestlepalooza, there's no telling what a volatile Jey may do — for better or worse.

The Usos will probably win. Just don't expect the victory to be an easy one.

Written by Angeline Phu

With a match against then-Women's World Champion Naomi at Clash In Paris cancelled on account of Mr. and Mrs. Uso expecting a child, Stephanie Vaquer's first shot at championship gold on the WWE main roster was delayed but, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Our punditry panel weighs in heavily with more than a three-fourths majority believing that Vaquer's patience will pay off at Wrestlepalooza, in the form of her besting former champ IYO SKY in a matchup that surely cannot disappoint.

Vaquer's ascension up the ranks of the WWE women's division has come quickly, as her debut on "WWE NXT" came not even a year ago, and her stay in NXT lasted fewer than eight months from there. It's clear that she's seen as a big deal given her stature in the division — and interesting to boot, when compared to a contemporary like Giulia, who was brought into WWE with more fanfare around the same time as Vaquer, yet is arguably a notch down at this point in the pecking order — and the fans are vocal for each of her appearances, as well as for "La Primera's" signature moves, the Devil's Kiss and SVB. 

SKY, of course, is no slouch, also at the top of the list in terms of in-ring ability and popularity; but perhaps our collective prediction here also is due, in part, to the fact that she is already well beyond made and in no need of possessing a title, especially when you consider her entanglement in the relationship between her allies in the Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane. That story has legs on legs upon which to run from here, so it won't be any surprise if (when?) Vaquer defeats her for the title and SKY can further evolve as a character, exploring either whatever beef comes of Asuka's possessive nature of late, as well as a generally unhinged demeanor.

Written by Jon Jordan

AJ Lee is back, and there isn't a soul in the Wrestling Inc. Staff who thinks that she won't be victorious on Saturday.

With all due respect to Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, they have been playing glorified geeks for the entirety of this feud; essentially acting like cartoon characters as they bumble around as antagonists to CM Punk and Lee. Don't get me wrong, it's possible that Lee and Punk will be bested by the World Heavyweight Champion and the Women's Intercontinental Champion, but it certainly seems more likely that Punk and Lee are on their way to separate feuds with the married champions. Who knows if AJ Lee will actually dethrone Becky, but ultimately a win on Saturday would put her on the right track.

Beyond the narrative implications, it would just be a major waste of goodwill to bring AJ Lee back just to see her lose. This is a return that's 10 years in the making and every bit as unthinkable as Punk's own return to wrestling some years back, and WWE would be fools not to capitalize on Lee's triumphant return. If anyone can keep the drama alive for the 20 or so minutes this match will take, it's Seth and Becky, but it's impossible to see the two leaving Indianapolis with their heads held high. It's ok though, they're both still champions; for now.

Written by Ross Berman IV

The Undisputed WWE Championship match pitting Cody Rhodes against Drew McIntyre may very well be one of the best matches on the card when it comes to an in-ring standpoint, but we think the result is extremely predictable. A full 100% of us believe that "The American Nightmare" is retaining here for a variety of reasons.

Rhodes has just returned to WWE after filming for "Street Fighter," and in what's becoming the norm for these guys these days, he's looking absolutely jacked. In storyline, he may have been taken out by McIntyre for weeks with a Claymore through the front of the commentary desk, but he certainly doesn't look like an injured slouch right now. With Rhodes off the road for awhile there, he and McIntyre haven't interacted as much. WWE could have Rhodes win here and McIntyre could snap, somehow continuing their feud into a stronger angle for the next premium live event, as Rhodes doesn't have a lot of credible challengers right now.

For reasons outside of storyline, it doesn't seem likely that WWE would want to want to take the title off its golden boy during the first-ever premium live event on the new ESPN service. They're attempting to get professional wrestling even more mainstream with this move to the network, and having Rhodes as the face of the company for it just seems like a good idea. 

Rhodes and McIntyre are likely to have a great match, but in the end, we think Rhodes will continue his reign, as McIntyre's character becomes more and more disgruntled and unhinged. All of us here at WINC say Rhodes is getting the W, but what happens after the match is up for debate.

Written by Daisy Ruth