WWE’s ESPN era bombed hard with Wrestlepalooza, where the five-match card PLE has left the fans hating on the wrestling promotion brand. This was evident as fans were left unhappy with the results at John Cena and Brock Lesnar’s match and the main event, featuring Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
According to exclusive reports from Bodyslam (via X), it was mentioned that ‘The Cenation Leader’ was supposed to defeat ‘The Beast Incarnate.’ Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes loses his Undisputed WWE Championship because of Randy Orton and how he turns on him. Check out the tweet below:
Sources indicate to Bodyslam that as of Saturday morning, John Cena was scheduled to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestlePalooza.
Sources also indicate that both Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre pitched Randy Orton accidentally costing Rhodes the WWE Title. This would’ve set up Cody… pic.twitter.com/gIqlni99qp
The plans from the initial reports sound more intriguing than what we witnessed last Saturday, as that would have sown seeds for more intense rivalries in the near future. However, this has left the questions wide open on what, and more importantly, who made these decisions.
ESPN’s Creative Reign Led to Wrestlepalooza’s Horrendous Booking
Unlike the Netflix era, ESPN’s era with WWE had a disappointing start, where the fans were taken aback when they learned that John Cena and Brock Lesnar would be kicking off Wrestlepalooza (via Instagram). This was shocking because everyone was looking forward to their match.
According to an exclusive report from Fightful Select (via ITR Wrestling), it was stated that ESPN preferred to have a “big title match” to close the show, which made Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre’s match the main event. The report said,
It was not changed because Brock wanted to fly out early. It’s because of the creative, but ESPN had wanted Cody and Drew McIntyre for the pomp and circumstance surrounding a world title match.
What’s more surprising is that the creative ideas failed so hard that ESPN could not cover their disappointment towards the PPV, giving it a lukewarm C grade. In their remarks, they explained that Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer’s match for the Women’s World Championship saved the day, while the other two matches were “underwhelming.”
What’s worse is how ESPN did not attempt to hide how desperate they were to have the matches go their desired way, and they overlooked the fans’ sentiments, making Cena have a request from Triple H. While at Cody Rhodes’ match, Drew McIntyre was prevented from hitting a legal Claymore that led to him losing the match.
WWE Could Have Made Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena Better
The idea of having a World Championship match as the main event always sounds intriguing, as Triple H did the same thing at WrestleMania 18. While it sounds unjust to have a match of that caliber as the first match of the premium live event, the match could have been much better, all while having the same outcome.
The fans were hyped with how hyped John Cena got the WWE Universe riled up last week on RAW’s segment. Though it was known that Lesnar was not going to be easy to defeat, he entered the match as a favorite to win. What WWE could have done is showcase how John Cena still had a lot of fight in him, and he is still worthy of carrying the title of being called “The Last Real Champion.”
What ESPN did was a massacre of the legacy of the greatest wrestler in the history of WWE, who has worked tirelessly to elevate the wrestling business. They made ‘The Beast’ toy with Cena, delivering six thunderous F5s to him and a seventh one after the match concluded, leaving the fans in tears and making our hero look like a part-timer.
Cena now has just six appearances left in his retirement tour, and it is unacceptable and an unfitting tribute to the man, who has sacrificed it all for the well-being of the wrestling promotion brand.
With Wrestlepalooza being such a massive disappointment, do you think that WWE could have saved the PLE from suffering such a horrible fate? Let us know in the comments below!
Wrestlepalooza can currently be streamed on Netflix.
