The WWE Universe witnessed the Wrestlepalooza premium live event this Saturday on ESPN from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The show carried a stacked card of five matches with almost all its big names. Here’s the result of all the matches of the PLE, and whether Triple H and his team did the fans justice with the bookings.
5. John Cena Couldn’t Overcome Brock Lesnar
The PLE was kicked off with the singles match between Brock Lesnar and John Cena. The match saw ‘The Franchise Player’ on the back foot for the most part. He made a breakthrough at one point and landed three consecutive Attitude Adjustments on Brock Lesnar. However, the former three-time Universal Champion easily bounced back and finished things off with three back-to-back F5s.
Fans didn’t expect Brock Lesnar to go down easily, but they didn’t expect to see John Cena lose a key match at the tail end of his career. The WWE Universe is already very unsatisfied with how Triple H has handled Cena’s farewell tour. This defeat adds yet another frustration for fans, who wish to see their hero win. Mr. Hustle Loyalty and Respect just has five more appearances left, and it remains to be seen if anything good will come out of it. Perhaps Lesnar should have been his final opponent if ‘The Game’ wanted to give him the win.
4. Jey Uso Busts Himself Open, Allowing the Vision to Win
Jimmy and Jey Uso teamed up to face Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed in tag team action. Adam Pearce added more chaos to the match by appointing LA Knight as the special guest referee owing to the breakout of a near-brawl between both teams ahead of their bout. ‘The Megastar’ allowed the use of chairs and tables in the match, and both teams made full use of the impromptu stipulation.
The final moments of the match saw ‘The Yeet Master’ becoming almost invincible, not falling prey to any distractions. However, he busted his head open as a result of his ferocity. Notably, he hit Bron Breakker so hard on his back with a chair that it bounced back and hit him on the head. A Double Spear and a Tsunami later, The Vision defeated The Usos. This was inarguably a blockbuster match with great wrestling and an impressive outcome, keeping fans on their toes till the bell rang.
3. Stephanie Vaquer Becomes the New Women’s World Champion
Stephanie Vaquer and IYO SKY faced each other to win the vacant Women’s World Championship. The duo began the bout with a show of respect before throwing absolutely everything in their arsenal at each other. The match saw the Japanese superstar pick up an injury on her right knee when she landed a Spanish fly on Vaquer. This became a decisive factor in the world title win for ‘La Primera.’ Despite damaging her knee, ‘The Genius of the SKY’ didn’t hold back on the offense, even sliding her knee pads down.
However, the final moments of the match saw SKY hit an Over The Moonsault, but StephanieVaquer rolled out of the way. ‘The Dark Angel’ followed this up with a Spiral Tap for the win, surprising the WWE Universe since this isn’t her typical finisher. The Indianapolis crowd was invested in the match right from the moment both stars made their entrances. Both babyfaces received massive cheers throughout the match, and SKY sold her knee injury even after the match. Both stars bowed to each other in a final show of respect following a high-voltage match.
2. AJ Lee Steals the Show With a Massive Comeback Win
AJ Lee and CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch was perhaps the most sought-after match at Wrestlepalooza. This was the first match for Lee in over 10 years after she ended her pro wrestling retirement. Despite this being a mixed tag team match, all four superstars didn’t strictly adhere to fighting just the opponent of their genders, which was a huge plus from the get-go. The bout saw several brilliant assists exchanged between the partners on both teams, showcasing true tag team wrestling instead of individual star power.
At one moment, AJ Lee locked Becky Lynch in her Black Widow submission move while CM Punk grabbed Seth Rollins with a Sharpshooter submission hold. The heel couple, however, escaped and delivered a Double Pedigree right after. The final moments saw a lot of chaos before Lee executed The Black Widow on ‘The Man’ one more time, making the Irish wrestler tap out. This was easily the best match on the card and definitely deserved the main event spotlight owing to the brilliant display of wrestling as well as subtle storytelling.
1. Cody Rhodes Beats Drew McIntyre to Solidify His Second Undisputed Championship Run
Cody Rhodes successfully defended the Undisputed Championship against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza. While ‘The American Nightmare’ emerged victorious, the match saw ‘The Scottish Psychopath’ dominate the ring for most of the match, displaying his extensive arsenal and technical prowess. Moreover, there was a point where he could’ve even won the match and had Rhodes pinned down for a lot longer than three seconds.
However, the referee had exited the ring just before Drew McIntyre pinned ‘QB1’ to save himself from harm, which resulted in a delayed count. The final moments of the match saw ‘The Scottish Warrior’ try to land a Claymore on Cody Rhodes against the announce desk, but the latter rolled out of harm’s way. McIntyre injured his leg in the process, and ‘The American Nightmare’ took advantage of the situation to win the maiden title defense of his second run. This was a great match, and the Scotsman definitely played a bigger role despite losing tonight.
With this, WWE put up a PLE as part of its debut on ESPN. None of the matches failed to deliver, and all stars, including LA Knight, ensured that the crowd of Indianapolis enjoyed the show.
