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WWE Wrestlepalooza results: Brock Lesnar squashes John Cena, Cody Rhodes retains and Stephania Vaquer wins first gold

Teddy Ricketson

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WWE Wrestlepalooza results: Brock Lesnar squashes John Cena, Cody Rhodes retains and Stephania Vaquer wins first gold image

JUMP TO:

The WWE-ESPN era has begun.

Wrestlepalooza is in the books. It was one of the most hyped non-WrestleMania PLEs in recent memory. There were two title matches on the card, but it also contained a match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar as well as a returning AJ Lee who tagged with her husband CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The other match on the card saw The Usos come up short against the dominant tandem of Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. 

Overall, it was a nice debut for the WWE on ESPN. It was tough watching Brock Lesnar squash John Cena early, but the company's hero Cody Rhodes retained as the show closed. In the middle, Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky stole the show in a must-see match. 

The Sporting News tracked updates and highlights for WWE Wrestlepalooza's ESPN debut on Saturday night. Here are the complete results from John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar and every match on the 2025 wrestling card.

STREAM: Watch WWE Wrestlepalooza live with the ESPN app

WWE Wrestlepalooza results

WWE Wrestlepalooza live updates, highlights from John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar and full matches

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

7:32 p.m. -- Lesnar left the ring, then returned. He hit an F5 on the ref, and another on Cena. The camera cut to two sad Cena fans and a shocked Tyrese Haliburton. 

7:30 p.m. -- Cena got hit with a fourth straight F5. The fact that Cena is even able to get to his feet his impressive. Lesnar dropped him with a fifth F5, and it feels reminiscent of that one SummerSlam match that was extremely one-sided. Lesnar hit his sixth F5 and then covered Cena for the 1, 2, 3. 

7:28 p.m. -- Cena finally got control of the match. It took four diving shoulder blocks off the ropes to get Lesnar down. Cena then his him with three AAs and went for a cover. Lesnar kicked out at two. Cena went for the five knuckle shuffle, but Lesnar caught him and then hit him with three F5s. A wild sequence. 

7:25 p.m. -- The match begins and Lesnar is all over Cena. He corners him around the ring landing plenty of shoulder thrusts into Cena's abdomen. Cena tried to mount some offense, but Lesnar shut it down and powerslammed Cena in the ring. Then the 17-time champ took his first suplex of the match and it caused him to roll out of the ring.

When he got back into the ring, Lesnar had control of Cena's back, wearing him down. Cena all of a sudden countered Lesnar onto his shoulders for a possible AA, but he got out of it and clotheslined Cena. Lesnar hit the 17-time champ with his second release German suplex. There was worry that this was going to be a squash match, and at least early it looks it. Fans have to wonder how much Cena can take. 

7:20 p.m. - Wow. Out of nowhere, when Lesnar was about to get introduced, Paul Heyman enters and introduces his former client. 

7:17 p.m. -- We have our first match of the night. Lesnar gets the first entrance, while Cena, accompanied by like 40 children made his. 

Brock's entrance: 

Cena's entrance: 

The Usos vs. The Vision

8:11 p.m. -- The action in this match picked up. Reed missed a tsunami from the top rope, Breakker speared Jimmy and then Jey speared Breakker. Reed and LA Knight were on the outside, Jey did an outside dive and took our Reed. Knight wondered if it was for him and Jey said, "maybe."

Jey then countered a would-be chair shot in the ring and when he got the chair, turned on Breakker but pulled up before hitting Knight when Breakker dove out of the way.

Jey hit Breakker with a chair shot, but cut his forehead. This clearly wasn't planned and Jey was bleeding profusely. The ending looked rushed so that he could get medical attention, and it got kind of sloppy. Breakker speared both Usos into the table that had been in the corner for the 1, 2, 3. I doubt the ending changed, but Jey was definitely worried about the cut on his head and the fact that he wouldn't stop bleeding. 

8:05 p.m. -- Jey recovers and gets the crowd into the match. Jimmy recovers and tags Jey in who clears the ring. He and Breakker are the legal men, but Jey calls for a table. They set it up, but that gives Breakker and Reed time to recover. Reed then moves the table to the corner. Breakker went to spear Jey, but he counters with a super kick. He kicks Reed, and then the Usos give a double super kick to each before hitting a 1D on Breakker before Reed breaks it up.

8:00 p.m. -- The action continues, and Jimmy starts to favor his knee. The crowd cheers for a table, and Reed obliges but right when the applause erupts, he shoves it back under the ring. 

With Jimmy favoring his knee, The Vision take over, meticulously picking apart the hurt Uso. Reed gets too cocky. He sets up a steel chair in the ring and puts Jimmy's head on it. Again, Knight turns his head, but when Reed turns, Jimmy recovers and drops Reed face first into the seat chair. Jimmy goes to make a tag, but Breakker sprints across the ring and takes out Jey, throwing him into the steps. The Vision then hit a reverse Doomsday Device on Jimmy. 

7:55 p.m. -- LA Knight rings the bell, and Jey and Reed will start this one. They exchange blows, and Jey makes a quick tag to get Jimmy into the ring. Just as he was about to build some momentum, Reed shut it down and dragged him to the corner to tag in Breakker.

The Vision is jawing with Knight early. Breakker distracted Knight and Reed got out a chair. Knight turned around and saw it. Jimmy kicked Reed in the abdomen and grabbed the chair. Knight looked on, saw what was about to happen and turned his back so that Jimmy could hit Reed. 

7:46 p.m. -- What better way to get the crowd back into the event than have them Yeet with the Usos? This match with special guest referee LA Knight is next.

Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer

8:43 p.m. -- Sky decides to take her knee pads down and then hit a diving knee on a sitting Vaquer in the corner. She then hit Vaquer with a running knee in the middle of the ring. Sky goes for the moonsault. Vaquer rolls out of the way, and Sky's exposed knees hit hard. Vaquer goes to the top and she hits an insane spinning dive off the top rope and gets the three count. What. A. Match. 

8:40 p.m. -- Vaquer hit a crazy dragon screw on Sky's knee in the corner. Somehow, Sky is able to recover. She sets up the moonsault, but Vaquer gets her knees up. Vaquer hits another dragon screw on the knee and then finally hits the Devils kiss on Sky. The crowd loved it.

Vaquer goes for a pin after hitting the SVB, but Sky kicks out at two. Sky and Vaquer exchange punches on top of the turnbuckle. Sky hits a Spanish Fly from the top rope. She can't capitalize because the landing bothered her knee. She finally gets the pin and Vaquer kicks out at two.  

8:35 p.m. -- Sky has the upper hand again, and she hits a missile dropkick, rolls through and does her patented taunt. The crowd erupts, and Sky hits Vaquer with a suicide dive. As she gets back into the ring, Sky goes for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Vaquer counters and hits a dive onto Sky on the outside. 

She hits a diving cross body, and a suplex, but Sky hits her with a German suplex. Vaquer counters with a German suplex of her own. The wrestlers get to their knees and start throwing punches. After another suplex, Vaquer goes for the Devil's kiss, but Sky counters into a cross face. 

8:28 p.m. -- After the back-and-forth, Sky finally gets the upper hand. She starts to build momentum, wearing down Vaquer with a combination of quick strikes and holds. Sky sends her into the corner, and Vaquer reverses the charging Sky and uses the ropes for an arm lock until the count of five causes her to break it. Vaquer drops a leg on Sky and then hits her with a suplex. Sky tries to build momentum, but is hit with another suplex. Vaquer puts her in a choke hold, but Sky reverses it. A very technical match early. 

8:25 p.m. -- This should be a fun match. Sky is one of the best in the business, and Vaquer is an up-and-comer in her first title match. The pace will likely pick up, but it started slowly with each wrestler going through working holds on the other. They exchange various pin combinations with all of them getting to two counts. They each separate and smile, showing respect for each other. 

8:20 p.m. -- Stephanie and Iyo are up next, and it was announced that Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre will be closing the show. 

CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch

9:32 p.m. -- Lynch and Rollins go for tandem GTSs, but it is countered. Punk takes Rollins out of the ring. Lee sets up in the corner, but is dragged down by Rollins. Punk gets back in the ring and hits a stomp on Rollins. Lynch and Punk go at it, exchanging sharpshooters. Rollins gets back in the ring and hits a pedigree, followed by a stomp. 

Lee runs in the ring and breaks up the pin attempt with a stomp of her own. Lynch hits the man handle slam on Lee and goes for the cover. Lee looked a little late on the kickout, but it was ruled a two-count regardless. 

Punk and Rollins exchange blows in the center of the ring right next to Lee and Lynch. The action spills outside. Punk sends Rollins over the announce table, and they each clear an announce table. 

Punk and Lee set up for a pedigree and manhandle slam, respectively, but it is countered. Lynch ends up throwing Lee into Punk and Rollins crashing through the table. When Lynch gets her back in the ring, Lee instantly puts her into the Black Widow and Lynch taps. 

9:23 p.m. -- Rollins then taunts both Punk and Lee doing AJ's classic skip around both of them. He goes for too long and skips right into a GTS from Punk. Lee finally gets tagged. She takes down Lynch, and delivers some kicks in the corner. Lee hits a diving crossbody on Lynch and it results in a two-count. The crowd is fully behind her and she delivers a fury of slaps and hits to Lynch. She then continues the attack on Rollins. 

She hits a tornado DDT on Lynch and then Punk helps her hit a sliced bread on Rollins. Both Lee and Punk hit bulldogs from the corner and shining wizards on their opponent. Lee and Lynch exchange submission counters, but Lee puts her in a Black Widow submission with Punk putting Rollins in the sharpshooter. 

Rollins and Lynch eventually escape and hit tandem pedigrees for a two-count. 

9:15 p.m. -- Punk tries to fight back, but still can't get to Lee in the corner. Rollins tries to suplex Punk but he can't get him over. They each try to suplex the other with Punk finally getting Rollins over. Punk crawls toward Lee, but Rollins recovers in time to cut him off. 

Punk gets to Lee finally, but Lynch had entered the ring and distracted the ref so she didn't see it. Rollins then military pressed Lynch to drop her on Punk. This head scratching move didn't work out. He drops her and Punk rolls out of the way. When Punk finally gets to his corner, though, Lynch pulled Lee off the apron and Punk once again couldn't make a tag. 

9:10 p.m. -- Rollins gains the advantage in the ring and gets Punk in the corner. He distracts the ref, and Becky Lynch gives Punk a chokehold, but a noogie. After this, Punk distracts the ref, and Lee does the same to Rollins in the corner.

Punk has the upper hand, but went for an axe handle slam from the top rope. Rollins and sets him up for the pedigree, but Punk counters into a hold for the GTS. It is countered and Punk is pushed outside. When he gets out there, Lynch shoves him into the steel steps. 

Back in the ring, it is all Rollins. He is totally in control over Punk, taking time to smooch his wife in the corner and doing what he can to keep AJ Lee out of the match. Lynch again takes advantage of a ref distraction and slaps Punk. 

9:05 p.m. -- AJ Lee wanted to start the match, but Lynch stepped out, and so Punk and Rollins started things off. Instantly, Lynch tags herself in, so this forces Lee into the match because Punk can't fight Lynch based on the rules of the match. Lynch hits a cheap shot on Punk on the outside. She escapes Lee who chases her, and tags in Rollins. Punk runs and hits a suicide dive to the outside and this one briefly spills out into the crowd. 

9 p.m. -- It's time for the mixed tag match, and in-ring return of AJ Lee.

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

10:12 p.m. -- Rhodes' head was right next to the announce table. The ref stopped McIntyre from attacking long enough for Rhodes to attack. McIntyre went for a Claymore kick and missed, injuring his ankle. Rhodes went for a Cody cutter and got hit with another Glasgow kiss.

McIntyre set up for a Claymore but couldn't run. Rhodes hit a super Cody cutter off the top rope and then a Cross Rhodes for the win. 

10:10 p.m. -- McIntyre slugged Rhodes, who had to let go of the hold. McIntyre took the bad off the turnbuckle. He tossed it onto the ramp. The ref went to get it and McIntyre went for a roll-up pin, he had Rhodes beat but by the ref got back in the ring, Rhodes kicked out at two.

Rhodes then countered himself, but two a two count. Rhodes went for a Cody cutter and McIntyre kicked out. He then hit an outside dive on Rhodes, and then a Claymore kick when they got back in the ring. 

10:07 p.m. -- Both wrestlers recover and exchange counters before Rhodes hits a powerslam. He then hits McIntyre with a disaster kick off the middle rope. This time he hit the Cody cutter without stopping leading up to it. He goes for the Cross Rhodes, but McIntyre hits a knee to Rhodes' head. 

McIntyre hits a white noise off the top rope, and both men are down until McIntyre kips up. He goes to the corner to set up the Claymore Kick. Cody countered, and McIntyre hit a Glasgow kiss. Rhodes dodged it and put McIntyre into a figure-four leg lock. 

10:05 p.m. -- It feels weird that they are essentially pushing an angle that Rhodes may be wrestling with a concussion. But that isn't stopping McIntyre from hitting back-to-back belly-to-belly suplexes. He had the upper hand, but Rhodes dodged a shoulder thrust in the corner and it sent McIntyre into the post. 

The action spilled to the outside, and the head injury angle will certainly be helped as McIntyre hit an Alabama slam into the steel steps. McIntyre went to the top rope, but Rhodes recovered and hit a superplex off the top of the turnbuckle. 

10 p.m. -- McIntyre is toying with Rhodes early. Something is off with Rhodes. The announcers pick up on it that he seems like he is struggling. At one point he went for the Cody cutter and just stopped in the ring. He motioned toward his head, likely trying to hype up the storyline when McIntyre claymore kicked him into the announce table five weeks ago, but still weird. 

9:55 p.m. -- It is time for the main event of the evening. Drew McIntyre looks to win championship gold from Cody Rhodes. 

9:44 p.m. -- Ahead of the final match of the night, The Undertaker's gong hits followed by his American Badass theme. He drives a motorcycle down to ringside, where Stephanie McMahon is applauding him. The interaction is weird, but he is there to induct her as the first member of the Class of 2026 Hall of Fame. This is insanely early for an induction, but she seems genuinely shocked. 

Pre-show updates

7:12 p.m. -- After some lengthy video packages, we have our first return of the night. Pat McAfee, who takes a break during the fall for his duties with ESPN and college football. With the PLE in Indianapolis, it isn't surprising that he returned, and Haliburton is sitting front row right behind him. 

6:59 p.m. -- The War & Treaty is on hand to sing God Bless America. Time for Wrestlepalooza which will kick off with Cena and Lesnar going at it. 

6:51 p.m. -- While the WWE-ESPN deal is controversial with fans due to a new price hike to access PLEs, one benefit of the deal is that ESPN's production team can help highlight the best of WWE. That started on Saturday with Michael Cole putting together an essay on what the partnership means to him.

A must-watch for wrestling fans. 

6:40 p.m. -- Tyrese Haliburton was a guest of Stephanie McMahon's "What's Your Story" podcast, and it will be released next Thursday. Haliburton said that he has told Triple H repeatedly that he wants to go through a table and that every time he tells the NBA and the Indiana Pacers that he is heading to WWE, he tells them that he isn't doing anything with the company, but that if he was, he'd never tell them. 

6:35 p.m. -- Corey Graves, prior to being attacked by Brock Lesnar last night on SmackDown, interviewed AJ Lee and CM Punk ahead of Wrestlepalooza. They talked about how far the women's revolution had come over the last 10 years, and how happy Punk is that she is back. 

6:25 p.m. -- While it may be overlooked on the overall card, Stephanie Vaquer will get her first main roster title match at Wrestlepalooza.

6:15 p.m. -- Triple H was asked about AJ Lee's return and said that it was something that he has been trying to get done for a long time, and he is glad that it finally came to fruition, granted at the expense of Lee's husband CM Punk getting slapped multiple times. 

6:05 p.m. -- Chief Content Office Paul "Triple H" Levesque is joining the pre-show panel. 

6:00 p.m. -- Drew McIntyre sat down for an interview with Cathy Kelly. During it, he talked about his animosity towards not only Cody Rhodes, but also the WWE Universe.

5:50 p.m. -- It was announced before Wrestlepalooza weekend that John Cena and Brock Lesnar would kick off the show. 

5:46 p.m. -- The altercation between The Usos and The Vision doesn't go unpunished. RAW GM Adam Pearce tabbed LA Knight with guest referee duties.

5:29 p.m.: Before the match, The Usos and The Vision were captured getting into it backstage.

The Usos and The Vision get into it backstage ahead of #WrestlePalooza pic.twitter.com/ibkw7nLHLs

— Cory (@Cory_Hays407) September 20, 2025

5:20 p.m.: With Wrestlemania being in Indianapolis, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has made an appearance.

Haliburton recently was in Ames, Iowa for Iowa vs Iowa State, and he has been at wrestling events in the past. This includes his interaction with Jalen Brunson at WWE Smackdown in 2024.

4:00 p.m.: The Usos have arrived, and they're together again before tonight's Wrestlepalooza.

Yeetn’ Since Day One Ish 😤@WWEUsos reunite TONIGHT at #Wrestlepalooza!

Stream Wrestlepalooza LIVE tonight at 7ET/4PT on the @espn App: https://t.co/jKAIj8o5n1 pic.twitter.com/VylKYQ3Z86

— WWE (@WWE) September 20, 2025

This is their first match as a tag team since the March 24, 2025 episode of "Raw." 

11:58 a.m.: Wrestlepalooza fever is in the air, even in the college football world. At ESPN's "College GameDay," legendary head coach Nick Saban hit his colleagues with the "You can't see me."

How to watch WWE Wrestlepalooza

WWE Wrestlepalooza start time

  • Date: September, 20, 2025
  • Start time: 7 p.m. ET

The Wrestlepalooza show begins at 7 p.m. ET. With such a big event, the WWE is bringing back its countdown show. The Wrestlepalooza Countdown will begin on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, and will air on WWE.com, the ESPN App and WWE social media platforms including YouTube and TikTok. 

What channel is WWE Wrestlepalooza on?

  • Live stream (U.S.): ESPN App
  • Live stream (Global): Netflix

Wrestlepalooza will be the first PLE of the new partnership between the WWE and ESPN. While WWE PLE's have been available on Peacock recently in the United States, the only way to watch Wrestlepalooza will be with the ESPN app.

If you are outside the U.S., Wrestlepalooza will be available on Netflix.

How much does it cost to watch WWE Wrestlepalooza?

  • Price: $29.99 per month of ESPN unlimited, bundle available

ESPN Unlimited, a.k.a the revamped ESPN app, can be purchased for $29.99 per month as a standalone service. There is a bundle available where you can get Disney+, Hulu and ESPN for $29.99 per month for 12 months, but it will auto-renew after a year at $35.99 per month with ads, or $44.99 a month without ads. 

Does ESPN have a free trial for WWE Wrestlepalooza?

No, ESPN is not currently offering a free trial for its re-invented app or for Wrestlepalooza. 

MORE: Everything to know about ESPN's revamped streaming service

WWE Wrestlepalooza card details

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: We finally get classic John Cena back. The heel turn against Cody Rhodes to set up their WrestleMania match is over. Cena got to air his grievances against the WWE Universe, but then at SummerSlam he returned to being a fan favorite. His all black Jumbotron with just his name lit up in color as fans erupted in applause that their champ was back.

Fans had just watched Cena drop his title to Rhodes, and were applauding the former champ, since it was his last SummerSlam ahead of his retirement at the end of 2025. Just as he was about to exit the ring, Brock Lesnar's music hit setting up a feud between the two. It was a controversial return with social media not sure how to react with Lesnar's legal status away from the ring, but that won't prevent the two from clashing one more time at Wrestlepalooza. It was announced before the show that this match would lead things off on Saturday. 

CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch: Fans have been clamoring for 10 years for AJ Lee to return. Every year, since the inception of the all-women’s Evolution PLE or the Women’s Royal Rumble, fans have hoped to hear Lee’s iconic entrance music echo through the arena. Their wish has finally been granted.

CM Punk has been feuding with Seth Rollins since his WWE return. They’ve had some classic matches, but this feud took a different turn when Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch, got involved. She would call out Punk during promos and repeatedly slap him, insisting there was nothing he could do.

With SmackDown recently held in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, he cut a promo against Rollins and Lynch. Punk said he would never put his hands on a woman—but hinted that he knew someone who would. While it was heavily suggested that AJ Lee would be the one to intervene, the crowd erupted when she made her return after a 10-year hiatus.

Lee's last match in WWE prior to Wrestlepalooza was March 30, 2015. 

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre: Drew McIntyre has developed into one of the most unpredictable wrestlers in WWE. He was a fan favorite during the ThunderDome era, when live fans weren’t allowed due to COVID-19. Since then, McIntyre has come close to reclaiming the title multiple times, only to have it slip through his fingers. He won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40, but CM Punk attacked him afterward, allowing Damian Priest to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and claim the title.

Since then, McIntyre has become increasingly relentless. His aggression peaked when he attacked Cody Rhodes and drove his head into the announce table on an episode of SmackDown. Holding the Undisputed WWE Championship above his head, McIntyre made his intentions clear.

Rhodes would accept the match with McIntyre when he finally returned a month later and attacked the Scottish Psycopath who had just defeated Randy Orton. 

Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer: If you’re wondering when either Sky or Vaquer became champion, the answer is: never. Naomi vacated the title after announcing her pregnancy, leaving RAW GM Adam Pearce scrambling to crown a new champion. Rather than holding another tournament, Pearce opted to pit two worthy competitors against each other.

Sky was originally set to be Naomi’s No. 1 contender, while Vaquer earned a future title opportunity by winning a Battle Royal at the Evolution PLE. It was never clear whether Vaquer would choose when to cash in that opportunity or if it would be decided for her. Pearce appears to have made the call, setting the stage for Vaquer to cash in at Wrestlepalooza.

The Usos vs. The Vision: If you’re not familiar with their tag team name, “The Vision” refers to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, disciples of Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman. Breakker and Reed have been tasked by Rollins and Heyman not only with attacking Rollins’ adversaries but also with creating chaos across WWE.

Jey Uso and L.A. Knight faced The Vision, but things quickly unraveled after the match. Breakker and Reed moved to take out their opponents, with Jey taking a spear from Breakker and a Tsunami from Reed. His twin brother, Jimmy, rushed to his aid. Afterwards, the Usos approached RAW GM Adam Pearce to request a match at Wrestlepalooza.

While the tag team match sees the reuniting of the Usos, that isn't the only thing to keep an eye on. Jey speared L.A. Knight after their failed tag team match, and Knight responded by attacking Jey the next week. L.A. Knight could show up at Wrestlepalooza, which would be a bad twist for the Usos. 

Teddy Ricketson

Teddy Ricketson is a Digital Content Producer at The Sporting News. He joined the team in 2024 after spending the last three years writing for Vox Media as part of its DK Nation/Network team. Teddy does his best to support the South Carolina Gamecocks and Carolina Panthers, but tends to have more fun cheering on the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, Brooke, and their two dogs, Bo and Hootie.