WWE Wrestlepalooza: Climaxed on Countdown Show — Results & Review

WWE took every waking opportunity to tell us that they had "arrived" by having a Premium Live Event on ESPN. Michael Cole even called it "vindication." If this is how PLEs are going to be, they need to go back to Peacock.

I'm not sure if it was nerves or the drowsy Indianapolis crowd, but this show was mediocre at best.

Something was off all night. The energy in the building did not match the buildup or come close to recent hot crowds internationally and in cities like Chicago and Springfield, MA.

The Usos vs. The Vision was a clunky Raw match.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY was a good match, but not the classic we prematurely thought it would be. That could be on us for expecting too much. Stephanie's sentimental moment with her dad was cool.

AJ Lee's in-ring return was special, but not like it should have been. The match was overly choreographed; the four wrestlers were waiting for one another's spots. The crowd missed key moments (like CM Punk's kiss) to react.

The main event was as basic as the build-up. No Randy Orton? No Rock? No heel turns? Just a clean finish and closing credit call with Cody standing tall. Fans were walking out before the show was over. That's how dry the energy was.

I already wrote about Pat McAfee and Michael Cole. They need to be done.

Speaking of being done, we've seen enough of Tyrese Haliburton. That's not his fault, it's WWE's.

I don't mind Brock Lesnar beating John Cena, nor having a shorter match, but we needed something else after the match to fill out the segment.

The best part of the night was Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar's reunion.

Stephanie McMahon going into the 2026 Hall of Fame is well-deserved and a special announcement, but that is the biggest headline coming out of the show.

Final Comments

I understand that Wrestlepalooza was supposed to be a match to introduce WWE to casual and non-fans, but the effort tonight wasn't it.

WWE did this to themselves. More specifically, Triple H did this to himself. You can't tell us, "this is going to be unlike anything you have ever seen" and then give us exactly what we have already seen.

It will get better, but tonight was dry.

WWE Wrestlepalooza Full Results:

• Cody Rhodes (c) def. Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship
• AJ Lee and CM Punk def. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in a Mixed Tag Team Match
• Stephanie Vaquer def. IYO Sky to win the Women’s World Championship
• The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed) def. The Usos (Jey and Jimmy)
• Brock Lesnar def. John Cena
• Stephanie McMahon announced as 1st inductee in the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame