Brock Lesnar made his unexpected return to WWE at SummerSlam. (Credit: Elsa/Getty Images)
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Before WWE WrestlePalooza 2025, Brock Lesnar had spent more than two years away without wrestling in WWE. Then came Lesnar’s shocking SummerSlam return and subsequent attack on John Cena.
After Lesnar was named in a sex trafficking lawsuit against former WWE boss Vince McMahon, there were doubts about whether “The Beast” would ever wrestle again. Alas, the widespread public backlash and criticism didn’t prevent WWE from signing Lesnar to a new contract that will once again see the former UFC star working a “very limited” schedule in the ring.
WWE kicked off Lesnar’s first feud of his latest run with his attack on Cena, and in the weeks that followed, Lesnar’s presumed final rivalry with Cena became a major focal point of WWE programming. Despite fan resistance to Lesnar’s return and rekindled storyline with Cena, the two stars clashed in one of the most high-profile matches at WWE’s first PLE on ESPN, WWE WrestlePalooza.
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Results for John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar’s widely panned WWE return isn’t going to sit well with some fans after what transpired at WWE WrestlePalooza. In front of a crowd that raucously booed “The Beast” Lesnar left the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis with yet another major victory over Cena and a shockingly lopsided one at that.
The hard-hitting slug fest between two of WWE’s most accomplished stars was one-sided virtually from the jump. Despite blasting Lesnar with three consecutive AAs, Cena ultimately didn’t have enough gas left in the tank, and Lesnar put him away with a series of vicious F5s.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from what may very well be the last-ever match between Cena and Lesnar as “The Champ” nears his retirement in December:
- After teasing a possible reunion on Friday’s SmackDown, Paul Heyman showed up unexpectedly to announce Lesnar’s ring into, suggesting the two could be reuniting long-term
- The Indianapolis crowd immediately showered Cena with “Let’s go Cena!” chants as Lesnar quickly took control and began wearing down Cena. It looked like Cena was going to level the playing field with an AA, but Lesnar wiggled out and blasted Cena with a huge lariat.
- Lesnar was able to avoid a power slam, slam Lesnar into the turnbuckle and then finally take down Lesnar with a quartet of shoulder tackles. Cena hit Lesnar with three AAs back-to-back, but Lesnar miraculously kicked out at two.
- Cena went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Lesnar quickly got two his feet and hit Cena with two F5s out of nowhere. After toying with Cena, Lesnar hoisted up Cena for yet another F5 and nailed it but didn’t go for a pin. Lesnar hit a fourth F5 on Cena and then a fifth, but again, he didn’t go for the pin.
- After a sixth F5, Lesnar finally decided to go for the pin and got the 1-2-3.
Lesnar likely finishes his rivalry with the 17-time world champion Cena with a surprisingly lopsided 5-2 record.
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Results: What’s Next for John Cena and Brock Lesnar?
After his loss to Lesnar at WWE WrestlePalooza 2025, Cena has only two scheduled appearances on his retirement tour over roughly the next two months.
Cena’s next confirmed date is the Crown Jewel PLE in Perth, Australia on Oct. 11 while his next appearance after that is the Nov. 10 edition of Raw in Boston, which is essentially his hometown. That will make it incredibly difficult for Cena to continue his rivalry with Lesnar, what with Cena being out for roughly three weeks after WrestlePalooza and Lesnar’s “very limited” schedule.
If this feud were happening just a few years ago, Lesnar and Cena would probably find themselves embroiled in a series of matches over the course of several months. But time is no longer on Cena’s side while Lesnar’s latest contract, as per usual, likely puts him back on the sidelines until early next year.
Lesnar’s SummerSlam return and WrestlePalooza match was more so a way for WWE to combat AEW’s All Out, which happened earlier in the day, than anything else. It was a way for WWE to grab some headlines heading into its first PLE on ESPN, and it certainly accomplished that goal, no matter which way you slice it.
But now, as has been the case for the past decade or so, Lesnar is likely heading to back to the sidelines after being a stopgap feud for a top star. With just a few weeks until Crown Jewel and no televised appearances between now and then, however, WWE is going to have to find a way to get creative with Cena’s next rivalry.
WWE may have to build a feud between Cena and a rising heel on Raw, someone like Dominik Mysterio, without Cena appearing in person. Or else, Cena may not be wrestling at Crown Jewel at all.
After his loss to Lesnar at WWE WrestlePalooza, Cena will still have the WWE fan base on his side. Now, Cena will be out for redemption after one of the worst losses of his storied career.