AJ Lee made her triumphant return to WWE on SmackDown after a decade-long absence. (Credit: WWE)
WWE
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 is the first pro wrestling event with that moniker in 25 years, and oh boy, it’s a doozy.
In what can best be described as a direct counter-programming attempt by WWE to combat AEW’s All Out event, Triple H and WWE’s creative team have loaded up WrestlePalooza with a handful of blockbuster matches. That includes Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena in Lesnar’s return match after roughly two years away, plus the shocking in-ring return of AJ Lee after more than a decade out of wrestling.
WWE WrestlePalooza may not be WrestleMania, but it’s as close as they come, with a star-studded event that will have long-term ramifications on WWE’s main event scene.
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Start Time and Streaming Info
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025, emanating from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, will begin at 7 pm EST (6 pm CST).
For fans in the United States, the PLE will be the first WWE event to air on the ESPN app. It is currently available to fans who subscribe directly to the ESPN Unlimited Plan or customers who subscribe to ESPN on select pay-TV providers, including Spectrum, Hulu + Live TV and DIRECTV (streaming only).
International fans can watch WWE WrestlePalooza on Netflix.
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Match Card
WWE WrestlePalooza will feature just five matches on a card that boasts one of the most stacked lineups in recent memory. Below is the full card for WWE’s latest PLE:
- AJ Lee and CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins
- WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
- John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
- Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer
- The Usos vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
Lee is wrestling her first match since 2015 while Lesnar will be facing Cena in his first bout since 2023. Cena vs. Lesnar will open the show while McIntyre vs. Rhodes for the WWE Championship will get the main event slot.
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Betting Odds
WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 boasts a stellar card with a few matches that could seemingly go either way. Here are the betting odds from BetOnline.ag, which are current at time of publication, for every match on the card:
AJ Lee and CM Punk (-2500) vs. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins (+800)
After a shocking return to WWE on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago, Lee has reportedly signed a full-time deal to return to the ring.
That’s a huge get for a loaded WWE’s women’s division, and Lee already finds herself embroiled in a heated rivalry with Lynch and Rollins. Although this may be a long-term feud and that could suggest a win for the heels, there shouldn’t be any outcome other than Lee winning her first WWE match in a decade.
In the ideal booking scenario, that finish would lead to Lee vs. Lynch for the Intercontinental Championship in the months ahead as well.
WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (-2000) vs. Drew McIntyre (+700)
Although McIntyre may very well win the WWE Championship at some point, WWE WrestlePalooza is not the time or place.
Consider that Rhodes just won the WWE Championship early last month and doesn’t figure to have his reign end after less than two months. Of course, a McIntyre title win would also be overshadowed on a show that will also feature Lee’s first match in a decade and what is likely the last ever Cena vs. Lesnar match.
McIntyre vs. Rhodes should be a long-term rivalry, and that necessitates a tainted win for Rhodes at WWE WrestlePalooza that leads to a rematch in the near future, maybe at Crown Jewel next month. Don’t be surprised if Randy Orton, a rival of McIntyre’s and a friend of Rhodes, is involved in the finish in some capacity.
John Cena (-350) vs. Brock Lesnar (+225)
There is reportedly “some disagreement” regarding the outcome of Cena vs. Lesnar, and a case could certainly be made for either star winning.
After a couple of years away, Lesnar is likely going to be pushed strongly as a part-time attraction again, and that means he will need to rack up some wins before finally losing. Cena, after his failed heel turn, is so beloved right now that the fans will be behind him regardless of how many times he loses.
The fact that Cena is red hot as a babyface makes this match a very slight lean toward “The Champ,” though with this match no longer main-eventing as was originally thought, a Lesnar win wouldn’t exactly be a surprise.
Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (-200) vs. Iyo Sky (+150)
WWE originally had penciled in Stephanie Vaquer vs. Naomi here, but Naomi’s shocking pregnancy announcement threw the Women’s World Championship scene into disarray.
Sky has dominated the title scene for much of the past year, so it’s easy to envision WWE going back to the well one more time with another win for the high-flying star. On the flip side, Vaquer herself is experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity, and a title win in Indianapolis would make for a fresh change at the top of the card.
With WWE creative head Triple H always booking Sky well, she’s the better bet to leave WWE WrestlePalooza as champion, despite being the underdog odds-wise. Still, creatively speaking, there isn’t a bad choice here.
Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed (-500) vs. The Usos (+300)
WWE has pulled the plug on the Jey Uso singles push. Well, at least for now, that is.
With Jey not really factoring into the world title scene at the moment, he and Jimmy should help revitalize Raw’s awfully stagnant tag team division. The reunion of the Usos should be treated as a big deal, and it will struggle to even get out of the gate if the Usos lose at WrestlePalooza despite recent tensions between Jimmy and Jey.
Instead, WWE WrestlePalooza should mark a triumphant return for the Usos that continues their rivalry with The Vision en route to Survivor Series. But with The Vision’s duo favored, that could suggest a win for Seth Rollins’ crew in Indianapolis before the Usos get their win back later on.