WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025 Discussion

[DavidB6937]

Watched this over breakfast this morning as I was all wrestled out last night.

Cena/Lesnar - pointless, unless they're having a rematch to try and make John look like the ultimate hero overcoming him and they don't have much else planned for him. I'd rather he had other matches.

Usos/Brons - meh. Fine I guess.

Iyo/Stephanie- undoubtedly match of the night which wasnt hard but still really good. Hope they keep up her momentum as she's a special talent.

Mixed Tag - well they enjoyed themselves. If you hate them all then this wasnt going to win you over.

Cody/Drew - pointless. Really thought they'd have something interesting to end the night but absolutely nothing.

Considering the way HHH was hyping the show you'd have thought they would stack it with far more interesting stuff but it was a B level PLE with barely any surprises. So odd and pointless overall.

[air_raid]

I actually watched some of this!

Cena vs Lesnar was the match I had chief interest in so I squeezed it in on half watch while tidying/making coffee. I didn’t mind it as a short “greatest hits” version of their matches and just as I was thinking “they’re killing the F5 worse than Mania 34 did” Brock went for the pin and won. 6, was it? I understand the decision if they mean to give Lesnar another headline match in the near future (some suggest vs Cody at Mania, I still think Cody vs Punk main events). The win decision I mean, not the decision to bring Lesnar back.

I didn’t watch Brons vs Usos as I considered it completely inconsequential. Surely nobody cares until Reigns comes back (again) to wrestle Breakker one on one?

I watched Vaquer vs Sky in its entirety while the wife was doing her exercises, in spite of my crippling fear that should she unexpectedly enter the room to see me haunched over my phone watching a slice of cake with her bum hanging out, pretending to fight a small Japanese girl, it would have been instant divorce. From the number of matches I’ve watched in full this year, which I can probably count on my fingers, Io has been the wrestler I’ve enjoyed the most. Her hurting her knee and not being able to go for the pin immediately after that Shiranui Kai was far more palatable than Stephanie simply being able to kick out from it so I’m begrudgingly grateful to WWE for not once again besmirching one of my favourite finishes of the last 25 years. It dawned on me half way through that I hoped they would pick something better than the SVB for when(ever) Vaquer would end up winning a big belt as it’s a bit weak, so I was delighted when she went home with that Sky Twister Press. It amused me to see them do the respectful embrace on top of a big Papa Johns logo. Reminder : this is the belt Rhea brought over from SmackDown that has only existed since 2016 - the real champ is still Tiffy.

I originally had planned to only watch the entrances of the mixed tag because they’re the important bit and while I wanted to hear a reaction for AJ, I never really rated her as a performer. It must be said I thought Rollins and Lynch looked fantastic in a “look at this pair of twats” manner. I started watching from the double-knee/bulldog/wizard sequence which I assumed was part of the comeback after the heel heat, and watched it to the end, and thought it was rather good - if a little drawn out. Lynch submitting to AJ is a great way to lead to a one on one for the WICT if a bit obvious, and I thought it was well executed.

I didn’t bother watching the main. I like Cody as champ but they’ve let McIntyre go cold only to try and heat him up again so many times I’m beyond caring, and he was never winning.

Some decent happenings but felt more like a big episode of telly rather than a PLE. Like they all do.

9 hours ago, TheScarlettChad said:

Stephanie being the big inductee of the HOF is a puzzling decision. 

First, but not biggest. It’s definitely Haku’s year.

Edited September 21, 2025 by air_raid
I lit it up.

[Supremo]

Haven’t seen the show yet. I suspect it peaked with this lad’s sign.

[LCJ]

The sign has made it to WWE’s Facebook cover photo.

[Chico Torres]

47 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Haven’t seen the show yet. I suspect it peaked with this lad’s sign.

The lad who presumably paid a significant amount of money for a ticket to support the company.

[jm29195]

Lol.

 

[TheScarlettChad]

He's a plonker. He spent probably over a grand to say that. 

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, Chico Torres said:

The lad who presumably paid a significant amount of money for a ticket to support the company.

27 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

He's a plonker. He spent probably over a grand to say that. 

That’s not particularly fair. You don’t know the first thing about that person or why they’re there. And even if they did fork out big money to attend, you can enjoy a company and object strongly to something they’re doing. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had to hold our noses while watching wrestling at various points. 

[Chico Torres]

It’s not that complicated. He claims to object to sex trafficking while paying extortionate prices to support a company that is complicit. If they cared that much, no one is forcing them to go.

[Merzbow]

16 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

I’m pretty sure we’ve all had to hold our noses while watching wrestling (dot tv) at various points. 

Bit different when you're throwing money at sex pests.

[Harry Wiseau]

1 hour ago, Chico Torres said:

It’s not that complicated. He claims to object to sex trafficking while paying extortionate prices to support a company that is complicit. If they cared that much, no one is forcing them to go.

He also was not at his seat for the first half of the actually really good women's match, then when he sat down held up a sign saying "More women's marches" before then having a different sign confiscated and spending the rest of the match talking to someone behind him not taking any notice of the match and being noticeably the only person not standing and applauding at the end of the match.

 

The so called EMF friendly technology didn't help Jey Uso when he bladdered himself with the chair bouncing it off whichever Brons back it was. EMF friendly? Unbelievable.

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, Chico Torres said:

It’s not that complicated. He claims to object to sex trafficking while paying extortionate prices to support a company that is complicit. If they cared that much, no one is forcing them to go.

Firstly, the only people potentially complicit are those named in the lawsuit. It’s a different regime in charge now, although I personally think they’re pretty shitty.

But you can care strongly about something and object to aspects of it - maybe it’s AEW and Ric Flair, Disney and it’s bowing to the Trump regime, or Xbox and its mass-layoffs. A lot of companies have done really shitty things, and balancing that with still enjoying the things that make us happy or provide entertainment can be really fucking tough.

I think I’ve reached my breaking point with WWE, but I don’t judge anyone who hasn’t, unless they’re actively supporting Vince McMahon or something. 

[digforvictory]

I can't think of a HOF fame speech I'd want to hear less than one from Stephanie Mcmahon. 

 

[air_raid]

One other note ; I felt really dumb hearing the crowd pop for Heyman inexplicably waddling out to introduce Lesnar. Yes, they’re both heels, but no regard for the manner of the former betraying the latter and that on screen there’s been no reconciliation, explanation for nor hint of one. Just the latest example of a long list of relatively recent instances of WWE thinking “wouldn’t this be cool” without also asking “does it make sense though?”

[The King of Old School]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

One other note ; I felt really dumb hearing the crowd pop for Heyman inexplicably waddling out to introduce Lesnar. Yes, they’re both heels, but no regard for the manner of the former betraying the latter and that on screen there’s been no reconciliation, explanation for nor hint of one. Just the latest example of a long list of relatively recent instances of WWE thinking “wouldn’t this be cool” without also asking “does it make sense though?”

There was a backstage segment on Smackdown the other night where Lesnar bumped into Heyman and the Bron's.

Lesnar suggested that he and Heyman should "talk", and that's what obviously lead to him coming out to announce him.

Watched the rest of the show last night, all a bit crap really.

Still think the end game is Rollins/Punk at Mania where Punk finally wins the participation belt and moves on from Rollins.

Cody is ice cold as WWE champ these days, no idea where he goes from here for the next few months.

Thinking Cody/Roman 3 is the way to go at Mania, get the belt back on the Tribal Chief.