Wrestlepalooza, a special pay-per-view and livestreaming event, was the first premium live event for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under ESPN since the implementation of their new contract. Previously, WWE worked events through different platforms, but this contract ensures that all premium events air though ESPN. The event has received poor reviews and backlash largely centered around the quality of matches and overall setup.
The event opened with a match between John Cena, currently on his pre-retirement tour, and Brock Lesnar, a powerful wrestler coming back from a two year break. The match was very short, and received criticism for showing a strong indication of who was going to win, unlike typical matches where the winner is inconspicuous until the end. The event between Cena and Lesnar was scrutinized for being a replica of their match in 2014, making it too predictable.
The next match was a tag team between Jey and Jimmy Uso versus Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, refereed byspecial guest LA Knight. Jey and his brother had a nostalgic walkout, visually referencing their era as partners. Additionally, the match had lax rules allowing for some atypical moves and the use of tables and steel chairs, ultimately leading to it being cut short after Jey Uso sustained a face injury from a steel chair.
The first event for the women’s bracket was between Stephanie Vaquer, former World Champion, and Iyo Sky. Living up to viewers’ expectations, the match contained high flying, powerful moves. It concluded with Vaquer flying off the top rope into a full twist,flipping onto Sky, setting the stage for Vaquer to become a big name in WWE.
The highlight of Wrestlepalooza was the mixed tag team match between Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, and CM Punk and AJ Lee, two married couples. This added to entertainment value, and it set a good story foundation. AJ Lee initially stayed out of the match, after 10 years in retirement. When she entered the match, it was difficult to look away. Lee had a sow stopping performance that helped put her AJ back into the WWE spotlight.
The last match was between current champion Cody Rhodes and challenger Drew McIntyre. Despite the skill and big-name opponents, this supposed main-event was a let down to many fans due to it’s dullness and messy storytelling. Despite suggesting a storyline where Rhodes would lose to an outside attacker, the WWE decided against the Rhodes and McIntyre’s idea to introduce a surprise third-party sabotager.
Overall, the event was unsuccessful, and ESPN agrees, giving the event a “C” rating. Hopefully fans will see newer story lines in the future and more matches like Vaquer and Lee’s.
