Wrestlepalooza: Indianapolis will be the first branded event under the WWE name. Did you know it was originally under ECW? This will be the first time since the new deal that a WWE PLE will be live on ESPN. Now will this be another continuing PLE or a big time one-shot for the new network? Once again, Team Selective Hearing will throw in our highly educated predictions for this highly anticipated show.
Singles Match for the Vacant Women’s World Championship
Iyo Sky vs Stephanie Vaquer
Allen: Naomi vacated her title and now the championship has been in limbo. Do they strap the rocket on Stephanie now after she has been invisible for over a month? Iyo is now going through some drama with Asuka. They let a few things play out and now we don’t have an obvious answer. A part of me feels that it’s too early for Stephanie and she doesn’t need the title right now. I would play it safe and make Iyo Sky the champ and then have her battle Asuka for a few months.
BigFreaky: Asuka gonna mess around and cost Iyo the title. La Primera’s luggage is gonna get a little heavier.
Justin: Personally, I think it might be a little too early for Vaquer to take the title right now, even though a lot of people seem to believe she’ll win it. Letting her appear on CVV right beforehand could also add fuel to that speculation. Or maybe all of this, including the Iyo and Asuka angle, is just meant to throw us off. My prediction is that Asuka will play a part in the match, making it seem like Stephanie will win, but Iyo somehow walks away with the belt.
Greg: Vaquer winning would be strapping a rocket on her a bit too early. I feel she hasn’t really established herself as a character on RAW yet and she definitely needs to up her English level if she’s gonna do some verbal sparring with the small roster of female heels on the red brand.
Iyo winning makes the most sense since she already has a built-in feud waiting for her with a heel Asuka. Which should make for some crazy matches if they are allowed to go full joshi.
But, since this is the fed we’re talking about, the way I see it going down is Asuka will cost Iyo the title. They go beat the living hell out of each other for a few months while Vaquer gets a shiny belt but no one on her level to fight until Liv comes back or Roxanne gets moved up the ladder. Or they could do the rare face vs. face if Rhea is the first up to bat for the winner of this match.
Singles Match
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
Allen: This one is being billed as one final time. I was shocked at Lesnar’s return and didn’t expect him to be part of Cena’s retirement tour. I really don’t see Cena beating Lesnar, even at this stage of the game. I feel like we will see a final version of Super Cena one more time but ultimately lose out to The Beast. I have Brock Lesnar winning.
BigFreaky: Super Cena gotta take this one. Send Brock back to the farm.
Justin: Is Brock here just to help build up Wrestlepalooza and serve as another notch on Cena’s retirement tour belt? Is that why the criticism of bringing him back doesn’t seem to faze WWE? Because they know he’s not going to be around for long anyway. But wouldn’t they want Brock on more ESPN shows? So shouldn’t they have him come out of this match strong? But history repeats itself. I’m going to repeat something I’ve heard recently: we’ve seen Brock Lesnar return, attack John Cena, and then go on to lose his first match back. I’ll go with Cena.
Greg: So the Brinks truck made it all the way to rural Canada to get Brock to stop punching moose for fun and get back in the ring to lay down for Cena. Then he goes back to the woods. Not a bad way to make a living.
Tag Team Match
The Usos vs Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker (The Vision)
Allen: I like how they just didn’t bring the Usos back simply to just take on Bron Bron. They added a little spice by having Jey go a little crazy. This will bring more drama to Jey’s act and lead to their loss. Team Bron Bron have been dominating so they should be continuing. My winner is Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker.
BigFreaky: The Brons seem to be on a hot streak right now. What about LA Knight? This has potential to be a slobberknocker. Yeet!
Justin: Storyline-wise, you’ve got the LA Knight factor plus how dominant The Brons have looked lately. Booking-wise, if I was only considering this match by itself, I might have picked the reunion of the Usos to go over. However, when putting the whole card into perspective and how I think the Mixed Tag Team match will end, I actually think Bron Bron will take the win. When the night is over, I don’t think they’ll want The Vision’s entire faction walking away without a win.
Greg: Yeah I don’t particularly care for this match so I’m gonna agree and say Deux Brons over the Usos.
Mixed Tag Team Match
Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch vs CM Punk and AJ Lee
Allen: What timeline are we in?? Seriously, I would not have seen both CM Punk and AJ Lee back in the WWE after how they left over 10 years ago. Now they are tagging against Seth and Becky. I love how AJ still has a hint of crazy in her eyes and I hope they bring that out more as she goes out for more matches. This should be a showcase of AJ Lee and having Becky Lynch as her perfect foil. The men will probably do their usual stuff but hopefully they add a twist so it isn’t just a normal mixed tag match. Winners are going to be AJ Lee and CM Punk.
BigFreaky: No way this feud is gonna wrap up on their first meeting. The Man is gonna steal a victory on AJ. This train goes all the way to Mania.
Justin: I’m going with AJ Lee and CM Punk for this bout. Not only do I think it would feel weird to have AJ Lee lose her first match back, but there is more longevity that comes with it. It gives Punk another reason to go after Seth’s belt. And having AJ pin The Man will give her a reason to go after the women’s Intercontinental championship as well.
Greg: It will be interesting to see how much ring rust AJ Lee has. This is definitely not a one and done type of feud and these four will be seeing a lot of each other for the rest of 2025 until both faces end up taking the gold from their heel counterparts to have the fairy tale ending come true.
For this match, let’s have Seth stomp AJ and Becky get the pin after. That should give some fuel to carry this feud for a while.
Single Match for WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Drew McIntyre
Allen: It’s nice to see Guile has taken some time off throwing sonic booms and flash kicks to come back for Wrestlepalooza. As much as I love Drew McIntyre the last few years and that I feel he should have one of the main event titles, I don’t see him winning even if Cody has to go back and film more Street Fighter. However, will WWE pull the trigger on a title change for the first Wrestlepalooza? I still think Cody Rhodes leaves as champion.
BigFreaky: Ain’t no way Cody is leaving without the hardware.
Justin: If WWE wants to add a shock factor to boost the perception of Wrestlepalooza going forward, making Cody lose the belt here would be the way to do it. I just don’t think they’ll do it. I know Drew wants Cody’s ass, but will probably only get his hands on a cheek at most. I hope Drew does get the title again one day, but Wrestlepalooza is not that day. Cody wins.
Greg: Man I would pop so hard if Cody does actual sonic booms and flash kicks. Other than that this is a filler title match to give both men something to do. Sorry Drew, no ass or title for you.
