Tag: seth rollins

Huge betrayal takes place on WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A huge angle closed Monday’s Crown Jewel fallout edition of WWE Raw.

The Raw roster has been shaken up with The Vision splitting away from its former leader Seth Rollins. The final shot of the episode was Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and a shocked Paul Heyman standing over a decimated Rollins as Breakker held Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship belt in the air.

It was Breakker who started the betrayal, taking out Rollins with a spear after The Vision laid out CM Punk following the main event. After a brief discussion with Breakker, Reed then opted to join in on the attack, giving Rollins a Tsunami from the top rope. It didn’t seem like Heyman knew any of this was going to happen, but he went along with it while posing with Breakker and Reed.

The Vision first formed when Heyman aligned with Rollins at WrestleMania 41 this April. Breakker was an immediate addition to the group with Reed being added later.

While the timing of the betrayal was shocking, there were seeds planted that this was coming — including Rollins saying in a promo on Raw that he did not need Breakker, Reed, or Heyman. Rollins said he was capable of doing everything on his own and his alliance with The Vision was by choice, not necessity.

Rollins is coming off a victory over Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel: Perth over the weekend where he was celebrated as the men’s Crown Jewel Champion for 2025.Though Breakker has his eyes on the World Heavyweight Championship, Punk has earned a one-on-one shot against Rollins for the belt. A date for the Rollins vs. Punk title match has not been announced yet. It looks to be planned for WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special on November 1.

WWE crowns new number one contender to World Heavyweight title

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is getting a one-on-one-shot against Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the main event of Monday’s WWE Raw episode from Australia, Punk defeated Jey Uso and LA Knight in a triple threat match to earn the next shot at Rollins’ title. A date for the championship bout has not been officially announced yet, but it looks likely to headline WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event episode in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 1.

Punk will be his next challenger, but Rollins has a lot more to worry about than just that. Raw ended with an angle where Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed both betrayed Rollins after The Vision had laid out Punk. The final shot of the episode was Breakker, Reed, and a shocked Paul Heyman standing over Rollins as Breakker held the World Heavyweight Championship belt.

The World Heavyweight Championship has been in Rollins’ possession since he won it at SummerSlam. Rollins used his Money in the Bank briefcase to cash in on Punk and win the title — ending Punk’s reign before it had a chance to even really begin. Punk had defeated Gunther for the title right before having it stolen by Rollins.

Rollins and Punk have been rivals since Punk returned to WWE in 2023. At Clash in Paris at the end of August, Rollins was able to retain the World Heavyweight Championship over Punk in a fatal four-way match. Punk and his wife AJ Lee then got some revenge by beating Rollins & Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza.

WWE Raw live results: The fallout from Crown Jewel

Posted on by Steve Khan

WWE will hold one final event in Perth, Australia, before leaving town with Monday’s early edition of WWE Raw — the fallout edition from Saturday’s Crown Jewel PLE.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer both won their respective bouts Saturday to each win the Crown Jewel title. Both are expected on the show to celebrate their victories.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio will defend against Penta who is still looking for his first WWE title. Penta, Dragon Lee & AJ Styles were victorious over Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh in a trios match last week to set it up.

The issues involving Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez continue as well with Bayley and Valkyria teaming against Judgment Day’s Rodriguez and Perez.

Join us for live coverage beginning at 8 AM Eastern.

**********

  • Date: October 13, 2025
  • Location: RAC Arena in Perth, Australia

The Big Takeaway —

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed betrayed Seth Rollins in a big show-closing angle.

**********

Show Recap — 

(I watched One Battle After Another over the weekend, and there’s a minor character without a speaking role who wears an Eddie Guerrero ‘Latino Heat’ t-shirt. The character isn’t named, but is referred to as ‘Latino Heat’ by another character. Anyway, time for morning Raw.)

Following a recap of Crown Jewel, CM Punk, LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Rhea Ripley were shown arriving. 

Michael Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 13,737 (54 more people than Crown Jewel, supposedly). 

Seth Rollins and The Vision open Raw

The Vision entered (without Becky Lynch). Rollins wore the giant Crown Jewel title belt around his waist. The crowd sang Rollins’ song as he entered and barked for Bron Breakker. It was 8:09 am ET by the time Rollins spoke. 

Rollins did his usual spiel, and the crowd sang along. The fans have been calling him a ‘wanker’ for days, so he referred to the fans as wankers, and they cheered. 

Rollins put over Paul Heyman and called himself a blessed man for being in his presence. Rollins hugged him. Fans chanted, “Kiss,” so Rollins kissed Heyman’s forehead, and they all cheered. 

Rollins put over Breakker before moving on to Bronson Reed. Reed got a big reaction, and the crowd sang his name. Rollins said Reed destroyed and embarrassed Roman Reigns and was the new Tribal Chief. 

Rollins called himself the greatest World Heavyweight Champion of all time. People like to say there are levels to this game, but no one was on his level. Unlike all the other greats lately, Rollins hasn’t needed any help to gain his success. (The crowd chanted “Bullsh-t.”) 

Rollins said Reigns needed The Shield and The Bloodline. Cody Rhodes needed him to beat Reigns. Rollins beat CM Punk and Reigns at WrestleMania on his own. He won the world title on his own, and he trounced Rhodes on his own. Rollins didn’t need Breakker, Reed, or Heyman. He has chosen them, and they have chosen him. 

Rollins ended with his usual line, and fireworks went off as he posed with his title belt. 

********

Rusev confronted Penta backstage. Rusev didn’t like that Penta was getting an IC title shot ahead of him against baby boy Dom. It was fine, though, because Rusev spoke to Adam Pearce, and he would get the winner of tonight’s match. 

Rusev told Penta he hasn’t forgotten about getting kicked last week. Penta called him a pendejo and left. (Dom started walking in Rusev’s direction in the background, but turned around and slunk away upon seeing him.) 

Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta 

There were lots of “Dirty Dom” chants throughout the match. Penta went right after Dom instead of doing his usual pose. There was a great spot where Dom charged at Penta outside the ring, but Penta gave him a backbody drop onto the announce table, and Dom went flying. 

They went to break one minute into this title match. (I mention the breaks every week because it’s so odd that, if this were real, you would schedule a match to start knowing you need to go to break a minute or two later.) 

Penta remained in full control through the break and hit a springboard crossbody for two. Dom drove Penta into the ring post and followed with a suicide dive tornado DDT. Dom drove Penta into the barricade, and Penta almost landed in the front row onto some children (they managed to avoid getting hit). Dom tried to take a count-out win, but Penta got back in the ring. 

(They went to a second commercial break just eight minutes into the match. So the first eleven minutes of the match had five minutes of commercials.) 

Dom remained in control during the break while doing a lot of posing. He did Eddie’s springboard senton, and the crowd called for another. He did try another, but Penta moved (as they returned from break), and hit a flying crossbody/splash off the ring post to the outside. 

Dom went for three amigos, but Penta blocked it and hit the move instead. The crowd lightly booed because they wanted Dom to do it. Dom blocked the third suplex and hit one of his own. Fans chanted for Eddie. 

Penta dodged a 619 and hit a Penta Driver for a nearfall. Penta went for a Canadian Destroyer, but Dom countered into a Michinoku Driver for two. 

Rusev marched out, so Penta wiped him out with a dive before he could get involved. Dom used the distraction to grab the little ring bell hammer. Dom also slid his title belt into the ring to distract the referee. As the ref got rid of the belt, Dom hit Penta in the knee (over his knee pads) with the hammer. 

Dom followed with a 619 and a frog splash for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Penta to retain the Intercontinental Championship (15:38)

This was a good TV match, but nothing outstanding. It helped that the crowd was very into Dom. It was obvious since last week that the match wouldn’t end until Rusev got involved, and that’s what happened. 

I believe this is the third time that Dom has successfully defended the IC title against Penta. Penta has lost four straight matches to Dom overall. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed LA Knight. Redmond said there would be a triple threat tonight to become the number one contender for the world title. Knight said he would pin CM Punk or Jey Uso, and this match might as well be for the title, because he would go on to beat Rollins again. 

Punk interrupted. Punk said Knight would never pin him or become champion. They argued a bit more, and Knight got the last word before leaving. Punk called him an idiot after he left. 

********

Asuka confronted Kairi Sane. Asuka was pissed about losing at Crown Jewel. Sane apologized and said she would fix it. Asuka told Sane she would fight Ripley tonight and remind everyone that she (Asuka) was in charge. 

Asuka was about to leave, but Sane peeled her hair back to reveal a bruise on her forehead (the crowd gasped). Sane said it happened because she tried to protect Asuka. Asuka didn’t care, and she slapped Sane (which got a big reaction). 

This was good. 

******** 

Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena were in the front row. 

Rhea Ripley (w/ IYO SKY) vs. Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

Asuka caused a distraction, of course, so Ripley confronted her outside the ring. Sky attacked Asuka, so Sane wiped out Sky. Asuka laid out Sky as they went to break. Sane held control over Ripley through the break, and there were “F—k her up, Rhea” chants (which were censored). They also called Asuka a wanker.

Ripley came back with clotheslines, a thrust kick, and a running boot for two. There was a great shot in the replay of Sky smiling as Ripley kicked Sane in the face. Sane dodged a charge, and Ripley ran into the ring post. Sane followed with an Insane Elbow off the ropes to a standing Ripley outside the ring (which looked great). 

Sane went for an ill-advised spear, but Ripley simply caught her and hit a Razor’s Edge. Ripley followed with a running kick for two. A battle on the ropes led to Sane hitting a double foot stomp for two. Sane flew off the top rope, but Ripley caught her out of mid-air and hit an electric chair facebuster. 

Asuka tried another distraction, but Sky got rid of her. Sane tried a rollup for two, and Ripley followed with a Rip-tide for the pinfall win. This was a pretty good match. 

— Asuka attacked Sky after the match, so Ripley attacked Asuka. Ripley set up Asuka for a Rip-tide on the table, but Sane hit Ripley from behind with a kendo stick. Asuka gave Ripley a DDT onto the table. Asuka posed with Sane over Ripley’s prone body. Officials checked on Ripley during a break, and Sky helped her to the back. 

Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane (15:58)

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Rusev during a break. Rusev said Penta got what he deserved. Rusev was coming for Dom’s belt, and nobody would stop him. (I’m thinking somebody will stop him.) 

Jimmy Uso met with Jey backstage. Jimmy couldn’t believe they were getting blamed for Roman’s loss. Jey said they should start listening to Reigns and start looking after themselves. Jey appreciated Jimmy’s help, but he had to focus on tonight’s triple threat. Jey was about to say something, but Jimmy cut him off. Jimmy knew Jey thought he couldn’t handle Bronson Reed, but Jimmy told him, “You handle your business, and I’ll handle mine.” The crowd cheered Jimmy standing up to Jey here. 

Bronson Reed vs. Jimmy Uso 

Jimmy’s ribs were taped after getting speared through the barricade on Saturday. He attacked Reed as soon as he entered the ring, but Reed immediately punched him in the ribs to take over. Reed had complete control through an early commercial break until Jey dodged a senton. 

Jimmy was too weak to hit a Samoan drop, so he instead hit an enziguri and a running hip attack for two. Jimmy followed with Whisper in the Wind for two. Jimmy tried a Samoan drop, but collapsed with Reed landing on top of him. Reed followed with consecutive sentons and a Tsunami for the pinfall win.

— Breakker greeted Reed in the aisle before spearing Jimmy in the ring. Reed held up Jimmy, and Breakker speared him again. 

Breakker was about to spear Jimmy through the barricade, but Jey ran out to make the save. Jey managed to clear the ring, but ate a corner splash by Reed in the process. (They mistimed the spot, so Reed actually hit Jey’s shoulder, but Jey sold his mid-section because that was the plan.) 

Jimmy thanked Jey for the help, but they were not on the same page.  

Match result: Bronson Reed defeated Jimmy Uso (7:39) 

******** 

Lyra Valkyria and Bayley met in Gorilla. Valkyria told Bayley they were teaming tonight, but it would only be a one-time thing. The delusional Bayley thought she was kidding and excitedly went through the curtain. 

Lyra Valkyria & Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez

Valkyria and Bayley worked well as a team early on and did a bunch of double-team spots. It was one spot too many, because Bayley flung Valkyria into Rodriguez (outside the ring), but Rodriguez caught her and gave her a fallaway slam into Bayley. 

Judgment Day had control of Bayley through a break until she hit Perez with a Bayley-to-belly and made the hot tag to Valkyria the moment they returned from break. Judgment Day cut off her comeback attempt, and Perez brought Bayley off the top rope with a hurricanrana. Judgment Day continued to dominate Bayley, and Perez hit her with a springboard moonsault for two. 

Valkyria checked on Bayley and cleared the ring of the heels in the process. Valkyria slapped Bayley to fire her up, and that caused Bayley to snap into a different personality. 

Bayley wiped out Perez and Rodriguez with a suicide dive. She slammed Rodriguez into the ring post and clotheslined her over the barricade. She hit Perez with a flying elbow drop in the ring and followed with a Rose Plant for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (11:10) 

********

Backstage, Rollins told Heyman he could feel something special coming on the horizon. Rollins was proud of the Brons and told them this was the most incredible weekend of his professional life. 

The birth of his child, marrying his wife, and seeing how much the Brons have grown in the past six months have been the proudest moments of his life. This was the mountain top. He told them to breathe it in. They were also on the verge of taking the next step, and no one could knock him off the mountain top. 

*******

During a break, there was a replay of Maxxine Dupri beating Becky Lynch via count-out last week. Kelley interviewed Dupri in the crowd, and Dupri thanked the fans for their support. She announced that she would be facing Lynch for the Women’s IC title next week in her hometown of Sacramento. 

********

AJ Styles met with Pearce. Styles called Crown Jewel an incredible night, despite the loss. He called John Cena a legend. Pearce thanked him for an incredible moment. 

Dom interrupted because he wanted some credit. (I forgot to mention it earlier, but Dom has a new neck tattoo.) Dom also wasn’t happy about having to defend his IC title against Rusev. 

Styles talked Pearce into giving him and Dragon Lee a tag title match against Judgment Day. Dom realized he messed up by getting involved here. Dom left to inform Judgment Day of the title match. 

******** 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship 
  • Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev for the Intercontinental Championship 
  • Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh vs. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee for the World Tag Team Championships 

********

Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Redmond interviewed Vaquer by the stage. Vaquer felt blessed after winning the Crown Jewel champion, and she was the first woman in company history to win four titles in one year. 

Rodriguez and Perez interrupted. Perez was pissed because she thought she should be the world champion, not Vaquer. Perez was the last person to beat Iyo Sky, and it should have been her wrestling for the title at Wrestlepalooza. Vaquer told her to stop crying and do something about it. Perez said she would—on her own time. 

*******

Cole thanked the Perth fans and announced a 3-day combined attendance of 40,503 (SmackDown, Crown Jewel and Raw). 

Triple threat number one contender’s match: CM Punk vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso

(There was a big angle at the end.) 

Punk entered to a huge reaction. The crowd continued to sing his song after it was cut, and Punk was happy. 

Jey quickly cut off Punk with a superkick, but the crowd continued to chant for Punk. Knight went after Punk outside the ring, and Jey wiped him out with a dive. They went to break 90 seconds into this high-stakes match. 

Knight and Jey took out Punk again during a break before going at it in the ring. Back from break, Punk knocked down men with a dive off the top. Punk did his usual comeback spots and took down both men with a combo bulldog/clothesline before hitting Knight with a flying elbow drop. 

Knight avoided a GTS, gave Punk an inverted DDT and gave Jey a regular DDT. Knight hit both men with a diving elbow drop (which didn’t look great), but they each kicked out of pinning attempts. They went to break again, and like the opening match, this match had five minutes worth of commercials in the first eleven minutes. 

After the break, Jey gave Punk a superkick and followed with an Uso Splash on Knight for a nearfall. Knight gave Punk a BFT, but Jey broke up the cover and shoved Knight into the ring steps. 

With Punk still down in the ring, Jey went for an Uso splash, but Punk got his knees up. Punk followed with a GTS for the pinfall win. 

— The Vision entered as Punk celebrated. Breakker sprinted down to ringside and speared both Jey and Knight. 

The Brons swarmed Punk in the ring. Breakker speared Punk, and Reed hit a Tsunami. Rollins stood over Punk and told him he would never be champion. They chucked Punk out of the ring. The Vision posed, but notably, Breakker had his back turned in the corner of the ring. 

It seemed like the show was about to end, but Bron Breakker turned around and speared Seth Rollins. The crowd exploded. 

Breakker got in Reed’s face and told him to make a choice. Reed didn’t waste much time. He slid Rollins to the corner and hit him with a Tsunami. 

Heyman checked on Rollins and told them to stop. Breakker pulled Heyman to his feet. Breakker grabbed Rollins’ world title belt. Heyman stood between Breakker and Reed and raised their hands (the crowd popped). So all three men are together. 

Match result: CM Punk defeated Jey Uso and LA Knight to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship (13:30)

The timing of this angle is interesting, considering Punk just became the number one contender. The focus immediately shifted to Bron and Bronson. I wonder if this was always the plan, or if they sped things up with the show being in a lull lately (or if Rollins is hurt). I am glad they pulled the trigger with Breakker in particular, because I did not want a full year or two of him standing by Rollins’ side knowing the turn was coming.

Fans chant for Edge at WWE Crown Jewel post show

Posted on by Ian Carey

Triple H was greeted with an interesting chant from fans attending the WWE Crown Jewel post-show in Perth on Saturday.

The live crowd standing behind hosts Big E, Peter Rosenberg, and Jackie Redmond chanted “We want Edge” at Triple H, referencing AEW’s Adam Copeland. They even sang Copeland’s theme music. As Triple H’s appearance on the panel continued, fans also chanted for Batista, MJF, and called for WrestleMania to be brought to Australia.

Cena and Adam Copeland have paid tribute to each other in recent matches, with Cena using Copeland’s spear in a match against Sami Zayn on SmackDown, and Copeland paying tribute to Cena at AEW All Out.

Triple H on AJ Styles vs. John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel

Triple H was asked about Cena vs. Styles at Crown Jewel and responded that he saw the match as “a love letter to professional wrestling.”

“It was incredible. You hear this sometimes said in this business, it was a love letter to professional wrestling and I really believe that. Two of the most decorated performers, two of the greatest performers of a generation, both kind of coming to the end now.”

“For both of them to go out there, perform at this level, do what they did, and put on just a massive tribute to what we all love to do, get to do, or get to watch, it was just incredible.”

Jackie Redmond added that the match turned many people backstage “into little kids” watching it.

Triple H was asked about the amount of yellow John Cena t-shirts in the crowd for the show, with Rosenberg mentioning it looked like they handed the shirts out to the crowd.

“It was incredible. The amount of shirts was unbelievable,” Triple H said. “But that’s a testament to John Cena and who he is as a performer.”

Triple H on Bronson Reed’s win over Roman Reigns

Big E asked Triple H about Bronson Reed’s win over Roman Reigns in the opening match at Crown Jewel.

“For Bronson, this solidifies where he is. He’s in a top spot right now.”

Triple H continued, “He should be exactly where he is. He should be at the top of the food chain. I think the whole world saw a new monster created tonight.”

Triple H also discussed Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, Tiffany Stratton and more. His full appearance on the WWE Crown Jewel post-show is available below:

2025 men’s WWE Crown Jewel Champion crowned

Posted on by Ian Carey

Seth Rollins is the 2025 Men’s Crown Jewel Champion.

He defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of today’s show in Perth, Australia to become the second ever winner of the title.

The finish of the match saw Rollins hit Rhodes with his hand wrapped in the Rolex watch that Rhodes gifted him after WrestleMania XL before landing a second-rope curb stomp and getting the pin.

The Vision did not get involved and no member of the faction accompanied Rollins to ringside for the bout.

Earlier in the match, Rollins kicked out of a Cross Rhodes and later got his shoulder up after a top rope Cross Rhodes as well.

Rollins cut a promo after the match:

“How does it feel? It feels better than any of you could ever imagine. Because some of us dream impossible dreams, and some of us have the fortitude to reach those dreams.”

“I’m no longer just the greatest of my generation, I proved tonight I’m the greatest of all time,” Rollins continued.

Stephanie Vaquer, who won the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship earlier, joined Rollins in the ring as the show came to a close.

WWE Crown Jewel live results: John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: October 11, 2025
Location: RAC Arena in Perth, Australia

**********

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW —

There was a video package narrated by Rhea Ripley that was essentially all about how loud the international crowds are. 

Michael Cole, Big E, and Wade Barrett hosted the first hour of the pre-show. They aired part one of the video package for Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes (part two aired later). Jackie Redmond and Cathy Kelley each analyzed the match.

They spoke about Ripley, who happens to be celebrating a birthday today. 

The pre-show is two hours long, and 25 minutes into it, they’re killing time by showing a long clip of Big E on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast.

There was a video package of John Cena’s 2025 so far. They confirmed his final dates are in Boston, New York City, San Diego and Washington D.C. They also spoke about AJ Styles’ final year. 

Cole mentioned that the inaugural Crown Jewel championships were crowned in Saudi Arabia, and the fans behind him booed.

There was a video package for Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton. 

Redmond spoke with Ripley earlier this week about returning to Australia.

Chelsea Green and Peter Rosenberg tried local cuisine around Perth. 

A video showed men in black suits transporting the Crown Jewel championship belts from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Perth, Australia. 

Rosenberg and Redmond replaced Barrett and Cole on the panel. 

A video package of Ripley showed her as a young fan who got an early start to her career. When they spoke about her growing up as a fan, the clip they decided to show was of none other than Triple H (beating up Ric Flair). 

Grayson Waller showed up to the panel to put over Ripley, Bronson Reed, and The New Day (knowing Big E was sitting right there), and he drank beer out of his shoe. 

Kelley interviewed Paul Levesque. He spoke about the Perth crowd and tonight’s big matches. (Unlike in Paris, I’m glad he spoke more about the show itself instead of how loud the fans would be.) 

There was another feature on Ripley. She spoke about her early days in WWE. She didn’t have any tattoos when she tried out because she was afraid she wouldn’t get hired. William Regal warned the class they wouldn’t hear from the company for a while, but Ripley got a call to come in four days later. She didn’t wear much makeup in those days because she hated wearing it. She was told early in NXT that if she got any tattoos, she had to ensure they were covered up, so she made sure her new gear included pants. She impressed everyone, including Triple H, with her match against Iyo Sky at the second Mae Young Classic, and that led to her being sent to NXT UK.

A lot of the pre-taped stuff assumes Reed will be a crowd favourite tonight, but as the panellists have acknowledged several times, Roman Reigns is still the favourite. 

Kelley interviewed AJ Styles, who confirmed his retirement in 2026 on yesterday’s kick-off show. Styles said tonight’s match against John Cena would be emotional and special. He looked forward to beating up Cena.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed will open tonight’s show. 

Sophie Foster sang the American national anthem. The Australian fans booed.  

They loudly cheered and sang the Australian anthem that followed. 

CROWN JEWEL PERTH —

Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes, Stephanie Vaquer, Tiffany Stratton, AJ Styles, Asuka and Kairi Sane, and Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky were shown arriving earlier today. 

Rhea Ripley narrated the intro video for today’s show. (The same video aired on the pre-show.) Oddly, the intro for this show was about the loud international fans they’ve had in recent years, and encouraging the same from tonight’s fans. The video didn’t include anything about tonight’s card or feuds. 

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. 

Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 13,683. It’s quite a visual. The majority of fans are wearing yellow John Cena shirts. It almost looks like a playoff NHL or NBA game where the entire crowd is wearing one colour. (You’d think these were the only shirts that were available, or they were given away.)

Australian Street Fight: Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman) 

Despite Reed being Australian, Reigns was easily the crowd favourite. There was even an early, “F—k him up, Roman” chant. 

Reigns was all over Reed for the first six minutes. He chucked a rugby ball at Paul Heyman and clobbered Reed with a cricket bat. Reigns grabbed a mic and told the fans to acknowledge him if they wanted tables. Reigns grabbed a table, but Reed attacked him from behind and slid the table back under the ring. The fans called him a wanker. 

Reed instead attacked Reigns with the steel steps and a steel chair. Reed opened a steel chair and placed it upright, but Reigns grabbed him and put him through it with a Samoan drop. Reigns followed with clotheslines, but Reed blocked a Superman punch and hit a Jagged Edge (DVD) for two. 

Reed attacked Reigns with a stop sign, and the fans chanted, “Read the sign.” Reed instead hit a uranage onto the sign for two. Reed missed a senton and landed on the sign. Reed also missed a corner charge and went face-first into a chair wedge between the ropes. Reigns followed with a Superman punch for two. 

Reigns set up for a spear outside the ring, but you could tell something was about to happen because of how slowly he ran. Bron Breakker appeared and speared Reigns. The Brons gave Reigns a Shield powerbomb through the announce table. 

The crowd chanted “Yeet,” which brought out Jimmy and Jey Uso (to Jey’s music). They superkicked Breakker and teed off on Reed. The Usos handed out running hip attacks and gave Breakker a 1-D. 

The Brons fought off The Usos on their own without any nefarious means. Reed shoved Jimmy off the top rope, and Breakker gave Jey a press slam into a gut buster. Breakker speared Jimmy through the barricade. 

Reed was about to give Jey a Tsunami, but Reigns hit him with consecutive Superman punches. Reigns also punched Breakker off the apron. 

Reigns and Reed fought for position near a corner announce table. After Reigns avoided a DVD, Jey went to spear Reed—but Reed moved and Jey speared Reigns through the table by mistake. 

Breakker speared Jey, and Reed hit Reigns with a Tsunami for the pinfall win. 

— Reigns admonished Jimmy and Jey for getting involved. He told them, “The whole world thinks I can’t do sh-t on my own. I told you I’m going to do this on my own.” (Referring to the help he constantly gets from the Bloodline.) 

Reigns told the Usos that he loved them. “I love you, but I don’t wanna see y’all ’til Christmas.” Reigns left as the fans chanted, “Someone’s in trouble.” 

Jimmy and Jey argued in the ring until Jey left on his own. 

Match result: Bronson Reed defeated Roman Reigns (21:05)

This was good for what it was. They kept it simple as far as street fights go and did all they needed to for this crowd. 

They played this up like a huge win for Reed, and it felt like it. He’s the first person to pin Reigns in a single match besides Cody Rhodes in a long time. He did get inadvertent help from Jey Uso, but he was also outnumbered and still won. 

The angle with Reigns and the Usos was good if you aren’t sick of Bloodline drama. 

********

There was a video package for the upcoming match and a commercial break. (This pattern continued through the rest of the show.)

Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship 

This was a first-time ever match. Vaquer has the most wins in WWE in 2025, while Stratton came into the match undefeated this year. 

They wrestled back-and-forth early on, but Vaquer kept getting the better of Stratton. Vaquer also kept shoving her boot in Stratton’s face. Vaquer tried a submission, but Stratton countered with a back suplex. Stratton followed with a handspring elbow and a nice-looking Alabama slam for two. Vaquer came back with a dragon screw and corner meteora for two. Stratton followed with a backbreaker for two. 

Stratton tried a senton bomb, but Vaquer got her knees up. Vaquer hit Devil’s Kiss (which got the usual reaction) and the old version of SVB (backbreaker) for two. Stratton hit a rolling senton but missed a PME. 

Vaquer followed quickly with a spiral tap (corkscrew splash) for the pinfall win. 

— Triple H presented an emotional Vaquer with the Crown Jewel ring and championship belt (which is so big it covers more than half her upper body). 

The crowd chanted, “You deserve it.” Redmond handed Vaquer a microphone, and she cut her typically endearing promo. Vaquer said they did this together. The title represented all the emotional support the fans gave her. She followed her dreams, the fans believed in her, and now she believed in herself. Now, La Primera was the world champion and Crown Jewel Champion. She posed as fireworks went off. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Tiffany Stratton to win the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship (10:06) 

This was a good match for the time they had. It was nice seeing two people have a good wrestling match with a clean finish. 

********

Heyman congratulated Reed. Heyman said ‘the vision’ of the future now meant Reed and Breakker. Heyman also told them to stay in the back if Seth Rollins called for help tonight in his match with Rhodes. Heyman said we would find out who the better man was. Heyman left. 

Breakker didn’t seem to like this. He asked Reed what would happen if Rhodes won. Heyman returned to tell him, “I think you both know the answer to that question.” 

******** 

John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Styles wore some throwback gear—blue and white trunks (instead of long tights). Cena entered wearing a yellow and green t-shirt. (As mentioned above, a large portion of the crowd is wearing Cena’s yellow shirt.)

Alicia Taylor introduced Cena, and the fans loudly chanted, “Thank you, Cena.” Cena then pointed to Taylor to introduce Styles. She called him “The definition of total nonstop action,” the ace of the Bullet Club, and the face that runs the place. Styles smiled and seemed surprised by the intro, presumably written by Cena himself (or someone else on Cena’s behalf).

Cena fended off Styles’ offence and did the five moves of doom and AA for a nearfall only about six minutes into the match. Styles caught Cena and seemed to be going for an AA, but hit a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker (Ushigoroshi) instead. (Cole gave a shout-out to Mauro Ranallo.) 

Cena hit Styles with Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale for two. Styles followed with a rack bomb for two, and a Scorpion Death Drop for two (Cole didn’t mention him by name, but gave a shout-out to Sting). 

Styles countered an STF into a crossface, but Cena countered that into Rusev’s Accolade. Styles countered that into Samoa Joe’s Coquina Clutch. Cena fought out and applied a Walls of Jericho, but Styles countered into a calf crusher. 

Cena fought out, but AJ nailed a Styles Clash for two. Styles went for a Phenomenal forearm, but Cena caught him and hit a Sister Abigail (kiss to the forehead included) for a close nearfall. The crowd exploded for that. (Barrett mentioned Bray Wyatt and said, “We miss you, pal.”) The fans didn’t waste any time getting out their cellphone cameras, and Cena smiled at the sight. 

Styles followed with Christopher Daniels’ Angel’s Wings for two. They traded counters until Cena set up for a Pedigree, but Styles countered into a Deadeye for two. Cena followed with Randy Orton’s draping DDT (to which Cole said, “Vintage John Cena!”). Cena followed with an RKO for a nearfall. Crowd loved that. 

Cena went for an Orton punt, but Styles avoided it and hit an AA for two. Styles was about to do the five knuckle shuffle, but Cena grabbed him by the throat like Undertaker and hit a chokeslam. 

The crowd chanted “619,” which was funny enough, but it was immediately followed by Cena dropping Styles onto the middle rope. Cena acted like he was going for a 619, but Styles cut him off with a clothesline. Styles followed with a springboard 450. Styles tuned up the band and hit Sweet Chin Music for two. 

Styles hit a Phenomenal forearm for two, and Cena hit an AA for a nearfall. Styles tried a high cross, but Cena rolled through and hit a Tombstone piledriver. Cena followed immediately with an AA for the pinfall win. 

— Cena helped Styles to his feet, and they hugged. They raised each other’s arms before Styles left the ring so Cena could celebrate. 

Cena kissed his wife at ringside. Cena posed for the Australian fans one final time before leaving. 

Match result: John Cena defeated AJ Styles (27:12) 

This was tremendous. 

********

Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane

This was a homecoming for Rhea Ripley, and it just so happens to be her 29th birthday. 

Asuka and Sane attacked the babyfaces as the opening bell rang. Everyone got involved, but Sky was alone with Asuka when the dust settled. Sky got the better of their exchange, and the crowd sang her name as she hit Asuka with a suicide dive. Sky dodged an attack by Sane, but that allowed Asuka to shove Sky into the post. (The ref held back Ripley from helping.) 

The heels worked over Sky, and the fans called Asuka a wanker. Sane cut off Sky’s hot tag attempt and goaded Ripley into distracting the referee so they could double-team Sky. Asuka hit a strike combo before Sane hit a double foot stomp for two. 

Sky fired up and no-sold multiple strikes and slaps by Asuka. Asuka kept going, but Sky hit a flapjack. Ripley made the hot tag and hit Sane with clotheslines and a kick to the head for two. Sane cut her off somewhat easily, and the heels took over again briefly until Ripley nailed Sane with a boot. Ripley gave Sane a Razor’s Edge, and Sky followed with a missile dropkick for two. 

Sane gave Sky an Alabama Slam (much safer than the one she did on Raw) and knocked Ripley off the apron. Sky brought Sane off the top rope with an arm drag and went to the top, but Asuka distracted her. Kairi knocked down Sane and drove Ripley into the steel steps. 

Sky wiped out the heels with an Asai moonsault. She followed with a moonsault on Sane in the ring, but Asuka broke up the cover. Asuka knocked Sky off the top rope and hit Ripley with strikes. She held down Ripley as Sane hit an Insane Elbow, but Sky broke up the cover. 

Ripley and Asuka traded strikes and counters until Ripley hit a thrust kick. Ripley dropped her face-first on the top turnbuckle and set up for an avalanche Rip-tide, but Sane tagged herself in and broke it up. Ripley booted Sane off the apron (taking the bullet for Asuka in the process). 

Ripley gave Sane a Rip-tide, and Sky followed with a moonsault for the pinfall win (Sky pinned Sane).  

Match result: IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane & Asuka (19:57) 

This was pretty good, although the crowd wasn’t as into it as you’d think, perhaps because they were coming down from the previous match. Ripley got a big reaction coming out, but Sky seemed to get more crowd chants during the match than she did. (Sky was also in there a lot longer.) 

The finish was pretty straightforward. Sane took the bullet for Asuka in the end, and the babyfaces won clean. There’s definitely more to come between these four. 

******** 

Twenty minutes elapsed between the end of the previous match and the beginning of this one. 

World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes for the WWE Crown Jewel Championship

Rollins wore the watch Rhodes gifted him to the ring (he wore it over his wrist tape). He dramatically removed it as he removed his entrance attire. 

There was an unintentionally funny moment early in the match where, after getting slammed by Rhodes, Rollins tried rolling out of the ring, but his head collided with the referee’s foot. The ref checked on a frustrated Rollins, who brushed him off and rolled out moments later. Rollins’ frustration grew because the fans kept calling him a wanker. 

The crowd loved Rhodes and cheered as he kept getting the better of Rollins. Rollins confronted Barrett and shoved Cole down in his chair. (Rollins was pissed at Barrett for highlighting the ‘wanker’ chants on SmackDown.) 

Rollins attacked Rhodes from behind as he checked on Cole. With Rhodes draped over the barricade, Rollins hit a double foot stomp to his shoulder. (Fans cheered when Rollins knocked over the Prime bottles.) 

Rhodes went for a Disaster kick, but Rollins ran up behind him and hit a sit-out powerbomb for two. Rollins targeted Rhodes’ arm/shoulder and did the Stardust cartwheel and pose. Rollins did some Dusty jabs, but Rhodes responded with jabs of his own. 

Rollins applied a figure four, and Rhodes struggled for a while before finally getting out of it. Rhodes fought back and hit a Vertebreaker (Rollins landed safely). Rhodes hit a powerslam, a Disaster kick, jabs, a bionic elbow, a suicide dive, and a Cody cutter for two. 

Rollins avoided another Disaster kick attempt and hit a Pedigree for two. Rhodes tried a Cross Rhodes, but Rollins hit one of his own for two. Rhodes avoided a Phoenix splash but missed a super Cody Cutter in spectacular fashion, and Rollins hit a curb stomp for a nearfall. 

Rollins grabbed his watch and wrapped it around his fist. He contemplated using it, but placed it on the apron and returned to the ring. Rhodes met him with a Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes for a nearfall. 

Rollins repeatedly kicked Rhodes as he was trapped upside down in the corner. The ref pulled Rollins away, but Rhodes was still trapped. Rollins went to the top rope on the other end of the ring and hit an awesome-looking coast-to-coast headbutt for a nearfall. 

Rollins followed with a Spanish fly off the top and a Man-handle slam for a nearfall. They found themselves perched on the top rope again, and Rhodes nailed an avalanche Cross Rhodes for a close nearfall. 

They traded spots until Rhodes set up for a Pedigree. Rollins scampered out of it and crawled right to watch in the ring’s corner. Rollins wrapped it around his hand. Rollins accidentally (or accidentally on purpose) bumped the referee moments later, and Rhodes set up for the Cross Rhodes, but Rollins punched him with the watch. 

Rollins hit a curb stomp and a second stomp off the middle rope for the pinfall win. 

— Levesque presented Rollins with the Crown Jewel ring and championship belt after the match. 

Kelley was about to interview Rollins, but he yanked the mic away. He knew she was going to ask him how it felt to get the monkey off his back. It felt better than anyone could imagine. Some of us dream impossible dreams and have the fortitude to reach those dreams. But only one man reached higher than the highest. He was no longer the greatest of his generation—he was the greatest of all time. 

Rollins said his catchphrase and posed as fireworks went off. 

Vaquer joined Rollins in the ring so the two Crown Jewel champions could pose as the show ended. 

Match result: Seth Rollins defeated Cody Rhodes to win the WWE Men’s Crown Jewel Championship (29:43)

The bulk of this was just a normal match until they started doing some big moves toward the end. I know the best matches always build and get better as they go, but the first 20 minutes felt fairly standard. 

Rollins had to win based on the story they were telling, so he did, and we’ll have to wait a while longer before his buddies tear him apart. 

Overall, this was a more enjoyable WWE show than we’ve been getting lately, and worth checking out if you planned on watching this later in the day.

WWE Crown Jewel preview, predictions & odds: This should go better for John Cena

Posted on by Ian Carey

John Cena looks like a lock in Perth this weekend, but the rest of Saturday’s WWE Crown Jewel (8 AM Eastern start time on ESPN/Netflix) is harder to call.

The men’s and women’s Crown Jewel Championship matches both have close odds.

According to the betting world, Seth Rollins and Stephanie Vaquer are slight favorites, but far from the enormous odds we sometimes see in wrestling.

Meanwhile, John Cena is a heavy favorite to defeat AJ Styles although when the line first came out, oddsmakers were not as confident as they appear to be now. Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY are also heavy favorites to beat The Kabuki Warriors.

The final match added to the card, Bronson Reed vs. Roman Reigns in an Australian street fight, is hard to predict for a few reasons discussed below.

Below are previews and predictions for each match at WWE Crown Jewel 2025.

John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Cena is a -1600 favorite to beat Styles (+600) in Perth this weekend.

Ever since Wrestlepalooza, the grumblings from unhappy fans regarding Cena’s retirement tour have started to grow louder. The whole story with him at Crown Jewel appears to be trying to appease those fans by creating the impression that the match against Styles wouldn’t have happened if fans hadn’t demanded it (even though it would have).

While Cena was a slight favorite heading into Wrestlepalooza against Brock Lesnar, WWE had motivation to keep Lesnar strong that they don’t have with Styles who has said he’ll retire next year as well. There was a good reason to put Lesnar over Cena, but there isn’t that with Styles. Barring a mid-match injury, Cena will pick up the feel-good win.

Prediction: John Cena

Women’s Crown Jewel Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton

Vaquer is a -280 favorite to defeat Stratton (+180) in the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship match and she probably will, but this is a tough one.

WWE has booked itself into a corner here. They’ve got two heavily protected babyfaces going against each other. The likelihood that they find some way not to do an actual finish seems very strong. Perhaps Vaquer and Stratton end up uniting to fight off some invading heels.

However, somebody needs to win the Crown Jewel title and I think Vaquer is the stronger candidate. A possible finish here is interference from Nia Jax or perhaps a heel-turning Jade Cargill to cost Stratton the match and set up the next big feud on SmackDown.

Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer

Australian Street Fight: Bronson Reed vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns is a -350 favorite to beat Reed (+225), but there are a few reasons to believe Reed has a shot.

If WWE wants to move Reed up a level, they can do it here, but I’m not sure if they will. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Roman vs. Reed on a recent Wrestling Observer Radio and their disagreement, I think, sums up what’s interesting about this match.

Alvarez noted that it’s in Reed’s home country and the street fight rules allow for interference, giving Reed a path to win without hurting Reigns. But Meltzer was hesitant to agree, noting that WWE doesn’t have Reigns lose often. Where you land on this most likely depends on how much you want to see Reed as a top guy.

A big part of me agrees with Meltzer. Reigns is where the money is, not Reed. But Reigns is already up 1-0 in the feud, and a Reed win will set up a rubber match for later. I don’t feel very confident in it, but I’m going to take Reed to get the win after House of Torture-level interference from The Vision.

Prediction: Bronson Reed

Men’s Crown Jewel Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is a -400 favorite heading into the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match against Rhodes (+250), but I would give him better odds than that.

Rollins’ interactions with Paul Heyman on Raw this week regarding his need to win in Perth kind of made it so that he has to win in Perth. Since Rhodes won the Crown Jewel Championship last year, the only reason to have him win it again here is to keep the title/ring as something only the top guy in the company ever wins, building it as the ultimate prize to fight over every year. But I don’t know if that’s what they want to do.

Winning the Crown Jewel title gives Rollins something to brag about for a year, whereas with Rhodes, he already won it and barely mentioned it for the next 365 days. Winning it again isn’t going to do much for him.

Either one of or both Rollins and Reed will win their matches via interference from The Vision. The easy answer is that it will be both.

Prediction: Seth Rollins

Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)

Ripley and SKY are heavy favorites (-1500) to beat the Kabuki Warriors (+600).

Normally, a freshly-turned heel such as Asuka would be the favorite heading into their first big match with an updated character. In this case, however, with it being Ripley wrestling in Australia, and fans expecting a very hesitant-to-go-along-with-things Sane to stand up for herself eventually, the babyfaces are the heavy favorites.

Over the past few weeks, Sane has possibly been the most conflicted character in the entire history of pro wrestling. When Asuka tells her to attack SKY, Sane looks so torn that it sometimes seems like her left arm is trying to physically stop her right from striking her old teammate. This poor woman wants to hold onto her family so deeply that it might literally tear her into two pieces. Sad.

I think she needs to let go and join Ripley and SKY on the good guy team and will help Ripley and SKY win if she does so at Crown Jewel.

Prediction: Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY

Follow along with our live coverage all day long Saturday.

AJ Lee reflects on WWE Wrestlepalooza return: ‘I guess I still got it’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Lee is expressing gratitude for everyone who helped with her WWE return.

After a decade away from the ring, Lee returned to competition in a mixed tag match last Saturday at WWE Wrestlepalooza. She made an Instagram post today reflecting on the moment and showing appreciation for everyone else who was involved in the match. She thanked her husband CM Punk, their opponents Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins, referee Jessika Carr, producer TJ Wilson, her dog Larry, and all of the fans.

“A chaotic fairytale so far. I’m proud of myself for being scared but doing it anyway, after ten years of retirement, on one month’s notice. I guess I still got it,” Lee wrote. “I’m so grateful to Rebecca, Colby, Jess, TJ, and my hot husband Phil for taking such good care of me. And Larry for sharing his dressing room. I’m feeling all the love and support from you guys, my wonderful weirdos, it means the world.”

The mixed tag match ended with Lee using her Black Widow submission on Lynch to get the victory. What’s next for Lee remains to be seen, but her challenging Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship would appear to be the logical direction.

The 38-year-old Lee has officially signed a new contract with WWE in her return. She was a three-time Divas Champion during her first run with the company, where Lee was one of the most popular characters on WWE programming. A neck injury contributed to her decision to retire in 2015.

Outside of the ring, Lee is a writer and mental health advocate.

First WWE Crown Jewel Championship match set for next month

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The first match for Crown Jewel next month is official.

As Cody Rhodes began to answer a question at the Wrestlepalooza post-show over what was next, he was interrupted by Seth Rollins’ music. Rhodes got up and the two had a staredown, indicating a match could be on the horizon. When Triple H came out for his interview, he confirmed the two would meet at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia on October 10 to determine the next men’s Crown Jewel Champion.

The concept of a Crown Jewel Championship was introduced at last year’s show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cody Rhodes defeated Gunther to become the first-ever men’s champion, while Liv Morgan defeated Nia Jax to become the women’s Crown Jewel Champion. 

Rhodes was successful in the main event of Wrestlepalooza, defeating Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE title. Seth Rollins wasn’t so lucky, with he and wife Becky Lynch losing to another husband and wife tag team in CM Punk and AJ Lee.

WWE Crown Jewel (October 11, 2025):

  • Men’s Crown Jewel title match: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Champion Seth Rollins

Married couple victorious at WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time in more than a decade, AJ Lee returned to in-ring action, leaving WWE Wrestlepalooza victorious alongside her tag team partner in life, husband CM Punk.

The duo defeated rivals and fellow married couple Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at Saturday’s premium live event in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The end came when Lee countered a Lynch Manhandle Slam attempt into a Black Widow submission, eventually getting the reigning Women’s Intercontinental Champion to tap out.

Punk and Rollins were both on the floor at the time, recovering after crashing through an announcer’s table following Lynch throwing Lee into them while on another announcer’s table.

It was Lee’s first match since March 2015 and her first time teaming with Punk since July 2012. She officially returned two weeks ago on SmackDown.

**********

The story of the match was Lee being kept out of the match by Rollins and Lynch who wanted no part of her. She finally did get in as Lynch was holding Punk’s leg, he blew her a kiss, and then backed up for the tag.

She got the better of Lynch with a flurry of offense and then, all four competitors battled it out with the men somewhat getting physical with the women. Punk and Lee hit an assisted sliced bread using Rollins onto a prone Lynch for a nearfall in one sequence.

One close call sequence began with a Lee counter to a disarmer into a Black Widow followed by Punk getting a sharpshooter on Rollins for a near double submission, thwarted by a Rollins eye rake and superkick to Punk. Later, Punk and Lee got double pedigreed by Rollins and Lynch for their own close call.

Another saw Lynch getting Punk in a sharpshooter of her own which he eventually countered, but got hit with a pedigree and curb stomp. Lee broke it up and got hit with a Manhandle slam for a very, very close two count.

It now remains to be seen if and when Lee challenges Lynch for her title and when Punk might challenge Rollins for his.

WWE Wrestlepalooza live results: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, AJ Lee’s in-ring return

Posted on by Jeff Moss

WWE kicks off their ESPN era tonight with their first-ever Wrestlepalooza premium live event from Indianapolis, Indiana.

In one of the featured matches, John Cena takes on Brock Lesnar who returns for the first time in more than two years. The two last clashed more than a decade ago.

In another high-profile return, AJ Lee competes for the first time in a decade, joining husband CM Punk against rivals WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes returns after a month off to defend his title against Drew McIntyre after McIntyre put him out of action. It’s Rhodes’ first defense of the title he regained at SummerSlam.

IYO SKY takes on Stephanie Vaquer with the vacant WWE Women’s World title on the line.

Jimmy & Jey Uso will reunite to take on Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed.

The pre-show begins at 5 PM Eastern. The show airs on Netflix outside the U.S.

**********

When you think of the great “Paloozas” of time, Lollapalooza, Chillipalooza, etc, there has until now not been a wrestling even worthy of joining the great “Palooza” lexicon. Fear no more friends for that time is over as WWE presents Wrestlepalooza from the great state of Indiana and for the first time under a newly struck deal, on ESPN.

ESPN viewers got their first taste of the legally mandatory “Wrestlers Arriving To Work” montage and you’ll be happy to know everyone made it there OK. After that, it was right into match number one!

Hahaha gotcha! No, there was an extensive promo package that played comparing WWE and ESPN over the years, showing wrestling and sports have been intertwined over the years and entertainment is key to both.

After it was over, The Triple One himself, HHH appeared in the ring a said that tonight is the “final form” of sports entertainment (take that how you will). He welcomed everyone in and cued the fireworks.

But the show still wasn’t ready to start yet because a black truck pulled up and Mr Indianapolis, Pat McAffee climbed out and sauntered to the join the announce team to a huge ovation.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

OK, I don’t want to deal with this, you don’t want to deal with this, but they are getting it out of the way early, so lets just hold hands and get through it.

Lesnar is 4-2 when it comes to singles matches against Cena. The last time they met was 2014, and Cena walked away with a DQ victory, but took quite a beating in process. Since we last saw him, Lesnar has been lifting presumably large logs and working on his Canadian accent.  

Cena came to the ring with a hoard of children all dressed like him and I swear at one point Lesnar looked confused as to which one he was. Bold strategy, John. Lesnar stomped around the ring as Cena took a moment to highlight the ever present “let’s go Cena/Cena sucks” chant before Alicia Taylor announced the participants.

She got through Cena just fine, but when it came to Lesnar we suddenly heard “Ladies and Gentlemen…” and who should appear but Paul Heyman, longtime manager and mouthpiece for Lesnar. Heyman did his thing and people were excited about that.

The bell rang and Lesnar jumped Cena, sending him into the corner for some shoulders to the gut. Cena punched his way out of it, but Lesnar sent him to the mat with a clothesline, followed by another. Lesnar whipped Cena into the corner, raising welts all over Cena’s back.

Lesnar hit a British Bulldog style powerslam and then threw Cena out of the ring with a suplex. Cena climbed back in and Lesnar locked in a bear hug. Cena fought out of it, and hoisted him up on his shoulders, but Lesnar got free and hit another clothesline.

Lesnar took Cena back to Suplex City (hopefully in time for Suplexpalooza) and tossed him clear across the ring. Cena got up and shoved Lesnar into the turnbuckle. The then hit a dozen shoulders and two back to back AA’s. Cena hit a third AA and Lesnar kicked out at two.

Cena went for his You Can’t See Me Elbow, but Lesnar intercepted and delivered two F5’s. He landed a third F5, but seemed to be in pain doing so. Lesnar hit him again with an F5, bringing the total to four. He didn’t try to pin him though.

Cena staggered to his feet and Lesnar hit a fifth F5, then a quick sixth. Finally he pinned him and the ref counted 1,2,3 to give Lesnar the victory.

Match Result: Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena

After the match, Lesnar went back into the ring and hit an F5 on the ref, then one more on Cena for good measure. Lesnar then took off his gloves and left. Cena staggered out of the ring and up the ramp to “Thank You, Cena” chants.

Not for nothing, but when Lesnar won the match there was barely a cheer from the crowd and no one in the section behind the ring was standing. I can’t for the life of me figure out what this match accomplished, so I’m just going to move on and enjoy whoever Cena faces next on his retirement tour.

The Usos vs. Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker

Jey Uso and LA Knight were in a tag match against Breakker and Reed that went awry. So, it was announced earlier in the night that LA Knight would be the special guest referee for this clash of tag team heavyweights. The Usos have reunited to avenge Roman Reigns who was injured at the hands of Breakker and Reed.

Once Indianapolis was satisfactorily YEET’ed, the bell rang and Reed and Jey kicked things off with a lockup. Reed came out the better and pounded Jey in the corners. Jey turned the tables with a kick to the ear and tagged in Jimmy. They double superkicked Reed and splashed him in the corner.

Reed fought back though and tagged in Breakker. Breaker isolated Jimmy in the corner and laid in some shoulders before throwing him outside. Breakker distracted ref Knight and Reed went for a chair, but Knight saw it and told him to stop. Jimmy picked it up and Knight “turned away” allowing Jimmy to nail Reed with the chair. That brought Breakker to the outside and Jey hit a splash from the top on all three of them.

Back in the ring, Jimmy and Reed fought in the corner, while Jey and Breakker battled on the outside. Breaker got the best of Jey and pulled the rope down so that Jimmy spilled back to the outside. Breakker took a running leap and hit a shoulder on Jimmy. He tossed him back in the ring and went for a cover. Before he could complete it though, he tagged in Breakker and they double teamed Jimmy.

Back on the outside, Reed tried the chair thing again, this time hitting Jimmy in front of Knight, but for some reason he allowed it. Reed tossed the chair and Jimmy back in the ring, with Uso clutching his left knee.

Reed set up the chair in the ring and after a back and forth, Jimmy went for the hot tag, but Reed got one first and Breakker stormed across the ring to take out both Usos. Reed got Jimmy up on his shoulders and Breakker bulldogged him from the top rope.

Breakker went for a pin and argued with Knight when it was only a two count. Reed tagged in and went for a senton, but Jimmy rolled away. When no one was looking, Jimmy set up the chair in between the ropes and lured Reed into it face first.

Jey reappeared on the apron and Jimmy finally got that hot tag. Breakker ran in and Jey punched him into the corner. He hit a crossbody on Breakker but only got a two count. Jimmy pulled a table from under the ring and sent it in to his brother. They both set it up in the middle of the ring, but Brekker and Reed popped up and took them out.

Reed set up the table in the corner with an assist from Knight, the ref. Jey staggered up and Breakker went for a spear, but Jey caught him in a superkick and Jimmy hit one on Reed. The Usos went for a 1D but Reed broke up the pin at two.

Reed put Jey up on the turnbuckle, but Jey fought him off. Breakker ran up for a frankensteiner and then Reed hit Jey with a moonsault. Jimmy got involved and ate a spear from Breakker. Jey then speared Breakker and went up top for an Uso splash, but Breakker would not go down and kicked out at two.

Knight and Reed began arguing at ringside, allowing Jey to hit a superkick and a dive through the ropes. Knight questioned if he was aiming at him, and Heyman threw a chair to Breakker to try and sneak a shot at Jey. Jey intercepted and went to hit Breakker, but Breakker ducked and Jey almost hit Knight. He then threw the chair at reed.

Breakker hit a spear on Jey coming across the ring, covered in Jey’s blodd. Breakker then speared BOTH Usos through the table in the corner. He set up Jey and Reed went up top for a Tsunami. That did it and Reed got the pin, 1-2-3.

Match Result: Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker defeated Jimmy and Jey Uso

I’ll say, it was a fun match, but there was absolutely no reason for LA Knight to be the referee. It would have been easier just to have a No DQ or tables match. Regardless, it was fun and I mean it when I say that Breakker was covered in Uso’s blood.

WWE Women’s World Championship Match: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer

For those not in the know, Naomi had to vacate the championship a little more than a month into her reign due to becoming pregnant. That set up this match between Vaquer, who was owed a title shot for winning a Battle Royal at WWE Evolution, and IYO SKY, who was next in line to face Naomi. So, the winner of this match is the new Champion.

The two locked up off the top with Vaquer sending Sky to the mat. The two chain wrestled with Vaquer ending up getting Sky in a waist lock. Sky fought out of it and the two ran the ropes ofr a second before flipping in a few pinning combinations, with the crowd cheering the technical showcase.

Vaquer hit a back drop but Sky was able to avoid the Devil’s Kiss. Sky hit a chop block and a dropkick to sent Vaquer to the ropes. Then she stomped her and hoisted her up for a scoop slam. Sky then dropped double knees on Vaquer and rolled her over for a knee lock. Vaquer kicked her way out of it and wrangled Sky into a tarantula around the ropes.

Sky emerged clutching her arm and Vaquer hit a running leg drop. She then hit a big suplex (a Suplex Burrough as opposed to City, if you will) followed by another. She put Sky in a modified surfboard but Sky was able to slide back and turn it into a lock of her own.

After an exchange, Sky hit a stalling backbreaker on Vaquer and both women collapsed. Sky got back to her feet first and hit a missile dropkick from the top turnbuckle. The crowd was into it and Sky hit a suicide dive onto Vaquer on the outside.

They staggered to their feet by the light of the Old Spice signs and Sky tossed Vaquer back into the ring to avoid a countout. Sky tried a sunsetflip pwerbomb, but Vaquer had it scouted and sent Sky off the apron with a double knee. Vaquer dove on her and then threw her back into the ring to hit a springboard crossbody.

Vaquer picked up the speed and snap suplexed Sky. She charged, but Sky caught her and hit a suplex of her own. Vaquer got back up and suplexed Sky in retaliation. The striking began as they traded punches chops and head butts.

Vaquer went back to the suplex well and the crowd was on their feet. Vaquer took too much time to get the Devil’s Kiss in and Sky managed to knock her down and lock in a crossface. Vaquer flipped out of it and right into a knee from Sky.

Sky went up top, but Vaquer caught her in a dragon screw, yanking Sky’s leg through the ropes. Sky recovered and kicked Vaquer square in the temple. Sky started punching her leg to keep going and pulled Sky into position for an Over the Moonsault. Vaquer got her knees up though and Sky bounced across the ring. Vaquer set her up and hit a second dragon screw.

Vaquer dragged Sky to the center of the ring and locked in the Devil’s Kiss, pounding Sky’s head against the canvas. She hit her signature bomb and went for a pin, but Sky kicked out at two.

Vaquer went up top, but Sky went after her and they battled on the top turnbuckle. Sky set up Vaquer and hit a Spanish Fly, but seemed to knock her own knee in the process. Sky went for the pin, but Vaquer kicked out at two.

Digging deep, Sky exposed her knee for a Bullet Train attack in the corner. She then hit a running knee right to Vaquer’s head and dragged her in position for an Over The Moonsault. Sky leapt, but Vaquer rolled out of the way. Vaquer went up top and hit a spiral moonsault. She landed it and pinned Sky for the three count to become the new WWE Women’s World Champion.

Match Result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated IYO SKY

The crowd was hotter for this match than they have been for anything else tonight. These two put on a hell of a show and Vaquer really earned the Championship here.

-For reasons unknown, Pat McAffee signed off after the Vaquer/Sky match, so Cole and Barrett carried on from here.

Mixed Tag Team Match: CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch

Rollins and Punk have been trying to kill each other for years, but they’ve never gotten their wives involved until now. The exciting part is of course the return of Punk’s wife AJ Lee who hasn’t been in WWE in over a decade. Punk and AJ are 2-0 in mixed tag matches, while Lynch and Rollins went 3-0 in 2019. So, someone’s streak is coming to an end, presuming there’s a winner in this match.

The Rollins Family Entrance for this match began on a platform raised about 40 feet in the air. It lowered into a circle of fireworks and they stomped off of it in matching suits with GIGANTIC shoulders and lapels. It was, by definition, very extra.

Punk arrived in an amazing “AJ’s Husband” jacket and announced that it was clobberin’ time. Lee arrived next to a massive ovation and then walked/skipped down to the ring (I’ll let you guess who skipped and who walked. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised).

Lee wanted to start the match, but Lynch waved her off and Punk and Rollins faced off. Then, Lynch decided she wanted in and started shoving punk. The crowd chanted for a GTS, but instead they got an AJ Lee who tagged in and the match actually started.

Lynch bailed from the ring and Lee chased her until she popped back in and tagged Rollins. Rollins and Lynch started making out so CM Punk hit them both with a suicide dive. He then threw Rollins into the barricades and leapt off them, fighting him in the crowd.

Rollins ran back ro the ring and Punk went for a head lock. Rollins sent him into the corner and Lynch reached over and choked him behind the ref’s back. Punk shook it off and returned the favour, driving Rollins into the corner for Lee to mess with him out of the ref’s sight.

Punk grabbed Rollins for an atomic drop followed by a big chop. He landed an axe handle on Rollins’ head and went up top for a shot from the top rope. Rollins crumpled and Punk tried it again, but Rollins kicked him instead. Punk bounced off the ropes and caught a kick from Lynch. Rollins stomped him until he rolled out of the ring where Lynch sent him into the steps.

Lee ran around to help, but Rollins got in her way. Rollins grabbed Punk and laid him out on the announce table, punching him. He then tossed him back into the ring and hit an axe handle from the top rope. Punk tried to stand, but Rollins stomped his hand and delivered some chops before kicking him in the face.

Rollins went over and kissed Lynch (which apparently didn’t count as a tag) and then threw Punk onto the ropes for a big knee to the back of the head. Punk reached for Lee, but Rollins wouldn’t let it happen. Punk threw punches, but Rollins held him back.

Lee bounced on the ropes as Rollins whipped Punk back into the corner. Punk tried to crawl to the tag, but Rollins intercepted and tried for a suplex. Punk blocked it and tried for one of his own that Rollins blocked. They went back and forth until Punk executed a suplex and crawled over to get the tag. Rollins cut him off again though.

Punk fought hard against Rollins, pushing him closer and closer to finally get the hot tag, but the ref didn’t see it. She put Lee back in her corner allowing Rollins and Lynch to double team Punk. Rollins lifted Lynch up to throw her at Punk, but Punk rolled out and Rollins dropped her right on the mat.

Rollins charged Punk who sent him out and just before he could get the tag, Lynch pulled Lee off the apron. In the ring, Rollins hit a Falcon Arrow, but Punk kicked out at two. Rollins then skipped around thr ring, mocking Lee. He rolled out of the ring and skipped around her before climbing back in.

The mocking might have gone on too long though as Punk scooped him up and hit a GTS, knocking Rollins cold. Punk went to tag Lee, but Lynch grabbed his foot trying to prevent it. Punk blew her a kiss and made the tag anyway.

Lee entered the ring with a Thez press and rained down shots on Lynch. She threw Lynch to the corner and stomped her, then delivering a splash in the corner. Lee climbed the turnbuckles and punched Lynch exactly 10 times before laying Lynch out with a spin kick.

Lee went up top for a crossbody and got a two count, with Lynch just kicking out. Lee pulled Lynch up to her feet and the two traded slaps. Rollins rolled back in and pulled Lee off of Lynch. Lee then punched him in the face about it and then hit a DDT on Lynch. Rollins grabbed her, but Punk arrived and hit a sliced bread with is own wife.

Lynch and Rollins were dazed in each corner and Lee and Punk hit duelling bulldogs and shining wizards. Lee tried for a black widow submission, but Lynch thew her off. Lee tried it again and managed to lock it on. Rollins tried to save his wife, but Punk grabbed him and locked in a sharpshooter. Rollins kicked his way out of it though and Lee put a Black Widow on Seth. Lynch broke it up and she and Rollins hit a double Pedigree on Punk and Lee.

Rollins and Lynch made motions like they were going to hit duelling GTS’s, but Punk sent Rollins to the outside. Lee took advantage and hit Lynch with a Bexploder. Rollins grabbed her ankle and dropped Lee in the ring. Punk then hit a curbstomp on Rollins and Lynch began hitting Punk.

Punk caught her foot through when she went for a kick and looked to put her in a sharpshooter. Rollins interfered, and Lynch put the sharpshooter on Punk! Punk powered out of it and reversed it. Rollins then broke it up with a Pedigree and curb stomp.

Rollins went for the pin, but Lee broke it up. Lynch grabbed her and hit a Manhandle slam, but Lee kicked out at two.

Lynch got to her feet first and threw a few shots at Lee. Lee hit a few of her own until Rollins and Punk pulled them apart so they had room to brawl. Lee and Lynch then pulled them apart and started a brawl of their own. Then everyone brawled.

Lee and Punk sent Rollins and Lynch out of the ring and Punk flipped Rollins over the announce table. Lee took the monitors off the Spanish Announce Table and Punk began to clear Cole and Barrett’s table. They grabbed Lynch and Rollins and put them on the tables.

Rollins and Lynch woke up and reversed it though, with Lynch sending Lee into Punk and Rollins, collapsing their table. Lynch grabbed Lee and threw her back into the ring. Lynch went for a Manhandle, but Lee locked in a Black Widow, forcing Lynch to tap out.

Match Result: CM Punk & AJ Lee defeated Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch

That was a ton of fun. Lynch and Rollins are some of the best characters in WWE right now and Punk and Lee made her return a really good one. It was a great match that ticked all the boxes without making them feel like a list. Great work by all four.

We were all set for the Main Event when suddenly we were interrupted by the Undertaker’s dong. The American Badass rolled down to the ring on his motorcycle and hopped into the ring while Stephanie McMahon clapped at ringside.

Undertaker grabbed a mic and asked her if he could sit next to her in the crowd. They sat down and discussed what they did last weekend. They had a pleasant conversation and then Undertaker asked her “… are you ready?” He then announced that Stephanie would be be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2026. They hugged as the crowd cheered.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes wears big coats. Drew McIntyre occasionally wears a big coat. That has nothing to do with this match, but they are some nice coats. Anyway, McIntyre put Rhodes out of action for a month via Claymore to the face, so there’s some animosity there. Rhodes issued this challenge to settle the face-kicking thing once and for all, here in the Main Event of the only palooza that matters, Wrestlepalooza.

McIntyre started off the match by approaching Rhodes and opening his arms as if asking for a hug. Rhodes didn’t go for it though and the two started to fight with McIntyre sending Rhodes into the ropes and landing a headlock.

They traded blows with Rhodes landing a bionic elbow and bringing McIntyre to his knees. Rhodes went for a Cody Cutter, but stalled and seemed to fall over, indicating that maybe he isn’t at 100%. He put a waist lock on McIntyre to fought out of it and armdragged Rhodes. Rhodes hit a disaster kick and sent McIntyre out of the ring.

Rhodes went for a suicide dive but McIntyre caught him and sent him into the ring post before throwing Rhodes over the announce table. He put Rhodes back in the ring and he stumbled again, allowing McIntyre to get a couple of belly-to-belly throws in.

McIntyre charged and Rhodes moved, sending him into the ring post. McIntyre lured Rhodes out of the ring and hit an Alabama Slam onto the steel steps. He thew Rhodes back into the ring, but could only get a two count.

Rhodes covered up as McIntyre stomped and punched him. McIntyre went up to the top turnbuckle, but Rhodes followed and landed a superplex. Both slowly got to their feet and started trading punches. Rhodes landed a powerslam and then a disaster kick. He landed a Cody Cutter but looked dazed in between.

He set up McIntyre for a Crossrhodes, but McIntrye got a way and delivered a Glasgow kiss. He then grabbed Rhodes on the top turnbuckle and hit a while noise for a two count. He tried for a Claymore, but Rhodes caught him and stacked him up for a two count.

Rhodes then wrapped McIntyre up in a figure four, but he was able to throw him off. While the ref checked on Rhodes, McIntyre pulled the turnbuckle pad off. McIntyre stacked up Rhodes, but the ref was out of position and couldn’t count the three in time. Rhodes took advantage of the situation and hit a Crossrhodes. McIntyre kicked out at two. McIntyre then landed a Claymore kick, but Rhodes wouldn’t go down and kicked out at two.

On the outside, McIntyre set Rhodes up against the announce table for a big boot. The ref tried to stop McIntyre, but he went for it and Rhodes rolled out of the way. McIntyre kicked through the Announce table, screaming with pain. He went back in and hit a Glasgow kiss. Mcintyre tried for a Claymore, but his leg buckled, allowing Rhodes to hit a super cutter.

Rhodes hit a picture perfect Crossrhodes and pinned McIntyre 1,2,3 to get the victory and retain the title.

Match Result: Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre

Pretty good main event! I liked Cody selling the potential head injury and McIntyre is very good and playing a villain. The stuff with the Ref might come back to haunt Rhodes, but for the most part, lots of fun and a good night of wrestling!

Seth Rollins opens up about ‘fantastic’ WWE partnership with Becky Lynch

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Seth Rollins believes he and Becky Lynch complement each other well in their “fantastic” WWE partnership.

After previously working together as babyfaces in 2019, the husband-and-wife duo of Rollins and Lynch are now back aligned on-screen as heels. They’ll be teaming together in one of the top matches at WWE Wrestlepalooza this Saturday, where they are set to take on CM Punk and the returning AJ Lee in a mixed tag bout.

Rollins was a guest on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike this week and opened up about what’s been like to work alongside his wife.

“I think what it boils down to for me is: iron sharpens iron. You know, we met through this industry. We met in 2015 or something like that, 2014, became friends, both started to kind of rise up at the same time, found each other romantically,” Rollins said. “And then we’ve been able to really use each other as a resource. And to get out there and perform with her, the way she preps is different than how I prep, and the way she performs and interacts is different. So we get to learn from each other, we get to bounce stuff off of each other.

“And another thing is: we understand the grind. We understand what it takes on the other side of it. So there’s no pressure. It’s like — the ease with which we’re able to communicate, I think makes the partnership on-screen fantastic, obviously off-screen makes life super easy and fun.”

Rollins praised Lynch as someone who has transcended the industry and taken women’s wrestling to new heights.

“She is actually the greatest of all time. This is the first woman to main event WrestleMania. That’s our Super Bowl,” he said. “She’s a mother, she’s an athlete, she’s an entertainer, she does everything. And she has transcended our industry and taken female wrestling to heights no one ever could have dreamed of.”

Rollins and Lynch have been married since 2021 and have one child together: a four-year-old daughter named Roux.

Both Rollins and Lynch are champions right now, respectively holding the World Heavyweight Championship and Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Wrestlepalooza is taking place in Indianapolis on Saturday. With a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern, the PLE will stream live on ESPN’s new streaming service in the United States and on Netflix internationally.

WWE Raw live results: Wrestlepalooza go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: September 15, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA 

The Big Takeaway —

Wrestlepalooza is Saturday. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Penta (wearing his mask but no makeup underneath), Stephanie Vaquer, El Grande Americano, and Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were shown arriving. (It’s a little weird that they show Penta without his face paint for the sake of this gimmick of showing people arriving at the arena.) 

There was a recap of Jey Uso spearing LA Knight as Raw concluded last week. 

Back to the live show, Knight shoved Jey Uso as he arrived with Jimmy Uso. Adam Pearce and some officials quickly broke it up, and he demanded they see him in his office or their paychecks would be missing zeros. 

Despite some stars actively on the screen, the crowd was already chanting for John Cena, who is scheduled to open the show. 

Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves are tonight’s announcers.

John Cena kicks off Raw

Cena was happy to be back on Raw and in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cena informed the younger fans in the crowd that he played football up the street at Springfield College. He told the older fans he was an offensive lineman, which is why they probably didn’t know this. 

Being an OL meant you never got your name in the paper, you got your ass kicked, and you showed up the next day prepared to get your ass kicked again. Springfield College prepared him for life in WWE. 

Cena said he had friends and family in the building tonight, and he wished his niece a happy birthday because she couldn’t be here tonight. He acknowledged that there was no stage because the arena was packed. 

He enjoyed these moments with the fans and wanted to while he could, because he had a tall hill to climb. His intro called him the last real champion, but Brock Lesnar wanted to end the last real champion. 

He called Lesnar intimidating, “controversial,” and nearly invisible. Fans chanted, “F—k you, Lesnar.” 

Cena said Lesnar returned to WWE once again and again targeted him. Cena could have used his influence to turn down a match with Lesnar. Saying ‘no’ was safe, especially with only six appearances left. The crowd chanted, “Whoop his ass,” and “Thank you, Cena.”

As the fans chanted, Cena said they were the reason he said ‘yes’. He was the last real champion. He didn’t fight his battles backstage, he fought them in the ring. Being the last real champion wasn’t about holding a belt or fighting in the main event. The last real champion didn’t take their ball and go home. They fought with hustle, loyalty and respect. 

Cena admitted he was afraid of Lesnar and could fail—but he would never back down. We would take the fight to the beast because that’s what we did. On the history-making Wrestlepalooza on ESPN, it would be the final showdown between two generational titans. 

Cena didn’t care how many suplexes Lesnar had in Suplex City. He has taken Lesnar’s best shot for 20 years. His jorts were stronger than Lesnar’s jeans. On Saturday, Cena was ready for war. 

*********

Pearce met with Jey and Knight. After some arguing, Pearce agreed to Knight’s request to fight the Brons tonight, but said he needed to pick a partner. Knight looked Jey in the eye and said his partner would be Jimmy. Jey didn’t like that, but there was nothing he could do. 

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez)

Rodriguez tripped Valkyria from outside the ring, so the referee tossed her from ringside. Perez applied a cradle, but the referee missed it because she was still arguing with Rodriguez. After she left, Perez yanked Valkyria off the top turnbuckle to take control. 

(The match started as soon as they returned from a break, so they were actually able to wrestle for about four minutes instead of the usual 90 seconds before going to break.) 

There were chants for both women during the break. Perez cut off Valkyria’s comeback and hit a double knee drop for two. Perez applied a crossface, but Valkyria powered to her feet and hit Nightwing for the pinfall win. 

— Rodriguez attacked Valkyria from behind after the match, and Perez gave her a Pop Rox. Bayley ran out to make the save. She wiped out Rodriguez and gave Perez a Bayley-to-belly. 

The crowd was happy to see Bayley, who was full babyface—at least at first. She suddenly had a stern demeanour as she stared at Valkyria, but she snapped out of it and turned into hugger Bayley. She smiled and excitedly hugged Tessitore, Graves, Alicia Taylor, and a bunch of fans. (So, Bayley will indeed be doing a split-personality gimmick.) 

Valkyria was nonplussed. 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez (9:06)

This match was just there to get Valkyria a win after losing to Rodriguez last week and set up Bayley’s return. 

********

Pearce met with Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer backstage. He made their world title match official for Wrestlepalooza. They wished each other luck. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane barged in. Asuka got in Vaquer’s face and told her she wasn’t ready for Sky. Vaquer told her to get out of her face, so Asuka told Vaquer she would face Sane tonight. Sane was surprised to hear this, but she was ready. Pearce made it official. Asuka giggled as she left, before calling for Sane to join her. (Asuka is so good in this role.) 

******** 

Knight met with Jimmy Uso. Jimmy didn’t think it was a good idea for them to team up. Knight said he could trust Jimmy after he helped him last week. Jimmy said Knight put him in a tough spot and politely declined being his partner. Knight left. 

********

They’ve removed the commercial break countdown timer, at least for this week. I wasn’t sure if they were in a commercial break or not, but I realized they were because New Day cut a promo. 

Xavier Woods and Grayson Waller wanted the Mexican Destroyer banned. Kofi Kingston said his home state should be cheering him, but he understood because his part of the state had much more money than this piss-hole city. Kingston called Pearce a tyrant and told the fans they should thank God for him. 

Penta vs. Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods & Grayson Waller)

Kingston took control thanks to a distraction about a minute into the match, and they went to break. Kingston cut off Penta’s comeback attempt after the break with an SOS. They traded strikes until Penta hit an enziguri. (Woods made cracks to the fans about Shelbyville because they were in Springfield.)

Penta set up for the Canadian Destroyer, but Woods distracted the referee. Penta superkicked Waller before he could interfere and chased Woods off the apron. Penta then hit Kingston with a springboard Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Penta defeated Kofi Kingston (7:30) 

This was an ordinary match until the finish, which looked awesome. Penta gets his win back over Kingston, who beat him three weeks ago. 

This was the second straight match with a distraction, and this is now seven straight going back to last week. 

********

Jimmy approached Jey as Jey was leaving a voicemail for someone on the phone. Jey didn’t tell him who it was. They had a disagreement after Jey told Jimmy he had to turn down Knight tonight. Jimmy said he already turned down Knight, but he also didn’t like the way Jey was bossing him around as if he had the Ula Fala around his neck. Jimmy stormed off. 

After a break, Jimmy told Knight he would be his partner tonight. Knight was glad to hear it. 

There was a clip of Jey Uso throwing out the first pitch at yesterday’s Boston Red Sox game. 

******** 

AJ Lee & CM Punk go face-to-face with Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins 

Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch entered first (Rollins’ music played first, followed by Lynch’s). Rollins took his time introducing himself and Lynch. Rollins introduced her the way he introduces himself, including calling her “Becky freakin’ Lynch.” 

AJ Lee and CM Punk entered to Lee’s music. Punk introduced himself as Lee’s husband. He didn’t plan on wasting time (like Rollins) with a long-winded introduction explaining who she was. (The fans chanted for Punk at first, so he made sure to feed them a line to get them to chant for Lee as well.) 

Punk referred to Lynch and Rollins as goofs (based on their matching leather outfits) and said they must share the same closet. They also came out to two annoying songs, but Punk gladly put Cult of Personality on the shelf so they could enter to Lee’s Let’s Light it Up (patting himself on the back). 

Rollins actually wanted to give Punk some credit because Lee was the best decision he ever made—in his personal life. (After some “Shut the f—k up” chants, the crowd chanted, “No one likes you.”) However, inserting Lee into this was something he would regret for the rest of his days. 

Lee said the regret would be Rollins’. She wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t used his wife as a human shield. 

Lynch said nobody expected Lee to come back, and she couldn’t believe how irresponsible Punk was. She said Punk only cared about three things: himself, Rollins’ title, and AJ. 

Lynch read Lee’s book and said she might have healed mentally, but she wondered how she felt physically. Lynch asked how her neck was doing and asked how Punk would feel when she pummeled Lee’s face in. Lynch called Lee a liability, not an asset. 

Lee thanked Lynch for reading her book and said she didn’t read Lynch’s. (The crowd sang Lee’s name.) Lee admitted she didn’t know how her neck would hold up on Saturday. Lee also said she won two titles on that same neck. (Lee made a comment about Lynch looking constipated, so the fans chanted for that, too.) 

She didn’t know what she was going to do on Saturday. She’s been known to make rash decisions. She was a Puerto Rican girl from New Jersey—sometimes you had to shank a chick. Rollins liked to have a plan, but Lee warned them that they can’t plan for what they can’t predict. 

Rollins laughed at the idea that he couldn’t handle Lee. He called her a little girl. He may not be able to predict her, but he could read Punk like a book. Rollins warned Lee that Punk had a habit of leaving things when he was let down. Lee better hope to God that Punk doesn’t leave her, too. 

Lee slapped Rollins. Rollins said he wouldn’t put his hands on a lady, but knew someone who would. Lynch was not on board with this right now, so they argued. Punk and Lee looked on, amused. Lynch and Rollins argued until Lynch stormed off. 

It was all part of the plan, of course, and Punk fell for it. Punk went after Rollins, who escaped the ring. That left Lee alone, so Lynch caught her from behind and hit a Man-handle Slam. 

Punk tended to Lee as he stared down Lynch. Lynch slapped him and left with Rollins. The heels held their belts up high as Punk checked on Lee. 

********

There was a recap of Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega Championship. Byron Saxton interviewed Dom and asked him about El Grande Americano. Dom responded, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” and called himself the Mega Intercontinental Champion. 

The interview was cut short by a nearby commotion. New Day laid out Penta, and the War Raiders chased them off. 

El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) vs. Dragon Lee

There was a cool sequence early on where Dragon Lee used a leaping hurricanrana over the top rope to send El Grande Americano off the apron. Dragon Lee followed with a flip dive, sending both men into the announce table. 

Americano took over during a break. (He tied Dragon Lee’s mask to the rope during the break, which Kingston also did to Penta during the earlier match.) Lee hit Liger Bomb for two and a double foot stomp off the top rope for two. 

The distraction/interference streak continued because a mystery masked man attacked Lee. Americano hit a leaping blockbuster for a nearfall. 

AJ Styles marched out to even the odds. The masked man (Pete Dunne) tried to hide under the ring, but Tessitore pointed him out. Styles chucked him over the barricade. 

Styles stood by the timekeeper’s area but was attacked by a third masked person. The third person distracted the referee while masked Dunne shoved Dragon Lee off the top rope. Kaiser applied a deep submission, and Lee tapped out. 

— The three masked men did the Spider-Man meme pose outside the ring. 

Match result: El Grande Americano defeated Dragon Lee (10:12) 

Three matches on Raw, three distractions. That’s eight straight going back to last week. 

********

Valkyria approached Bayley’s locker room door but stopped upon hearing an argument. Bayley’s personalities were arguing with each other until there was a loud bang against the door. Valkyria hesitantly entered the room, and Bayley sat calmly on a sofa. Bayley told her off for entering without knocking and called her an idiot. Bayley stormed off. 

********

Rhea Ripley (who got a huge pop) approached Vaquer to wish her luck and tell her that she’d be ready for the winner. 

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kairi Sane (w/Asuka)

The crowd was relatively quiet until Vaquer set up for Devil’s Kiss, but Sane countered it into a roll up for two. Sane followed with a DDT and went to the top, but Vaquer followed her there. A battle on the ropes led to Sane hitting a double foot stomp (the same one we saw in the last match) for two. Sane hit consecutive spinning back fists, but Vaquer came back with a headbutt and a dragon screw. 

Sane rolled outside the ring into the arms of Asuka, so Vaquer wiped them out with a dive off the top. Back in the ring, Vaquer hit Sane with Devil’s Kiss and SVB for a nice, clean pinfall win.

— Asuka hit the apron and got in Vaquer’s face, but Sky ran out to get between them before anything could happen. Sky settled Asuka down until she left. 

Sky and Vaquer faced off and shook hands ahead of their title match on Saturday. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Kairi Sane (11:57)

******** 

There was a video package for Breakker and Reed. 

A red-hot Asuka confronted Sky as Sane tried holding her back. Asuka wanted to ensure Sky became champion, but Sky wanted to do it on her own. Asuka continued screaming in Japanese. She seemed to agree to Sky’s request, but she was pissed. 

******* 

The announcers ran down the Wrestlepalooza card and let us know how we can watch. 

  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar 
  • CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. World Champion Seth Rollins & Women’s IC Champion Becky Lynch (mixed tag match) 
  • IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer for the vacant Women’s World Championship 
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship 
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed 

******** 

The Judgment Day met backstage. They toasted champagne to congratulate Dom on his title win. (Finn Bálor’s glass was all head, poured poorly by JD McDonagh. Bálor didn’t seem to appreciate that.) 

Bálor was still unhappy with Dom about the El Grande Americano situation. He fired up at Dom until McDonagh calmed him down. McDonagh asked Dom what Americano wanted from him. 

Dom didn’t think it was a big deal that Americano would simply want the respect of the greatest Mysterio ever. Bálor told him that he shouldn’t expect their help next time. Bálor and McDonagh left together. 

Rusev approached Dom. Rusev got in his face and told him he was the next IC champion. Rusev smiled and told him to enjoy his party. 

********

LA Knight & Jimmy Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed 

Knight and Jimmy worked well together early on and had control until Reed headbutting Jimmy gave the heels control during a break. The crowd chanted for Jimmy, who was cut down by a Breakker suplex. Jimmy avoided Reed’s senton and made the hot tag to Knight. 

Knight gave Breakker a neckbreaker, but turning his attention to Reed allowed Breakker to cut him off with a knee strike. Reed tagged in, but Knight avoided a Jagged Edge (DVD) and hit a reverse DDT and elbow drop. Jimmy tagged himself in and hit an Uso splash, but Breakker broke up the cover. 

Knight clotheslined Breakker out of the ring, and Jimmy hit Reed with a suicide dive. Jimmy went for another, but Reed caught him with a forearm. Knight attacked Reed and sent him back into the ring. Jimmy hit Reed with a superkick and spear. As Jimmy went to the top, Breakker ran over Knight with a leaping shoulder tackle. 

Breakker went after Jimmy, but Jimmy kicked him off the apron. The distraction allowed Reed to hit Jimmy with Jagged Edge for the pinfall win. 

— Breakker speared Jimmy after the match, so Jey ran out to make the save. Jey attacked both Brons with a chair as the fans Yeeted. 

The crowd gasped as Knight grabbed a steel chair with Jey’s back turned. Jey turned around and went face-to-face with Knight. Knight dropped the chair, and Jey offered a handshake. 

Knight shook his hand—then dropped him with a BFT (as payback for last week). 

Match result: Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker defeated Jimmy Uso & LA Knight (12:02)

Two new matches added to WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two more Wrestlepalooza matches are now official.

The opening to Monday’s Raw saw the reunited Usos come out and confront Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. After the two teams exchanged words, the Usos demanded a match for Monday’s show. Bron & Bronson balked, instead saying they’d have the match on September 20.

LA Knight then came out and attacked both members of the Vision. However there was miscommunication between Knight and Jey Uso that led to Jey being taken out. That resulted in a show-long storyline where Jimmy tried to persuade Jey to have LA Knight’s back for his match against Bronson Reed in the main event. Jimmy and Jey did help LA Knight after his loss but this time it was Jey that took out LA Knight with a spear, clearly indicating there was still tension between the two.

Another match confirmed for Wrestlepalooza is CM Punk and AJ Lee teaming up to take on Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. After cutting her first promo on Raw in over 10 years, Lee was confronted by Lynch who wanted her Intercontinental title back. After Rollins came out to also demand the return of the title, Lee proposed the mixed tag team match. The two wanted nothing of it at first but eventually agreed after CM Punk came out and attempted to lay out Rollins with a GTS.

The updated card for Wrestlepalooza:

WWE Wrestlepalooza (September 20)

  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
  • Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
  • CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch
  • Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker vs. The Usos

Big spoiler reported for tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Josh Nason

The following contains spoilers for tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Chicago.

The rumors of former WWE women’s star AJ Lee returning to join husband CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch appear to be more than just rumors based on new intel from PWInsider.

The outlet reported Friday that Lynch is set to close tonight’s SmackDown. That comes after Punk’s name was removed from the official preview for the show earlier in the day.

Punk and Lee famously reside in the Windy City with Punk throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field Friday for his beloved Cubs.

Lynch helped cost Punk his shot at regaining the WWE World Heavyweight title at Clash in Paris, aligning with Rollins in The Vision. She then confronted and slapped Punk repeatedly on this past Monday’s Raw — the same show where Lee’s return was teased. During the aforementioned match, Rollins made a point to yell “I hate your family!” to Punk.

It’s expected that Punk and Lee will face Rollins and Lynch at this month’s Wrestlepalooza PLE that kicks off the ESPN era for WWE.

Lee hasn’t wrestled since March 2015 and had retired that same year. In a September 2021 interview, Punk said his wife would not return to the ring.

It is shaping up to be a big edition of the show with John Cena schedule, a rumored appearance by Brock Lesnar, and the potential for Lee’s return. Triple H himself tweeted earlier in the day that the Allstate Arena “is magic…let’s make some more tonight.”

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.