Slammin’ Sports Media

This past Saturday WWE held its first PLE under ESPN, Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis, IN. The card featured the return of Brock Lesnar versus John Cena, the Usos versus the Vision, Iyo Sky versus Stephanie Vaquer for the vacant Women’s World Title, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch teaming against CM Punk and the returning AJ Lee, and for the main event Drew McIntyre versus Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title. Now that the dust has settled did this PLE live up to the hype. I will share my perspective as an attendee of this event.

The night started with a nice WWE video package which led to Triple in the ring to hype the crowd, which is typical for big events. Next they played to the home crowd by introducing Pacers guard Tyrese Halliburton and the returning Pat Mcafee. It gave a nice pop from the crowd, and even though I can be critical of McAfee’s commentary it was good to see he and Cole reunite.

First match of the night was Lesnar versus Cena. The atmosphere was electric for this one with a mixed reaction for Lesnar and of course Cena being a crowd favorite, accompanied by a bunch of mini Cena look a-likes. Much the match was dominated by Lesnar with Cena making a slight come back before getting hit with a barrage of F5s. After Lesnar attacked the ref and hit Cena with a parting F5, Brock Lesnar was victorious, and that has been getting a mixed reaction from fans. I like the move especially if we can get a rematch for Cena to redeem himself, but with only 5 dates remaining I can understand the pushback from fans.

The next match featured the Usos versus Bronson Reed and Bron Breaker of the Vision. During the pre-show LA Knight was appointed the Special Guest Referee. That gave the match a fun twist with the loosely followed rules by Knight. This match had a lot of back and forth action with an array of different weapons used. This match ended when Jey Uso accidentally busted himself open and Breaker speared both Usos through a table, then a Tsunami from Reed for the 3 count. This was a fun match that furthered the story between the Usos and the Vision as well as the rising tension between Jey and Knight.

The next match of the night was the Women’s World Title bout between Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer. This was arguably the best match of the night. The action was back and forth with lots of high flying moves. This was a very well executed match and helped continue to elevate Vaquer as well as solidify Sky as the best woman wrestler in the company. The match ended with a greatly executed corkscrew moonsault by Vaquer for the win. I believe this was the right call the continue building the Raw women’s division with Vaquer. She’s a fresh face with a high upside to take the reins of the division.

Next was probably the most anticipated match of the night the mixed tag match Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch versus CM Punk and AJ Lee. Most of the match Rollins and Lynch used every Heel tactic imaginable to keep Punk from tagging Lee into the match. Once Lee got the hot tag the arena exploded and we were able to get some balance in the match. There was even minimal physicality between the men and women in the match. This was another fun match that ended with Punk and Rollins crashing into the announcers table and Lee tapping out Lynch with her the Widow’s Peak. This match was another contender for match of the night and possibly the best mixed tag I’ve seen. The storytelling was strong and this match was not short on action. AJ Lee definitely impressed her return to the ring after a 10 year absence and I am eager to see where WWE will take her character moving forward.

The main event of the night was WWE Champion Cody Rhodes facing Drew McIntyre in a grudge match. The match was mostly dominated by McIntyre in the early going with him teasing another Claymore to the bottom of the announcers table throughout. Once McIntyre went for the kill the ref got in his way long enough for Rhodes to dodge the attack. This evened the odds and ultimately cost Drew the match. As he went for another Claymore in the ring his knee buckled and Cody hit the Cross Rhodes for the win. This match didn’t lack, but it also wasn’t the greatest. I have seen better matches from both superstars, but I also believe if they run this back with a better build up we can get a better match from them.

Overall this was a solid start to the ESPN era in WWE. They left more to be desired, but at the same time gave a spectacle only WWE can provide. Being in the arena gave me a different feeling because the crowd was hot and it was good action from start to finish. From a fan standpoint seeing Brock Lesnar and AJ Lee return to the ring added to the aura of this event. Even though I understand the discourse of the fans I believe it’s them nitpicking the ESPN price point and the results of the matches. I give this event a solid B and a good start to a great opportunity for WWE.