WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 is the first event to air on ESPN, and it already has some blockbuster matches booked for September 20, 2025. The most featured matches include a WWE Title match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, a nostalgic farewell tour match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar, and a power couple mixed tag match between CM Punk and AJ Lee and Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The world would be sunshine and rainbows if WWE were merely loading this card to please the WWE fans, but the reality is that they are competing with AEW All Out on the same night.
The ESPN Deal has struck a nerve in the IWC, not only because of the foreseeable monopolization by the WWE in every sense of the word, but also because it now costs $30 to watch this PLE, as opposed to the regular $10 that fans were required to spend in the prior Peacock deal. Nonetheless, as a business, WWE won't flinch at this one bit because their financial stability is on cloud nine, while their adversaries have ratings that are tanking as low as the benthic zone in the Atlantic Ocean. Without further ado, here are the full match card predictions for WWE WrestlePalooza 2025.
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre [WWE Championship]
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre have a lot of history in the WWE. They were tag champs once upon a time, and they now cross paths once again as top players in the main event scene. It is incredible to see how much these two have evolved over the years, and it's an understatement to say that their match will be an absolute banger. However, there is no storyline to elaborate on here. McIntyre took Rhodes out of commission with a Claymore through the announce table weeks ago, and Rhodes is back to get his revenge and retain the title he recently won from John Cena at SummerSlam. It's that simple.
It would be utterly asinine for WWE to have Rhodes drop the title this early in his second World Title Reign. Now that Cena officially passed the torch to Rhodes as the next face of the WWE, he must walk into WrestleMania 42 as the champion in April to solidify that notion. Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre can target a consolation prize in Sami Zayn's U.S. Title, which has eluded his career for far too long. Although McIntyre has done some compelling work in 2024 with CM Punk, his work in 2025 pales in comparison to that and has led to a lack of consistent momentum for a world title run right now.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer [World Women's Title]
When Naomi vacated the World Title, it was a bittersweet moment. While the fans were elated to celebrate her pregnancy and "Baby Uce," they were sad that her title reign had to end so abruptly, especially since it just began this summer. The transformation of her character from "feel the glow" to "proceed with caution" has been profound and she was truly at the peak of her career, so the fans will undoubtedly anticipate her return. Due to this emergency, WWE had to book the former champ, Iyo Sky, and the Evolution Battle Royal Winner, Stephanie Vaquer, to battle for the vacant world title.
Since Sky already had the title this year and recently dropped it to Naomi, it would be backwards booking to put the title back on her, especially since she is involved in a tag storyline with Rhea Ripley and Kabuki Warriors, who will screw Iyo in this match to add heat to their feud. As for Stephanie Vaquer, WWE has not booked her consistently and it is too early for her to win the World Title so soon after being called up from NXT. However, since this is an emergency situation, she can test herself as a transitional champ in the fall with some fresh matchups until the road to Mania kicks into high gear.
Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer
Usos vs. The Vision [Tag Match]
It would make sense for the Usos to win their first match back together. However, Jey already defeated The Brons with Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, so the Vision needs their lick back to continue solidifying their faction. Also, Jey Uso has already stirred some beef with LA Knight, who will likely screw Usos in this match after getting unceremoniously speared by Jey on Raw. After listening to some advice from Roman Reigns, Jey Uso has been laser focused on winning back the World Title and will selfishly not care about this tag match, which will lead him to leaving his brother high and dry.
Jey Uso being preoccupied with his own self-interests as well as his beef with LA Knight will allow Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed to capitalize and devour Jimmy Uso like chopped meat to the point that they take him out of commission so that he can go on paternity leave to help Naomi. This will anger Jey Uso even more and give him a wake up call because The Vision will have taken out two members of his family in Roman and Jimmy this month. Jey will have no choice but to coexist with LA Knight, who will be the only one stretching his neck out to help him fend off the wrath of The Vision.
Prediction: The Vision
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar [Personal Rivalry]
After John Cena lost the WWE Title to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam, he was attacked by Brock Lesnar in what was the second biggest surprise return in WWE this summer. Granted, there is a nostalgic feel to this match, as these two feuded heavily in the years 2012-2014. However, this farewell tour has been a bust because it has been exceedingly focused on past rivalries in John Cena's career rather than rivalries that could have elevated the future. Matches with superstars like Bron Breakker, Gunther, Carmelo Hayes, and even Ron Cena would have been more worthwhile.
Furthermore, there is no storyline for the fans to sink their teeth into here. All of the key rationalized elements pertaining to why this match matters seem to be a big Scooby Doo mystery. If the WWE creative team has enough Scooby Snacks in their jar, they could save this by having The Rock return to cost Cena the match and reveal that he vengefully summoned the beast to attack Cena after Cena aligned himself back with the fans and betrayed their villainous pact at Elimination Chamber, where he sold his soul to The Rock. With that being said, Brock is definitely not losing his return match.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill [WWE Title]
Both superstars are quite green, to say the least. While it would have been more advisable to put a veteran in this match to lead the charge at SummerSlam, it was eye-opening to see fresh faces in the main event scene. Tiffany Stratton is a great talent in the ring, but she needed more time to develop her character and connection with the audience before winning the world title. WWE pulled the trigger too soon with her, and her title reign ran stale as a result. As for Jade Cargill, the injury hindered her momentum, but the storyline with Naomi and her QOTR victory made up for it.
Nonetheless, the fans' interest in Cargill as world champ has gradually diminished after her two failed attempts to win the big one. She lost clean at SummerSlam and battled Stratton to a draw on SmackDown before some unwelcome interference by Nia Jax, who could be added to this title match to eat the pin. At this point, Bianca Belair should return and challenge Stratton for the belt on the road to Mania while Cargill targets the consolation prize in Giulia's U.S. Title. They already planted seeds for that bout in backstage segments, and Giulia will screw Cargill in this title match to set it up.
Prediction: Tiffany Stratton
CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch [Mixed Tag Match]
It does not seem that this mixed tag match will be the main event, but it should be because this is the main storyline everyone has been talking about. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar is currently slated to be the main event of this show. That decision is ill-advised because Brock Lesnar was the second biggest surprise return in WWE this summer, and AJ Lee was the biggest surprise return of them all. After ten long years, AJ Lee is back to reclaim her spot at the top of the women's division. And, to add the cherry on top, she gets to do it alongside her husband, CM Punk, in a dream tag match.
There is no doubt that CM Punk and AJ Lee will win here, especially since the titles are not on the line. It's unfortunate that one of the champions would have to eat the pinfall, but they won't lose any credibility because it is a tag match with many outside factors that can protect them in defeat. Furthermore, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch would be losing to two juggernauts in CM Punk and AJ Lee, which is nothing to be ashamed about since they are all megastars in their own right. The safest bet is for AJ Lee to pin Becky Lynch to celebrate her big return and set up a future IC Title match.
Prediction: CM Punk & AJ Lee
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