SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE WRESTLEPALOOZA REPORT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2025
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AT GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE
AIRED LIVE ON ESPN (U.S.), NETFLIX (Int.)
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
[HOUR ONE]
-A brand new Then, Now, Together, Forever intro kicked off the show, followed by a panoramic view of the Indianapolis skyline.
-The Usos, The Vision, AJ Lee & CM Punk, Stephanie Vaquer, Iyo Sky, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre were all shown walking the hallways of The Fieldhouse.
-A video package was shown of the parallel histories of ESPN and WWE, from infancy to popularity, and the slow but steady merging of both. Triple H ended the video by saying sports is entertainment…always has been, always will be.
-Triple H stood mid-ring and asked Indianapolis if they could feel it. He said they were witnessing the final form of sports and entertainment. He welcomed everyone to WWE, ESPN, and Wrestlepalooza as a ton of fireworks exploded.
-They threw to Michael Cole and Wade Barrett, then showed a pickup arriving. Pat McAfee stepped out of it and walked through the gorilla position and out to ringside to a huge ovation from his home crowd. Cole and McAfee embraced before he joined them behind the commentary desk.
(1) BROCK LESNAR (w/Paul Heyman) vs. JOHN CENA
Lesnar looked to be in possibly the best shape of his life. Cena came out onto the stage with about 40 kids all dressed like him and losing their little minds. Fortunately, they did not accompany him to ringside. Cena put his arm around Alicia Taylor as she introduced him. Just as Alicia Taylor began to introduce Lesnar, we heard a familiar voice say, “Ladies and gentleman…”. In a shocker, Paul Heyman came to the ring, high-fived Lesnar, and introduced him.Cena put his arm around Alicia Taylor as she introduced him. Just as Alicia Taylor began to introduce Lesnar, we heard a familiar voice say, “Ladies and gentleman…”. In a shocker, Paul Heyman came to the ring, high-fived Lesnar, and introduced him.
Lesnar immediately went on the attack as the bell rang. He battered Cena all over the ring, and visible welts appeared on Cena’s back. Lesnar hit a German suplex that sent Cena rolling out of the ring. He applied a bearhug from behind. Cena tried powering out but couldn’t get the job done. He managed to power out and lift Lesnar up for the AA, but Lesnar slipped out and clotheslined him out of his jorts. Another German suplex sent Cena sailing. Slow, steady pacing in this match.
Cena managed to drive Lesnar into the corner, then put him down after four shoulder blocks. He hit three consecutive AA’s, but Lesnar kicked out at two. He went into his “you can’t see me” routine, but Lesnar caught him and delivered three F5’s. Lesnar stood over Cena, then lifted him for a fourth F5, then smiled down at him. He hit two more F5’s, then easily pinned him.
WINNER: Brock Lesnar at 8:48.
(Miller’s Take: This was just a massacre. Cena got in a little offense, but it was all Lesnar from the opening bell. It did what I believe it was meant to do, which is show Brock Lesnar as an unstoppable beast.)
-After the match, Lesnar entered the ring and delivered an F5 to referee Dan Engler and another one to Cena. Kids dressed as Cena in the crowd were shown crying. A battered and beaten Cena slowly walked to the back to a “Thank you, Cena” chant.
-Michael Cole shilled for the late Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer, then toasted his fellow commentators.
-“Earlier tonight”, Adam Pearce announced LA Knight as the special guest referee for the tag match between The Usos and The Vision.
(2) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) vs. THE VISION (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed w/Paul Heyman)
Special referee LA Knight made his way to the ring, followed by The Usos making their way through a very enthusiastic Indianapolis crowd. They eventually stereo-yeeted to the ring, and the crowd asked them to run it back. They happily obliged. The Vision entered the ring to much less enthusiasm from the fans.
Reed started the match against Jey. The Usos immediately utilized their tag team chemistry to get the best of Reed, but they couldn’t keep the big man down. He tagged in Breakker, who went to work on Jey and mouthed off to Knight. Outside the ring, Reed was going to hit Jey with a chair, but Knight saw it. He dropped the chair after getting kicked in the gut. Jey picked it up, and Knight conspicuously turned his back as Jey slammed Reed across the back with it.
Breakker pulled the top rope down as Jimmy ran the ropes, and he tumbled to the floor. Breakker hit a missile-like shoulder block that about knocked Jimmy all the way to Terre Haute. Reed started to pull out a table, but then dropped it because the crowd was cheering for it. Breakker suplexed Jimmy hard to the mat, then broke the pin himself to show off with some pushups. Reed hit a crushing senton that almost made Jimmy become one with the mat. He set up a chair, but Jimmy tripped Reed face-first into it. Breakker went after Jey to effectively prevent the tag.
The Vision hit a bulldog off the top onto Jimmy for another two-count. Reed missed another senton, but Jey was still gathering his wits on the floor. Reed tried to splash Jimmy into a chair wedged in the ropes, but ate the steel himself when Jimmy moved. He finally got the hot tag on his brother, who came in with both guns blazing. He hit a hip attack on Breakker that was a little high and barely grazed him. Jimmy pulled out a table and slid it into the ring.
[HOUR TWO]
As they set it up, The Vision attacked them and set the table up in the corner. The Usos started going double superkick-crazy and nearly pinned Breakker with a 1D, but Reed broke it up. Reed missed a massive moonsault. Jey almost got the pin on Breakker after a splash, but only got two. Reed and Knight argued on the outside, but Jey leaped onto Reed. Jey and Knight argued. Knight almost ate a chair shot, but Jey pulled it at the last minute. Breakker double-speared a bloody Jey and his brother through the table that was set up in the corner. Reed hit the Tsunami on Jimmy for the pin.
WINNERS: The Vision at 16:51
(Miller’s Take: This was really good! Jimmy and Jey obviously haven’t lost a step as a team, and the Bron twins continue to improve and gel as a powerful team. There was some friction between the Usos and Knight at the end, but it surprisingly didn’t result in a ref bump. I wouldn’t mind seeing them run this match back.)
-Some dignitaries were shown in the crowd, including Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, who got a big pop.
-Drew McIntyre was shown warming up in the locker room.
-WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton was shown in the crowd.
(3) STEPHANIE VAQUER vs. IYO SKY – Women’s World Championship Match
Vaquer and Sky both got huge ovations from the fans. They shook hands at the bell, then went into some deliberate chain wrestling. They tentatively felt each other out in the opening minutes with some hammerlock reversals and takedowns. Sky stood up out of a headscissors and settled into a headlock. The women went into a series of pin reversals, then smiled at each other. Vaquer went for a Devil’s Kiss, but it was way too early. Sky did a series of handstand flips and hit a big dropkick. She drove her knees into Vaquer’s midsection and rushed her, but Vaquer moved out of the way and locked in an armbar over the turnbuckle.
Vaquer started getting rougher with her opponent by raking her boot across Sky’s face. She then applied a unique submission where she crossed Sky’s arms in front of her and settled into a surfboard-type maneuver. Sky came back with a backbreaker variation for a two-count. She hit a couple of those vicious uppercuts she’s known for, then hit a beautiful springboard dropkick. She did some celebrating before hitting a suicide dive to the outside. She threw Vaquer back into the ring and tried a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor, but Vaquer viciously drove a knee into Sky’s sternum. She hit a springboard dive of her own to the floor, then another one inside the ring. They traded German suplexes, then struggled to get to their feet.
As they slowly rose to their feet, they traded blows off the ropes, with Vaquer getting the better of the exchange. She looked for the Devil’s Kiss, but Sky escaped again and applied a crossface. She drove her knee into the side of Vaquer’s head and went for an Over the Moonsault, but Vaquer wrenched her knee with a wicked dragon screw. Sky favored her knee, but still hit a double knee in the corner. She again went for her Over the Moonsault, but Vaquer got her knees up and followed up with another dragon screw. To the delight of the crowd, Wade Barrett, and Booker T, who I’m sure was watching somewhere, she successfully executed the Devil’s Kiss. She hit the SVB, but Sky incredibly kicked out.
Vaquer climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Sky rolled toward the ropes and out of the way. She climbed up with Vaquer and nailed a beautiful Spanish Fly, but hurt her knee on the landing. She gutted it out and hit a double knee in the corner, then she backed up and slid her kneepads down to her ankles and hit another double knee in the corner. She again went for the Over the Moonsault, but Vaquer rolled out of the way and Sky came crashing down to the mat on her bare knees. As Sky rolled around the ring in agony, Vaquer climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit a breathtaking Spiral Tap and got the pin.
WINNER: Stephanie Vaquer at 19:38 to capture the Women’s World Championship
(Miller’s Take: This was phenomenal! The crowd absolutely devoured this match. Both ladies fought hard and showed the locker room how it’s supposed to be done. Vaquer could have debuted on the main roster but instead chose to start in NXT and work her way up. She really deserves this accolade, and the crowd was overwhelmingly pleased with the outcome)
-After the match, the ladies embraced in and bowed to each other in a show of mutual respect. An emotional Vaquer posed on the ropes as pyro exploded, then went to the barricade and presented the title belt to her dad, who proudly held it up high.
-Michael Cole thanked Pat McAfee for joining the announce team for a few matches.
-A video package aired of the evolution of the feud between CM Punk and Seth Rollins, which has escalated to the point of the men’s wives getting involved.
[HOUR THREE}
(4) SETH ROLLINS & BECKY LYNCH vs. CM PUNK & AJ LEE – Mixed Tag Team Match
World Champion Rollins and Intercontinental Champion Lynch came out to Rollins’s entrance music wearing matching outfits. They made a big show out of themselves and kissed in the ring. Punk came out to the stage to Cult of Personality, then Lee’s music hit to a big ovation. Lee skipped around the ring and waved at Rollins and Lynch, who were not amused.
The crowd chanted AJ Lee’s name as Rollins covered Lynch’s ears. Punk and Rollins faced off mid-ring and stared each other down, but Rollins backed into the corner and Lynch tagged in. She started jabbing Punk as he stood there and took it. Then he reached over and tagged his wife. Lynch ran over and slapped Punk, then ran to the outside. As she kissed her husband, Punk ran over and nailed Rollins. They fought on the floor for a bit before getting back in the ring.
Rollins got Punk in the corner, where Lynch choked him behind the referee’s back. Punk backed Rollins into the corner, where Lee returned the favor by gouging at Rollins. Punk hit a pair of axhandles off the top, but ate a knee when he went for a third. Lynch put her knee in Punk’s back as he hit the ropes, then threw him into the steps. An enraged Lee ran over and confronted Rollins, but the referee talked her back to her corner. Rollins put Punk on the announce desk and pounded on him before throwing him back in the ring.
Rollins continued beating on Punk and celebrating with his wife. Every time the referee turned her back, Lynch laid into Punk. Lee was going crazy in the corner. Punk reached for the tag, but Rollins held onto his arm. He put Punk in the corner and got Jessika Carr’s attention again, so Lynch could get her cheap shots in. The two tried suplexing each other several times, with Punk finally being able to deliver. Punk struggled to get to his corner, but Rollins cut him off and grounded him with a front facelock. Punk tried muscling his way to his corner and made the tag, but Lynch got in the ring to distract the referee, who didn’t see the tag. Rollins presses his wife over his head and threw her toward Punk, who moved out of the way.
Punk went to tag his wife, but Lynch ran over and knocked her off the apron before he could make the tag. Rollins began skipping around the ring to mock Lee, who was still lying on the floor. He kept skipping around the ring and skipped right into a GTS by Punk. A frantic Lynch tried slapping her husband in the face to wake him up. She ran into the ring and grabbed Punk’s foot to stop him from making the hot tag. He blew a kiss to Lynch as he easily reached over and made the white-hot tag. Lee climbed in and smiled brightly at Lynch before ripping into her. She straddled her on the ropes and rained down punches on her. She hit a body press for a two-count. The crowd chanted, “You still got it” as she windmilled Lynch in the corner.
Rollins spun her around and she started walloping him. She took down both him and Lynch at the same time. Rollins grabbed her around the waist from behind, but Punk grabbed her leg and flipped her over Rollins’s head, where she landed on a prone Lynch. That was a very cool spot. Lee locked in the Black Widow as Punk locked in a sharpshooter. Rollins escaped and lifted Lee, but she spun around and got the Black Widow on him. Rollins and Lynch hit stereo pedigrees, but couldn’t get the pin.
Rollins pumped up Lynch, telling her they were the best. They went for stereo GTS’s, but Punk and Rollins rolled to the floor as Lee hit a Becksploder. Rollins put his hands on Lee, but an enraged Punk hit a stomp on Rollins. Lynch began slapping Punk, who caught her hand, grabbed her leg, and went for a sharpshooter. Rollins stopped it and Lynch sank in a sharpshooter on Punk, who reversed the move on her. Rollins hit a stomp on Punk and went for the cover, but Lee hit a stomp on Rollins. Lynch then hit the manhandle slam on Lee for a two-count that Lee was just a bit late in kicking out of.
Lee started firing away on Lynch. The men pulled their wives apart, then started laying into each other. This time, the women pulled their husbands apart and went at each other. All four finally started battling and took it to the floor. Punk threw Rollins over the announce desk as Lee cleared the Spanish announce table. Lee told her husband to clear the other table, which he did. Lee and Punk went for a pedigree and manhandle slam, but they fought out of it. Punk went for a GTS on the announce table, but Lynch threw Lee into both men and the announce table collapsed. Lynch threw Lee back into the ring, but AJ swung around and sank in another Black Widow, which Lynch tapped out to.
WINNERS: CM Punk & AJ Lee at 29:13
(Miller’s Take: I didn’t think anything could follow Vaquer vs. Sky, but these two couples did it and did it well! This was just super fun to watch. Rollins and Lynch were despicable with their cheap shots. They milked the hot tag to Lee as long as they could, and it was well worth the wait. This match, like the previous one, overdelivered. I can’t imagine this match being any better. Rhodes and McIntyre have a LOT to live up to after these last two matches.)
-The American Badass theme played as The Undertaker rode his motorcycle to the ring to a big pop. He parked it right in front of Stephanie McMahon, who applauded him. He walked over to her and asked her if the seat next to her was open. He climbed over the barricade and sat next to her. He said he saw her in Vegas last week and now she’s here, too. He flirted with her a bit and asked her if she was ready. He said it was his esteemed honor to induct her into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026. A very emotional McMahon hugged him as the crowd cheered. She fought back tears as he left. She also got a hug from Nick Khan.
-A video package of the feud between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre aired.
(5) CODY RHODES (c) vs. DREW MCINTYRE – Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Cody tried to take an early advantage, but McIntyre overpowered and overwhelmed him. He applied a headlock and dragged him over to the ropes. Rhodes fought out and the two exchanged hard blows mid-ring. He hit a bionic elbow and went for a Cody cutter. He hesitated briefly and grabbed his head, then successfully hit it. He continued to hesitate briefly and grab at his face as the referee checked on him. He hit a suicide dive on McIntyre to the floor, but McIntyre caught him on a second suicide dive and slung him over the announce desk.
Rhodes collapsed in the ring again, then got thrown with a couple of belly-to-belly suplexes. The announcers mentioned that Rhodes got his bell rung last night. McIntyre hit a massive reverse Alabama slam into the ring steps. Back in the ring, McIntyre pummeled the champ. He went to the top, but Rhodes jumped up with him and delivered a huge superplex. Rhodes smacked his head on the ring hard, and the announcers called attention to it.
The two again slugged it out mid-ring before Rhodes hit s snap powerslam. He continued to hold his head. He hesitated again before hitting another Cody cutter. He went for the Crossrhodes, but McIntyre fought out of it and nailed him with a Glasgow Kiss. Back to the top rope, McIntyre dropped Rhodes with White Noise, then kipped up. He went for a claymore, but Rhodes grabbed his legs and tried pinning him. McIntyre kicked out and hit another Glasgow Kiss, but Rhodes applied a figure-four. The challenger again fought out and ripped the pad off the top turnbuckle.
McIntyre inadvertently hit the exposed turnbuckle, then fell victim to a Crossrhodes, but kicked out at two. With Rhodes on the floor, McIntyre sailed over the top rope onto Rhodes. He followed that up with a claymore in the ring, but failed to hold him down for a three count. He got down to the floor with Cody and went for another claymore through the announce table. He hesitated as the referee discouraged him, then delivered it, but Rhodes moved and he crashed through the desk, injuring his leg. Back in the ring, he went for another claymore, but his leg gave out. Rhodes took advantage and hit a top rope Cody Cutter and a Crossrhodes for the victory.
WINNER: Cody Rhodes at 16:53 to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This was acceptable, but not a particularly memorable main event. Granted, they had their work cut out for them after the previous two matches, but as a standalone match, it was pretty mediocre. I don’t know if they didn’t have enough time left to do all they wanted to do, but it was a bit of a letdown.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: All in all, I’d say this was a very successful ESPN debut for WWE, and the best PLE I’ve seen from them in quite some time. I wouldn’t consider the main event to be a must-see match, but this was most definitely a must-see PLE. The matches in the middle made the show. The women’s title match and the mixed tag match overdelivered big time. I think Indianapolis went home happy tonight.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE WWE WRESTLEPALOOZA POST-SHOW…
On the PWTorch YouTube Channel tonight, PWTorch’s Brian Zilem and Sean Radican will go live right after the WWE Wrestlepalooza We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps. This Clash in Paris Post-show will be on the PWTorch Dailycast feed.
VIP MEMBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
https://streamyard.com/wpsfb356xe
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so don’t share. It’s just for VIP members at this time.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER CLASH IN PARIS TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.