One Thing Nobody Is Talking About After WWE Wrestlepalooza

The first-ever WWE Wrestlepalooza event on Saturday night was memorable for a multitude of reasons. Wrestlepalooza was the first PLE as part of the new WWE programming deal with ESPN, it featured surprise appearances from The Undertaker, Stephanie McMahon, and Pat McAfee, and the overall vibe was that of a polished product.

Oh yeah. The matches were pretty darn good across the board.

Not only did Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky have a classic encounter for the WWE Women's World Championship that saw Vaquer pick up her first main roster title in WWE, but AJ Lee returned to the ring with a vengeance. Lee helped CM Punk defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. but she shined after a ten-year layoff from the ring.

The main event, while predictable, was also a memorable one because of the action. Cody Rhodes outlasted Drew McIntyre and retained his Undisputed WWE Championship after a McIntyre Claymore Kick through a table went awry.

The Champ is here!

Cody Rhodes has arrived to the #Wrestlepalooza Post-Show! 👀

▶️ https://t.co/yqaFibOmjf pic.twitter.com/m0inCppuRz
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2025

What about that Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match? The last match ever between the two WWE legends. Remember? Nobody is talking about the fact that Cena lost this match and lost it definitively. What gives and why isn't anyone talking about this finish?

Look, there is no shame in ever losing to Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is positioned as one of the biggest stars that WWE has to offer and he's destroyed every top guy there is to destroy across multiple eras. Against John Cena, though? Now? Lesnar winning that match is a curious choice. Here's why.

WWE wasted John Cena in loss to Brock Lesnar at WWE Wrestlepalooza

John Cena only has three months left in his active in-ring career for WWE. The 2025 retirement tour that started with a whimper because of Cena's heel turn caught fire again when the "Greatest of All-Time" abruptly turned babyface to try and right his final run.

That move proved to be successful. Cena had an epic contest with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam, worked a strong match against Logan Paul, and a fun nostalgia match with Sami Zayn. Each of those served the purpose of heating Cena up as he headed toward the final stanza of his career.

Stop this man! 😱

Brock Lesnar has the kids crying at #Wrestlepalooza!

Stream Wrestlepalooza RIGHT NOW on the @espn App: https://t.co/jKAIj8nxxt pic.twitter.com/NqBOSfmsb0
— WWE (@WWE) September 20, 2025

The match with Brock Lesnar should have been another notch on that exact belt. There is big business in a budding WWE star defeating John Cena in Cena's last match. It's a talking point that could be used for years and years by someone like Gunther, Bron Breakker, or Solo Sikoa. Cena losing to Lesnar and losing as definitively as he did takes that business off the table for no good reason.

MORE: The Biggest Winner Of WWE Wrestlepalooza Wasn't AJ Lee Or Brock Lesnar

Sure, Lesnar looked great in the win and he's likely to be around after Cena leaves. Lesnar always looks great. He's a WWE act that the company simply can't ever get wrong. Brock goes out, dominates, and moves on. That's the Lesnar formula and it works.

Thank You, Cena! 👏#Wrestlepalooza pic.twitter.com/P7oeJqaHbn
— WWE (@WWE) September 20, 2025

Now, instead of using John Cena to facilitate the creation of a young, mainstay heel in WWE, Cena is now going to be chasing the Lesnar loss. Instead of a passing of the torch final match between Cena and Gunther, Cena and Breakker, or Cena and Sikoa, the stars are aligned for yet another Lesnar vs. Cena match that nobody asked for.

Yeah, the time is now it seems, but why?

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