2025 WWE Wrestlepalooza results, grades, review: Brock Lesnar, AJ Lee victorious in their big returns

Lesnar dominated Cena at WWE Wrestlepalooza, while Lee teamed with CM Punk to beat Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins

Time has not hampered AJ Lee or Brock Lesnar's ability to win big matches. Lee and Lesnar wrestled their first matches in 10 and two years, respectively, at WWE Wrestlepalooza. On Saturday, both future legends had their hands raised in box office matches.

Lesnar's aptitude for dominance has not eluded him during his time off. "The Beast Incarnate" delivered a textbook Lesnar match, thrashing John Cena and handing him another loss on his retirement tour. Lee had an arguably bigger night. The three-time Divas champion wrestled her first match in a decade, teaming with husband CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. 

Another highlight from Wrestlepalooza was the women's world championship match. Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer delivered a memorable match, outdoing everything else on the card.

CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, providing updates and highlights as the action unfolded.

Lesnar sends Cena back to Suplex City in a romp

The pre-match pageantry notably featured Paul Heyman introducing Lesnar. Their reunion is curious: is it a one-off for clicks or the start of an alliance between Lesnar and The Vision? Their final match was reminiscent of their 2014 SummerSlam match. Lesnar dominated Cena from pillar to post, excluding a late rally from Cena. Lesnar toyed with his longtime nemesis, sending him on a round trip to suplex city. Cena nearly pulled off a miracle comeback with three Attitude Adjustments, but Lesnar brushed it off. Three F5s from Lesnar put Cena down for the count. Post-match, Lesnar attacked Cena again and F5'ed the referee.

There was a novelty to Lesnar dominating Cena in 2014. It's textbook Lesnar booking in 2025 and doesn't carry the same weight. This match evoked Lesnar ending The Undertaker's streak, a dominant finish that doesn't benefit anyone, and left one child visibly crying. Without an overarching story, it's difficult to rationalize what wins and losses mean on Cena's retirement tour. Lesnar def. Cena via pinfall -- Grade: C

The Vision picks up big win over The Usos

The Usos' unmatched chemistry collided against The Vision's pure power. What was supposed to be a traditional tag team match took a hardcore turn thanks to leniency from special guest referee LA Knight. The Vision controlled the pace early, overwhelming Jimmy Uso with power moves. The tide turned once Jey Uso got involved, dropping Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed with his smooth signature offense. Knight's tensions with all participants were a consistent factor in the match and contributed to the finish. Jey Uso twice nearly hit Knight, once with a suicide dive and once with a chair. A short standoff between them gave Breaker an opening to thwack Jey Uso, busting him wide open. Breakker followed through with a double spear to both brothers through a table. Reed punctuated the match with a tsunami splash. A solid tag team match that benefitted from various subplots between its five participants. The Usos' seven-minute entrance was atrocious, but that's a minor complaint. The Vision def. The Usos via pinfall -- Grade: B-

Stephanie Vaquer, Iyo Sky send a message in an extraordinary title match

Sky vs. Vaquer lived up to its Match of the Night expectations: rife with technical execution, proper match psychology and big momentum swings. Saturday's women's world championship match earned every "This is awesome" chant showered upon them by the Indianapolis crowd. Vaquer's offense included a beautiful springboard plancha to the outside and various suplexes. Sky was incredibly fluent with her counters and landed strikes with solid impact. The match entered a new gear after Vaquer started isolating her attacks. Vaquer compromised Sky's knee with two nasty dragon screw leg whips. "La Primera" landed Devil's Kiss and SVB, but Sky defiantly kicked out. Whatever offense Sky mustered was weighed down by her damaged leg. For example, Sky struck with a beautiful top rope Spanish fly, but couldn't capitalize because of her injury. 

Sky willingly exposed a knee to maximize her knee strikes, but giving up that protection cost her. A missed Over the Moonsault had Sky writhing in pain, and let Vaquer execute a stunning spiral tap variant to win the title. What a match! Sky and Vaquer are phenomenal performers. They knocked it out of the park, given ample time, a big stage and stakes. The women's world title match was leagues above the first two Wrestlepalooza matches. It's a strong start to Vaquer's title reign, and a note to the men to step their game up. Vaquer def. Sky to win the women's world title -- Grade: A

AJ Lee wins first match in 10 years, teaming with CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins

Mind games were Rollins and Lynch's top purogative. The mixed tag team match rules dictate that the superstars must face the same gender. For example, if Rollins tags in, then Punk must also tag in. Lynch and Rollins used this stipulation to frustrate and misdirect their opponents. Punk had had enough of their shenanigans, diving onto Rollins. Lee was the biggest story of the match. The beloved three-time WWE divas champion was wrestling her first match in 10 years. Naturally, WWE built anticipation by holding off on involving her. Rollins beat down Punk with help from Lynch, who'd distract the referee or attack Punk behind the official's back. Punk inched towards a tag several times, but Rollins repeatedly cut him off. In a clever spot, Lee received the tag, but the referee did not see it. Loud cheers melted into louder boos once the official refused Lee entry into the match. Rollins and Lynch jumped Punk as the referee restrained Lee. 

Next, Rollins military pressed Lynch, using his wife as a projectile to attack Punk. Unfortunately, Punk rolled out of the way and Lynch tasted canvas. Punk followed up with a GTS that knocked out Rollins. Punk didn't have the energy to cover Rollins, but started crawling towards his partner. Lynch, in a complete state of panic, begged for her husband to wake up. Lynch desperately grabbed Punk's leg to prevent the tag, but Punk stood up, blew Lynch a kiss and tagged Lee. The Indianapolis crowd blew the roof off Gainbridge Fieldhouse as Lee entered the ring. The unhinged lunatic stalked Lynch before blitzing her with slaps and strikes. Lee's offense was messy, but she worked best when multiple superstars were involved. Lee kicked off Rollins into a tornado DDT on Lynch. Punk assisted Lee with a sliced bread on Rollins into a body splash on Lynch. The heroic couple also executed dual shining wizards and submissions. Lee locked her Black Widow submission on both opponents before her foes worked their way back into the match. 

In a wild turn of events, as the superstars used their signatures on each other, WWE made the surprising call to let the superstars get offense on their opposite-gendered opponents. Lynch and Punk locked each other in sharpshooters, and Lee clocked Rollins with a curb stomp. The finish came after the four superstars fought on two announcers' tables. Lynch launched Lee into Punk and Rollins, with the latter three crashing through a table. Lynch rolled Lee back in the ring for a Manhandle slam, but Lee countered it into a winning Black Widow. A terrific match in a different way. The mixed tag match didn't have Sky vs. Vaquer's technical brilliance, but had loads of personality. The crowd was invested in the slow burn to Lee getting tagged, and the spots were memorable. Lee was at her best when she slowed things down. The slaps looked rough, but her tag maneuvers and counters were on point. Lee & Punk def. Lynch & Rollins via submission -- Grade: A-

Cody Rhodes mounts a successful title defense against Drew McIntyre

McIntyre's career has been plagued by repeatedly having the big moment stolen from him. He dealt with the same curses at Wrestlepalooza. Things started well for the challenger. Vicious best describes McIntyre's performance. The challenger beat the stuffing out of Rhodes in the early moments. McIntyre tossed Rhodes into the announcers' table before sending him face-first into steel steps with an inverted Alabama slam. Rhodes mounted a brief comeback before McIntyre's bad karma struck. McIntyre rolled up Rhodes for approximately eight seconds, but the referee, who had darted out of the ring to avoid a collision, only counted two after sliding back into the ring. 

Later, McIntyre lined up Rhodes, planning to wedge the champ's head between McIntyre's boot and the announcers' table. It's the same move that sidelined Rhodes for weeks. The referee absurdly interfered, and once he finally struck, Rhodes moved out of the way. The inadvertent collision damaged McIntyre's leg. Hobbling into the ring, McIntyre limped into a Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes for another loss in a title match. A relatively short match that had no business being the main event if not for the title at stake. A textbook title defense with no heat on it and a predictable finish. Rhodes def. McIntyre to retain the undisputed WWE title -- Grade: B-

[Sep 20, 2025 at 10:20 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

McIntyre's career has been plagued by repeatedly having the big moment stolen from him. He dealt with the same curses at Wrestlepalooza. Things started well for the challenger. Vicious best describes McIntyre's performance. The challenger beat the stuffing out of Rhodes in the early moments. McIntyre tossed Rhodes into the announcers' table before sending him face-first into steel steps with an inverted Alabama slam. Rhodes mounted a brief comeback before McIntyre's bad karma struck. McIntyre rolled up Rhodes for approximately eight seconds, but the referee, who had darted out of the ring to avoid a collision, only counted two after sliding back into the ring. 

Later, McIntyre lined up Rhodes, planning to wedge the champ's head between McIntyre's boot and the announcers' table. It's the same move that sidelined Rhodes for weeks. The referee absurdly interfered, and once he finally struck, Rhodes moved out of the way. The inadvertent collision damaged McIntyre's leg. Hobbling into the ring, McIntyre limped into a Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes for another loss in a title match. A relatively short match that had no business being the main event if not for the title at stake. A textbook title defense with no heat on it and a predictable finish. Rhodes def. McIntyre to retain the undisputed WWE title -- Grade: B-