Wrestlepalooza was supposed to be a Premium Live Event.
Let’s be honest. There was nothing premium about it.
It felt like RAW. It looked like RAW. And it was filled with ads like RAW.
And ESPN, the shiny new partner WWE conned into this deal? Already showing buyer’s remorse. They slapped a mercy grade of C on this thing. If they weren’t locked in, it would’ve been a straight F.
When PLEs Stopped Feeling Special
Premium Live Events used to be the payoff to RAW stories, no commercials, just wrestling. Now? RAW is filler written by AI interns, and PLEs are just long RAW episodes with ad breaks.
What once happened on C-level shows like Heat or Velocity is now happening on RAW. And what used to make PLEs special? Gone.
And there was one face behind it all.
Triple H.
Opening video packages, endless WrestleMania promos, every break. Cody Rhodes is technically the WWE Champion, but who’s actually holding the spotlight? Hunter.
Imagine the Attitude Era, where you couldn’t even remember who the champ was. That’s WWE right now.
The McMahon-Helmsley Family Show
As if Triple H hogging the spotlight wasn’t enough, Stephanie shows up with her Hall of Fame induction being promoted half a year early. Not about honoring history. Just more family celebration.
Road Dogg in power. Shawn Michaels in power. Hunter’s whole group chat is running WWE.
Meanwhile, actual wrestling minds like Bret Hart are at home teaching cats wristlocks. That’s the real tragedy.
WWE isn’t about merit anymore. It’s nepotism. And Wrestlepalooza exposed it completely.
Cena vs Brock: Laziness on Display
First off, Cena vs Brock.
This wasn’t a match. This was laziness. Like they had 30 minutes backstage and said, “Remember our match from ten years ago? Let’s just do that again.”
Every Brock Lesnar match is the same. Suplex, finisher, repeat. If you want to shock me? Have Brock wrestle like it’s not a template.
And Cena’s retirement tour? A disaster. The guy gave WWE 20 years, and his final run is reduced to finisher spam until no one cares. This was supposed to rival Hogan’s NWO turn. Instead, it’s one of the worst retirement tours in wrestling history.
Nepo-Babies on Parade
Next, a RAW midcard match dressed up as a PLE clash.
Three out of four men in the ring? Nepo babies. Jey and Jimmy are coasting on their family name. Superkick spam. No intensity.
Then you look at Bron Breakker. Legit athlete. Built credibility without a safety net because the Steiners burned their WWE bridges years ago. He had to earn it.
And Jey? Botches his own chair shot, busts himself open, and rushes the finish. Pure comedy, and not in a good way.
Vaquer Delivers the Only Good Match
This was the lone bright spot.
The first ten minutes dragged, awkward chain wrestling, no chemistry. But once it clicked? Dragon screws, top-rope dives, and Vaquer’s perfect Spiral Tap.
On paper, it wasn’t flawless. But compared to the sloppy, heatless mess around it, this felt like a five-star classic.
AJ Lee’s Wasted Return
This one hurt.
AJ Lee returning after a decade should’ve been electric. Instead? A bloated comedy sketch.
Because the Uso match got cut short, WWE dumped extra time into this feud. What could’ve been a tight, heated fight turned into helicopter punches, cartoon villain hopping, and Becky selling like it was 2005 Shawn Michaels mocking Hogan.
The crowd didn’t feel goosebumps. They felt second-hand embarrassment. A decade of anticipation, wasted.
The Main Event Funeral
Finally, the least-anticipated match became the main event. That tells you everything.
Cody retaining was obvious. Drew was wasted again, booked like a placeholder tough guy. And worst of all, Cody doesn’t even feel like the champion. Triple H overshadowed him all night.
This wasn’t a WWE Championship match. It was the funeral of the main event concept.
Final Verdict: Wrestlepalooza Exposed WWE’s Problems
Lazy matches. Nepotism booking. Wasted legends. Main events that don’t matter. Wrestlepalooza was marketed as premium, but it exposed WWE’s worst instincts.
Not a live event. Not premium. Just another long episode of RAW with worse commercials.