WWE kicks off its new ESPN partnership on Saturday with Wrestlepalooza. The event is named after an old ECW event, and this will mark the first time the event has been held under the WWE banner. It all goes down from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The card is stacked with some huge matches. In one of his final in-ring appearances, John Cena will face an old rival in Brock Lesnar. The two have plenty of history, which was revived when Lesnar returned to WWE to attack Cena after SummerSlam.
Making a return after an even longer absence is AJ Lee, who has been out of WWE for more than a decade. Lee will tag with her husband, CM Punk, to take on world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins and his wife, women’s intercontinental champion Becky Lynch.
There’s plenty more action set for the event, including a match for the vacant women’s world championship between Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer, an undisputed WWE championship match between champ Cody Rhodes and challenger Drew McIntyre, and a tag team match between The Usos and The Vision.
WWE WrestleMania 43 location: Landmark event set to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027
Shakiel Mahjouri
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports wrestling experts are picking in each match.
2025 WWE Wrestlepalooza predictions
CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch (Mixed Tag Team Match): Rollins and Lynch have been one step ahead of Punk to the point where he brought in Lee to even the odds. That changed on the final pre-Wrestlepalooza Raw, when Lynch and Rollins outsmarted Punk and Lee, allowing Lynch to lay Lee out with a Manhandle Slam. WWE clearly isn’t done with Rollins and Punk’s entanglement and if they want to continue down that path, it doesn’t make much sense for the challenger to lose — especially alongside his wife, who is returning to the ring for the first time in more than a decade. Pick: CM Punk & AJ Lee win — Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: Lesnar beating Cena is the sensible choice. The former UFC heavyweight champion recently returned and rarely loses. Cena’s retirement tour lets him lose gracefully, he’s portrayed as an aging warrior (though Cena’s technically a few months younger than Lesnar). Nevertheless, I’m siding with Cena. He’s already down 2-4 in his series with Lesnar, winless since reverting to a good guy, and should presumably lose his retirement match. Beating Lesnar gives more weight to him to Cena’s final loss, and gives Cena a sentimental victory in their saga. Really, both men are bulletproof from defeat so the outcomes doesn’t matter, but I think there’s more benefit to having Cena’s hand raised. Pick: John Cena wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Women’s World Championship — Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer: Sky has proven a more than capable champion — which isn’t hurt by the fact she’s had a case as the best wrestler in the world for the past year. But there are plenty of things for Sky to do without the belt as her drama with the Kabuki Warriors is ramping up. Vaquer winning puts the belt on a relatively new face who can more than hold up her end in the ring and continue to build up the top end of the women’s locker room. Pick: Stephanie Vaquer wins the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Undisputed WWE Championship — Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre: I’ve lost hope that WWE will reward McIntyre with a proper world title reign. Especially right now when he doesn’t have much momentum. I don’t think WWE puts the undisputed WWE title on McIntyre, but he might sneak out a win to extend the feud. There’s a third party involved in this match: Randy Orton. McIntyre is feuding with both men, mostly independent of one another. I suspect Orton attacks McIntyre, awarding the Scotsman a disqualification win. Orton’s actions will build tension between him and Rhodes, leading to a triple threat match and Orton turning heel on his former pupil. Pick: Drew McIntyre wins by DQ, Cody Rhodes retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
