Was WWE's Debut on ESPN a Disappointment?
WWE made its debut on ESPN with WrestlePalooza, a show that promised to feature a great night of action and many surprises. What the fans got instead was a show full of questionable booking and underwhelming surprises, if any. WWE failed to capture the attention of new fans and left long-time viewers wondering where this show all went wrong. Many will now have to wonder if ESPN made a huge mistake in bringing WWE content to its programming.
WWE started the show off hot with Brock Lesnar and John Cena receiving grand introductions, as this match was presented as a possible all-timer. Instead, the match turned into an eight-minute spotfest, with Lesnar spamming his finishers and picking up the victory over Cena. Fans were already upset about the fact that Lesnar even made his return to WWE despite the allegations made against him, and now they were left stunned as to why he was even given the victory over Cena, as the 17-time World Champion is currently on his farewell tour. This match felt like a waste of time and could’ve been avoided in favor of other dream matches for Cena, and with the few appearances Cena has left, this booking decision will be talked about negatively for years to come. Many fans of the “Cenation” already feel as if Cena’s final run is being wasted by WWE, and this result further proves it. Cena’s loss completely sucked the life out of the Indianapolis crowd, and that would be felt throughout the rest of the night.
The tag team match between the Usos and the Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed felt like a match that should’ve been booked on RAW, and with how the main event of RAW has been booked the last few months, it didn't feel any different. WWE attempted to add some flavor to this match by having LA Knight be the special guest referee and pretty much turning the bout into a No Disqualification match, but the result remained the same: The Vision standing tall over their opponents. Although The Vision picking up the win was necessary in continuing their push, no one felt more over at the end of the match than when they came into it. WWE really needs to push The Vision into a new direction and not have them compete against the same competitors over and over again.
What followed was arguably the best match on the entire card, with Stephanie Vaquer defeating Iyo Sky to claim the vacant Women’s World Championship. The booking heading into this match was questionable, but it didn’t require a lot for these two women to put on a show in front of a crowd that finally showed some life. Both Vaquer and Sky are two of the best female wrestlers on the planet right now, and although this match wasn’t the best of their previous encounters, it set the tone of what WrestlePalooza should have been: a spectacle of great talent and amazing matches. Vaquer became the first Chilean superstar to win a world championship in WWE, and it’ll be interesting to see what direction WWE pushes her now that she is one of the top stars on RAW.
From a competitive match to an entertaining bout, the mixed tag team match delivered on nostalgia as AJ Lee competed in her first match for the WWE in over ten years. The match started slow, with CM Punk desperately attempting to tag Lee into the match, but once she tagged into the match, everyone was on their A-game as all parties produced near fall after near fall in an environment where any one of them could pick up the win. Punk and Lee would eventually pick up the win over Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch after Lee made Lynch tap out to the Black Widow. Lee seemed to struggle in the ring a bit, but that was expected, coming from someone who stepped away from the ring for quite a long time. However, she looked fantastic in her return, and all competitors in the ring delivered in the suspense and action that took place. Whichever direction WWE goes with the three-time Divas Champion now, fans will hope she makes more in-ring appearances.
The only real surprise of the night came in the form of The Undertaker making his way towards the crowd to sit next to Stephanie McMahon, who had no idea what was about to happen. Undertaker grabbed a microphone and announced that McMahon would be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame class. McMahon, full of emotion, received a standing ovation from the crowd. It’s interesting to see WWE announce a Hall of Fame induction this early before WrestleMania, but it was a nice surprise for WWE to give McMahon her flowers for all that she has done for the company.
If the main event proved anything, it’s that the mixed tag team match should have main-evented instead. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre did not have a bad match; it’s just that after a night full of lackluster surprises and odd booking, one would have thought that WWE was about to shock the audience with something unexpected. However, the match ended in simple fashion, with Rhodes retaining the championship, and the show ended without any interference or an appearance. McIntyre was once again made to look like a chump by losing yet another championship match, and Rhodes now moves on to go up against Seth Rollins in an interpromotional match at Crown Jewel. The finish felt underwhelming, and fans would’ve left the arena more satisfied had Punk and Lee closed out the show in victory instead.
One of the biggest issues with WrestlePalooza was the commercials. Fans already had to pay $30 in order to watch the event; now they also had to sit and wait as commercials played throughout the night. While other streaming services, such as Peacock and WWE Network, allowed fans to enjoy backstage segments during the intermissions, ESPN forced viewers to sit and wait until the next match was set to happen. If this becomes a recurring situation, many fans might feel the urge to not watch the PLEs on ESPN and find other methods to watch future WWE events.
Overall, the relationship between WWE and ESPN started on the wrong foot. Viewers were left disappointed that WWE overpromised on a potentially great event only to deliver questionable booking. The talent are not at fault, as they worked as hard as they could to present the very best of themselves to new viewers, but WWE seemed not to care about what audiences actually wanted to see. If WWE fails to deliver a better presentation at their show, it could start a downfall in viewership for the company.
