WWE Wrestlepalooza preview: Cena-Lesnar to kick off ESPN's first Premium Live Event

As a work to fans who person a wide involvement successful WWE but mightiness not person watched a lucifer successful months, we're blessed to supply this FAQ arsenic a usher to Wrestlepalooza, scheduled for Saturday astatine 7 p.m. ET from Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. ESPN's archetypal Premium Live Event with WWE, Wrestlepalooza, is streaming exclusively successful the U.S. for fans with a subscription to the ESPN Unlimited program -- either straight oregon done a accepted wage TV bundle -- connected the ESPN App.

What is simply a Wrestlepalooza?

Back successful 1995, the late, large Extreme Championship Wrestling had an idea: What if determination was an lawsuit that took its sanction from Lollapalooza, but alternatively of a euphony festival featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, it was a wrestling amusement that featured The Public Enemy and The Gangstas, successful a tag squad stretcher match?

WWE, which acquired ECW and its trademarks successful 2003, wanted to footwear disconnected its caller ESPN rights woody with a peculiar Premium Live Event (PLE) that needed a memorable name. So WWE dipped into its heavy container of wrestling intelligence properties and decided connected Wrestlepalooza. (Apologies to those who were hoping for "Barbed Wire, Hoodies & Chokeslams," different ECW pay-per-view classic.)

Despite its roots, determination aren't a batch of utmost wrestling matches connected this weekend's Wrestlepalooza. Just highly absorbing ones, specified arsenic John Cena continuing his status circuit against the formidable Brock Lesnar.

What has the John Cena status circuit been like?

Here's a summary of wherefore "the past clip is now" for Cena: Cena announced astatine Money successful the Bank successful July 2024 that he volition retire arsenic an in-ring performer astatine the extremity of 2025. His extremity was gold: Cena was tied with Ric Flair for the astir WWE satellite championships (16), and present the timepiece was ticking connected breaking that record.

He was eliminated by Jey Uso successful the 2025 Royal Rumble successful February, costing him a rubric shot, but won the consequent Elimination Chamber lucifer successful March to gain a lucifer against undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes astatine WrestleMania 41.

Here's wherever things get a small weird. The Rock had yet travel backmost to WWE to inquire Rhodes to manus implicit his "soul." He appeared astatine the extremity of Elimination Chamber with his henchman, rapper Travis Scott (told you it got weird), to cod said psyche from Rhodes, who was successful the ringing with Cena. Rhodes, being alternatively fond of his soul, declined The Rock's offer. But successful his desperation to interruption the record, Cena turned bottommost again aft 2 decades arsenic a babyface and joined an onslaught connected Rhodes with The Rock and Scott. Thanks to interference from Scott, Cena bushed Rhodes for the rubric astatine WrestleMania. Scott and The Rock wouldn't play a relation during Cena's rubric reign.

The space gave america 1 of the astir shocking bottommost turns successful wrestling past ... and a slew of moments wherever Cena tried connected an ill-fitting bottommost persona, cutting promos astir his disdain for the fans that helium had consistently praised during the remainder of his status tour.

Luckily, Cena and WWE pumped the brakes connected this persona successful August connected the SmackDown earlier SummerSlam, telling fans helium realized that his estimation had been "flushed down the toilet" successful pursuit of "shocking TV."

"The radical that were expected to beryllium connected my team? They left. And they near maine alone, trying to unreal that I'm thing I'm not," Cena said.

Cena entered SummerSlam astatine MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey to cheers, but Rhodes near with the championship. And that's wherever Brock Lesnar reentered the picture. Fans were stunned erstwhile his euphony deed during Cena's farewell to SummerSlam. But Cena astir apt wasn't each that shocked erstwhile Lesnar delivered an F-5 to him, fixed their history.

Why does Brock Lesnar privation to combat John Cena again?

There are a fewer ways to answ...