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Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre battle for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Saturday at WWE Wrestlepalooza.
WWE via Getty Images
The latest chapter in the WWE vs. AEW rivalry goes down this weekend as both wrestling promotions run major and competing events, meaning wrestling fans will be parking themselves in front of their televisions for upwards of eight hours on Saturday.
WWE takes over Indianapolis for Wrestlepalooza, the first PLE of its ESPN era, while AEW heads north of the border for AEW All Out 2025 in Toronto. Both cards are stacked, with AEW having five championship matches and WWE featuring the first in-ring action for both AJ Lee and Brock Lesnar since their surprise returns.
As usual, Kel Dansby, Robert Jackman, Drake Riggs and Anthony Sulla-Heffinger — Uncrowned’s Horsemen — are here to preview and break down both events.
Let’s ride!
1. Which event are you more excited for leading in? Which will we be talking about more on Sunday morning?
Jackman: AEW has been on an absolute ripper of a run recently, but I think this particular weekend is WWE’s to lose. It should be clear from outer space that they’re treating Wrestlepalooza as a bigger deal than the typical PLE, largely due to the fact that it will be the first show of the ESPN era.
Then there’s the fact that it’s taking place in Indianapolis, which was the first city to sign one of these multi-event deals with WWE. That gives Triple H another incentive to make sure this weekend goes on with a bang, particularly with the explosive John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar main event they have scheduled.
As for All Out, I don’t doubt it will be a solid show, but my rule of thumb has always been that this particular pay-per-view is AEW’s equivalent to WWE’s Backlash — the extra serving that comes after the feast that is All In and Forbidden Door. With most of the title matches looking like foregone conclusions, there’s nothing here to change my mind on that particular assessment.
Riggs: It's not very fair, to be honest. All Out has double the matches of Wrestlepalooza, and we've largely already seen most of what to expect for the ESPN kickoff event. Even with Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer, which is the guaranteed best match of the night — that's a trilogy. Thankfully in its case, that history enhances things, as opposed to, let's say, John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, which could just be playing all the old hits in a short, finisher-heavy, classic post-Undertaker Lesnar match.
AEW pay-per-views simply don't miss, so it'll always take a massive effort to beat what they have to offer.
Sulla-Heffinger: It’s very hard to argue with AEW’s track record of late. As Drake said, their pay-per-views simply do not miss anymore. It’s a true testament to how strong of a 2025 Tony Khan’s promotion has put together.
That said, I am going to go with Wrestlepalooza here, simply because I expect WWE to pull out all of the stops for the first PLE of the ESPN era. It’s hard not to be overly excited for Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky and the mixed tag match between AJ Lee/CM Punk and Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch. I am also more intrigued than necessarily excited to see how John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar is going to play out.
I'm going to cheat in two ways here — first, I think the more hardcore wrestling community will be talking about AEW All Out more on Sunday morning while the more casual or newer fans will be digesting Wrestlepalooza. Second, the thing I am going to be talking/thinking about for the foreseeable future is the looming NXT Black and Gold vs. 2.0 WarGames.
Dansby: AEW has been on a roll in 2025, and All Out feels like it’s going to keep that streak alive. WWE trying to counter with a 48-year-old Cena vs. equally-as-old Lesnar featured attraction doesn’t really move the needle for me. It’s cool nostalgia, but AEW is stacking its shows with fresh matchups and younger stars, which makes the buzz around All Out a lot stronger.
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AJ Lee competes Saturday in her first WWE PLE since 2015.
WWE via Getty Images
2. What expectations do you have for AJ Lee in her first WWE match in a decade?
Riggs: Probably about a 10-minute build to a hot tag. Tell me I'm wrong.
Regardless, she'll look great. Look at who she's working with. This was all by design, and having Becky Lynch as your first dance partner in 10 years is about as good as it gets. Even just going off that once Manhandle Slam on "Raw," Lee sold it perfectly. I'm not sure how much time she'll get as an active member, as it might be saved for a singles match, but she'll definitely shake off the rust.
The bigger question is: Who takes a move from Rollins or Punk? The talk of Lee's next on "Raw" is quite a perfect tease for a devastating Rollins stomp. I'm just saying. Uber heat.
Sulla-Heffinger: If her in-ring skills are anything like her promo work has been since she returned, my expectations are going to be very high.
If I am producing this match, Lee and Lynch start things off with the crowd going wild before the Women’s Intercontinental Champion tags out for some nuclear heat. Then we build to Drake’s 10-minute hot tag. We’ll make official predictions below, but I do not expect Lee and Punk to win here — we should see a build toward a singles program between Lee and Lynch, which in my opinion works better with a loss on Saturday for the returning star.
Dansby: Bringing AJ back in a mixed tag is the smart play.
Pairing her with Punk against Rollins and Becky gives her room to shake off some rust without the pressure of carrying a full singles match. Rollins and Becky can keep things steady, AJ will get her big moments, and the nostalgia factor is going to hit hard. Fans have been waiting since 2015 to see her back in a WWE ring, so the reaction alone will make it special.
Jackman: I certainly have high expectations for this match, given the fantastic build-up we’ve seen on the weekly shows. As I’ve said elsewhere on Uncrowned, I don’t think Triple H would be running the risk of bringing back the couples match — one of the less celebrated traditions of the latter McMahon era — if he didn’t have a solid plan for this one.
As for whether AJ Lee can impress us in the ring, I’m not sure I can do much more than speculate at this point. The match is obviously taking place in the shadow of Nikki Bella’s less-than-successful return at Clash in Paris, so I’m sure that will be on the mind of everyone involved. Then again, AJ Lee has always been a highly conscientious worker in the past, so I can't see why she won't have put in all the homework necessary to prepare for this match.
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Kyle Fletcher (right) and Hangman Adam Page via for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at All Out. (Photo via AEW)
3. All Out has at least five matches with championships on the line. Which do you think — if any — change hands?
Dansby: I see two belts changing hands. The first is pretty much a lock: Kazuchika Okada dropping the Unified Championship to Konosuke Takeshita. AEW has been building Takeshita as the next big international star, and doing it in a triple threat lets Okada lose without taking the pin. It’s that “passing of the torch” moment from one Japanese icon to the next.
The other one is Mercedes Moné losing her TBS Championship to Riho. Mercedes doesn’t need to hold on to mid-tier titles anymore — her story is about chasing the AEW Women’s World Championship. Letting Riho get the win gives the division a shake-up and puts Mercedes on the path to the bigger prize.
Jackman: I think we know which ones we can rule out: Hangman, Mercedes and Toni Storm all look like heavy favorites going into this weekend. Admittedly, Tony Khan is a much less predictable booker than Triple H, but I still think that we’d have seen more clues by now if any of those three belts were going to switch hands.
Looking at the two that are still left, I wouldn’t rule out Takeshita leaving as Unified Champion, but I think it’s more likely that we end up with a one-on-one between him and Okada further down the line. As for the tag-team titles, I honestly think anything can happen. After all, who had Brodido as their pick going into Forbidden Door?
Riggs: I know Anthony is all aboard the "Stat Daddy" train, as we all should be — and I am, too. Kris Statlander certainly deserves to be a champion again and is still somehow incredibly underrated, which might be more a testament to AEW's deep roster more than anything.
That being said, I actually think Thekla has a better chance of stealing the win and title in their Women's World Title match with the champion Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter. Even in Hayter's case, I'd love that for her, as she's also deserving. There's no wrong way to slice and dice that match, and see possibilities for all of them. However, I do agree with Robert that Brodido is most likely to lose, but I'll stay bold and say it's Thekla time.
Sulla-Heffinger: Yes, I am 100% aboard the “Stat Daddy” train, so that’s the title I most want to change hands on Saturday. Kris Statlander finally capturing AEW’s top women’s belt would be as feel-good of a moment as there could be on this card for me. If we’re playing the odds, it’s not a terrible bet either, since "Timeless" Toni Storm doesn’t need to be pinned or submitted to lose the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Despite this, I am going to take a big swing here and agree with Kel — we're getting a major shocker with Mercedes Moné losing to Riho.
Moné has been on a generational run since joining AEW and a loss here would be a genuine stunner on a show that, as Robert has suggested, doesn’t have much built-in doubt with the major titles.
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Brock Lesnar and John Cena are set to revive their classic rivalry.
WWE via Getty Images
4. There are four matches that could arguably be given main-event billing on Wrestlepalooza. Book the order of the show and tell us why you picked what you picked for the main event.
Jackman: If it's up to me, we're starting with the Universal Championship, on the basis that it'd make the ideal kickoff for the ESPN era. When you have these rare PLEs where the Universal Championship isn’t the main event, WWE has form for using it as a curtain-raiser instead.
After that, I’d go with the tag match (The Vision vs. The Usos), followed by the couple’s match. Yes, it’s two tag matches back-to-back, but I think they’re suitably different to justify the positioning. Give Stephanie Vaquer the penultimate slot, so you can have a bit of fanfare about her winning the gold and then we’re all set for Cena vs. Lesnar main event.
Riggs: Lesnar doesn't like to stick around for long. If I'm booking things, he'd get in and get out, kicking off the show with Cena. Follow that with The Usos' official in-ring return, the big trilogy match between Vaquer and Sky, then Cody Rhodes defending his crown against Drew McIntyre.
Punk and Rollins' forever feud has been essentially the centerpiece storyline of the WWE since Punk got past McIntyre. The company has treated it as the most important thing on a more widespread scale, and Lee's return, in particular, has been treated like a big deal. In my world, she'd get a big showcase headliner spot after all those years away and finish the night on a happy, positive note.
Sulla-Heffinger: I'm booking Saturday's card like this:
Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
CM Punk and A.J. Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
The Usos vs. The Vision
Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. Drew McIntyre
Rhodes isn’t losing to McInytre, so you can really hammer home the importance of the ESPN PLE era with WWE’s top title opening the show. The Usos vs. The Vision is probably the least intriguing/important match on the card, so that goes on second for me, followed by the highly-anticipated mixed tag match and what should be a relatively quick Cena vs. Lesnar showdown.
All signs point to this being a coronation for Vaquer, and she should get her main-event moment and then a presentation from Paul “Triple H” Levesque after her victory. Vaquer’s already a star, giving her this spotlight would catapult her and the "Raw" women’s division into a new stratosphere.
Dansby: I’d start with Punk and AJ vs. Rollins and Becky. That’s a huge match and a fun way to get the crowd fired up right away. Next up would be The Usos vs. The Brons, then Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer to keep the in-ring quality high.
Cody vs. Drew feels like the right co-main since their feud has been so personal. Then you close with Cena vs. Lesnar, since Cena only has so many big-time matches left.
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Forbidden Door continued AEW's run of dazzling pay-per-views in 2025. (Photo via AEW)
Photography by Ricky Havlik
5. All Out has a ladder match, tables-‘n’-tacks match and coffin match slated for its card. Has AEW mastered the art of stipulations when it comes to major PPV events like this?
Riggs: Yes, yes, yes and yes again. I said it after the last pay-per-view, but it boggles my mind every single time. I don't understand how they continually innovate with new degrees of in-ring creativity, no matter the match stipulation. Right when you think you've seen it all, AEW finds a way to show you something new — and they've proven by now that you have to tune in to see how they up their game.
Dansby: AEW lives off these kinds of matches and it works for their style. Things like Anarchy in the Arena, Stadium Stampede, and Blood & Guts have basically become yearly traditions. Darby Allin making the coffin match his thing has also been perfect — he always takes the craziest bumps that make fans wince. This roster clearly loves pushing the limits, and it’s part of what makes AEW feel different from WWE. Their fans expect wild, dangerous stuff, and AEW delivers.
Sulla-Heffinger: I’m on record that I am not a huge fan of gratuitous violence for the sake of gratuitous violence in professional wrestling, but when you look at the AEW card — particularly the Mark Briscoe vs. MJF and Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin matches, these stipulations make complete sense.
I’ll bring it back to my answer to the first question: AEW’s 2025 has been remarkable and the balance they've found between pure wrestling and more hardcore-style contests has played a major role.
Jackman: I think Drake hit the nail on the head there (to use a fitting metaphor). What’s equally impressive is how they keep coming up with fresh ideas to keep these matches interesting. Imagine if someone had told you two months ago we’d be seeing a spot involving gummy bears at Forbidden Door — you still wouldn’t have guessed what they were planning, even if you'd seen the invoices to whichever candy store supplied them.
Honestly, I cannot tell you how badly I’d like to be a fly on the wall in the creative meetings where they come up with these things. Who even comes up with half of these ideas and where did Tony Khan hire them from the first place? Judging by some of the brutal things we've seen in AEW stipulation matches, I wouldn't be surprised if they used to be a producer on the "Saw" movie franchise or similar.
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John Cena's retirement tour rolls on into Saturday's Wrestlepalooza PLE.
WWE via Getty Images
BONUS QUESTION (one-sentence answer): John Cena’s retirement tour is winding down and Brock Lesnar is seemingly the last OG rival currently in WWE for him to face. Where do we go for the rest of the year?
Jackman: Have Brock win and give Cena a mountain to overcome in his final months.
Riggs: Because I'm sick in the head, I convinced myself after the last "SmackDown" that Randy Orton needs to punt Cena into retirement.
Sulla-Heffinger: As big of a star as he’s become after the infamous promo they shared years ago, I want to see Cena work with Roman Reigns again.
Dansby: After Lesnar, Cena’s job should be putting over the next generation — wrestling tradition says you go out on your back, and someone like Bron Breakker, or even a new monster like Oba Femi, would instantly get a huge boost by being the guy to retire Cena in a passing-the-torch moment WWE needs before he heads back to Hollywood.
Predictions:
WWE Wrestlepalooza
Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Drew McIntyre
Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
John Cena (Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Brock Lesnar (Dansby)
CM Punk and A.J. Lee (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch (Sulla-Heffinger)
The Usos (Riggs) vs. The Vision (Dansby, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger)
AEW All Out
AEW World Championship: Hangman Page (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Kyle Fletcher
AEW Women’s World Championship: Timeless Toni Storm (Dansby, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Thekla (Riggs) vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander
AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Bandido & Brody King (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Young Bucks vs. JetSpeed vs. Don Callis Family
TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (Jackman, Riggs) vs. Riho (Dansby, Sulla-Heffinger)
AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (Dansby) vs. Máscara Dorada
Coffin Match: Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
Tables ‘N’ Tacks Match: Mark Briscoe vs. MJF (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. FTR
Eddie Kingston (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Big Bill
The Hurt Syndicate (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) vs. Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona (Sulla-Heffinger)
2025 standings
Kel Dansby: 42-20
Robert Jackman: 42-20
Drake Riggs: 38-24
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: 36-26
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