On the way to Wrestlepalooza 2025, WWE cashed in big-time via the returning AJ Lee, with this one already being touted as the greatest one in WWE history. This upcoming event in Indianapolis, next weekend, is going to be a major stop on WWE programming, and WWE is planning, accordingly, to make it one of the biggest in terms of the line-up, as this marks the beginning of the company’s broadcasting deal with ESPN.
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H recently announced that Pat McAfee will return to WWE programming at Wrestlepalooza 2025 to the commentary desk. This will be his first time outing since getting ambushed at the hands of the former World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther. Now, another return has been announced for this major September PLE, and this one is none other than the WWE Champion.
On Tuesday morning’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, Triple H made an appearance and confirmed that the current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will return to television to be a part of Wrestlepalooza 2025, set for next weekend. He noted nothing in particular regarding the capacity of this return,
“I’ll give you a spoiler right now, Cody will be back, Indianapolis.”
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"I will give you a spoiler right now..
Cody Rhodes will be at Wrestlepalooza" @TripleH #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/66XVL2sueX
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 9, 2025
There’s no update available on whether Rhodes will be wrestling at Wrestlepalooza 2025 or just appearing on it. For the time being, he’s sidelined due to a storyline reason on WWE programming, following his attack by Drew McIntyre on SmackDown last month, ahead of Clash in Paris.
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In a follow-up, Dave Meltzer reported on Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the original plan for Rhodes was to defend his WWE title against McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza 2025. However, that plan was scrapped due to Rhodes’ ongoing absence. Given the current scenario on SmackDown, McIntyre vs. Orton could be booked instead. These two are also booked to feature in a match on SmackDown this Friday night, with many assuming that Rhodes will also make his presence felt during the bout.
WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025 PLE Match Card
Heavily promoted as the first WWE premium live event on ESPN, Wrestlepalooza 2025 will be airing on the newly launched ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service at 7 PM Eastern Time from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday, September 20. The currently announced match card for the returning ECW show goes as follows,
– John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
– Vacant Women’s World Championship Match: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
– Mixed Tag Team Match: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins & WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch vs. CM Punk & AJ Lee
– The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed)