AJ Lee rocked the wrestling world with her return to WWE on the September 5 edition of SmackDown, and it didn’t take long for WWE to confirm the presumptive plans—that she would team up with her husband CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins for a mixed tag team match of epic proportions at Wrestlepalooza.
With the possible exception of Triple and Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle and a debuting Ronda Rousey, this would have to be considered the biggest mixed tag team match WWE has ever built to. Between the buzz of Lee’s return, and the three other performers all being well-respected talents at or around the top of their game, anchored by a long, hot feud between Rollins and Punk, this bout has the makings of something special. While the presumptive main event for Wrestlepalooza will be the final match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar, the mixed tag really should close the show.
AJ Lee’s Surprise Return Outperformed Brock Lesnar’s
Brock Lesnar made a splash with a surprise return at the end of SummerSlam and, surely, a lot of the buzz there came down to legitimate surprise as most indications suggested the fall out from the Janel Grant situation and The Beast’s advancing age meant he was done in WWE. WWE touted that over 75 million people watched clips of Lesnar’s return across their social media channels.
AJ Lee’s return was—by the time it happened—less of a shock, as WWE had planted clear seeds and the rumor mill was working overtime. Nonetheless, the moment tallied nearly three million views in the first hour and was cited to have garnered 130 million views on socials in the first 24 hours.
There are factors that complicate the statistics, like a widely watched SummerSlam streaming on Peacock versus a SmackDown episode that was not streaming in most markets. Still, there’s also the reality that while Lesnar is at best polarizing both on account of the scandal and arguably feeling played out as a WWE Superstar, Lee is beloved and fans were all to excited to see the trailblazer back in WWE. The pops in the live venues themselves attest to these reactions as well.
There’s More Buzz Around The Mixed Tag Team Feud Than John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar
Blame it on the controversy surrounding Brock Lesnar, on fans tiring of John Cena’s farewell tour, or on the booking. Whatever the case may be, there’s simply not a lot of buzz around Lesnar vs. Cena at Wrestlepalooza.
To be fair, the two have established chemistry, including a great match at Extreme Rules 2012 and a very memorable outing at SummerSlam 2014. As such, it’s possible they’ll turn fan perceptions around in the late stages of the build to this match or after the opening bell rings. Still, WWE may be swimming upstream if tries to program this match after what’s sure to be a white hot reaction for the mixed tag.
The Stakes Are Higher If Fans Reject Brock Lesnar In The Main Event
It’s entirely possible the live audience and social media alike will turn on Brock Lesnar. Besides the aforementioned reasons for him registering as, at best, polarizing right now, there’s the history of his outing at WrestleMania 20 to reckon with—a showdown with Goldberg that got totally overshadowed by boos and catcalling.
Yes, Lesnar is playing a heel, so there’s room for him to absorb or even feed off a poor reaction. That’s not to mention that he’s much more experienced than he was in 2004 and will share a ring with John Cena, one of the very best at working an opinionated live crowd.
Still, WWE is clearly investing a lot in Wrestlepalooza as a stadium show and the launch of a new PLE deal with ESPN. The stakes are high if the crowd really turns on Lesnar, and that goes double if its in the last match of the show.
AJ Lee And CM Punk Vs. Becky Lynch And Seth Rollins Will Be More Reliably Great In The Ring
Brock Lesnar hasn’t wrestled in two years and John Cena is not the in-ring performer he once was. While Cena’s capable of flashes of greatness—indeed, his last two PLE performances were significantly better than his preceding ones in 2025—and Lesnar is a freakish athlete, it still feels far from certain that the match between the two will deliver in 2025.
By contrast, Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are at the top of their game, turning in consistently strong in-ring performances on top of drawing good heat. CM Punk has proven his haters wrong for the most part in this WWE run as well, not only holding up his end of hot feuds but doing his share to deliver in big match scenarios time and again. AJ Lee is the ex-factor, but she was a strong worker, looks to have stayed in incredible shape, and the fan enthusiasm behind her should be more than enough to cover for any ring rust in this first match back.
The Mixed Tag Team Feud Has More “Juice” Looking Ahead
Even for those fans who are sold on John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, the reality is that this stands to be their last match with one another. Alternatively, if it is just chapter one of a new story between them, WWE is entering dicey territory as so much of the audience isn’t sold on Lesnar being part of the show anymore and, more so, fans have other opponents they’re more excited to see Cena face as he burns daylight on this retirement tour.
So, whereas Cena vs. Lesnar is a one-off novelty, AJ Lee and CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins has legs. There’s no telling for sure what WWE has planned, but it’s not unrealistic to imagine this being one more installment in a journey that arrives at Rollins and Punk main eventing WrestleMania 42 with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line, while AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch, perhaps for the Intercontinental Championship climaxes at the same super show. Even if the feuds don’t run that long, Wrestlepalooza all but certainly doesn’t spell the end, and WWE would be well served to spotlight a feud among top stars who are going to keep beefing over a one-and-done encounter.