WWE’s WrestlePalooza Revival: The Good, The Bad, and The “Wait, What?” Moments

Well, well, well. Look who decided to dust off another piece of wrestling history and slap their shiny corporate logo on it. WWE has officially announced the return of WrestlePalooza, and honestly, I’m not sure whether to be excited or concerned that they’re running out of original ideas faster than a jobber taps out to a submission hold.

For those who weren’t around during the glory days of ECW (and let’s be real, half of WWE’s current audience probably thinks ECW stands for “Extremely Cool Wrestling”), WrestlePalooza was originally an Extreme Championship Wrestling event that last aired in 2000. You know, back when wrestling had actual edge and didn’t need to be sanitized for mass consumption. But hey, who needs nostalgia when you can have corporate-approved “extreme” action, right?

The Corporate Takeover We Saw Coming

Here’s where things get interesting, and by interesting, I mean predictably corporate. According to reports, F1RST Wrestling—an independent promotion that had been using the WrestlePalooza name for their own events—received a memo on August 11 that essentially said “FULL STOP on all things WRESTLEPALOOZA.”

Now, I’m no legal expert, but when a small indie promotion suddenly abandons a trademark they’ve been using, and then WWE swoops in like a vulture at a roadkill buffet, it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots. The memo to F1RST Wrestling staff was reportedly crystal clear: stop using the name, period. Days later, WWE filed their own trademark for WrestlePalooza on August 20, covering everything from t-shirts to action figures to championship belts. Coincidence? I think not.

This is classic WWE playbook material—see something that works elsewhere, acquire it (by whatever means necessary), and then rebrand it as their own brilliant innovation. It’s like watching your older sibling steal your Halloween candy and then tell everyone they bought it themselves.

ESPN Partnership: The Plot Thickens

What makes this whole WrestlePalooza revival even more intriguing is that it’s set to be WWE’s first Premium Live Event to air on ESPN’s streaming platforms. Yes, you read that right—ESPN is getting into the wrestling game, and they’re starting with a revived ECW event. If that doesn’t scream “we’re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks,” I don’t know what does.

The event is scheduled for September 20, 2025, which happens to be the same date as AEW All Out in Toronto. Because nothing says “confidence in your product” like directly scheduling against your competition. It’s like WWE is saying, “Hey, we know you have plans that night, but look—we have John Cena and Brock Lesnar!”

Speaking of which, let’s talk about those rumored main events that have everyone buzzing.

The Main Event Spectacle: Because Of Course It Is

According to PWInsider Elite, WWE has reportedly planned two main events for WrestlePalooza, because apparently one isn’t enough to distract us from the fact that they’re recycling a 25-year-old event name.

First up, we have John Cena versus Brock Lesnar. Now, I’ll give WWE credit—when they want to sell tickets, they know exactly which buttons to push. Cena is on his retirement tour (which, let’s be honest, we’ve been hearing about for what feels like a decade), and Lesnar recently made his “stunning return” at SummerSlam. It’s the wrestling equivalent of comfort food: familiar, satisfying, and guaranteed to make you feel nostalgic even if you’ve had it a hundred times before.

The second rumored main event is Cody Rhodes defending his Undisputed Championship against Drew McIntyre. This one actually makes sense from a storyline perspective, assuming WWE doesn’t completely botch the buildup between now and September. Rhodes and McIntyre have been feuding on SmackDown, and their chemistry in the ring is undeniable. Plus, McIntyre deserves another shot at the top title, especially considering how WWE has been booking him lately.

The Trademark Game: Merchandise Mania

Let’s take a moment to appreciate WWE’s trademark filing, because it’s both impressive and slightly ridiculous. They’ve covered clothing, toys, action figures, wrestling rings, playsets, board games, and collectible championship belts. Basically, if you can slap a WrestlePalooza logo on it and sell it to wrestling fans, WWE has claimed the rights to do so.

This level of merchandise planning tells us two things: first, WWE is serious about making WrestlePalooza a recurring event, and second, they’re already counting the money they’ll make from nostalgic fans who want to own a piece of “wrestling history” (even if it’s corporate-manufactured history).

What This Means for Wrestling Fans

Look, I’m not going to pretend that WWE reviving WrestlePalooza is the worst thing to happen to professional wrestling. The original ECW events were legendary, and if WWE can capture even a fraction of that energy while maintaining their production values, we could be in for something special.

But let’s also acknowledge the elephant in the room: this is WWE doing what WWE does best—taking something that worked elsewhere and giving it the corporate treatment. The original WrestlePalooza featured legends like Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, and New Jack in genuinely extreme, boundary-pushing matches. WWE’s version will likely be extreme within the confines of their PG-13 guidelines, which is like being rebellious within your parents’ curfew rules.

The ESPN partnership adds another layer of complexity. Wrestling on mainstream sports networks isn’t new, but the timing feels significant. With AEW gaining momentum and other promotions finding their audiences, WWE is clearly trying to expand their reach beyond their traditional fanbase. WrestlePalooza on ESPN could be their way of saying, “We’re not just entertainment—we’re sports entertainment, and we belong next to real sports.”

The Bottom Line

WWE’s WrestlePalooza revival is classic corporate wrestling in 2025: take something with historical significance, add current star power, package it for mass consumption, and hope fans don’t notice that you’re essentially selling them their own memories back to them at premium prices.

Will it be entertaining? Probably. Will it live up to the original ECW events? That’s like asking if a Disney remake will capture the magic of the original—technically impressive, commercially successful, but missing that indefinable something that made the original special.

The real test will be whether WWE can balance nostalgia with innovation, corporate polish with genuine edge, and mainstream appeal with wrestling authenticity. Based on their track record, I’m cautiously optimistic but realistically prepared for disappointment.

At least we’ll get to see Cena and Lesnar beat each other up one more time. And honestly, sometimes that’s enough.