An upsetting stipulation is in place for John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at WWE Wrestlepalooza.
At the 2025 SummerSlam, John Cena was on the receiving end of a returning Brock Lesnar, who hadn’t been seen on WWE television for almost two years after being named in the Vince McMahon-Janel Grant lawsuit. During his return, he brutally attacked The Cenation Leader, who had just lost the Undisputed Championship to Cody Rhodes moments prior.
After a month, both men finally met again on the September 5 episode of SmackDown in Chicago, which was also John Cena’s final Friday show in his Farewell Tour. The Cenation Leader opened the episode by reminiscing about his final appearance in Chicago, the same city where he debuted 20 years ago.
Just as he was about to exit, Sami Zayn prevented this from happening. The latter reminded the former that he debuted through the US title Open Challenge, and with Cena’s permission, wanted to bring it back. Not only did John give his permission, but both men even fought for the gold.
However, John Cena vs. Sami Zayn was cut short after Brock Lesnar’s music hit, where he hit both the champion and challenger with an F-5 before leaving. After leaving the scene, The Beast Incarnate was later spotted in a backstage footage where he challenged The Cenation Leader at Wrestlepalooza.
With John vs. Brock confirmed for the upcoming Premium Live Event, another element was added to their match.
THE BEAST HAS BEEN UNLEASHED!!! 😤 pic.twitter.com/MHNdAuLrJY
— WWE (@WWE) September 6, 2025
WWE Adds Element To John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar At Wrestlepalooza
The official WWE preview for Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena read that it will be for “One last time.” The article also recapped the events of the recent SmackDown show and noted that the last time both men faced in a singles match was at Night of Champions 2014, with The Beast having four wins against Cena, who only had two.
Wrestlepalooza will take place on September 20, 2025, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be the first show of its kind since 2000 and under the WWE banner, as the previous events were under ECW.