John Cena Must Beat Brock Lesnar, Bayley Unleashes New Gimmick, More WWE Raw Fallout

Raw on Netflix delivered the action and drama ahead of Wrestlepalooza from the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts on its September 15 show.

John Cena addressed Brock Lesnar, admitting he was going into a dangerous fight but also promising to bring his best to one of his final matches.

Becky Lynch got the best of AJ Lee and CM Punk again, laying out The Black Widow and slapping The Best in the World, while Seth Rollins enjoyed the spectacle.

LA Knight convinced Jimmy Uso to team with him against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. They fell short, and The Million Dollar Megastar got his revenge by laying out Jey Uso to end the night.

Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer signed their contract for Wrestlepalooza before La Primera defeated Kairi Sane. Asuka made her presence felt, threatening Vaquer.

Bayley returned after Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez to save her from a beatdown by Raquel Rodriguez.

So much of the night set the stage for a Wrestlepalooza to remember, though questions remain on WWE's overall direction.

John Cena Must Win Final Match with Brock Lesnar

John Cena and Brock Lesnar have fought seven times in singles action. The Beast Incarnate has won five of those contests, including their latest clash at Royal Rumble 2015 including Seth Rollins in a triple threat.

Their most famous match at SummerSlam 2014 saw The Beast Incarnate methodically squash The GOAT with multiple F5s and so many German Suplexes.

Of his two wins over The Beast Incarnate, one was by disqualification after The Architect attempt to cash in, and the other was Lesnar's first match back in 2012.

This was the only pinfall victory Cena ever accomplished against The Beast Incarnate, but even that was a disappointing result, cutting off Lesnar's momentum at the wrong time.

Wrestlepalooza feels different because this is the one time Cena should defeat Lesnar. The GOAT is on his way out, and fans are rooting for him more than most times in his career.

It would not be satisfying to see the hero fail at this stage. While Cena should go out on his back against the right opponent at the end of his retirement tour, Lesnar can afford to give The GOAT a definitive victory before it is all over.

The Beast Incarnate will rebound quickly against a roster that will mostly struggle to match him. Cena meanwhile can carry this win forward to whoever does defeat him at the end of the road.

Bayley's New Gimmick Will Be Great

Bayley has finally returned and brought an old character with her to the main stage. The Role Model looked much more like The Hugger on Raw.

If that was the end game for Bayley's return, it would make little sense of the past month of promos.

What makes more sense is that this is just one of multiple personalities Bayley is bringing back.

She can also be The Role Model, the cocky top heel that carried the SmackDown Women's Championship for 379 days and even bring some new more vicious sides to the ring as well.

Whatever Bayley's focus, this is the most interesting she has been in years, and it will help Lyra Valkyria immensely to work with her now.

This gimmick has potential to be the best thing that The Role Model has ever done in WWE.

AJ Lee's WWE Future Will Be Determined by In-Ring Return at Wrestlepalooza

Few returns to WWE have carried the weight of AJ Lee, who made her first appearance in WWE in over 10 years on September 5.

She has not missed a beat with her promo work, even sounding more confident and mature than in the past.

That was never the major question mark for AJ though. She has always been a great promo worker.

Her in-ring work though especially after a 10-year-layoff, is a major concern. She has spent more years retired from wrestling than she did in the ring as she wrestled her first match back in 2008.

While she was one of WWE's best women's wrestlers in her prime, the roster has significantly improve, especially for the women since she retired.

She will step in the ring at Wrestlepalooza with three of the best in the world today, in particularly pairing up with Becky Lynch.

While The Man is good enough to help AJ along, she cannot hide a stars' flaws, particularly shown in her recent match with Maxxine Dupri.

If AJ cannot keep up, she likely becomes a part-time star from here while trying to get back up to speed. CM Punk will take the story lead for them both at least through the rest of the year.

If she does keep up though, this could be a beginning of a massive legacy-defining run that include winning gold sooner than later. It would not be a surprise to see her quickly working TV and even house shows.

Moreover, AJ can begin to make her case as one of the greatest of all time, rewriting a legacy cut short by an early retirement.

Asuka Ready to Become Raw's Top Female Heel Again

It has been a slow start for Asuka since she returned in June of 2025, but her story is fully kicking off as she gets involved with Iyo Sky's business more and more.

While she had primarily turned her ire upon Rhea Ripley, The Empress of Tomorrow is setting her sights on Stephanie Vaquer.

Since Asuka is technically still an ally to The Genius of the Sky, she remains a babyface, but all signs point to Asuka and Kairi going bad soon.

With each week, The Empress of Tomorrow has wormed her way closer to the world title picture, which will likely come at the expense of both Sky and Vaquer.

All signs still point to La Primera winning the Women's World Championship, and Asuka would be a perfect rival for Vaquer sooner than later.

This is especially important with a limited number of top heels on Raw. Outside The Man, no one can match a motivated Asuka at the top of the card as heels.

Whether it is Asuka vs. Vaquer or Ripley or Sky, the women's division will be better off with The Empress of Tomorrow reclaiming her throne as the top menace in the women's division.

WWE Must Freshen Up Repetitive TV Match Format

Another week, another tag team main event between uncertain allies. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are main eventing more than Seth Rollins lately.

This would not be a problem if the tag team matches stood out, but WWE has done little to create interesting TV tag matches at any level for a while.

The WWE style in the ring has set up these contests to feel all too familiar. The heels dominate until the faces begin to build momentum. Everyone gets involved toward the end, hitting their finishers before one lands in the ring to close it out.

It is time to do more with the roster. The women should main event more episodes as well as adding more stakes to the contests that close the show.

There are plenty of championships to put on the line as well as far too many groups for the same few stars to stand tall every episode as credits roll.

WWE can also consider using more triple threat, Fatal 4-Ways, six-man or eight-man contests and other such formats.

Tag matches across the show need more free-form focus to heighten the tension. Get the competitors on the apron more involved. Set up more extended team synergy sequences. Set up more dramatic near-falls before the finish.

Anything would be better than sticking to the same tired card week after week. Predictability leads to complacency, and fans will grow bored with the formula if they have not already.