WWE Plants Seeds for WarGames at Wrestlepalooza, AEW All Out Fallout, More Reaction

Despite the heavy hype it received going in, WWE's inaugural installment of Wrestlepalooza on ESPN seemed to be less focused on delivering big moments than on planting seeds for what's to come in the remainder of 2025.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar was billed as their final-ever encounter, yet their bad blood might be far from over based on their match's immediate aftermath. Meanwhile, The Vision's rivalry with The Usos rages on following their latest victory over The Usos at the event.

AEW All Out was arguably the superior show on Saturday thanks to its exciting action, satisfying finishes and fun surprises. Most notably, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage reigned supreme over FTR in their first bout back in Toronto, while Adam Page successfully retained his AEW World Championship against Kyle Fletcher in a thriller.

AEW left fans with plenty to look forward to come Wednesday's Dynamite and beyond, including their next marquee match and a reunion that should further revitalize the company's once-stagnant tag team division.

From the fallout of All Out to how the real test for a certain WWE star has only just begun, these are the top takeaways from the week that was in wrestling.

The Men's WarGames Lineup for Survivor Series Just Became Clear

Survivor Series this November will mark the fourth consecutive installment to feature WarGames, presumably for both the men and women, per usual. Although there's no need for WarGames to be assigned to any one annual show, the battle lines have been drawn for both bouts this year, specifically for the men.

The Vision has been running roughshod on the Raw roster since Seth Rollins initially joined forces with Paul Heyman back at WrestleMania 41. WarGames can be where they get their comeuppance and there's no shortage of Superstars who will want to give it to them.

Roman Reigns and The Usos are obvious choices based on their recent run-ins with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, along with CM Punk or LA Knight. The biggest addition would be Brock Lesnar to the heel side after his interactions with Heyman on SmackDown and at Wrestlepalooza.

If Lesnar and John Cena are still at odds by then, Cena entering WarGames for the first time would be a worthy way of utilizing him for his final premium live event. It would also allow him to team with Reigns and/or Punk again and lock up with Breakker and Reed.

Rollins, Breakker, Reed, Lesnar, and a fifth member (possibly Drew McIntyre) against Reigns, The Usos, Cena, and either Punk or Knight would be a star-studded Survivor Series WarGames main event, and the road WWE takes to get there will be fun to follow.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita Is AEW's Next Major Marquee Match

Even with several main-event players currently inactive with injuries, it's not as if AEW doesn't have a deep enough roster to replenish the pot in their absence.

However, AEW's product suffers from seemingly not having anything of importance on the horizon for the men's and women's world championship pictures. Adam Page is fresh off a hard-fought win over Kyle Fletcher at All Out, while Kris Statlander just dethroned Toni Storm as AEW Women's World champion, but there are no major matches AEW appears to be building toward in the foreseeable future.

While not necessarily for a world title, Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita feels like a legitimate attraction for AEW at the moment, and the time for that bout to be booked is coming quicker than fans might think.

The two collided in an excellent three-way for the AEW Unified Championship at All Out that predictably saw Okada retain by pinning Mascara Dorada. Every interaction between Okada and Takeshita served as a small taste of what they can do when allowed to go one-on-one.

Okada has had his prestigious prize since shortly after arriving in AEW in March 2024. Takeshita should be the one to ultimately benefit from beating him for the belt.

Giving it away at WrestleDream would be perfectly fine, but the Continental Classic is close enough that it should be saved for the finals of that ever-anticipated tournament.

Why Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk Must Be Put on Pause Until WrestleMania Season

The CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins rivalry was bound to run out of juice eventually, and for many fans, we have reached that point. As such, it makes the most sense to put it on pause before inevitably revisiting it to pay it off once and for all.

Wrestlepalooza saw Punk and AJ Lee best Becky Lynch and Rollins in mixed tag team action. It was a much-needed win for Punk in particular, following his string of losses to Rollins dating back to March, including when Rollins stole the World Heavyweight Championship from him at SummerSlam.

They can't fully settle their score until they wage war in singles competition at least one more time, and it's already been confirmed that won't be at Crown Jewel due to the Crown Jewel Championship matches taking place there. That means it'll be Cody Rhodes vs. Rollins.

Survivor Series would be an acceptable option, but as previously noted, a WarGames match with The Vision could keep Rollins occupied at that event as well. If WrestleMania 42 is where Rollins vs. Punk finally headlines and Punk wins the World Heavyweight title back, it's imperative that WWE move away from the feud until then to avoid further fan fatigue.

Otherwise, WWE runs the risk of ruining whatever appeal their big blow-off is going to have.

Reunited Jurassic Express Add to an Expanding AEW Tag Team Division

AEW was best known for its refreshing emphasis on tag team wrestling shortly after launching in 2019 and that remained one of the company's core qualities until the last two years or so.

They're now in the process of building it back up by adding teams such as Adam Copeland and Christian Cage and Brodido to the mix—or back to the mix with The Acclaimed if they indeed end up reuniting.

Jack Perry and Luchasaurus are also back together as of All Out and the tag team division will be infinitely better off for it.

Jurassic Express was a staple of the scene from 2019 through 2022 and briefly held the AEW World Tag Team Championship before splitting. Perry had been off AEW TV for nearly a year prior to returning at All Out and this is arguably the best possible use of him at this point.

That, combined with Cope and Christian's classic with FTR at the event, along with Brodido excelling as a makeshift tandem, makes for a much stronger division with numerous compelling match possibilities, provided AEW ensures the storytelling continues to be prevalent.

The Real Test for Stephanie Vaquer in WWE Has Only Just Begun

The term "meteoric rise" doesn't do Stephanie Vaquer's WWE journey justice.

In just over one year, she's gone from being signed by WWE to a double champion in NXT to now the new Women's World champion on the Raw roster. In that time, she's managed to get over with the audience and find her footing almost immediately in NXT as well as on Raw.

Her title win over Iyo Sky at Wrestlepalooza was nothing short of shocking, especially since all signs pointed to WWE not rushing her ascent and instead allowing her to organically work her way through the ranks on Raw. Vaquer quickly capturing the Women's World Championship indicates they intend to make her the face of Raw's women's division immediately—or at least it should.

There have been numerous forgettable title reigns over the years that did little to benefit the person holding the gold because they weren't supported by the booking. It would be a waste of everything Vaquer has accomplished thus far for that to happen to her.

Prior to this past week, La Primera hadn't wrestled on WWE TV since the July 28 edition of Raw. Naomi having to abruptly relinquish the title obviously upended the promotion's plans, but Vaquer must maintain a permanent presence on Raw going forward and be presented as a significant star for this reign to be considered a success.

The red brand boasts an incredibly deep division of women at the moment and Vaquer is more than capable of leading the charge if the company can stay the course with her.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.