Triple H promised spectacle, surprises, and premium quality when WrestlePalooza aired as WWEs first pay-per-view under its $1.6 billion deal with ESPN. But instead of universal praise, what followed was a flood of criticism from fans who felt the show fell flatespecially with the monthly price tag now bumped up to $29.99.
After the event ended, Triple H took to Twitter to praise Cody Rhodes, saying As we head into the @WWE on @espn era, @CodyRhodes shows why hes QB1. #AndStill #Wrestlepalooza. That single post opened the floodgates.
One fan fired back with Quit please you cant book, criticizing the overall creative direction of the event. Another pointed to issues in the main event and questioned the logic behind the referee involvement that helped Cody win: Referee interrupting Drew made no sense, could have had Cody win in a better sensical way. Mid PLE. Just barely saved by Stephanie vs Iyo and Mixed Tag match.
Frustration also came from viewers who felt WWE wasted the opportunity to truly deliver something unique. One fan wrote, Thanks for such a mid show Becky and Seth vs Punk and AJ should have main evented with Stephanie vs Iyo opening the show.
The scheduling of WrestlePalooza was also called into question, as it aired the same day as AEW All Out. One tweet blamed WWEs obsession with counterprogramming instead of focusing on their own product: Stop counter programming and focus on your own company. AEW isnt your competition, Shawn Michaels is.
Another viewer slammed the events lack of surprises after Triple H repeatedly hyped them in interviews leading up to the show: So you said thered be surprises and spectacle? Any any update on that? Are they gonna be on the post show?
More fans echoed the same disappointment, with one user posting What kind of main event was that? while another added, I saved $30 by not watching this but I still would like a refund, judging by these reactions.
A particularly harsh critique came from someone who actually paid to watch, only to be left cold: I cant believe I actually paid to watch that show. It was pretty lame. There were only two good matches & the main event was a snooze fest. It was the second shortest match of the night. Now that WWE PLEs are on ESPN, I think Im just done with them. They havent been very good lately.
WrestlePalooza was designed to kick off a new era, but the online response has made it clear that the event didnt deliver for a large chunk of the fanbase. Instead of walking away feeling like they were part of something major, many fans are questioning whether the ESPN era of WWE is worth the premium price.
Was Wrestle Palooza really worth the $29.99 ESPN price tag? Or was this the start of something WWE fans should be worried about? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
