Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly lists his Top 5 things to watch during the Mixed Tag Team Match pitting power couples CM Punk & AJ Lee against Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Gainbridge Arena at 7 ET/4 PT on ESPN in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else.
THE SETUP
With Wrestlepalooza setting the stage for WWE’s ESPN debut, you'd better bring the goods and bring them with conviction. If having John Cena against Brock Lesnar wasn’t buzzworthy enough, how about four of the most popular Superstars in the ring at once including one coming out of a 10-year retirement? AJ Lee will join her husband CM Punk in a Mixed Tag Team Match against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and his wife Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch in what is sure to be a banger of a match. While we have seen Mixed Tags before, you would be hard-pressed to find one of this magnitude. Lee, however, has had the most experience with these types of matches back in the day, most notably with Daniel Bryan and then Big E.
FIVE STORYLINES/THINGS TO WATCH FOR
1. BECKY’S PAYBACK? The Man has been on a rampage and has turned up her "bad guy" persona over the past few weeks. Lynch is a Superstar the fans truly love to despise, so much so that that it makes you cringe every time you hear her entrance music. How AJ Lee has been able to flip that confident arrogance exuded by Lynch has been stunning. Lynch isn’t going out that way. She isn’t going to tuck tail and slink off into oblivion because of somebody we haven’t seen in a WWE ring in 10 years. There is no doubt that she will have something special up her sleeve for Lee that will remind her who "The Man" really is.
2. ANOTHER HEYMAN HUSTLE: Paul Heyman has been too quiet for my liking. Something has to be cooking in the background for the WWE Hall of Famer. Sure, his main beef is with Roman Reigns after The Tribal Chief locked the Guillotine on The Oracle after beating Bronson Reed at the Clash at Paris, causing Heyman to be hospitalized. Heyman did respond recently to a social media video posted by the company of Jimmy and Jey Uso during Raw, taking verbal shots at them by promising that he’s up to something. That something just might come during Wrestlepalooza, where Heyman’s Vision will be well-represented. Now, it might be directed at Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, but Seth Rollins (and Becky Lynch) should get first dibs.
3. IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING: If you think this is going to be a one-off or that everything will be settled within 30 minutes in Indianapolis between the two power couples, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Regardless of who ends up getting their hands raised in victory, it’s just the beginning, not the end. This seems like a good jumping-off point for a rivalry that could last all the way to WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas seven months from now. Ultimately, Punk and Rollins have to settle their years of differences inside the ring, and a Mixed Tag Team Match isn’t that way. What it does provide is the relatively newly formed Women’s Intercontinental Title to gain some fire based on who is battling for it. That’s a win/win proposition. Now, Punk has finally main-evented WrestleMania, but it was a Triple Threat Match. It leaves the door open for a one-on-one bout with Rollins on the world’s biggest stage, and yes, it could definitely warrant a seven-month build.
4. PUNK BECOMING A PUNK: CM Punk is one of the top stars in WWE, though he is just 1-6 in PLEs in 2025, including WWE Elimination Chamber and the Royal Rumble. The only time he won was when he defeated Gunther to capture the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam, and that reign lasted mere minutes before Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to steal the title from Punk. Coming close and losing isn’t what Punk signed up for, and he has to be getting frustrated with the results. That leads to one of two things – a pressing Punk or a motivated one. Even though the Heavyweight Title won’t be on the line, another Punk loss in a big-time event might push him over the edge.
5. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: The debut on ESPN’s streaming services. The possibility of making Wrestlepalooza one of the company’s staple PLEs alongside WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. As well as the WWE Superstars involved in the match. There is no way that this match is going to be a 1-2-3 pinfall without at least one “Holy Bleep” moment.
PREDICTION: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch use some chicanery to defeat CM Punk and AJ Lee.
