JBL Says Rumored John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar Match on ESPN Could Be the “Biggest Deal in Wrestling History”

WWE will be pitting a Premium Live Event against AEW All Out on September 20, as the rivalry between the two companies continues. With a month left before the events, it appears JBL believes the WWE event will be the biggest deal in wrestling history thanks to Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena taking place there.

While speaking on Something to Wrestle, Conrad Thompson talked about the possibility of WWE running a big show on September 20, the same night as AEW All Out. The event is rumored for Indianapolis and could even be WWE’s first show on ESPN, with John Cena facing Brock Lesnar in the main event. Conrad said this would be a huge moment for Cena’s farewell run, giving fans the chance to see one of his last matches on a major sports network.

“The latest is that not only might they be running this PLE on September 20, not only could it headline John Cena versus Brock Lesnar that same night, but it might even be the very first WWE show on ESPN — and that would be monstrous. A lot of us expected the ESPN deal to start next year, but if we’re talking about a month from now, John, we could be watching Cena and Lesnar on ESPN. What a way for Cena’s farewell run. What a feather in the cap. You want to talk about getting the word out? Imagine telling fans they can see one of Cena’s last matches on ESPN. That’s huge, John. Absolutely huge.”

JBL said a match like this would be big enough to bring Lesnar back from his quiet life. He explained that Lesnar has always been one of the biggest stars in wrestling and MMA, and headlining an ESPN debut would be massive. He also praised TKO for making big business deals and said this is one of the best times to be in wrestling.

“If you want to get Brock off his ranch and away from hunting, this is how you do it. Honestly, I’ve always said if aliens ever invaded, we’d just send Brock out there — they’d head straight back to Mars. That’s Brock Lesnar. But this would get him off the ranch. It’s a massive deal. He’s one of the biggest draws in pay-per-view history, both in MMA and in professional wrestling. To headline an ESPN debut is enormous. And this is what TKO does so well — they’re killing it. Week after week there’s another press release, another multibillion-dollar deal. It’s an incredible time to be in the wrestling business, and just as great to be a wrestling fan.”

Conrad added that Cena and Lesnar’s star power would make the show a major success for WWE, ESPN, and the wrestling world. He believed people might look back at this as the start of wrestling’s next boom period.

“It’s going to be huge. I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Everybody knows the crossover appeal Cena and Lesnar both have. If this ends up on ESPN, it’s going to be gangbusters for WWE, ESPN, and wrestling as a whole. These are the kinds of events that, years from now, people will look back on and say the next big boom — the next-level explosion — started with Cena and Lesnar on ESPN. I said it last week with Jeff, but I’ll ask you again: don’t you think this WWE move might be the biggest deal in wrestling history?”

JBL agreed and said both men have the kind of appeal that grabs attention right away. He noted that Lesnar still looks great, Cena is still in top shape, and together they would be the perfect pair to headline WWE’s first ESPN show.

“One hundred percent. Absolutely. You talk about airport appeal — Brock Lesnar and John Cena have it. If you’re flipping through ESPN or scrolling the app and you see those two names, you’re stopping right there. Brock still looks incredible, Cena still has one of the greatest physiques of all time, and together they’re an unbeatable hook. You couldn’t pick two better guys to make this happen if this really is the plan. That’s why I think ESPN would jump all over it.”

The event is supposed to be named Wrestlepalooza, so we’ll have to wait and see whether the Premium Live Event will end up breaking all records and set the standard for all ESPN shows on WWE moving forward.

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