$1.6 Billion and a Styrofoam Head: The Legacy of Wrestlepalooza

Wrestlepalooza is more than just a wrestling show.

The event is the first Premium Live Event under WWE’s new partnership with ESPN, signaling a shift from the company’s old direct-to-consumer model toward a business-to-business approach focused on massive media rights deals.

The five-year, $1.6 billion deal positions WWE alongside premier sports like the NFL and UFC, nearly doubling the value of the previous Peacock deal.

There is tension growing among the fanbase with the increased price and product.

Many expressed frustration at rising ticket and streaming costs. The new ESPN app costs $29.99 per month, nearly triple the previous Peacock subscription. This signals a shift toward a premium, high-value offering rather than broad accessibility.

This isn’t the first time an event named Wrestlepalooza has made history… or at least tried.

The third edition of Extreme Championship Wrestling’s Wrestlepalooza was held on May 3, 1998, at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia. It’s remembered as one of ECW’s bigger attempts to expand outside of its Philadelphia base and tap into a Southern market.

It ended up being the last Wrestlepalooza the company ever ran, the previous shows happening in 1995 and 1997.

Al Snow, who had surged in popularity thanks to his “Head” gimmick, took on ECW heavyweight champion Shane Douglas in the ’98 main event. The arena was filled with fans waving styrofoam heads, creating one of the most iconic visuals of late-90s ECW. WWE has highlighted it in ECW retrospectives as a defining visual of the company’s relationship with its fanbase.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Douglas defeated Snow to retain the championship.
The Blue Meanie and Super Nova defeated The FBI.
Jerry Lynn defeated Justin Credible.
Bam Bam Bigelow defeated New Jack in a wild brawl.
Chris Candido defeated Lance Storm.
The Dudley Boyz defeated The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer – after the match, Sandman and Dreamer were attacked until The Gangstanators and Spike Dudley ran in setting off a classic ECW post-match melee.

The 2025 version of Wrestlepalooza card and the crew’s predictions:

Current Standings

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
14-4	13-6	11-7	11-7	10-8

Ricky Dale and Speck went an impressive 6-0 with their Clash in Paris picks to climb back in the chase.

Iyo Sky vs Stephanie Vaquer for the vacant Women’s World Championship

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
Vaquer	Vaquer	Vaquer	Vaquer	Sky

The Usos vs The Vision (Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker)

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
Vision	Vision	Vision	Vision	Vision

CM Punk and AJ Lee vs Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
Punk/Lee	Punk/Lee	Punk/Lee	Punk/Lee	Punk/Lee

Cody Rhodes (C) vs Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
Rhodes	Rhodes	Rhodes	McIntyre	Rhodes

John Cena vs Brock Lesnar

Derick	Drew	Gore	Speck	Ricky Dale
Cena	Cena	Cena	Cena	Cena