Tag: Saturday Night’s Main Event

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event predictions: Multiple new champions crowned?

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE presents Saturday Night’s Main Event in Salt Lake City tonight and at least one new champion will be crowned.

Every match on the card has a clear favorite and underdog, according to the latest betting odds. Still, I wouldn’t rule out an upset or two before the night’s over. There’s even room to believe an unexpected title change could happen. Below are previews, predictions, and the lines for each match.

CM Punk vs. Jey Uso

Barring any strange booking decision that could occur, CM Punk vs. Jey Uso will determine the new World Heavyweight Champion tonight.

Punk is currently a -400 favorite to win, but Jey (+250) has a possible heel turn looming that could stir things up in the Raw world title picture. Punk has fluctuated between a -500 and -400 favorite throughout the week.

I think there could be an upset here. Punk doesn’t need the title, but a freshly turned heel Jey Uso sure could use it. That might be where they are headed, but I’m not sure. This angle with The Usos still could go a lot of different ways. But I’m going out on a limb and taking Jey Uso as the underdog here.

Prediction: Jey Uso

WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill is a -600 favorite to defeat Tiffany Stratton in the WWE Women’s Championship match tonight. That’s up from -500 at the time of this week’s newsletter.

What’s interesting to me about this line is how much of a difference Cargill being a heel means for her chances. When these two met under a babyface vs. babyface dynamic at SummerSlam, Cargill was only a -210 favorite when she lost to Stratton that night. As a heel, however, and it being their second title match on a PLE, the odds are heavier in Cargill’s favor.

It seems pretty likely that WWE crowns a new champion here.

Prediction: Jade Cargill

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes is a -500 favorite to defeat Drew McIntyre.

At the time of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rhodes was a -600 favorite, so at least a little bit of money has come in on McIntyre. This could be due to the stipulation added on SmackDown that Rhodes can lose the title by count-out or disqualification, but it’s only a minor fluctuation. To me, the stipulation feels like a way to make a match with a fairly certain result a little less predictable.

McIntyre stood tall to close out SmackDown, which wrestling tropes say is a sign he’s losing on the PLE. We just saw the reverse of that with Tatum Paxley vs. Jacy Jayne. McIntyre even addressed it today on social media, writing, “For anyone else this would be a bad omen… BUT I’M NOT ANYONE ELSE.”

Rhodes, at -500, is still a heavy favorite but these aren’t slam-dunk odds, and they weren’t before the stipulation either. I feel pretty safe picking Rhodes to win here, though there’s clearly some giving McIntyre a chance.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes

Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against Rusev and Penta in a triple threat match

Dominik Mysterio is a huge betting favorite to retain in the triple threat match on Saturday.

He’s currently at -2100 to win, which is up from -1200 in this week’s newsletter. Obviously, with Dominik doing the Eddie Guerrero lie, cheat, and steal but be cheered for it gimmick, a triple threat like this is set up for him to do something underhanded to win. Just because it’s predictable, doesn’t mean it won’t be fun to watch.

Prediction: Dominik Mysterio

WOL: SNME preview, Blue Demon Jr. update, news and Q&A!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including an update on Blue Demon Jr., Saturday Night’s Main Event preview, Smackdown and Collision as well, WrestleDream PPV buys and what we can learn from them, your questions and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Fight Game: CM Punk or Jey Uso? | WWE SNME preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling this week.

After doing our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down segment, we each brought topics that we wanted to discuss to the table:

  • The weird booking behind Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata losing their first round match in the AEW Women’s Tag Team title tournament
  • Thoughts on Kendal Grey and whether or not WWE should rush her to the main roster
  • Whether Triple H is too front and center with WWE marketing
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event preview

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Intercontinental title match added to WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A fourth title match is now set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Dominik Mysterio will now defend the Intercontinental title in a triple threat match this Saturday in Salt Lake City against Penta and Rusev. This follows events on Monday’s Raw that saw the number one contendership match fall apart thanks to the actions of Mysterio and El Grande Americano.

Before the bout, Dominik was upset about the number one contenders match and wanted help from his Judgement Day friends. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh instead decided to focus on getting the World Tag Team titles back while Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez chose to focus on Perez’s match against Nikki Bella. Mysterio was seen on the phone with someone as he made his exit. Penta and Rusev were wrestling on Raw when suddenly, Americano and his two associates Rayo and Bravo ran in and attacked both men. Rusev took out Rayo and Bravo, but Grande managed to escape before Penta could lay him out.

Later backstage, Mysterio seemed stunned by the events that took place and told Adam Pearce he assumed that Penta and Rusev would naturally want to go after Los Americanos next. Pearce dismissed that idea, making the triple threat match official for Saturday.

Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 1)

  • WWE World Heavyweight title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
  • Three-way for WWE Intercontinental title: Dominik Mysterio defends against Penta and Rusev

Jade Cargill turns against Tiffany Stratton, title match set for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A match for the WWE Women’s title is now set for Saturday Night’s Main Event following a big angle on SmackDown.

After defeating Kiana James on Friday, Tiffany Stratton was attacked by Giulia until Jade Cargill came out for the save. But once the coast was clear, Cargill blindsided Stratton with a clothesline. She then continued the attack, throwing her to the floor and sending Stratton into the steel steps and across the announcer’s table. Officials attempted to stop the assault but Cargill persisted, finishing things off by ramming her foot onto Stratton’s ankle on the steel steps. The segment ended with Cargill holding the WWE Women’s title, the title match for Saturday Night’s Main Event becoming official later in the show.

Following the assault, Cathy Kelly asked Cargill why she did it and if she was afraid of the consequences. She responded by saying she made a mistake in thinking that the world rewards patience, it rewards power. And she was no longer going to ask for it, she will take the WWE Women’s Championship from Stratton.

The two had been friendly towards one another leading up to Friday, even after Stratton defeated Queen of the Ring winner Cargill at SummerSlam this past August. In September, the two along with Nia Jax squared off for the WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat match, with Stratton again emerging as the winner.

Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 1)

  • WWE World Heavyweight title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill

WWE title match added to next Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new championship match is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Nick Aldis on social media Tuesday confirmed that Cody Rhodes would be defending the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre on November 1 in Salt Lake City. This follows an angle on SmackDown that saw the two brawl in an impromptu match.

A show-long storyline on Friday saw Aldis announce that McIntyre would meet Jacob Fatu in a number one contender’s match in the main event. However, as Fatu’s music played, it was soon revealed that he was laid out backstage, his mouth a bloody mess and what appeared to be teeth on the floor. McIntyre was pleased by what had happened but denied he had any involvement. 

Cody Rhodes then came out and said if McIntyre wanted a WWE title match, they would do it right now. The two brawled for a while before the bell rang. It never became clear if it was a a title match, however, as the match soon ended in a DQ after Rhodes laid out McIntyre with the WWE title.

Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 1)

  • WWE World Heavyweight title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event World title match official

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1.

Jey Uso won a number one contender’s battle royal on Monday’s WWE Raw to advance to the title match at SNME on Saturday, November 1. Uso will take on CM Punk, who won the number one contendership on last week’s Raw, for the vacant World Heavyweight title.

Raw GM Adam Pearce announced on Monday’s show that Seth Rollins would be out of action due to a shoulder injury and had been stripped of the World title. With Punk already in line for a title shot, he then announced a battle royal for Raw to determine Punk’s opponent.

Jey, brother Jimmy Uso, LA Knight, and Dominik Mysterio were the final four competitors in the battle royal on Raw, with Jey dumping both his brother and Knight out of the ring for a double elimination. Jey then avoided a 619 attempt from Mysterio to win the match. A staredown with Punk closed Raw.

Salt Lake City will host the next episode of SNME on November 1, the second of two consecutive nights in the city, as Delta Center will also host the Halloween SmackDown the day before.

Our full report from Monday’s Raw which also featured a World Tag Team title change is available here.

WWE reveals official poster for November Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is the featured star on the official poster for WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event episode.

The Punk-themed poster was unveiled by Paul “Triple H” Levesque on social media today. No matches for the November 1 show have been announced yet — and it looks like Punk’s original plans may be changing due to an injury suffered by Seth Rollins.

On Raw this Monday, Punk became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jey Uso and LA Knight in a triple threat match. WWE’s original intention was for Rollins to defend the title against Punk at Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1. But Rollins suffered a shoulder injury at Crown Jewel: Perth and is now expected to undergo surgery.

WWE has not confirmed if Rollins will be vacating the title or announced how a new champion will be crowned if he does. As the number one contender, Punk would figure to factor into any plans to decide a new champion.

The ending of Raw this week saw The Vision betray Rollins and beat him down. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and a shocked Paul Heyman posed as the show ended while Breakker held Rollins’ title belt.

The November 1 episode of SNME is being held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern streaming live on Peacock.

Update on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Survivor Series creative plans

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided an update on some of WWE’s creative plans going forward.

Meltzer reports that, as of now, Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship is scheduled to headline WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special. The show is being held in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 1, with Meltzer noting that Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship and a singles match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu are also currently planned:

  • Currently three matches are scheduled, with Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk as the headliner for the world title. The other matches listed are Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill for the women’s title. I think after all the recent booking that Cargill has to win here, because there’s no point to this match otherwise. Stratton has beaten her and it’s a tough match-up because thus far neither has made the other look as good as they’ve looked with other opponents. Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu is listed as a match where the winner would get a shot at Cody Rhodes for the world title.

WWE’s November PLE is Survivor Series: WarGames from San Diego on November 29. Meltzer writes that Cody Rhodes defending the WWE Championship against the McIntyre vs. Fatu winner from SNME (likely to be McIntyre) is scheduled for the show. Also currently listed is John Cena challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental title.

When it comes to the two WarGames matches, here is the latest word on the plans:

  • The War Games plans as of one week ago was a men’s match with Punk & Roman Reigns & Jacob Fatu & Jey Uso along with a fifth man, not yet decided but Jimmy Uso and LA Knight are the two candidates, against a heel team of Rollins & Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed & Brock Lesnar & Austin Theory.
  • The women’s War Games match at this point is listed to be AJ Lee & Rhea Ripley & Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss & Iyo Sky vs. Becky Lynch & Asuka & Kairi Sane & Nia Jax & Lash Legend.

Theory, out of action with an injury, has not competed since July. Him being included in WarGames could mean that WWE intends for him to join The Vision with Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman.

John Cena’s WWE retirement match location reportedly revealed

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE looks to be heading to the nation’s capital for John Cena’s retirement match.

WrestleVotes reports that Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. will be the location for Cena’s last match, which is taking place on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. That news has not been officially announced by WWE yet.

The report comes after it was revealed this morning that Boston will not be the location for Cena’s last match. Cena’s final WWE appearance in Boston will instead happen at TD Garden on the November 10 episode of Raw. The following week, Cena will be at Madison Square Garden one last time for his New York City farewell.

Capital One Arena is the home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals. It’s been a regular venue for WWE, along with hosting the first-ever episode of AEW Dynamite in 2019.

The December 13 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event will stream live on Peacock. It’s not known who Cena will be facing at the show.

After defeating Logan Paul at Clash in Paris, Cena is set to appear on SmackDown tonight ahead of his upcoming matchup against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza.

Cena has eight appearances left on his retirement tour:

  • Friday, September 5: WWE SmackDown (Rosemont, Illinois)
  • Monday, September 15: WWE Raw (Springfield, Massachusetts)
  • Saturday, September 20: WWE Wrestlepalooza (Indianapolis, Indiana)
  • Saturday, October 11: WWE Crown Jewel: Perth (Perth, Australia)
  • Monday: November 10: WWE Raw (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Monday, November 17: WWE Raw (New York City, New York)
  • Saturday, November 29: WWE Survivor Series (San Diego, California)
  • Saturday, December 13:  WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (reportedly Washington, D.C.)

Location confirmed for next WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The location for WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event episode has been confirmed — with the promotion coming to Salt Lake City, Utah for back-to-back events this fall.

Salt Lake City’s Delta Center will host WWE SmackDown on Halloween night before SNME takes place from the venue on November 1. Fox News 13 in Utah has confirmed that news after it was first reported by WrestleVotes.

These two shows — along with a numbered UFC event in 2026 — are taking place as part of a collaboration between TKO Sports and Utah investment company Smith Entertainment Group, along with the Utah Sports Commission.

“We are thrilled that live WWE entertainment and UFC action will return to Utah,” said Chris Barney of Smith Entertainment Group. “Every TKO event Delta Center has hosted has captivated fans and brought people from across the country into Salt Lake City, creating opportunities to showcase Utah’s world class sports and entertainment landscape.”

Fox 13 News notes that ticket information for the events will be announced in the future.

WWE and NBCUniversal have reached a new multi-year deal for SNME that will see the show now air exclusively on Peacock, with the NBC simulcast going away. Along with this November show, there is an SNME episode set for December 13. That latter date — which is expected to be held in Boston — will feature John Cena’s retirement match.

Date set for John Cena’s WWE retirement match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena’s in-ring career officially has less than four months remaining.

It was already known that Cena would be retiring from the ring this December. A date for his retirement match has now been set, with it scheduled to take place on a December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event. There is no location or opponent confirmed yet, but the expectation has been that TD Garden in Boston will host the show with Massachusetts being Cena’s home state.

There had been rumors that WWE was considering moving the December SNME special to December 27 so it would air opposite AEW’s World Ends pay-per-view, but that will not be the case.

The announcement of the December 13 date was made in conjunction with the news that Saturday Night’s Main Event will now be streaming exclusively on Peacock going forward as part of a multi-year deal between WWE and NBCUniversal. SNME, a classic WWE series that dates back to the 1980s, made its return as a quarterly special in December 2024 and had been airing on both Peacock and NBC prior to today’s announcement that the NBC simulcast is going away.

WWE and Peacock have also confirmed a Saturday Night’s Main Event special for November 1.

With his retirement tour in its final months, Cena has a match against Logan Paul scheduled for Clash in Paris on August 31. It’s then expected that Cena vs. Brock Lesnar will happen at WWE Wrestlepalooza on September 20.

Clash in Paris will be the final WWE PLE to air on Peacock, with WWE’s new partnership with ESPN kicking off with the Wrestlepalooza event. Peacock will still have SNME, NXT PLEs, and the WWE content library (the library is scheduled to leave Peacock at the end of 2025 as things stand):

  • Saturday Night’s Main Event will stream in primetime exclusively on Peacock four times each year, featuring WWE’s top Superstars, rivalries, championship matches, and more.
  • Peacock will exclusively stream two nights of Saturday Night’s Main Events this year, with the first taking place on November 1. Additionally, Saturday Night’s Main Event on Dec. 13 will feature John Cena in his retirement match.
  • The WWE Network library will remain available on Peacock through the end of 2025, and NXT Premium Live Events will be available on Peacock until March 2026.
  • Throughout the term of the partnership, the SmackDown library will remain on Peacock on a 30-day delay and USA Network will continue as the live exclusive home of SmackDown on Friday nights.

WWE show to air on Peacock exclusively as part of new multi-year deal

Posted on by Josh Nason

This story has been updated.

Starting in November, WWE’s quarterly Saturday Night’s Main Event specials will air on Peacock exclusively as part of a new multi-year deal between WWE and NBCU/Peacock.

Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina first reported part of the news Wednesday, also noting WWE’s archive content will remain on the streaming service through the end of 2025 and “I would be shocked if it didn’t end up on ESPN after that.”

SportsBusinessJournal also reported on the story, noting that the exclusives begin with the next SNME on November 1st and “then one featuring John Cena’s retirement match on Dec. 13.” It had been previously speculated that Cena’s final match would air on an SNME opposite AEW Worlds End on Saturday, December 27th.

Revived in December 2024, the quarterly specials had also simulcast on NBC as part of a five-year deal that saw SmackDown return to USA Network on Friday nights. According to SBJ, the new arrangement will see SmackDown remain on Peacock on a 30-day delay.

The deal comes in the wake of a flurry of activity on Wednesday as it was announced that WWE PLEs will move to ESPN starting with September’s new Wrestlepalooza PLE instead of this April as originally planned. The final PLE on Peacock will be this month’s Clash in Paris.

WWE and Peacock’s contract was set to expire in March 2026 in a deal that included the PLEs, the archive content, and additional first-run content.

Gunther on Goldberg’s retirement match: ‘I feel like we exceeded expectations’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Gunther believes he and Goldberg exceeded expectations with Goldberg’s retirement match.

On July 12, Gunther stood opposite from Goldberg at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as Goldberg competed for the final time. They wrestled for about 15 minutes before Gunther got the victory, retaining his World Heavyweight Championship by making Goldberg pass out in a sleeper.

The Ring General told Radio Times that having an extended match instead of just going a few minutes was important to him, and he feels like they told a good story by making the audience sympathetic toward Goldberg.

“I was very happy with how everything went and I feel like we exceeded expectations for the match,” Gunther said. “For me, it was important to not go out there and have the typical three or four minutes of action and that’s it.

“I wanted time to tell a story and take the audience on a ride and make them feel bad for him a little bit before it all ends. I think we succeeded with that. He can be very happy with the match and the connection that he had with the audience because that felt very special.”

While the 58-year-old Goldberg had some complaints about how the night went — like his retirement speech getting cut off at the end of the broadcast — he had a fun time overall. He came away from the match hugely impressed with Gunther both as a competitor and as a person.

Gunther’s next World Heavyweight Championship defense will go down this Saturday when he puts the title on the line against CM Punk at night one of SummerSlam. In his interview with Radio Times, Gunther called Punk one of the most unique performers in wrestling history. Gunther said matchups like these are why he decided to join WWE in the first place.

Update on Seth Rollins & whether SNME knee injury was a work

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

According to Bryan Alvarez, multiple sources have stated the knee injury Seth Rollins appeared to suffer on this past weekend’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event was a work, and that both talent and production people were worked into thinking it was legitimate.

Dave Meltzer corroborated the story, also saying the injury was a work. The news also lines up with what Post Wrestling’s John Pollock said he was told on Thursday of last week.

Alvarez noted that according to one source, Rollins did have a very minor knee injury going into Saturday so the claim he was hurt is somewhat true, but was nothing that would keep him out of action much time at all.

Rollins appeared to tweak his knee during his SNME match against LA Knight and conferred with the referee, ringside doctor, and Paul Heyman. He was pinned by Knight shortly afterward, but some thought the injury might be a cover for him to cash in his Money in the Bank contract later that night on either World Heavyweight Champion Gunther or Goldberg.

Alvarez said the idea is to convince fans Rollins is out for a long time so he can return “early” with a surprise cash-in.

Rollins was a guest host on The Rich Eisen Show Wednesday, saying there was no diagnosis on the injury due to the amount of swelling but that he expected to miss significant time. He said he was expecting to get evaluated in a week or two in Los Angeles.