Tag: Saturday Night’s Main Event

Wrestling Observer Radio: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event preview, more AEW analysis

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we covered:

  • Jesse “The Body” Ventura’s appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast
  • The history of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event notes, memorable moments, and a preview for Saturday’s return show
  • AEW analysis from Dave’s lead WON story
  • First WWE Raw on Netflix news
  • CM Punk’s possible WrestleMania match
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Tessa Blanchard back in TNA

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

Wrestling Weekly: The return of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

This Saturday marks the return of WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event — a show which will see the very first United States Women’s Champion crowned.

On today’s Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I make our match predictions and also take a look at AEW’s Continental Classic tournament.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

December 16, 2024 Observer Newsletter: The ups & downs of AEW, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event returns

Posted on by F4W Staff

Subscribers can now read this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The lead story features Dave Meltzer doing a deep dive into the struggles among success for AEW and how they could get some positive momentum amid some concerning numbers.

Conversely, WWE brings back the nostalgia-driven Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend and is continuing on their hot streak leading into what should be a big 2025.

Dave also looks back at NXT Deadline and the rest of the news of the week across the wrestling globe.

Click here to read.

WOL: All In ticket sales and prediction, RAW report

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the weekly RAW report with the build to Saturday Night’s Main Event, AEW ratings and All In ticket sales and why Bryan thinks they’re going to do well, news and commentary and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WOR: WWE Raw report, SNME, two-night PLEs, UFC details

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Image: WWE

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including this weekend’s UFC with Paul Fontaine, AEW’s All In on-sale celebration and news coming out of it, injury updates, two-night PLEs increasing, ratings, the RAW report, Saturday Night’s Main Event, line-ups and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Paul Fontaine’s UFC 310 thoughts

18:26: TKO/WW open to more two-night premium live events

22:43: News from AEW All In Texas’ presale event

29:14: Injury update on Tetsuya Natio, other Tokyo Dome thoughts, Bronson Reed injury update

34:01: What’s going on with Rey Fenix

39:28: Willie Mack pulled from GCW events

42:19: Ratings

50:06: MMA handicap matches in Poland

52:22: WWE Raw report, NXT & Dynamite Winter is Coming lineups

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Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn set for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new match has been added to WWE Saturday Night’s Main event on December 14.

Following a pair of angles involving the duo on Monday’s Raw, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre will go one-on-one this Saturday on the NBC special.

McIntyre made his surprise return to the company on last week’s Raw, aying out Zayn in the aftermath of a Zayn vs. Seth Rollins matchup. McIntyre again attacked Zayn on the Raw stage on this week’s episode, with Zayn getting retribution in a backstage attack in a later segment:

Five matches are now set for Saturday’s prime time NBC Saturday Night’s Main Event. The updated lineup:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a three-way
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
  • Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s United States title tournament finals
  • Jesse Ventura on commentary

Damian Priest added to World Heavyweight title match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Damian Priest will get another shot at the World Heavyweight title.

After an opening segment that saw Balor standing tall over both Priest and Gunther, Raw GM Adam Pearce told Balor that the World Heavyweight title match would now be a three-way. Balor said that was fine as it would be more satisfying when he beat both men.

As Finn Balor and The Judgement Day were looking to attack Gunther on Raw, Priest came out and took out the rest of Judgment Day before throwing Balor into the ring, where both he and Gunther attacked him. However, the two quickly went after one another, giving Balor the opportunity to retaliate, finishing with the coup de grace on Priest.

Sami Zayn will also be in action this Saturday, taking on Drew McIntyre. After McIntyre made his return by attacking Zayn at the end of last week’s Raw, Zayn issued the challenge on this week’s show, saying he wanted to end this quickly. As Zayn headed up the rampway, he was jumped by McIntyre, who continued beating Zayn until officials stepped in.

The lineup for Saturday Night’s Main Event:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Finn Balor and Damian Priest
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
  • Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s United States title tournament finals

Wrestling Observer Live: Animotion singer talks about ‘Obsession’ & Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s a special Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live as we’re looking ahead to next week’s return of Saturday Night’s Main Event as well as looking back to the 1980s.

The show is paying tribute to its 80s roots with a retro look, Jesse Ventura, Jimmy Hart, and the original theme song: the inimitable ‘Obsession’ by Animotion.

On today’s show, we talk to Bill Wadhams, the lead male vocalist of the band about the iconic wrestling show, if platforms like WWE help an artist, if the band was aware of the show in the 80s, the history of the hit song, and much more.

Plus, I chat about WWE SmackDown, AEW Rampage & Collision, Stardom, and more.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Daily Update: Saturday Night’s Main Event, Trish Stratus, Vikingo

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Complete rundown of Full Gear, including addressing perception issues, why the crowd was difficult, business notes on attendance and PPV, timing, the Worlds End show and what it looks like, the head-to-head battle on 12/28 in Orlando and the Continental Classic.
  • A detailed look at the Conor McGregor sexual assault lawsuit, testimony, keys to the verdict, reactions from McGregor, Dee Devlin, Nikita Hand and others. We also look at the aftermath with companies breaking ties with McGregor, supermarkets and shops no longer carrying his products and the UFC lack of reaction, and how that compares with boxing history with top draws.
  • The business of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul and explaining the numbers
  • Linda McMahon nominated by Trump as Secretary of Education and media coverage
  • Survivor Series coverage
  • The Ricky Starks GCW controversy, what happened, why it happened and how it could and should have been avoided
  • UFC 309 coverage with business notes, what’s next for the fighters, Jon Jones’ future and more
  • A look at the life and career of Mighty Inoue, who passed away this week, a Japanese wrestler from the 60s to 90s and later a referee, including the brief period when he was the top star in the IWE and his legendary bouts in Japan against all-time greats.
  • Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame balloting notes
  • The life of Colosso Colosetti, who was a star for three decades in Mexico and held several titles in the U.S. as well. We look at his biggest matches, and there were a ton of them.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from the past two weeks
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and New Japan shows in the U.S. We also look at a key thing regarding ticket advances and sales in the U.S.
  • Former ROH star wins major world title in fantastic match in Mexico
  • Notes on an upcoming international event at Arena Mexico
  • Mistico talks his match with Chris Jericho
  • AAA’s biggest feud for 2025
  • Coverage of all the Japanese tournaments going on in Stardom, Dragon Gate, All Japan and New Japan
  • Kenny Omega’s return and New Japan/AEW Wrestle Dynasty update
  • Historic X-Over show notes
  • Former WWE talent openly talks about going for a gold medal in the 2028 Olympics
  • The second oldest male wrestler ever in a match took place over the weekend featuring one of the most famous wrestlers ever in his country
  • WWE star makes surprise appearance at an international show
  • Bloodsport notes
  • A look at AEW’s upcoming schedule
  • AEW moves the Brisbane show
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Bellator fighters talking publicly about not getting fights
  • Lots of notes on the death of fighter Trokon Dousuah after a fight in Alberta and the backstory of all that happened
  • Value of WWE & UFC skyrockets
  • Lots on the Netflix debut and Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • Dwayne Johnson box office notes
  • Royal Rumble tickets
  • WWE changing how it handles comp tickets
  • How Comcast internal changes will affect WWE
  • Crown Jewel and Bound for Glory PPV updates
  • Lots on new WWE signees

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • It’s been announced that, in the United Kingdom and Spain, Saturday Night’s Main Event will air live on YouTube on December 14.
  • While speaking with TV Insider, Trish Stratus gave her thoughts on WWE adding Women’s United States and Intercontinental title belts:
    • I think it’s amazing. This is exactly what we wanted back in the day. We wanted the same opportunities and exposure as the men. Now this is a big step to have that level of competition. Having the titles means you’re going to have matches for those titles. There is room for multiple feuds over the titles and influx of characters. It creates opportunities for more characters on the show, who happen to be female.
  • TV Insider asked Stratus if there’s anyone from today’s roster that she especially enjoys watching:
    • Nia Jax, I’m so happy she came back. She has a great presence. She has been owning it. I really enjoy watching her. I have this weird thing where I don’t think I could fully retire until I’m rag-dolled by her. Is that weird? Imagine that? Then I can retire [laughs]. 
  • Cody Rhodes told Jazzy’s World TV that Bayley is one of the current locker room leaders in WWE:
    • Here’s the thing I don’t think people know about Bayley – she’s probably the actual current locker room leader. Like, if you’ve got a captain, you know, the ‘C [for captain]’ on the jersey, it’s probably her and Randy Orton. In terms of, you need something done, ‘Hey, such and such doesn’t need to be late anymore. Hey, we need energy for this show.’ She’s the locker room leader – and she should be.
  • Trick Williams was the guest on the latest episode of No Contest Wrestling.
  • The Chase & Big Joe Show in Nashville interviewed Kofi Kingston. 
  • WWE Vault uploaded the full “Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman” documentary from 2014.
  • Here’s the lineup for this Friday’s episode of NXT Level Up:
    • Layla Diggs vs. Lainey Reid
    • Dion Lennox vs. Jasper Troy

AEW/Other Wrestling

Gunther vs. Finn Balor title match set for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Gunther will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor of The Judgment Day at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The new World title match was made official for the Saturday, December 14 event in a backstage segment on Monday’s Raw by GM Adam Pearce.

Balor attacked Gunther on Monday’s Raw after Gunther defeated Balor’s Judgment Day comrade Dominik Mysterio, laying the champ out with multiple double stomps off the top rope.

Pearce also intimated that Balor will have to defend the World Tag Team titles with JD McDonagh on the card, saying that he will discuss Balor’s other title match with him on next week’s Raw.

Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens is already official for SNME, plus Liv Morgan defending the Women’s World Championship against IYO SKY was added to the lineup during Monday’s Raw.

The updated card for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, airing Saturday, December 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBC:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Finn Balor
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY

Women’s World Championship match booked for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Women’s World Championship will be on the line at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14.

As revealed during Monday’s Raw, Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan will defend her title against IYO SKY at Saturday Night’s Main Event set for Saturday, December 14.

Morgan and SKY were on opposite sides of the women’s WarGames match at last Saturday’s Survivor Series, with Morgan pinned by Rhea Ripley.

On Monday’s Raw, Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez defeated SKY and Kairi Sane in tag team action, then continued to attack the losing team after the match. Ripley ran in to save, but was sent face-first into the announce table, selling the orbital injury that kept Ripley sidelined for months.

Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens is the other bout currently set for the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event to NBC.

The announced card to this point:

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Saturday, December 14, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBC —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY

Daily Update: Saturday Night’s Main Event, Konosuke Takeshita, GCW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita will be in action for DDT Pro Wrestling on January 3, competing for the promotion in Japan for the first time since July. He’s also set for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4 and Wrestle Dynasty on January 5.
  • The Butcher (Andy Williams) celebrated the five-year anniversary of his AEW debut, writing that he loves everything the promotion allows him to do:
    • Yesterday was 5 yrs with @aew for me. I feel like I’ve lived 50 lives since then. Monocle, pants sash, long hair, tassels, fat, shredded, bald, Malenko trunks, bunk house Butch, white clothes,..etc. Now I’m rampage man or something. Love what this company has allowed me to do.
  • Chris Van Vliet asked Jake “The Snake” Roberts if it bothers him that he never held a championship in WWE:
    • No, not at all. My god, I’m grateful I did not have to carry that too. You know, I carried a 50 or 60 or 75 pound snake around, and we’d be on the road for two and three weeks at a time, all your clothing, everything you gotta carry, the last thing I want is a 10-pound belt to carry around too. Would I have liked to have had a championship? Yeah, of course. You know, that would have been something, but I had had several championships up until then. Maybe not [the] WWF Championship, but I’d had several – Calgary, I had it in Louisiana, and Mid-South. I had it in Texas. I had it in different places around, Mid-Atlantic. So I’d had my time with the belts. I mean, it was all right. I would have liked to have had the money that was associated with that belt. But how can I complain about [the] career that I had?
  • While speaking with TV Insider, Eric Bischoff reacted to next year being the 30th anniversary of WCW Nitro’s debut:
    • My show 83 Weeks is a nostalgia-based show, so I’m always looking into the history of the Monday Night War with WWE and WCW and all those things that happened during that era. I live in that era. In that sense, to me, that time was yesterday. The Mall of America, when you say that was almost 30 years ago? I think, ‘Not a chance.’ It seems like yesterday in a lot of ways, but in others, it seems like a lifetime.
  • Due to an injury suffered in pre-match training, NJPW Young Lion Masatora Yasuda had to miss today’s World Tag League event. His scheduled pre-show match against Daiki Nagai was pulled from the card.
  • Amazing Red is the latest talent confirmed for GCW’s show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Sunday, January 19.
  • Josh Barnett vs. Royce Isaacs in a Bloodsport match has been announced for GCW’s Highest in the Room event in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 14.
  • Slam Wrestling published an obituary paying tribute to wrestler/actor/stuntman Scott L. Schwartz, who passed away this week at 65 years old.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event updates

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided a couple of updates on WWE’s plans for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The classic series returns next month with a special taking place from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on December 14. No matches have been announced for the card yet, but Meltzer notes that — as of earlier this week — Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens is planned to be the main event.

Saturday Night’s Main Event is slated to air live on both NBC and Peacock. The classic series is returning as a quarterly special, and WrestleVotes reported this week that WWE is already planning another episode for January. The date would be January 25, which is just one week before Royal Rumble 2025.

Meltzer writes that San Antonio has been mentioned as a possible location for the January 25 Saturday Night’s Main Event.

“WrestleVotes reported a second Saturday Night’s Main Event for 1/25,” he wrote. “We had heard that same date and at the time San Antonio was mentioned to us as a possible location but not finalized.”

Saturday Night’s Main Event first existed from 1985-1992 and then had a second run from 2006-2008.

Wrestling Observer Live: AEW Dynamite recap, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event news

Posted on by Mike Sempervive

With Bryan Alvarez out, so is the connection to Sports Byline. As a result, Mike Sempervive flies solo on today’s Wrestling Observer Live. to take you through everything that’s going on in the world of pro wrestling.

Topics include last night’s AEW Dynamite, a future Collision date gets moved, news on the next WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, and more!

It’s a fun show as always, so check it out~!

Click here for the commercial-free download (subscription required)

Report: WWE planning Saturday Night’s Main Event for January

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event just a few weeks away, WWE may already have plans for its second episode.

WrestleVotes reports sources have indicated to them that WWE has another Saturday Night’s Main Event scheduled for January 25. The location for the show has not been decided yet. If the show happens, it will be taking place just one week before Royal Rumble 2025, which is taking place from Indianapolis on Saturday, February 1.

Streaming live on both NBC and Peacock, Saturday Night’s Main Event will make its return with a show at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on December 14. No matches have been confirmed for the card yet. Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, and Seth Rollins are featured on the poster for the event.

Nassau Coliseum also hosted the first-ever Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1985. The classic series first existed from 1985-1992 and then returned from 2006-2008. It’s now back as a quarterly special.