Everything you need to know about Saturday Night’s Main Event
A look at the state of WWE as its returns to NBC–and some Home Alone sprinkled in, too
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Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens headline WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event
All signs point to Cody Rhodes retaining the WWE title at Saturday’s Night Main Event.
Even the gambling line comfortably forecasts Rhodes holding on to the belt and defeating Kevin Owens. And that makes sense.
Eight months into his world title reign, there is still a lot left for Rhodes to accomplish. He has generated genuine momentum behind this run, the type that can easily power through WrestleMania in April.
But something still doesn’t feel right.
No matter what, a new champion will be crowned when the first-ever women’s United States champion will have her hand raised. And maybe that serves as the main event on Saturday night. That would even be a nice tip of the cap to Saturday Night’s Main Events of yesteryear, when Hulk Hogan would defend the title midway through the show. Yet times have changed, and WWE’s return to NBC should be headlined by Rhodes and Owens.
Are we really going to end the show with a clean finish? Or could WWE’s “new era” manufacture its first major surprise by having Owens win the title in controversial fashion?
With a little help with quotes from Home Alone, let’s look at WWE’s current landscape–and then make a decision about what is going down tomorrow night.
“Kevin!”
Kevin Owens hasn’t been world champion since he held the Universal title in 2017.
Ever since, he has continually added value to WWE programming. His feud with The Bloodline, beginning with an outstanding build to his title match against Roman Reigns at the 2021 Royal Rumble, was sensational. So was his title match against Reigns at the 2023 Rumble.
Wouldn’t it be something if they wrestled again for the belt in 2025, but this time with Owens as champ?
There are multiple factors at play. Rhodes has earned more time with the belt. Reigns will inevitably be champ again. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wanted to win the belt last April.
But Owens is also deserving of a title run.
“Keep the change, ya filthy animal.”
The knock on Cody Rhodes before he won the belt was that his title reign would be solely about matches.
But this is Rhodes we’re discussing. Did you ever expect the man behind Stardust’s face paint to revolutionize the entire professional wrestling industry? Yet that is exactly what Rhodes did beside The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega at All In and then in AEW. On top of that, Rhodes returned to WWE, stayed burning hot despite losing the WrestleMania 39 main event, and won the title in magnificent fashion a year later.
Rhodes is truly the People’s Champion. The people have powered his run, and his connection to the fans is incredibly endearing. Whenever Rhodes wrestles at a house show, he is bound to make a lasting bond with someone in the crowd.
So it should come as no surprise his title reign has been extremely compelling. If he keeps the belt beyond Owens, he still has a title match/story with The Rock to finish, as well as more meat on the bone with Roman Reigns–and even a feud with Randy Orton.
“I made my family disappear.”
This one goes to Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who… made his family disappear.
Well, not really.
But Levesque is still a major player in WWE while Vince McMahon is persona non grata. McMahon dug his own grave through his actions, but it is still hard to believe WWE no longer employs a McMahon.
“Did I burn down the joint? I don’t think so.”
Behind the scenes, there has never been more faith in Damian Priest. Even though he dropped the title to Gunther in August at SummerSlam, Priest continues to be a locker room leader and he’s further establishing himself as one of the more prominent faces of the company.
This is a prime example why pro wrestling is so scintillating when no one is watching. Priest didn’t want to lose the belt at SummerSlam–who does?–but it was Gunther’s time to run with the title. Since dropping the title, Gunther has repeatedly proven he is a main-event talent, and watching when he finally regains the belt–an organic moment in a manufactured world–will be a sight to behold.
Priest wrestles Gunther and Finn Balor in a triple threat for the World Heavyweight Championship tomorrow on Saturday Night’s Main Event. He isn’t expected to win, but it should advance his feud with Balor.
“Fuller! Go easy on the Pepsi!”
Home Alone has aged incredibly well.
Just like CM Punk in his return to WWE.
The one fly in the ointment for Punk was the injury he suffered in January at the Royal Rumble, but he continued to feud with Drew McIntyre despite the time on the injured list. He has exceeded every expectation thus far, all while working toward his long-awaited (and overdue) WrestleMania moment.
I still think Punk–who is called Pepsi Phil by some of his friends (which must make Fuller flash that trademark grin)–is going to lose to Seth Rollins at this year’s Mania, but his time is coming. And while he isn’t on the card, I’ll be shocked if Punk isn’t part of WWE’s first SNME on NBC since 2008.
“You ever heard of the South Bend Shovel Slayer?”
A myth grew around Old Man Marley.
Maybe a little like old man McMahon?
For nearly four decades, Vince McMahon was the end-all, be-all in WWE. That has changed, and as McMahon remains embroiled in very serious legal affairs and ugly accusations, is now never even mentioned on WWE programming.
As Jesse Ventura returns to the broadcast table tomorrow at Saturday Night’s Main Event, we’ll see if that changes, even for one brief moment.
“All the great ones leave their marks. We’re the Wet Bandits.”
In honor of the villains from Home Alone, it’s time to congratulate Liv Morgan on an outstanding run as Women’s World Champion.
Morgan was always special in the ring, but she has never displayed this combination of charisma, in-ring ability, and confidence. She has excelled as champ, especially in her feud with Rhea Ripley.
One advantage that would work in Morgan’s is adding some new blood into the title picture. The Morgan-Ripley feud has more life, but it’s the perfect time to add in some other new blood. That happens tomorrow at Saturday Night’s Main Event with Morgan’s title defense against Iyo Sky.
We’ll see if this is a one-off for Sky, or if she’ll continue to be part of the title picture. For Morgan (and Ripley!), hopefully there are more plans for Sky to step into this program.
“I’m gonna give you to the count of 10 to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property before I pump your guts full of lead.”
This one goes to the inaugural United States champion.
Women’s wrestlers were long overlooked in WWE. McMahon had endless opportunities to add to the division or create new titles, yet he always opted not to do so.
Thankfully, that has changed. Levesque oversaw a rebirth of women’s wrestling in NXT, and adding the secondary titles–there is also a new women’s Intercontinental Champion soon to be crowned–is critical to the division.
One title for an entire division simply doesn’t work. The addition of the US belt will show its worth immediately, as it instantly creates a new storyline for multiple women on the roster.
“Buzz, your girlfriend, woof.”
Missing in action from Saturday Night’s Main Event is Roman Reigns.
In a move that reflects WWE’s incredible depth, the company’s most prominent star is not on the card. It isn’t an insult; Reigns and The Bloodline dominated the build and execution to Survivor Series, a major event where Rhodes did not wrestle. So the return to NBC is Rhodes’ night, and he will get the star treatment.
But is it enough to end the show with Rhodes winning cleanly? Could Randy Orton return and interfere? There are a lot of ways to book this finish.
Tomorrow night can’t come soon enough. Will we see a new champion?
Crowbars up.