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WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event: Cody Rhodes | Preview, Card

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Steven Harrison | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 9:24 AM ET

With WWE programming moving at a relentless pace, it would be easy to overlook Saturday Night’s Main Event, which takes place this Saturday from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Between the premiere of WWE Unreal Season 2 on Netflix this week and the Royal Rumble just over a week away, this show risks getting lost in the shuffle.

That would be a mistake.

Saturday Night’s Main Event has quietly re-established itself as a show that matters. WWE chose this stage for John Cena's retirement, and WWE has treated the revived nostalgia special like a premium event—stacked cards, high-stakes matches, and real storyline consequences.

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The 43rd edition, and the first of 2026, may end up being one of the most important yet. And it largely centers on one man: Cody Rhodes.

Will Cody Rhodes Turn Heel at Saturday Night’s Main Event?

The short answer: it’s very possible.

At minimum, Cody Rhodes appears poised to take another decisive step away from the clean-cut hero role that has defined much of his recent run. And the breadcrumbs have been there for months.

This entire story traces back to the October 17, 2025, episode of SmackDown, when Jacob Fatu was mysteriously attacked backstage. Fatu was scheduled to face Drew McIntyre in a No. 1 Contender’s match for the WWE Championship. Instead, he was found bloodied, with multiple teeth knocked out, and ruled unable to compete.

McIntyre immediately pushed to be awarded the opportunity by default. That’s when Cody Rhodes intervened—stepping into the match himself. What followed was deeply out of character. Rhodes deliberately disqualified himself by striking McIntyre with the WWE Championship, then continued the assault as the show went off the air.

That moment matters.

It marked the first time Cody openly embraced villainous behavior on the same night Jacob Fatu was attacked. WWE has never disconnected those two threads.

Yes, Drew McIntyre remains a possible suspect. But would WWE really stretch a mystery this long just to reveal that an established heel was responsible all along?

Unlikely.

A payoff of this magnitude demands a shocking reveal—and increasingly, the story points back to Cody Rhodes.

Where This Is Headed

Cody attacking Jacob Fatu doesn’t just explain the mystery. It sets the stage for something much larger.

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It creates the justification for Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns III—with Roman stepping in not just as “The Tribal Chief,” but as the protector of his family, facing a fully unleashed, villainous “American Nightmare.”

If that’s the direction, then Saturday Night’s Main Event isn’t just another stop on the road to WrestleMania.

It’s the turn.

This is what we could be talking about on Unreal Season 3.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 43: Full Card

Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
Grudge match
Randy Orton vs. Trick Williams vs. Damien Priest vs. Sami Zayn
Fatal Four-Way Match to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship
Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY (c) vs. Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez
Tag team match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships