WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event: Results & Reactions

They teased and hinted on both WWE TV and social media, but when the betting line started closing between the champ, Jey Uso, and YouTuber Logan Paul, the concern started to grow that Paul could leave with the title. Then, it all started to make sense when John Cena caught up with Jey following his successful title defense over R-Truth (see below).

Cena made it clear to Jey that losing to a YouTuber is bad enough, but for someone from such a prestigious wrestling family to be the one to drop the belt would be devastating to the entire wrestling landscape. That is when Cena seems to hint at a larger, more connected plan that would work in unison with a Logan Paul HW title win to effectively “ruin wrestling.”

The pair worked the match as well as they could, considering the booking was set to boil over like unattended crawfish.

After some back-and-forth action, the final sequence of the match saw Cena involve himself once the ref went down from a bump. Cena desperately delivered blows to Jey as he decided to put this match in his own hands. That is when Cody Rhodes made his return; the crowd went nuts when his music hit, and he helped to even the odds.

After taking care of Cena, Logan had him in his sights with brass over his knuckles, but Cody slipped the right hand as Jey caught him with a spear for the win. It was the exact opposite of the Saturday Night’s Main Event booking we have come to expect, and that was a good thing. Some might suggest that it was overbooked, and the lack of Rollins was odd, but it effectively set up their future booking while delivering for the live audience.

At the end of the show, Cody grabbed the mic and challenged Cena and Logan to a tag team match at Money in the Bank against him and Jey. The crowd popped, and the fact that it is not Travis Scott is for the best.

John Cena (c) vs. R-Truth-Non-Title Match

They never made the ‘non-title’ aspect of the match a big part of the promotion, so when they started peppering it into commentary, you thought, ‘maybe there’s a chance.’ There was no chance, it turned out, but it was fun.

R-Truth set a terrifically ‘fun’ tone when he made his entrance to Cena’s music, which he himself had just come out to, and was dressed as a first-place winner in a Cena cosplay contest. The crowd popped, and by the looks of social media, the moment was not lost on the home crowd. It was terrific to see R-Truth get this moment.

The match was short, but Truth was able to hit Cena’s greatest hits before Cena went a little…nuts. Cena attempted to use the belt, but Truth managed to appeal to a better nature still in Cena’s heart. Well, that’s what it seemed like when Cena gave the ref the title belt and appeared to show the first cracks in his heel persona, but the foreign object feint was meant to distract the ref so that Cena could punt more balls than Pat McAfee’s time in Indy.

After hitting Truth with the illegal low blow, Cena took the win, then the belt, and walked out nearly emotionless. The chilling discontent for his biggest advocate on the roster, R-Truth, was one of the truly heel shots on this Cena run.

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest—Steel Cage Match

The throwaway feud that was worked into the best consistent program since the road to Mania began put it all on the line in a steel cage match. After the Mania ‘street fight’ that exceeded everyone’s expectations, Priest and McIntyre find themselves in a position where a win matters despite zero belts on the line.

It was as physical as it gets, and if Drew was meant to win the bigger match, then Priest was going to make sure he strikes the definitive and final blow. Drew was in control early on, and Priest had to once again tell the story of fighting through the pain to survive long enough to create his opening.

Once McIntyre gained definitive control of the match, and in desperation to maintain the momentum, he went to a ‘dark place.’

Drew was out in the final moments of the match with a steel chair strategically positioned under his face down, and that is when Priest grabbed a chair and sandwiched his long-running rival—a move that was once referred to as the ‘Con-Chairto.’ Michael Cole referenced Priest’s most famous use of the move by naming one-half of the originators—Edge (Adam “Cope” Copeland), who is currently signed to AEW.

Priest famously used the chair to turn on his ‘mentor,’ and the hall of famer responsible for the assembly of The Judgement Day was suddenly put out as Priest became the leader. That was a career-launching moment for Priest, and this ‘Con-Chairto’ could set up his next ascension.

Priest was instantly conflicted, with a look of horror, after striking McIntyre’s lifeless body, and he eventually walked through the door of the cage. He stopped before the final step, looked back at Drew, and eventually took the win in a rare ‘through the cage door’ win. It would have meant more if WWE used the old school ‘blue steel cage’ for the match to keep the same vibes as the throwback show often invites (they went back to showcasing older legends in the front row, but it was good to see Tatanka).

Drew eventually made it to his feet and out of the cage with less assistance than expected, so it isn’t clear if this was a ‘go-home’ angle for him. As for Priest, the backstage chatter of creative and corporate alike being very pleased with his work could lead to another promising title run, or a pairing with one of the company’s biggest stars for a lengthy feud could all be in store for the Bronx-born superstar with his own N.Y. Street named after him.

CM Punk & Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins & Bron Breakker w/Paul Heyman—Tag Team Match

The match opened the show and warmed up the crowd to perfection. Zayn showed out as always, but he made it a point to deliver in some entertaining spots, including a springboard moonsault to the outside from the top rope. For Punk, he played it more methodically, but he took some serious bumps—you cannot keep that guy down in and out of the ring.

Breakker was given the ‘showcase spots’ for his team, including a spear through the ropes and onto the ‘unbreakable’ new commentary desks (the top came off, but still no breaks).

It was not a tag match at the level of the current SmackDown division, and it might not be remembered as an SNME classic, but the booking was solid. In the match’s climax, the returning Bronson Reed came out to interfere while simultaneously rekindling his feud with Rollins. Reed continued to beat on Punk as he tried to desperately get to Heyman—he took a beatdown for his troubles.

Reed stood in front of Breakker, who stood in front of both Rollins and Heyman, and it was unclear how combustible the situation was at that moment. But, eventually, Rollins brushed past Breakker to embrace Reed with a hug, making him the fourth and newest member of the Heyman-managed faction. After WWE claimed no one else would join the crew, the addition of Reed is masterful.

It was unclear whether Breakker was aware of the new addition, but that will be something for RAW.

Zelina Vega(c) vs. Chelsea Green—Women’s U.S. Title Match

Vega secured the win in a successful title defense against the former champion with her “She-Cret Service” by her side to begin the match. The booking was given little to work with after the title change and was not given any real attention in the promotional build-up to SNME.

Vega was uninspired in her performance, and while Green has been great over the past year, the direction should shift. Green deserves something following her inaugural title reign.