Saturday Night's Main Event recap & reactions: Weekend house show

Burning Down the House

I recently read an article about WWE’s current nostalgia strategy. This was a finance article so it wasn’t about booking decisions or ring work, but rather how they’re catering to older members of the audience section through targeted efforts like Saturday Night’s Main Event (SNME). And this was before Triple H dropped the equivalent of mana onto the wrestling faithful with that Winged Eagle reveal. Nostalgia is a powerful tool when wielded in even the wrong hands. The problem comes when one becomes over reliant on it; they use it to get people into the door but don’t offer much else other than distant childhood memories that come rushing back like a herd of elephants.

That’s what a lot of SNME felt like, much to my dismay. There was nothing noteworthy about the show (at least the stuff that aired) besides the new championship, nor did any match truly standout. I haven’t used this phrase for a big WWE show in a long time, but SNME was a 40 degree day. And nobody cares about a 40 degree day. No match illustrated this more than the main event between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens.

The empty nostalgia started back when the episode kicked off but it went into high gear when Cody entered that Long Island arena with that belt around his waist. It was an incredibly well done nod to the past but also made me pine for a permeant change. Indicative of WWE since Trips took the creative reigns, it showed the company can do incredibly cool things at the drop of a hat. And yet they don’t always. Could they bring back that belt permanently? Of course they could. Could they make this match feel like something other than glorified house show match with two ref bump spots where both wrestlers could lay claim to a win? Also of course.

Now, I’m aware we got extracurriculars once the show ended, so stand down. This recap is about what happens on air, so it’s not my fault NBC pulled the plug before WWE did anything cool with this grudge match they built over several weeks with a compelling story. The match was anything but, with the only slightly interesting bit coming from Cody using the chair for a Cross Roads while Kevin swung and missed when he tried using the chair. Cody said he’d do anything it took to defeat KO and the man kept his word. But that slight chicanery, along with the ref bumps, ensured this story isn’t over yet. It just didn’t feel like WWE’s best foot forward for a primetime event on NBC a couple weeks before Christmas.

I didn’t expect a title change but I wanted a match that felt appropriate for an event WWE put out all the stops for. Instead I got something that I could see on a random Saturday night in December on Long Island without any of the accompanying bells and whistles. Nostalgia means nothing unless it adds something new to the legacy. For all the talk WWE did during the broadcast about the big moments from SNME’s past, they didn’t provide any on which this generation can hang their hat.

And even the fact that I saw footage of KO attacking Cody post match from someone’s phone reinforces the fact that this was a house show in everything but name.

B-Sides Pressure

I think about that word a lot when it comes to Drew McIntyre. He’s a character forged by pressure and since coming back to WWE, he’s either buckled under the weight or succeeded because of it. I’m curious how that plays out while he headhunts for everyone connected to Bloodline Classic. Is he just sending a message, starting with Sami Zayn? Jey Uso will obviously want his revenge, which surely brings in Jimmy Uso too. And then what? Is he aiming for the king? If so, there’s a saying about that. All these thoughts zipped through my head while watching he and Sami deliver a hot opening match on Long Island. Why? Besides the obvious, it seemed like Drew used someone else’s pressure against them for once rather than getting beat by it.

Sami came out swinging before Drew got off his long leather jacket. Perfect set up for the ending but also within the context of the past few weeks. And it further illustrated Seth Rollins’ point about Sami letting his emotions rule him instead of his mind. That’s nothing new with Sami since he’s all passion, but it hurt him here. The match revolved around Drew setting up Sami for a big fall. He let him extend a ton of energy, made Sami square up with him (which is usually a bad move since Drew looks like Drew), and understood his dominance over a cat he defeats every single time.

As the match went back and forth, and Drew survived a Blue Thunder Bomb, the big man eventually rolled outside the ring. This is where the match circled back to the beginning in a poetic way this poet appreciated. Drew lured Sami outside of the ring knowing that he couldn’t resist. Once the Canadian took the bait, Drew got back in the ring and nailed Sami with a Claymore.

Not a squash but a decisive victory that moves Drew up the mountain like old school Mortal Kombat. To borrow a phrase, who’s next?

Rarities I don’t have a lot to say here other than it’s about time! Chelsea Green is the inaugural women’s United States champion and I’m ecstatic. She and Michin wrestled a simple but fun match that included some outside help from Piper Niven and enough distractions to help put Chelsea over the top. Congratulations, Chelsea. And props on the ring attire, which consisted of her face pinned to almost every inch. Great character work and a new champion? I’m looking forward to her reign. I thought Liv Morgan vs. IYO SKY was okay if only because it felt short. It never hit the next gear and I think the women got shortchanged. Liv dropped IYO with one Oblivion? Not for a championship match on a stage this big. But that’s where we are. The juice came afterward once Liv cleaned up her bloody nose (courtesy of IYO) and Rhea Ripley entered the chat. This simply teased a future match between them for anyone watching WWE for the first time tonight. It didn’t add anything new to their story although I wish it did. Liv doesn’t need a reminder that Rhea is waiting for her. What else can we add to this story? Do that and they got themselves a stew going. How GUNTHER got his groove back? That’s possibly what we saw here. The match was fine but not only did Finn Balor not win the match like I hoped, but the Prince took the pin too! GUNTHER Powerbombed Damian onto the steel steps base (!) then quickly went on the attack against Finn. I also figured we’d get GUNTHER letting Damian and Finn go at each other while he handled the last man standing, but that would also go against the champ’s story. He went on the attack to prove he’s not a bystander. He didn’t want to luck into a win; he wanted to take it. And that he did.

Meh. The most compelling part about WWE’s foray back into network television was Jesse “The Body” Ventura. He was an awesome heel commentator and reminded me why I miss a true heel commentator in WWE. Other than that, this was a standard show that felt rushed at times and offered no true surprises. What happened once the cameras stopped rolling is interesting but as I said up top, this is about what happens during the show runtime, which goes back to the show feeling rushed and off schedule.

What say you? What are you hoping for Chelsea’s inaugural reign?