WWE Saturday Night's Main Event: 5 Things That Must Happen
Cody Rhodes has held the WWE Championship since WrestleMania 40. (Credit: WWE/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesWWE is bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event, a staple of the late 1980s and early 1990s, with a bang.
The first episode of the show since 2008 will simulcast on both NBC and Peacock as a two-hour primetime special, and it will be the first of many to come. WWE’s next SNME special will take place just next month and is the lone major show between now and February’s Royal Rumble.
WWE, with such a large gap between Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, has loaded up its card for the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, which will essentially function as a mini pay-per-view. The show’s headlining attraction is Cody Rhodes defending his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens, a marquee match that will serve as the climax of perhaps WWE’s hottest rivalry.
In addition, Liv Morgan put her Women’s World title on the line against Iyo Sky while WWE will crown its first-ever women’s United States Champion and Gunther takes on Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE is clearly starting off strong with this show, which will lay the groundwork for the 2025 Royal Rumble.
Here are five smart booking decisions WWE must make at Saturday Night’s Main Event 2024.
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Liv Morgan Cheats To Defeat Iyo SkyIyo Sky is gaining in popularity after her recent babyface turn, but it’s clear that she is just a stopgap rival for Liv Morgan.
Of course, Morgan’s true nemesis is still Rhea Ripley, who pinned Morgan at Survivor Series WarGames in a move that almost assuredly was done in order to get Ripley another match against Morgan for the Women’s World Championship. Ripley figures to be holding that title heading into WrestleMania season, which means that Morgan must retain at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Yet, given Sky’s soaring popularity, now is certainly not the time for the Damage CTRL star to lose cleanly. Morgan’s cowardly heel character doesn’t need an unquestioned victory over Sky. She just needs to retain the title to set up the seemingly inevitable rematch against Ripley.
Gunther Retains World Title Against Finn Balor And Damian PriestWWE has planted more than a few seeds hinting at a babyface turn for Gunther, like his recent post-match handshakes with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton as well as his ongoing beef with the heel Judgment Day.
Now, the latest evidence that Gunther is becoming a full-blown fan favorite for the first time in his WWE career is his sudden feud with the loathed Finn Balor at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Although Balor is reportedly in line for a push himself, that shouldn’t come at the expense of Gunther as the World Heavyweight Champion transitions into his new role.
What’s more, something with Gunther has just felt, well, off as world champion. It’s as if the aura and mystique he had as Intercontinental Champion has slowly disappeared over the past few months, which makes it even more imperative that he’s built back up as the dominant star he’s been for most of his career.
One could argue that Gunther—who’s already beaten Priest twice—is the best-booked star in WWE history because of how rarely he loses, and SNME is yet another time where he should come out on top, beating Balor and Damian Priest n ia triple threat match to continue his reign into 2025.
Drew McIntyre Dismantles Sami ZaynDrew McIntyre’s surprising WWE return instantly reignited his long-running issues with Sami Zayn, and the Scottish superstar is now targeting every star who’s even loosely aligned with Roman Reigns.
That’s a potentially intriguing story given McIntyre’s storied history with Reigns and The Bloodline, and it’s one that ideally would result in McIntyre picking off The OG Bloodline one by one—as he did with Jimmy Uso on SmackDown—perhaps en route to a potential rematch with Reigns down the line.
Given what transpired during McIntyre’s last match—a loss to CM Punk inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood—he badly needs a win at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Zayn is one of WWE’s most popular stars while McIntyre is one of its most loathed villains, making the ideal outcome of this bout a dastardly win for McIntyre.
Whether it’s a low blow, using a weapon or some other nefarious means, McIntyre must do whatever it takes to defeat Zayn, and if he gives Zayn an epic beatdown afterward, that’s just the cherry on top of the heel sundae.
Chelsea Green Becomes First-Ever WWE Women’s US ChampionIt was reported earlier this week that Chelsea Green would become the inaugural United States Champion, and that just so happens to be the right call.
Over the past couple of years, Green has emerged as one of WWE’s most entertaining stars, and as someone who’s never held singles gold in WWE, she’s the perfect candidate to become the company’s first-ever women’s midcard champion. Green has already pulled off a huge upset by defeating Bayley in the semifinals of the tournament, so a title win could be what propels Green to the next level.
WWE has relied far too heavily on the same handful of talents to carry the women’s division over the past several years, and Green is someone who could breathe new life into the division as a titleholder. While her SNME opponent Michin has been performing well too, she doesn’t have quite the crowd connection that Green does.
Green should win the title and use her reign as champion to morph into a slightly more serious and less comedic character.
Kevin Owens Defeats Cody Rhodes For The WWE ChampionshipCody Rhodes has flat-out said that his WrestleMania 41 plans will “surprise” fans, so this notion that the “The American Nightmare” has to hold the WWE Championship until then is a misguided one.
In reality, there is no real reason why Rhodes can’t lose the WWE title to Kevin Owens, arguably WWE’s hottest character and certainly a star worthy of being the company’s top champion. In fact, Rhodes has proven during most of his current stint in WWE that he’s even more interesting while chasing championships than he is while holding one.
As Owens solidifies himself as a mega heel, the one thing he needs that he hasn’t held in close to a decade is a world championship. What’s more, Owens—the true definition of a despicable heel—could end Rhodes’ reign as champion via underhanded tactics, protecting Rhodes in the process.
Remember, Rhodes finished his “story” at WrestleMania 40, and if WWE wants to continue to tell intriguing ones with the wildly popular star, the best way to do that is to have him lose the WWE title to Owens.
