Saturday Night’s Main Event Review – 05.23.26

We all agreed to draw straws to see who would review this show and everyone else just decided “Nope, not doing that” and didn’t draw any straws so I drew a very long straw and since no one else drew a straw I am somehow the winner!

Right, whatever. Reading is fundamental so here: Raw | NXT | Evolve | Impact | Smackdown

Saturday Night’s Main Event is on the Peacock airwaves this evening from the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in beautiful Fort Wayne, IN. (I have no idea if it’s beautiful, I’ve never been. DON’T LET ME DOWN FORT WAYNE!) The announcing team for this evening’s show are Michael Cole and Wade Barrett on match calls and analysis, Lilian Garcia on ring introductions, and Cathy Kelley on interviews and breaking news. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever…..TOGETHER

WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin

Cole tells us that Flair’s gear is adorned with a bunch of friendship bracelets that she’s received from fans, and then talks about how Flair is as happy in her life and career as he’s ever seen her. Andrade must be a delight! Regardless, that’s pretty cool for Flair and a nice touch for the folks that sent her stuff. The heels gear is “Smooth Criminal“-inspired and Cargill is even wearing one bedazzled glove!.

Cargill begs off facing Ripley at the outset and tags in B-Fab. There’s some grappling to start and Ripley rises up with a huge lariat before barking at Cargill. Bliss tags in and she snaps off a rana that sends B-Fab back to the heel corner. Michin tags in and Bliss goes to work with her rolling offense before covering Michin for two. Flair tags in and she and Bliss combine to send Michin down with a dropkick. Flair ragdolls Michin around with her new rolling leg-scissors slam and then crushes her with a walkover clothesline. B-Fab charges in and walks into Flair ramming her head-first to a top turnbuckle. Bliss flies onto a staggering Michin with a cross-body, only to get yanked out of the ring by Cargill for a superkick. Cargill puts the stink-mouth on Flair and then goes nose-to-nose with her. Cargill blasts Ripley off the apron and Michin blasts Flair from behind as the heels all make fun of Flair’s crown gesture. The heels work over Flair and Cargill tags in Michin after blasting Flair off a turnbuckle. Michin covers Flair for two, and Michin goes back to clubbering.

B-Fab tags in and puts the boots to Flair before tagging in Cargill. Cargill continues assaulting Flair before taunting her with some pushups. Michin tags in and hits a back suplex that gets two. Michin works a guillotine, but Flair manages to break out of it. Flair and Michin slug it out on a top turnbuckle and Michin snaps off a top rope rana that gets two. Flair has a short flurry cut off by B-Fab and they come together with pump kicks. After they both recover Flair tags in Ripley as B-Fab tags in Michin. Ripley runs wild on the heels and mashes Michin with a facebuster and a running shotgun dropkick. Ripley gets dumped to the apron where she blasts Michin with a right before ascending. Ripley’s missile dropkick gets two as Cargill is late to try to break it up. Ripley catches Cargill charging in and cuts that off but Michin takes advantage. Ripley snaps off a headbutt but runs into a Michin poison rana that gets two.

Ripley tags in Bliss who hits a helicopter DDT on Michin that gets two. Michin hits a jawbreaker and tags in B-Fab. B-Fab hits a short kick and a DDT that gets two. Michin tags in and she and B-Fab get caught by a double DDT from Bliss. Flair tags in and hits B-Fab and Michin with a cross-body. Flair dumps Michin with a nasty German and wants the Figure Four. Michin kicks Flair off and blasts Ripley off the apron. Michin yanks Flair into a Styles Clash that gets two. Ripley breaks that up and eats a huge superkick from Cargill. Bliss slaps Cargill and Flair flies in with a high boot on Cargill. Everyone is down with only Flair and Michin left in the ring. Cargill tags in as does Ripley. Cargill invites Ripley in and they start slugging it out. Cargill eats a Ripley headbutt and gets yanked into Riptide, but Michin breaks up the cover at two. Everyone flies in with big moves and Flair saves Ripley from a B-Fab attack. The babyfaces have a moment of togetherness after Ripley smashes Michin with a superkick. Flair and Ripley hit simultaneous fall-away slams and then shake hands to Bliss’s absolute delight. Cargill mashes them down and hits a big pump kick on Ripley. Ripley gets yanked into Jaded, and that ends things.

This felt a little long to me, but they didn’t do the normal television match formula with the entire middle of the match devoted to getting to the “we’re going to commercials so everyone needs to be on the floor” spot. I think this was one of the better multi person tag matches I’ve seen in awhile, though, mostly because it was tightly agented and played to the face in peril storyline that’s pretty traditional to tag wrestling. This is two nights in a row that have seen Ripley left laying after Jaded, so we’ll see how things unfold in Italy. Solid work from everyone here. 3.5*

Winners – Cargill/B-Fab/Michin (Jaded on Ripley)

Some folks arrived earlier so let’s look at them in split screen: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige on the left, Nia Jax and Lash Legend on the right. WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch on the left, Sol Ruca on the right. WWE Men’s Tag Team Champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory on the left, The Street Profits on the right. Here’s WWE Men’s Intercontinental Champion Penta greeting some fans outside.

Cathy Kelley is with Ethan Page who mentions that he’s very excited for tonight and expects to walk out as champion. Page says it’s Kelley’s biggest night getting to interview him, and it’s the title’s biggest night because it will be coming to ALL EGO.

Here’s a quick look at the short history between Sol Ruca and Becky Lynch. Cathy Kelley is with Ruca and asks if she feels ready, but Ruca wants to know if Lynch is ready because it’s only going to take one Sol Snatcher for her to realize who she’s in there with.

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch vs Sol Ruca

This is non-title, as advertised. Lynch gets a walking promo on the way to the ring and mentions all of the fine outlets who are saying she’s the greatest. In the least shocking development ever, Jessika Carr is tapped to be the referee for this. Lynch decides to attack prior to the bell and uses her belt as a distraction so she can start whaling away. Carr admonishes Lynch and Ruca uses that time to recover and blasts Lynch with a clothesline. The bell sounds and Lynch wanders in to a Ruca tilt-a-whirl facebreaker. Ruca crumples Lynch with a springboard cross-body and then mashes her with a short reverse thrust kick. Ruca gets dumped to the apron where she fires off an enziguri that drops Lynch. Ruca hits a springboard rolling clothesline and Lynch bails to the floor. Ruca blasts Lynch with a kick and and then comes off the second rope with a splash. Ruca tosses Lynch back in and snaps Lynch over with an armdrag. Ruca whales away in a corner but walks into a Lynch high boot when she charges. Lynch pushes Carr into Ruca’s Sol Snatcher and Carr calls for the bell.

I’m not exactly sure what this storytelling is with Ruca at this point but she now has two losses and a DQ win thus far. I would assume that maybe it’s a “she just needs to win the big one” type of thing but we’ll see how this progresses. Lynch is a mixed bag when it comes to “make the rookies look good”, in my opinion. Not much to rate here before that wet fart finish. 1*

No winner – Lynch DQ’d for pulling the ref into a Sol Snatcher

Post-match sees Lynch retreating with her belt to a “Becky Sucks!” chant and a disappointed Ruca checking on Carr. Lynch flies back in to ambush Ruca and plants her with a Manhandle Slam. Lynch clubbers away and hits a second Manhandle Slam before chasing another ref away. There’s a third Manhandle and a lot of trash talk before Lynch takes her belt and holds it aloft. Cole says Lynch’s actions are “unbecoming of the intercontinental champion”. YOU TELL’EM MIKE.

Penta has some words for Ethan Page and promises to fight with fire and never back down. Penta calls Page an arrogant clown and says he fights for his people and his championship. Penta has CERO MIEDO when it comes to Page.

Here’s an angry Becky Lynch confronting Smackdown GM Nick Aldis who informs Lynch that after speaking with Raw GM Adam Pearce she will now be facing Sol Ruca at Clash In Italy and this time the title WILL BE ON THE LINE. Lynch is predictably not happy about this.

Here’s Cathy Kelley with Lash Legend and Nia Jax. Jax makes sure to inform Kelley that after tonight they won’t be referred to as “former” anymore. Legend promises to end the nostalgia tour, and Jax says they’re going to make Bella and Paige history.

WWE Men’s Intercontinental Championship: Penta (C) vs Ethan Page

Lilian Garcia does in-ring intros, and we’re underway. There’s some standing switches to start and Penta blasts Page with a kick to take control. Page fires up with some rights and a kick but Penta snaps off a rana in response. Penta hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but runs into a Page dropkick. Page whales away with rights but Penta fires up with a superkick that dumps Page to the floor. Penta goes out and hits another superkick. Page catches Penta charging and backflips him onto the announce table. Page has to stop the count to go out and get Penta. Page runs Penta into a a ring post and then does it again on another post. Page finally runs Penta back in and drives a knee into his back. Page drops an elbow and covers Penta for two.

Page works a rear chinlock but Penta rises and starts firing off rights. Page cuts that off and mashes Penta with a kick before covering and getting two. Page goes back to the rear chinlock but Penta fights out again and blasts Page with a kick and a sling blade. Penta hits an enziguri and a double stomp to the chest. Page goes to the floor and gets immediately crushed by a Penta tope con hilo. They beat the count at nine and Penta ascends for a cross-body. Page fires up with a kick and they start slugging it out while ascending in a corner. Penta gets pushed down to the apron and he snaps off a rana and a springboard DDT as Page barely kicks out at two.

Penta whips Page to a corner but immediately walks into a Page high boot. Page hits a couple of kicks and a big bodyslam before covering Penta and getting two. Page gets caught in a backstabber and Penta covers him for two. They rise and start slugging it out mid-ring and it ends with both guys back down after stereo kicks to the head. Page grabs a Confidence Breaker and covers Penta for two. Page yanks up Penta but Penta breaks out and smashes Page with the Penta Driver. Page barely kicks out at two. Penta runs into a high knee and Page mounts him on a turnbuckle. Page ascends and they slug it out a bit. Page tears at Penta’s mask and pulls him into an avalanche body slam that gets two. A frustrated Page whales away and has to be pulled off by the ref. Page takes off a turnbuckle pad and does a second when the ref picks up the first one. Penta runs right into the exposed second turnbuckle and Page covers him for two. Page runs into the exposed steel and immediately eats a Mexican Destroyer, which finishes things.

Barrett called this the best match of Page’s WWE career thus far and I’m inclined to agree, having seen…well…all of them. I give Page credit because I thought he called a good match here and it was more even-handed than some of Page’s prior work. Now, he has one set of offensive moves and he pretty much plays the hits, but he reined in his tendencies here and these two put on a match that the crowd really enjoyed a bunch. I did as well. 4*

Winner AND STILL WWE Men’s Intercontinental Champion – Penta (Mexican Destroyer)

Post-match sees Penta get an enormous pop from the crowd when he hoists his belt over his head.

Cathy Kelley is with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige and Kelley wants a comment on Jax and Legend’s comments from earlier. Bella stresses how they have each other’s backs and knows they are underdogs. Paige says none of this was supposed to happen the way that it did and even though they’re underdogs, why not keep the story going?

The Street Profits have some words for The Vision. Shockingly, they are UP AND WANT THE SMOKE.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Brie Bella and Paige (C) vs The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend)

Once again, our good friend Lilian Garcia does in-ring intros. Jax tries a sneak attack that doesn’t work, and Bella and Paige hit her with a combined bulldog. Paige hits a running knee and covers Jax for two. Bella tags in and smashes Jax with a couple double sledges. The third attempt is caught by Jax who then mashes Bella with a Samoan Drop that gets two. Legend tags in and Bella fires up and manages to tag in Paige. Legend gets hit with a double lungblower and Paige gets distracted by Jax from the apron. Legend takes over and pounds away before covering Paige for two.

Legend trucks Paige around and then splashes her for two. Jax tags in and drives a headbutt into Paige’s mid-section. Jax mashes Paige along the ropes and talks enough smack to Bella to allow Legend to come over and pie-face Paige. Jax works over Paige in a corner and wallops her with a chop before slapping on a cobra clutch. Jax rams Paige into a corner and then puts the stink-mouth on Bella. Legend tags in and she whips Paige to a corner before waffling her with a clothesline that gets two. Legend prevents a tag and then puts on a full nelson. Paige tries to break out but gets put over the second rope as Legend leans in. Jax tags in and hits some running splashes on Paige before Legend tags back in. Paige dumps Legend to the floor after a charge, and Legend sneaks back in before Paige can make a tag. Jax tags back in and misses a charge. Paige finally gets the tag to Bella who ascends for a missile dropkick on Jax. Bella starts some Yes Kicks on Jax and then blasts Legend off the apron. Bella hits a running knee and covers Jax for two.

Jax fires up with a lofted headbutt and then tags in Legend after planting Bella with a Samoan drop. Legend hits a second rope splash but doesn’t cover. Jax tags in and they hit a double team second rope leg drop. Paige breaks up the cover by firing Legend into Jax at the two count. Paige gets a tag and she ascends. Paige slips over Jax’s back and grabs a sunset flip roll up on Jax. Bella puts her foot onto Paige’s rear to keep her on top of Jax and the ref counts three.

The finish came out of nowhere but was clever enough to make me not fully hate it. I’m over Bella and Paige as champs but if you’re going to embrace the banana peel nature of their reign, why not lean into it fully. This was better than a lot of their recent matches have been but their offense still doesn’t look like it would tear through wet paper towels let alone actually hurt someone. It is what it is, though, and I’m not sure who’s up next for them unless we’re going back to Bayley and Her Bird Lady Pal. 3*

Winners AND STILL WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Bella/Paige (Paige sunset flip roll up on Jax with Bella assist)

Cole and Barrett talk up the upcoming WWE dates including Raw in Columbus, and then the upcoming European tour. The Clash In Italy card is listed with the new addition of Ruca-Lynch for the Women’s IC title.

Cathy Kelley is with the Vision and Paul Heyman. Heyman promises a victory and Paul says he and Theory are the greatest tag team champions in the history of the world. Not sure I agree with your detective work there, Logan.

WWE Men’s World Tag Team Championship: The Vision (Logan Paul and Austin Theory) vs The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)

Angelo Dawkins posts more about Real Madrid on X than I would have guessed. It’s annoying. The Profits are in black and gold tonight and look SWANK as hell. Paul Heyman is out with Paul and Theory and Paul tears up a “Logan Paul Sucks” sign on the way to the ring. Paul tears up a “Fire Logan Paul” sign and someone made a TON of those signs for folks at ringside. Lilian Garcia has her third in-ring intro of the evening and it will be Ford and Theory to start. Paul whips his headband in the direction of the Profits, so Ford whips it back at him. A “Fire Logan Paul” chant breaks out and Theory covers his ears to keep him safe.

Ford gets tired of waiting and grabs a roll up on Theory for two. Theory trucks Ford down and we reset. Ford grabs a side headlock and Theory reverses. Theory trucks Ford again and tags in Paul. Paul wants a test of strength but he blasts Ford with a kick before it can actually happen. Paul trucks Ford down but Ford has had enough of getting trucked and nips up. Ford does some acrobatics and hits a couple of armdrags and a dropkick to break up Paul’s momentum. Dawkins tags in and he and Ford combine on a flapjack on Paul. They flapjack Theory on to Paul and celebrate mid-ring. The Vision get dumped to the floor and they gather with Heyman for some counseling. Heyman decides that they should leave and the Profits give chase to start fighting in the aisle. Dawkins and Paul go back in and Dawkins hits a tornado splash and an enziguri before covering Paul for two.

Dawkins catches Paul with a high boot, but Theory distracts Dawkins who immediately eats a Paul uppercut. Paul blasts Ford off the apron and then goes to ground and pound on Dawkins. Paul clubbers away and flexes for the crowd. Theory tags in and he and Paul combine on a Hardy Boys-esque springboard splash. Theory hits some ground and pound on Dawkins before stomping on his hand. Paul tags in and he and Theory drive Dawkins down with a shoulder tackle. Paul works a rear chinlock and Dawkins has a short flurry to try to break out of it. Paul lariats Dawkins down and tags in Theory. Theory works the body and then yanks Dawkins into a neutral corner to continue assaulting him. Theory runs into a Dawkins high boot and Paul gets dumped when he charges. Paul yanks Ford off the apron so no tag can happen, and Theory drags Dawkins back to the Vision corner where he tags Paul back in. Paul starts throwing rights and lefts and Theory tags back in. They try the Hardy springboard splash thing again but Paul misses and Dawkins smashes both of them down. Ford is back and finally gets the tag. Ford mashes the Vision guys around and lines up Theory in a corner. Ford hits a powerslam on Theory and hits a standing moonsault that gets two.

Ford eats a back elbow and Paul gets a blind tag. Paul flies in and smashes Ford with a buckshot lariat that gets two. Theory tags in and Ford sends a charging Paul to the apron. Ford grabs a quick roll up on Theory for two. Dawkins grabs a tag and he and Ford combine to drive Theory into a German. Ford hits a tope suicida on Paul and Dawkins yanks up Theory. The Profits hit a top rope blockbuster on Theory and Paul breaks up Ford’s cover at two. Paul gets mashed by a Ford enziguri and Dawkins sends Paul to the floor with a lariat. Ford springs over the top rope to hit Paul and Theory with a tope con hilo. Here’s Bron Breakker out missing a spear on Ford only to get blasted over the announce desk by Dawkins. Ford sends Theory back in and Dawkins mashes him with a powerbomb. Ford ascends and hits a frog splash and Heyman saves the titles by putting Theory’s boot on the bottom rope. Ford glares at Heyman and slides out of the ring but he gets clobbered by a knucks-upped Paul when he springs off the steps at Heyman. Paul fires Ford back in and gets mashed by Dawkins, but Theory crawls over and covers Ford for three.

Heels cheat to win. I’m fine with it in a vacuum AND we got an actual solid tag team main event for once. As an unabashed fan of tag wrestling, this pleases me. Now, overall this was fine and the crowd was very into it – the crowd has been great all night, well done Fort Wayne! The idea of a long heat sequence on Dawkins with Ford as the hot tag guy usually always works and Paul and Theory reined in some of their more annoying tendencies to put on a focused hard-hitting affair. It wasn’t a masterpiece but it was what you’d expect out of a heel stable with tag champs among them. Seeing Breakker get launched was a highlight for me as he usually doesn’t get that kind of comeuppance. 4*

Winners AND STILL WWE Men’s World Tag Team Champions – The Vision (Theory covers Ford)

Post-match sees The Vision celebrating in the aisle while a dejected set of Profits look on. Breakker returns for a spear on Dawkins and then one on Ford. Breakker mocks the Profits and then Paul and Theory return for more celebration mid-ring.

This was a better show than I was expecting, quite frankly. The only thing that didn’t work for me was Lynch-Ruca but it was just an angle designed as a match to get to the Italy announcement. Other than that, I enjoyed this show and it came in at a tight two hours. I’m all good with that too. This is an easy recommendation if you didn’t see it.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Enjoy your Sunday.