Reviews

The John Report: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 01/24/26 Review

By John Canton • Published Jan 24, 2026 21:57 EST
WWE Saturday Nights Main Event January 24

It’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event featuring a huge 4-way match, Cody Rhodes facing Jacob Fatu, and more.

This edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event doesn’t feel as big as the last one, which featured John Cena’s final match as he lost to Gunther in the main event. This one takes place a week before the Royal Rumble, with one match setting up a WWE Title match at the Rumble and the rest advancing storylines.

These SNME shows usually run right around two hours and have only four matches, so it’s typically shorter than an episode of Raw or SmackDown these days. Last month’s Cena SNME episode ran a bit past two hours, but I certainly didn’t mind it.

It is on Peacock for those of you in the US, and it’s on WWE’s YouTube channel for free because that’s where they put it for us non-US fans, like me in Canada. It has an 8 p.m. ET start time. Let’s get to it.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
From Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Saturday, January 24, 2026

Stephanie McMahon welcomed us to the show from a podium in the back part of the arena. She said her co-host Joe Tessitore was stuck in an airport in Detroit because of travel issues. A lot of flights are being cancelled all weekend due to the chilly weather and storms on the way. Stephanie asked, “Are you ready?” and welcomed us to the show.

A video aired about the history of Saturday Night’s Main Event and then moved on to focus on the modern-day WWE product. Thad led into a video package about tonight’s show.

They showed Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Damian Priest, and Sami Zayn before the show, getting ready for the main event. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were also shown. The teams of Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez and Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky were shown as well. Cody Rhodes was shown in the arena earlier in the day.

Jacob Fatu was walking backstage, saying he’s locked in and dialed in. Fatu said he’s about to beat Cody’s ass. Fatu made his entrance, and the fans cheered for him on his way to the ring.

The SNME commentary team is Michael Cole and Wade Barrett. The legendary Lilian Garcia is the ring announcer for SNME shows.

Cody Rhodes-Jacob Fatu Brawl

Cody Rhodes made his entrance to a huge ovation and the fans were singing along with “Kingdom” as usual. Cole mentioned it was Cody’s first televised match since he lost the WWE Title to Drew McIntyre two weeks ago. While Cody was posing on the turnbuckle, Jacob Fatu attacked him. Cody and Fatu were fighting and even knocked referee Charles Robinson down. Cody knocked Fatu out of the ring. Cody wanted a dive, but Fatu punched him. Security guys and WWE Officials went to ringside to try to stop it. Fatu jumped off the top rope and onto Cody and the security guys at ringside. Referees made Fatu go to the back, so Cody attacked Fatu from behind and they fought in the aisle. Cody brought Fatu back to ringside and tossed him into the ring. Cody clotheslined Fatu over the top to the floor. Cody hit a suicide dive to knock Fatu over the commentary table. The fans were fired up.

Analysis: That was a great way to start the show in a hot way with that brawl between Cody and Fatu. No match, but it was a way to show how much these guys hated eachother.

Cody knocked Fatu over the barricade and they went fighting into the crowd. Fatu tackled Cody against a barricade. Cody rolled a garbage bin at Fatu. Cody teased a move on the floor, but Fatu hit a back body drop on Cody on the cement. Fatu gave Cody a body slam on the cement. It was a very safe body slam. Cody was back up to fight with Fatu again. Fatu and Cody went fighting into the crowd. They went all the way up the stairs and the fight continued in the concourse area.

Cody and Fatu were fighting in the concourse area as Cody threw plastic garbage pails at Fatu and the security guys. Fatu kept coming. A security guy got in the way, so Fatu slammed him through a table. Cody and Fatu fought by a concession stand selling food. They went back into the arena and were fighting on the stairs by the fans. The SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, was part of the group trying to stop the fight. There were more security guys getting beaten up as Cody and Fatu stood on a platform above a table. Drew McIntyre showed up to throw Fatu through a table. Drew hit a low blow on Cody, too. Drew picked up Cody on a platform and gave him a Powerbomb through a table.

Analysis: That could be a preview of a WrestleMania 42 match with Drew McIntyre facing Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu. I think it’s going to be a triple threat match, but there is obviously a lot of time to go until we get there, so we’ll see if I keep that prediction in the months ahead. McIntyre getting involved showed that he hasn’t forgotten about either guy as a rival. Is this better than having the match that was advertised? In some ways, I think it’s better because it furthers the story, and it builds anticipation for a future Cody-Jacob match. I understand if some fans complain about not getting a match because it was advertised, but I think from an entertainment standpoint, this was very good, and I enjoyed it.

The Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre walked into the ring while the fans booed him. Drew didn’t have the WWE Title with him as he stared into the hard camera. That ended the segment.

A graphic was shown letting us know a commercial break is in progress. I’m fine with not seeing commercials.

There was a commercial for the WWE 2K26 Monday Night War edition of the 2K video game.

There were replays of the Cody Rhodes-Jacob Fatu brawling that lasted nearly 15 minutes, and ended when Drew McIntyre did a cheap attack on both guys.

The Undisputed WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, was interviewed by Cathy Kelley. Drew said that was a statement to anybody on the roster that if they run their mouth about him, then that’s exactly what is going to happen to you. Drew left.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, aka Rhiyo, made their entrance as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and they got a huge pop from the crowd. Their challengers were up next – Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez of The Judgment Day.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Rhiyo – Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs. The Judgment Day – Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez

All four of these women are in the Women’s Royal Rumble match next Saturday.

Sky hit a dropkick on Liv to start the match. Liv did a hair pull takedown. Liv elbowed Sky and Perez tagged in, but Sky was able to fend off the double team. Sky tripped up Perez and hit a running dropkick. Perez used the ring apron to distract the referee, which led to Liv getting a cheap shot on Sky and Perez worked over Sky with some weak-looking strikes. Liv hit a double knee attack on Sky for a two count. Liv hit the Three Amigos suplexes and a running kick to Sky’s head. Perez was back in with an elbow to Sky’s head. Perez prevented Sky from tagging out. Sky rolled through on Perez and hit a double foot stomp to Perez’s ribs. Ripley made the tag against Liv, leading to Ripley hitting clotheslines and a fallaway slam. Ripley hit a dropkick for a two count. Ripley and Liv each blocked moves. Ripley went for a lift, Liv broke free and Perez tagged in. Ripley headbutted Liv, but Perez attacked Ripley with punches. Ripley hit a superkick to stop Perez’s charging attack. Liv tagged in while Perez battled Ripley on the turnbuckle. Perez hit a hurricanrana and Liv hit a Codebreaker on Ripley for two. Perez hit a suicide dive on Sky to prevent a save. Ripley countered Liv and hit a boot to the head. Sky was back up, Ripley picked up Liv and hit a Razor’s Edge. Sky hit a missile dropkick on Liv for two because Perez made the save. Perez hit an impressive headscissors on Ripley. Sky hit a missile dropkick on Perez. The crowd loves Sky and they were fired up as Sky went for the running knees, but Liv avoided it. Liv hooked the limbs into a pinning attempt for two. Liv hit a leaping knee smash on Sky. Perez was back in with a kick to Sky’s ribs. Sky backflipped out of a Pop Rox attempt, and Sky kicked Perez in the head. Perez got her knees up to stop Over The Moonsault. Perez hit Pop Rox for two because Sky kicked out while Ripley was too slow to break it up.

Ripley tagged back in with a headbutt on Perez. Ripley hit a Riptide on Perez. Sky went up top and hit Over The Moonsault on Perez for two because Raquel Rodriguez tripped up Ripley on top of the referee. Raquel sent Ripley into the barricade. Sky tried a suicide dive on Raquel, but Raquel caught her and Raquel hit a Powerbomb on the floor. Stephanie Vaquer ran down to the ring and went after Raquel. No more foot injury for Vaquer. Vaquer kicked Raquel over the barricade. Vaquer hit a cross body block on Raquel on the floor, so they went fighting to the back.

Perez did a one-arm cover on Sky for a two count as referee Jason Ayers recovered from being bumped. Liv tagged in with Oblivion on Sky, but Ripley made the tag. Ripley hit Liv with a superkick. Ripley hit Riptide on Liv for the pinfall win at 13:25.

Winners by pinfall: Rhiyo – Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky

Analysis: ***1/2 Great match. The women worked really well together, and there were a lot of exciting moments throughout the match. Raquel getting involved made it look like The Judgment Day could steal it, but it also brought back Stephanie Vaquer, which was cool to see. It didn’t take long after that for Ripley to get the win for her team. I didn’t expect a title change here since Ripley and Sky recently won the titles, so it would have been a surprise to see them lose them so soon. I’m not sure if Ripley and Sky will carry those titles all the way to WrestleMania, but it’s a possibility. Morgan may be my pick to win the Women’s Royal Rumble, but I haven’t locked that prediction in yet. Anyway, I enjoyed this match.

A video was shown about the AJ Styles-Shinsuke Nakamura match up next. They have a long history in Japan and also in WWE over the last decade. They set this match on SmackDown one night earlier.

There was a commercial for the Royal Rumble next Saturday, January 31, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It has a 2 p.m. ET start time, which is certainly fine with me.

The Commercial Break In Progress graphic was shown.

AJ Styles made his entrance and got a big ovation from the fans. Styles will put his career on the line against Gunther at the Royal Rumble in one week’s time on January 24th. Styles was wearing a wrestling mask on his way to the ring. Cole said Styles last wore the mask in NJPW 10 years ago against Nakamura. That was right before Styles and Nakamura both signed with WWE. Styles took off the mask.

Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance to his classic babyface theme song. The fans sang along with it.

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

They did some basic mat wrestling as the fans chanted the names of each man. Styles went for a leapfrog, but Nakamura caught him with a kick to the chest. Nakamura hit a knee to the ribs. Styles came back with a dropkick. Styles hit a backbreaker. Styles elbowed Nakamura out of the ring. Styles did a slingshot attack and an elbow smash knocked down Nakamura on the floor. Nakamura got some offense going with a kick to the head and Nakamura hit a running knee against the turnbuckle. Nakamura worked over Styles with knees to the head. Nakamura put the boot to the throat. Nakamura charged, Styles avoided it and hit two clotheslines. Styles hit a running forearm. Styles hit a running splash and an Ushigoroshi slam onto the knee for a two count. Nakamura got out of a move with a kick to the head. Nakamura hit a jumping kick to the head. Nakamura hit a roundhouse kick to the head. Nakamura trapped Styles against the ropes and hit the sliding German Suplex. Nakamura hit a knee smash off the middle turnbuckles for two. Styles tripped up Nakamura. Styles hit a dragon screw leg whip. Styles applied the Calf Crusher submission, but Nakamura got his hand on the bottom rope to break it. Styles did a dragon screw leg whip by the ropes and wrenched on the left knee. Styles applied a Calf Crusher again, but Nakamura was able to get out of it. Styles had the submission locked in for nearly a minute. Nakamura got out of it and applied an armbar, but Styles got out of it. Styles went for a Styles Clash, but Nakamura got out of it. Styles kicked the leg and then Nakamura charged into a knee by Styles. Great bump.

Styles and Nakamura exchanged strikes. Nakamura hit a headbutt. Styles hit a Pele Kick, but Nakamura blocked it and Nakamura hit a knee to the back of the head. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. Nakamura charged, but his left knee gave out and he collapsed. Styles hit a Kinshasa for two because Nakamura got his hand on the bottom rope. Styles hit a spinning slam off the shoulders for a two count. Nakamura sent Styles into the ropes, Styles held onto the ropes and blocked Nakamura’s attempt to hit a German Suplex. Styles hit a running knee on Nakamura on the floor. Styles went up, but Nakamura caught him. Nakamura hit a slam off the shoulders for a two count. Nakamura went for a move, Styles broke free with an elbow and Nakamura hit a Slingblade. Styles avoided a move and hit a Pele Kick to the head. They slowly got back and exchanged forearms. They also exchanged kicks to the body. Nakamura got a takedown leading to an armbar, but Styles countered it into a pin attempt for two. Nakamura hit a spinning kick to the head. Nakamura charged, Styles managed to block it and Styles for a Styles Clash, but Nakamura rolled through. Nakamura hit a knee smash and both guys were down about 20 minutes into this match. Nakamura charged, Styles avoided it and sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle. Styles wrenched on the knee against the ropes. Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm and a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. The match went 21:20.

Winner by pinfall: AJ Styles

Analysis: ****1/4 Excellent match by two wrestling legends that can still go in the ring, obviously. Just over four stars out of five for me. Styles winning was the right call obviously, but Nakamura brought it and had his best match in a very long time. Styles can still go obviously, but he’s still planning on retiring at some point this year. Nakamura did a nice job of selling the left leg throughout the match, when he was selling and even when he was on offense. I like how Styles made the comeback, hit some of his big moves, and got the win with the Styles Clash, just like he should. Giving Styles momentum going into the Royal Rumble match with Gunther is a smart move. The chemistry was there, and you could tell they enjoyed it.

After the match, Styles and Nakamura touched fists and hugged in the ring. The fans cheered.

UPDATE: Shinsuke Nakamura posted on social media that Styles told him he was retiring at the Royal Rumble. Nakamura deleted it, but it’s everywhere. My hope is that Styles keeps wrestling until WrestleMania, but if that’s when AJ wants to end it, then that’s his call. I’ll miss him when he’s gone.

WWE Royal Rumble takes place January 31st with this lineup.

* AJ Styles vs. Gunther – If Styles loses, then he must retire.

* 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

* 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

* Drew McIntyre vs. ??? for the Undisputed WWE Title.

The host Stephanie McMahon appeared to recap what has happened so far.

Sami Zayn was shown earlier today greeting some fans outside the arena.

A commercial aired for WrestleMania 42.

The graphic for commercials was shown.

It was main event time as the legendary Randy Orton was up first. The fans popped huge for him and were singing along with “Voices” on his way to the ring. There were some fans who were really getting into the singing. The 14-time WWE World Champion Randy Orton posed in the ring like he loves to do, and the fans love it when he does it.

Damian Priest was up next and he got some cheers. The reaction isn’t as loud as Randy Orton, but Priest is a likable babyface who always tries hard.

Trick Williams was up next. The fans love his “Whoop That Trick” song, and they sang along with it even though he’s a heel.

Sami Zayn got the biggest ovation of the night in his hometown of Montreal. They sang along with his classic theme song like some fans do, and of course, this group of fans was going to sing it.

Fatal 4-Way To Determine #1 Contender For Undisputed WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn

The first fall wins. No countouts and no disqualifications in a 4-way match.

There were loud “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants for Zayn. Trick bailed to the floor quickly and Zayn knocked Priest out of the ring with a clothesline. Trick pulled Zayn out of the ring and they exchanged punches. Orton hit an uppercut on Trick. Priest hit an elbow smash to knock Orton and Trick down. Priest had stitches in his mouth from SmackDown. Priest hit a shoulder tackle on Zayn. Orton and Zayn cleared the ring again, so they faced off with strikes. Zayn worked over Orton with punches. Trick was back in with a clothesline to Zayn’s back. Trick kicked Orton repeatedly to knock him out of the ring. Trick worked over Zayn with punches. Trick hit a shoulder tackle on Zayn and punched Priest. Trick sent Zayn into Orton, and Trick hit a jumping neckbreaker for two. Trick sent Zayn hard into the turnbuckle. Trick hit a spin kick on Zayn. Priest was back in with a flatliner on Trick for two. Priest kicked Zayn in the ribs. Zayn got a hold of Priest and hit a Tornado DDT off the turnbuckle for a two count. Orton was back into it with an elbow on Zayn and a powerslam on Priest. Orton hit two clotheslines and a powerslam on Zayn. Orton clotheslined Trick out of the ring. Orton hit a Draping DDT on Priest. Zayn was back up and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Orton for a two count. Zayn charged at Orton, but Trick was back in with a lefty leg lariat on Zayn for two. Priest was back in with two kicks that knocked Trick out of the ring. Trick caught Priest on the barricade and slammed him into the top of the barricade. Zayn hit a somersault dive over the top rope. Orton wanted to give Zayn a slam onto the commentary table, but Zayn avoided it and slammed Orton into the table. Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex on Priest against the turnbuckle. Zayn hit the Helluva Kick for a two count because Trick pulled referee Ryan Tran out of the ring. Orton got a hold of Trick and slammed Trick onto the commentary table. Orton slammed Trick belly-to-back style onto the commentary table again. Orton slammed Zayn belly-to-back style on the commentary table. Orton gave Priest a belly-to-back style slam on the commentary table. Orton was fired up.

The attack continued as Orton hit Trick with another belly-to-back suplex on the commentary table. Zayn rolled up Orton for two. Orton charged, Zayn moved, and Orton went left-shoulder first. Zayn went up top, Orton avoided it and Orton went for an RKO, but Zayn blocked it. Zayn ran at Orton, but Orton hit an RKO on Zayn. Trick threw Orton out of the ring and Trick covered for just a two count because Priest saved the pin. The fans were chanting “This is awesome” for the action. Priest and Trick attacked eachother with strikes on the apron. Orton got back into it and hit a Draping DDT on Trick and Priest at the same time. Orton set up for an RKO on Trick, but Trick pushed him off. Priest hit South of Heaven on Orton and Trick hooked Priest’s arms for a two count. Trick hit a spinning kick on Priest. Zayn got a hold of Trick and hit an Exploder into the turnbuckle. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Trick avoided it and Zayn hit the turnbuckle. Trick slowly went up top, so Zayn went after him with a forearm. Priest hit Zayn in the back and hit a Razor’s Edge. Trick hit a shoulder tackle to Priest’s ribs. Priest kicked Trick off the apron to the floor. Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Priest, Orton tried to crawl in to save, but he couldn’t make it as Zayn got the 1…2…3! It went 17:02.

Winner by pinfall: Sami Zayn

Analysis: ***3/4 A fast-paced match full of action, excitement, and a lot of nearfalls. I liked it a lot. What was weird to me is that there are no DQs in a match like this, yet nobody used a weapon other than Orton slamming guys onto the commentary table. I would have liked to see at least one of them (preferably Trick as the heel) to try to cheat to win and get a nearfall out of that. Zayn winning was the right call in his hometown of Montreal, and he’s beloved in Saudi Arabia, too. I thought Orton winning was a possibility, but he couldn’t get the job done. That’s fine because there will be other opportunities down the road. Priest and Trick were fine in their roles, but it was obvious that neither one of them had a chance to win.

The win by Sami Zayn means he’ll challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 31st.

Analysis: I will pick Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Title in that match. I’d love for Zayn to win, but I don’t see it happening.

Sami Zayn celebrated the win as fans sang along to his theme song. They showed Zayn’s wife and son in the crowd. Drew McIntyre went after Zayn in the ring, but Zayn was ready for it. Zayn sent Drew over the top of the floor. Zayn kept on celebrating while he stared at McIntyre.

This show had a runtime of 2 hours exactly.

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Three Stars of the Show

  1. AJ Styles
  2. Sami Zayn
  3. Shinsuke Nakamura

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Final Thoughts on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

I’ll rate this show an 8.5 out of 10.

Awesome show. It was a fun way to spend two hours watching WWE. There were only three matches, but they all delivered, and all of them got plenty of time. The Styles/Nakamura match felt like the best one to me while the Zayn 4-Way win was terrific and the women’s tag with Ripley/Sky winning was very good too.

I also liked the Cody Rhodes-Jacob Fatu brawl that wasn’t a match, but it continues that story with Drew McIntyre getting involved. It leaves us wanting more without doing a match, which is fine with me.

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Thanks for reading. You can contact me using any of the methods below.

John Canton

Email: [email protected]

Twitter/X: @johnreport