The John Report: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 07/18/26 Review
It’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event featuring CM Punk & Cody Rhodes teaming up to face Gunther & Sami Zayn, plus Danhausen in action, and more.
I am writing this review on Sunday because I was at a family member’s wedding on Saturday night. I didn’t look at the results of this show before I wrote this. Going into this SNME special, I wasn’t that excited about the card, but sometimes wrestlers step up and deliver a better show than expected.
There was a SNME Countdown on YouTube where Trick Williams beat Laredo Kid. Oba Femi also did an interview, conducted by Stephanie McMahon, talking about his SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar. The fans loved Oba as usual.
This SNME special was on Peacock for those of you in the US, and YouTube internationally for us non-US fans, like me in Canada. It had an 8 p.m. ET start time and they usually run right around two hours. Let’s get to it.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
From Madison Square Garden in New York, New York
Saturday, July 18, 2026
There was an opening video package about Saturday Night’s Main Event and the legacy of Madison Square Garden, which is the World’s Most Famous Arena and a huge place for WWE history.
They showed superstars walking around earlier in the day, including the New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson, Danhausen and JD McDonagh with The Judgment Day, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Paige & Brie Bella, Fatal Influence, Gunther, Sami Zayn, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes.
Joe Tessitore and WWE Hall of Famer Stephanie McMahon welcomed us to the show from the podium near the entrance area.
It was Michael Cole and Wade Barrett on commentary. The legendary Lilian Garcia was the ring announcer.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Brie Bella & Paige vs. Fatal Influence – Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid
Reid and Paige started as they exchanged punches. Brie tagged in for a double-team knee strike on Reid. Brie hit an armdrag and a dropkick. Henley tagged in with a forearm on Brie. Brie came back with a knee and she sent Henley into the turnbuckle. Paige hit Henley with a knee, and Paige/Brie hit a double team bulldog on Henley for two. Reid made a blind tag, Henley sent Paige into the top rope and slammed her down. Reid took over for her team as she stomped away on Paige. Henley hit Paige with a forearm. Reid stomped on Paige and grabbed a chinlock. Paige hit a jawbreaker and Reid sent her into the turnbuckle. Paige broke free, and Brie tagged in with clotheslines. Brie hit a Russian legsweep, followed by the Yes Kicks to the chest. Brie hit a roundhouse kick on Reid. Brie hit running knees on both opponents. Brie jumped off the top with a missile dropkick for two. Brie went for a Yes Lock, but Henley got to the ropes for the break. Henley hit a facebuster to send Brie into the mat. Paige was back in and worked over Henley with knees. Jayne was on the apron, so Paige punched her. Henley gave Paige a German Suplex off the ropes. Brie saved Paige, so Reid missed a moonsault. Paige got a rollup for two because Henley made the save. Henley sent Brie out of the ring, and Paige sent Henley out of the ring. Reid got a two count on Paige. Reid punched Paige with a left hand. Paige hit a kick to Reid’s face. Jayne distracted the referee, so Henley hit a clothesline. Henley had blood from the mouth) Brie was knocked off the apron briefly, and Paige sat on top of Reid for a pin attempt. Jayne shoved Paige so that Reid went on top of Paige (the referee, Jessika Carr, didn’t see Jayne interfere), and Reid was able to hold down Paige for the pinfall win. It went 7:15.
Winners by pinfall AND NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Fatal Influence – Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid
Analysis: **3/4 It was a solid match with the Fatal Influence trio using the numbers game to get the cheap win. Jacy Jayne interfering was a predictable outcome, but it’s not like she did anything that bad other than pushing Paige so that Reid could sit on top for the win. It felt like the right time for a title change since Brie and Paige held the gold for three months, while Fatal Influence has built momentum, and it gives the group some more credibility to hold the titles. I would have liked to see these ladies get more time in the 12-15 minute range and build up some excitement with nearfalls, as well as a better finish.
Fatal Influence celebrated as the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Paige and Brie were sad about the loss.
Analysis: For the people predicting Nikki Bella would come back and cost her sister and Paige the titles out of jealousy, that didn’t happen. Nikki should be be back soon after dealing with an ankle injury.
Sami Zayn was backstage wearing a “Justice For Sami” shirt as Cathy Kelley was there for an interview. Zayn said he’s trying to choose his words carefully because he’s not calling himself a victim. Zayn claimed that everything that has happened to him is egregious. Zayn said that CM Punk and Cody Rhodes had to say “when” to set up a SummerSlam match. Zayn called Nick Aldis to complain about it and now he has to team with a man who claims Zayn is not on his level. Gunther arrived to tell Zayn to stay out of his way and do not ruin SummerSlam for Gunther. Zayn said nothing while Gunther left.
They showed celebrities at ringside, including boxer Terence Crawford, some streamer named N3ON who was getting booed (no idea who he is), O’Shea Jackson, and they put the US Champion Trick Williams in the crowd.
A video package aired about Danhausen’s riveting feud with JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio set up the next match. There was a Blimphausen shown in the arena.
JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio, with Liv Morgan, were interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. JD said that he’s going to rid WWE of Danhausen. JD said no more games. JD made his entrance with Dominik.
Danhausen made his entrance in his unique car, and the fans loved him as usual. There was a Cloning Machine in the aisle.
No Disqualification Match: Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh (w/Dominik Mysterio)
Danhausen wanted to curse Dominik, so JD attacked Danhausen from behind with chops. They left the ring, which led to JD sending Danhausen into the barricade and ring post. There’s WWE President Nick Khan sitting in the front row with his son. JD and Dominik took turns slamming Danhausen’s head (more like arms) into the commentary table. Back in the ring, JD hit an elbow drop off the middle rope for two. Dominik was wiping Danhausen’s Knicks jersey on his boots. JD sent Danhausen into the turnbuckle twice in a row. Danhausen got some punches in, but JD came back with a Brainbuster for two. JD was handed the Knicks jersey, rubbed it on his but and then put the jersey on Danhausen, who moved out of the way of a JD moonsault. JD put on his Knicks jersey, so the fans cheered for that. After some JD slaps, Danhausen fired up with punches, an atomic drop, and a clothesline. Dominik was in the ring, so Danhausen hit an Exploder Suplex. Danhausen splashed JD against the turnbuckle. JD countered Danhausen for a two count. Danhausen countered a move into a Stunner for two. Dominik went into the ring again and stomped on Danhausen. The fans were looking at the aisle as JD headbutted Danhausen two times. JD and Dom ripped the Danhausen Knicks jersey, so that drew boos. JD and Dom looked for a table, so Danhausen walked away to the Cloning Machine in the aisle. There were three Minihausens at ringside and one of them hit a hurricanrana on JD. The Minihausens jumped on JD and Dom on the floor. JD and Dom beat up the three Minihausens at ringside. Danhausen put a stuffed cat into the cloning machine.
The Cloning Machine was making noise and there was an explosion. Karl Anthony Towns, aka KAT, from the New York Knicks arrived as Kathausen. The fans popped for the New York Knicks Center, who is a 7-footer and the fans loved it as he made his way down to the ring. Wade: “He’s too big. He’s not allowed in the match!”
Analysis: They had teased that Danhausen had some support coming soon, and there it was with KAT showing up. The stuffed cat was a way to set it up.
Danhausen told JD and Dom that they were cursed. JD charged at Towns, who grabbed JD by the throat and Towns hit a Slam Dunk Chokeslam as Cole called it. Towns picked up Dominik and gave him a Chokeslam through the table that was in the ring. Danhausen hit the reverse DDT called the Triple D aka Danhausen Death Drop (thanks Cole) for the pinfall win. It went 11:35.
Winner by pinfall: Danhausen
Analysis: *** A fun match that isn’t going to be remembered as a technical classic any time soon, but using the NY Knicks Karl Anthony Towns was a way to pop the crowd and it clearly worked. It doesn’t mean it was a great match. That’s okay, though. The fans liked it, and I enjoyed it. JD and Dom played their roles well, while Danhausen was entertaining as usual. It wasn’t a surprise to see Danhausen get the win. Shoutout to KAT for doing some Chokeslams that looked really good, too. Credit JD and Dom for their work too.
Danhausen celebrated the win with Karl Anthony Towns, along with the three Minihausens. Towns posed for the fans on the ring posts and the fans absolutely loved it.
Lyra Valkyria was backstage looking rough with her hair and not wearing much makeup. Lyra said that the last time she was in this arena, her and Bayley were wrestling for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Cathy Kelley asked if Lyra would be done with Bayley after this match. Lyra claimed she needed Bayley to be who Lyra needed her to be. Lyra said that after tonight, Bayley will be out of her head forever.
There were commercials for a few minutes that led to “We’ll be right back” graphics on YouTube.
A video package aired about Fanatics Fest from New York City this past weekend. They showed a lot of celebrities doing WWE entrances.
There were celebrities at ringside, including Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, actor/playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, comedian Jeff Ross, and Cooper DeJean of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bayley was interviewed by Jackie Redmond. Bayley said that she is the different one because she’s been making history for over a decade. Bayley said she’d end Lyra before she even got started.
Lyra Valkyria had some new theme music that was a lot darker than what she had in the past since she’s a heel now. It’s a bit of a remix of her old song. Lyra had some makeup around her eyes and looked miserable. Bayley was up next as the babyface opponent in this matchup of former partners.
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
There was a tight lockup to start and then Bayley connected with some punches. Bayley pulled Lyra out of the ring and Lyra acted like she was messed up mentally. Lyra was bleeding from the nose after a forearm shot from Bayley. The referee gave Lyra a towel for the blood, and then Bayley attacked. Bayley went for a neckbreaker off the ropes, but Lyra shoved her back. Lyra pulled on Bayley’s arm to send Bayley’s shoulder into the ropes. They replayed Bayley’s elbow hitting Lyra in the nose to cause the bloody nose. Bayley sent Lyra to the turnbuckle, Lyra grabbed the rope and flipped over the top to the floor. Bayley hit a cross body block on Lyra on the floor. Lyra did a snapmare followed by a knee drop to the face. Lyra stepped on Bayley’s face by the ropes. Bayley hit a back body drop. Bayley managed to roll up Lyra for a two count. Bayley applied a Boston Crab, but Lyra got out of that. Bayley hit a neckbreaker near the ropes, although it was more like pulling on the ribs by the ropes. Lyra pulled Bayley’s hair by the turnbuckle, so it was like a neckbreaker by the ropes. Lyra jumped off the top with a leg drop to the back of the neck for a two count. Lyra went for a spin kick, Bayley caught her and hit an overhead suplex. Bayley hit a Sunset Flip Bomb into the turnbuckle. Bayley took down Lyra, leading to a Crossface submission. Bayley grabbed Lyra by the waist and Lyra sent Bayley throat-first into the top rope. Bayley fired up and told Lyra to bring it. Lyra countered Bayley and did a hiptoss to flip over Bayley. Lyra applied a tight headlock takeover and held onto the headlock submission, so Bayley sold it like she was passed out. It went 10:30.
Winner by submission: Lyra Valkyria
Analysis: ***1/4 It was a good, physical match between two talented women who knew they had to bring the physicality and make this feel like a fight. The crowd wasn’t hot for this entire match, but they got more into it by the end. I think if they got a few more minutes, then they could have done some more spots to make it look like Bayley might in. I think that match could have used more of that. Lyra winning was the right move and doing it by submission shows she has changed to be a more sinister woman.
After the match, Lyra literally kicked Bayley out of the ring as if she had moved on from her. Lyra picked up Bayley and shoved her into the ring post. Lyra applied the side headlock tightly on Bayley again on the floor, so the referees got Lyra to stop. Lyra picked up Bayley on her shoulders and slammed her back-first onto the bottom half of the steel steps. It was a safe bump. Lyra was booed as she left.
Analysis: There is speculation about Bayley’s WWE future and whether she will sign a new contract to remain in the company or perhaps move on elsewhere. When Bayley loses a match like this, it’s going to lead to more speculation. I think it makes sense for Lyra to get the win because she recently turned heel, so if you are going to establish her as a threat, it’s smart to give Lyra some positive momentum.
A commercial aired about NXT Stand & Deliver and AAA Internal Glory in New York City during WrestleMania 43 weekend. They are also going to have a WrestleMania 43 watch party. That is next April.
There was a video package about the main event tag team match with WWE Champion CM Punk & Cody Rhodes teaming up against Sami Zayn & Gunther.
There was a Commercial break for a few minutes that I just skipped during my watch of the show.
The WWE Champion, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes were interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage. Cody said that they are going to co-exist, claiming they are friends and have waited for this match for years. Punk said that they are friends, have been brothers, are partners tonight, and are opponents at SummerSlam. Punk said tonight they have to win to make sure it’s a 1-on-1 match at SummerSlam. Cody wondered who would go out first, so Cody’s music hit for his entrance.
Cody Rhodes made his entrance with the fans cheering him loudly as usual and singing along with the “Kingdom” song. The Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk also got a big ovation from the fans as “Cult of Personality” played, and the fans sang along with it. Cody sat in the ring like Punk, so Punk was smiling about it.
Gunther was up first for the heel side, and he was booed as usual. Sami Zayn was next for his first match since losing the WWE Title to CM Punk earlier this month. Zayn was wearing a “Justice for Sami” shirt.
CM Punk & Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther & Sami Zayn
The stipulation is that if Gunther & Sami Zayn win, then they are added to the CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes match at SummerSlam, which means it would be a 4-way. If Punk and Rhodes win, then it remains a singles match.
As soon as Sami Zayn got into the ring, CM Punk went after him and the four men exchanged punches. Punk and Zayn were the legal men to start, as Cody got the tag and hit a double axhandle on Zayn. Cody hit Zayn with a left knee to the ribs. Punk tagged in with his own double axhandle on Zayn. After Zayn put Punk into the heel corner, Gunther tagged in and chopped Punk out of the ring. Gunther gave Punk a belly-to-back slam against the top of the barricade. Cody went over to Punk and put him back into the ring. Zayn worked over Punk with punches and headbutts. Punk shoved Zayn off the turnbuckle and Punk hit a cross body block onto Zayn. There were tags, so Cody hit Gunther with a forearm and a powerslam. Cody hit a Disaster Kick on Gunther. Cody sent Zayn out of the ring and hit a Cody Cutter on Gunther. Cody hit a suicide dive onto Zayn on the floor. Back in the ring, Cody jumped off the top and hit a Cody Cutter on Gunther for two. Gunther did a snapmare on Cody, so Zayn got the tag. Zayn countered Rhodes and sat on top for two. Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two, as usual for that move. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick against the turnbuckle, but Cody moved.
Punk got the tag against Zayn and hit a top rope clothesline. Punk hit a neckbreaker, along with a bulldog. Punk jumped off the top with an elbow drop. Punk applied the Anaconda Vice, Cody went into the ring to stop Gunther and Cody applied a Figure Four Leglock on Gunther, so Gunther gouged Punk’s eyes to get Punk to break up the hold. Zayn went after Cody with punches. Zayn gave Punk an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn hit the Helluva Kick on Punk, but Cody was still in the ring to hit Cross Rhodes. Gunther hit a lariat on Cody. Gunther went for a lariat on Punk, but Punk avoided it and hit a Go To Sleep (GTS). All four guys were down on the mat selling, and the fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. Gunther tagged in, Punk tried to tag out, but Cody was on the floor. Gunther sent Punk into Cody on the apron, and Gunther applied a Sleeper on Punk. Cody was back on the apron and made the tag while Punk was in Gunther’s Sleeper. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Gunther, so Zayn broke up the pin by tackling Punk onto the pin, and referee Charles Robinson bumped too. Punk hit a GTS on Zayn, so Zayn bumped to the floor. Cody and Punk took turns punching and chopping Gunther. Cody jumped off the ropes, Gunther moved and Cody hit Punk by accident. Gunther hit Cody with a boot to the head. Gunther left the ring to grab the WWE Title. Gunther hit Cody in the head with the WWE Title and tossed it out of the ring. Gunther hit Cody with a Powerbomb. Gunther called another official down to the ring and it was Danilo Anfibio, so he went down to the ring, counted to two and SmackDown GM Nick Aldis appeared from under the ring to pull Anfibio out of the ring. Aldis grabbed the WWE Title and hit Gunther with it. Punk picked up Gunther and hit a GTS. Punk put Rhodes on top of Gunther, and Aldis put the original referee, Robinson, into the ring, so Robinson counted Cody’s pin on Gunther for the pinfall win. It went 14:09.
Winners by pinfall: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes
Analysis: ***3/4 I liked the match a lot. It was a high-energy main event tag team match with big stars. The conclusion added to the Gunther/Nick Aldis story that’s been told over the last month on SmackDown, and now Aldis finally got some revenge on Gunther for his recent actions. It’s a finish that fits the story because I didn’t expect Zayn or Gunther to win. The referee bump spot made it a bit cheap for the babyfaces to win the match, but I didn’t mind it because Punk and Rhodes getting the victory is the right result, and that’s what mattered.
Post match, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes celebrated the win. Cody presented Punk with the WWE Title and they hugged. Cody raised Punk’s hand. When Punk put the title on his shoulder, the strap hit Cody in the face, and Cody didn’t like that.
Analysis: They posted a video after the show of Punk and Rhodes arguing about what happened, so it was a way to add some tension to their friendship.
Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon were back to talk about what has happened so far. They went over the SummerSlam lineup.
* Undisputed WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
* Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill vs. three other women
* LA Knight, Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu
* Intercontinental Championship: Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable
* Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky
* Hell in a Cell Match: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
* WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins
There’s also Gunther vs. Nick Aldis, which is official as of Sunday.
A commercial aired for Survivor Series in Houston on November 28th.
There was a SummerSlam video featuring Justin Jefferson of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings promoting the show. There’s a special “JJETS” code to get some cheaper tickets. They need to sell them.
They showed more celebrities at ringside, including former NFLer James Harrison, Cade Cunningham of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons (he was booed), Dion Dawkins of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and Oba Femi. At least he was cheered.
A video aired that was narrated by Eli Manning, and it featured some New York sports history, including the New York Knicks winning the NBA Title, led by point guard Jalen Brunson, who was the Finals MVP. Eli said that Brunson was the newest King of New York. There was a Knicks blimp in the arena.
Analysis: As a big, lifelong NBA fan, I don’t mind the Jalen Brunson involvement, but I can imagine some WWE fans would be complaining about all this attention on Brunson and the Knicks.
Let’s Acknowledge Roman Reigns and Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks was shown walking from the locker room, through the backstage area, and towards the arena. Brunson was wearing an “OTC 11” shirt because he wears the #11 jersey for the Knicks. They showed Brunson’s NBA highlights as he made his way towards the ring. Brunson was wearing a brace on his left hand since he had wrist surgery. Roman Reigns greeted Brunson for their entrance.
Roman Reigns’ music played as he walked out with the World Heavyweight Title around his waist and Jalen Brunson by his side. They held up the “1s” to the sky as the pyro went off in the arena. Cole said Brunson was back inside MSG for the first time since the NBA Finals.
When Reigns and Brunson got to the ring, the music stopped and the fans kept chanting, “Jalen Brunson” for the Finals MVP. Brunson played it cool. There were also “OTC” chants for Reigns.
Reigns said that this is something you don’t see something like this every day. Reigns said that what they are doing out here is greatness acknowledging greatness. Reigns said that this city is the home of WWE. Reigns said whenever he comes here, you make the Tribal Chief feel like he’s home too. Reigns said that 53 years was way too long. Reigns said Jalen will tell you that this is a team sport, but there’s only one Tribal Chief and only one captain, as Reigns pointed at Brunson. Reigns mentioned Brunson was the NBA Finals MVP, the NBA Champion, and the King of New York. There were “MVP” chants for Brunson. There were “Jalen Brunson” chants again.
Reigns said that every champ in WWE needs a title, so the Tribal Chief made some moves. Reigns was handed a New York Knicks Jalen Brunson edition of the World Heavyweight Title. The fans chanted, “You deserve it.” Reigns said not only does deserve it, but this man earned it. Reigns told MSG to acknowledge them. The fans cheered as Reigns and Brunson held up their titles.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins’ music hit as Tyrese Haliburton of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers arrived. Tyrese missed all of last season with a Torn Achilles tendon. Cole mentioned Tyrese was a villain in New York City.
Seth Rollins attacked Roman Reigns from behind with forearms. Rollins stomped on Reigns in the ring. Tyrese handed Rollins a steel chair, while Rollins warned Brunson to stay out of this. Rollins superkicked Reigns. Rollins claimed this was the end for Reigns and set up for The Stomp, but Brunson stood in front of Rollins. Rollins told Brunson this is his house, then Reigns was back up and hit a Superman Punch. Reigns hit a Spear, so Rollins bailed with Tyrese.
Analysis: That segment made Seth Rollins come off as a heel. I don’t think that was the intent, but at least in this segment, it was all about the fans cheering for Reigns with Brunson. Anyway, Reigns got some revenge after Rollins beat him up on Raw last week. Since the NBA guys are making so much money, they aren’t going to take any bumps in situations like this. That means WWE has to come up with creative ways to use these guys, and I thought it was effective enough.
Roman Reigns put the New York Knicks NBA Title around Jalen Brunson’s waist, while Brunson held Roman’s World Title. Reigns picked up the NBA Championship trophy and held it up in the air. Reigns and Brunson held their championships up again as pyro went off in the background. Reigns held up the NBA Championship for the fans, and the crowd cheered some more. That was the end of the show.
This show had a runtime of 2:11.
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Three Stars of the Show
1. CM Punk & Cody Rhodes
2. Lyra Valkyria
3. Danhausen
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Final Thoughts on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
I’ll rate this show a 7 out of 10.
It was a solid WWE show in this era, but nothing was unforgettable or anything like that. There were four matches on the main show, and the main event was the longest at 14 minutes. On a show that went over 2 hours, you’d think they could have had more time for the matches. They waste so much time between the matches with commercials and other things, so it leaves less time for the matches. I just wish they utilized the time better.
I think the match results were all the right decisions, with Cody Rhodes & CM Punk beating Sami Zayn & Gunther in the best match, thanks to Nick Aldis getting involved to set up his SummerSlam match with Gunther. Danhausen winning with the help of Karl Anthony Towns popped the crowd. I’m happy for Fatal Influence winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles, and Lyra Valkyria got a big win to help her new heel persona. The Roman Reigns-Jalen Brunson segment made the local fans happy.
It wasn’t a must-see show or anything like that, but it was passable enough. I think with the roster WWE has, they should be able to put on better shows. This is just the norm for how things are like in this era.
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John Canton
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Twitter/X: @johnreport