New York City had quite the weekend at MetLife Stadium and Madison Square Garden. Spain is the 2026 World Cup Champions, while new champions were crowned at Saturday Night’s Main Event. SNME started with a bang and ended with a head-scratching conclusion depending on who you ask. Blood was shed, careers were tested, and champions made appearances. Let’s hit the headlines.
A Trick/Treat For the Big Apple
For the first time this year, a match happened on the pre-show. Trick Williams retained his US title against The Laredo Kid. This match was really good, and the crowd got invested despite the match being announced earlier in the day. Both competitors got their offense in, and Trick hit his challenger with a trick shot for the win. The next surprise of the night was Stephanie McMahon introducing Oba Femi to the ring. WWE fans love strutting along to his entrance, but time will tell if the Nigerian Giant can keep this momentum through WM season. Femi cut a promo on Brock Lesnar. Their match will likely open one of the Nights, and Brock will receive a homecoming welcome from the Minnesota faithful.
A NEW ERA IS HERE
Let’s cut to the chase. Fatal Influence (Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley) beat Scream Mode (Brie Bella and Paige) to become the new women’s tag champs. Fans were holding their breath, hoping WWE wouldn’t fumble this opportunity. WWE didn’t, and we can all take a sigh of relief. The match had Paige and Brie Bella hitting their signature moves, while Hallon and Riley used the numbers game. In the end, Jayce Jane got involved without the ref’s awareness and flipped the pin in her team’s favor. A grab of the tights, and we have new champs. Lots of media outlets criticized Jessika Carr for dismissing the interference. Regardless, Paige can now venture into solo competition, while the Bella Twins can reunite when Nikki returns. With Fatal Influence now having tag team gold, it’s worth noting Jacy Jayne was rumored to face Rhea Ripley for the title at SummerSlam before Ripley got sidelined. These three can dominate SmackDown for years to come if given the chance.
The KAT and The Curse
That was loads of fun. Danhausen and JD McDonaugh put on a show for Madison Square Garden. It was a No Disqualification match featuring minhausens, tables, curses, and a hometown star. There was a focus on the New York Knicks jersey owned by Danhausen, which drew heat for the heels. The only gripe was the Judgement Day manhandling the minihausens when Danhausen escaped to reveal his surprise in the crate. Out came Karl Anthony-Towns, who hit a better chokeslam than most superstars on the roster. He joined in the ‘You are Cursed’ shenanigans, and the face-painted vigilante pinned his opponent for the win. For those unaware of the why this match happened, Danhausen uncursed the Knicks. They won the title, and MSG was loving this match from the moment the bell rang.
One Last Hurrah?
Lyra Valkyria picked up a victory against former tag partner Bayley in a hard-hitting affair. These two didn’t hold back, and Bayley may have broken Lyra’s nose with a direct shot from the elbow. One negative from this bout is the trope of ‘can she continue the matchup?’ when Lyra got busted open. She could, and she did. Lyra’s new theme song is amazing as well. After the match, Valkyria beat down Bayley and hit a Crow Wing on the stairs. Perhaps these two add a stipulation at SummerSlam, and Bayley gets her revenge because WWE LOVES 50/50 booking. Either way, Lyra’s presentation and character get props for now. Bayley’s contract expires at the end of the year, so many question marks remain about her future.
A Score to Settle
The stipulation for the main event was that if Gunther and Sami Zayn win, they’re added to the title match at SummerSlam. Their opponents were Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. In a tag team match clouded by the age-old question, ‘Can They Co-Exist’, these four hit it out of the park. This was the match of the night, and should’ve been the last segment of the show. Zayn hit the ref in a desperate attempt to save the match. Gunther overcame his two opponents and hit a powerbomb. This prompted a ref to come down for the three counts, only for Nick Aldis to yank him out of the ring. Aldis hit Gunther with the WWE belt, costing him and Zayn the match. Would’ve rather had Gunther snap and be held by officials as Nick Aldis smirks through the crowd than what was going to happen next.
The MVP and the OTC
A segment between the King of New York, Jalen Brunson, and Roman Reigns was advertised before the PLE. When the main event ended at 8:40 pm, it was clear these two were closing the show. They gave Jalen Brunson a 10-15 (felt like it) Goldberg-like entrance sans the headbutt, and had people clapping for him backstage. He and Reigns walked out, and did their usual finger poses and ACKNOWLEDGE US schtick. Seth Rollins’ music hit, and Tyrese Haliburton came out instead. Rollins failed in his sneak attack, and Brunson said ‘Try Me, M’fer’ before Reigns hit Rollins with a Superman punch. Neither NBA star got physical as they are both hurt, but Brunson got a massive ovation from the crowd. To close out the show, Reigns hoisted the NBA trophy while Brunson wore the WH belt and a custom-made one.
TKO’s obsession with celebrities/athletes continues, but we aren’t going to let one bad apple ruin the batch. There is one more Saturday, or should I say, Sunday Night’s Main Event left on the calendar on September 6th in Atlanta. Peacock’s deal with WWE expires at the end of the year, so it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for SNME in 2027 and beyond.
Let’s hope WWE can keep this momentum going, but their toughest test lies ahead. SummerSlam tickets aren’t selling as well as TKO/WWE thought they would. Their ticket sales are only half of what last year’s SummerSlam attendance was. Let’s see what WWE has in store with two weeks left before the biggest event of the summer.
