Before we officially kick off the road to WrestleMania 42, here’s four big takeaways from WWE's first Saturday Night's Main Event of 2026.
The first WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event of 2026 emanated from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec, Canada, and served as the final major stop before next weekend’s Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn booked a title shot against Drew McIntyre, Jacob Fatu earned his place in the main-event scene, AJ Styles danced with Shinsuke Nakamura one final time, and RhIyo proved they’re not ready to hand over the tag titles.
Before we officially kick off the road to WrestleMania 42, here’s four big takeaways from Montreal.
1. Iron sharpens iron
Jacob Fatu shook the WWE Universe when his disruption in the "SmackDown" main event a few weeks ago directly led to Drew McIntyre ending Cody Rhodes’ run with the Undisputed WWE Championship and crowning a new champion. Fatu and Rhodes have escalated the tensions between them ever since, with one hungry challenger out for blood and one vengeful champion furious that he lost his belt.
While fans were expecting a brawl Saturday between Rhodes and Fatu to settle the score, their match never officially kicked off. But instead of a short brawl where security separated the two after a few minutes, they put together what was essentially a "Falls Count Anywhere" match, brawling all throughout the arena without any official conducting the three-count. McIntyre ended the brawl by showing up, slamming Fatu through a table, low-blowing Rhodes and powerbombing him through a table, then standing tall in the middle of the ring.
The fight amounted to exactly what everyone needed.
Rhodes has been desperate for legit challengers after essentially coasting through 2025 in and out of rivalries with John Cena. Fatu hit a ceiling last year, McIntyre never quite got over the hump, and it was unclear where Rhodes would find strong competition. But at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Fatu attacking Rhodes and appearing to be an equal to him immediately elevated the credibility of Fatu's potential as a championship challenger. McIntyre not being the target of the joke, yet showing up and getting the upper hand over two foes shows his championship win wasn’t a fluke. There’s plenty of time between now and April, but seeing these three in a championship match wouldn’t be the shock of the century.
2. Sami could win it all
A Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal, followed by a Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, always felt like two events tailor-made for Sami Zayn’s rise to the top.
Zayn booked his ticket to a championship showdown with Drew McIntyre on Saturday after overcoming a strong outing from Randy Orton, who appeared close to earning the spot on his own a few times. Trick Williams played his role perfectly and never seemed out of place among the three top contenders. But ultimately it was Zayn who is now one win closer to holding the Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time in his career.
On the other side, it’s fair to question how Damian Priest makes his way back to holding a heavyweight crown. After cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the belt at WrestleMania 40, he’s never felt close to getting back to the title picture. When it was announced that he’d challenge Orton, Williams, and Zayn in the Fatal 4-Way, it felt like a near-guarantee that he’d be the one eating the loss.
With time comes opportunities, and McIntyre is a great use case of that coming to fruition. Does Priest have what it takes to rise to the occasion in a similar fashion?
3. It’s not me, it’s you
Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky never really appeared to be in danger of losing their tag titles Saturday outside of a brief moment following Raquel Rodriuez’s interference.
The moment played out beautifully, with Rodriguez pulling Ripley onto a counting referee, then catching a diving Sky outside the ring and powerbombing her onto the floor. Stephanie Vaquer made the save, brawling with Rodriguez to the back, while Roxanne Perez rolled over onto Sky for the close two-count. In the end, Ripley eventually got the hot tag and the finish on Morgan, retaining the tag titles.
After another championship loss, perhaps it’s time to break up the Judgement Day. The group has run its course and breaking them up could provide some freshness to a relatively stale faction. Outside of the success of Dominik Mysterio and the tension that’s built between him and Finn Bálor, the group feels like it’s been coasting for some time.
Morgan seems destined for bigger things, Rodriguez should absolutely win the Women’s World Championship, and the trio should fight it out as three capable challengers.
That type of evolution seems unlikely to unfold quickly, or even before WrestleMania. But perhaps this is the year each woman of the Judgement Day is elevated to bigger things.
4. Closing time
When John Cena decided to wrap up his career, there was a list of former opponents he needed to get in-ring closure with. The same can’t be said for AJ Styles, who will put a bow on his wrestling career sometime in 2026. Most of Styles’ greatest WWE rivals are either retired, not available, or wrestling elsewhere — aside from Shinsuke Nakamura.
That’s what made their impromptu matchup at Saturday Night’s Main Event so special.
They needed a bit to dust the cobwebs off, but once the duo got going, they really kicked things into high gear and showed glimpses of old matches that made their long-term rivalry so beloved.
The end may be closer than we anticipated for Styles, who puts his career on the line next weekend at the Royal Rumble against Gunther. “The Ring General” moving from the guy who tapped out to Jey Uso and nearly lost to Pat McAfee to the guy who ruthlessly retires legends is exactly where he needs to be. A last-minute match for Styles against Nakamura sure feels like "The Phenomenal One’s" way of saying goodbye.
Category: General Sports
