Booking Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and More for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
WWE announced Tuesday that Saturday Night's Main Event will return to network television on December 14 from the Nassau Memorial Veterans Coliseum in Long Island.
SNME first took to the network airwaves on May 10, 1985, when WWE filled the late-night time slot typically reserved for Saturday Night Live, with a broadcast headlined by Hulk Hogan defending the WWE Championship against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.
The special would continue over the next seven years, including a spinoff, The Main Event.
On February 5, 1988, in front of 33 million viewers, Andre the Giant controversially defeated Hogan to win the WWE title and set up the major tournament for the gold at WrestleMania IV.
An opportunity for the company to get its top stars in front of a worldwide audience, it was an invaluable tool for Vince McMahon and Co. as they took professional wrestling out of the territories and went national.
Riding a wave of popularity and creative momentum in 2024, just as it did during the company's golden era, WWE has an opportunity to put new eyes on the product.
Who should be featured, what match should headline, and why?
Let's take a look.
Spotlighting The Terror Twins
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Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are two of the biggest babyfaces on Raw, so it stands to reason that WWE officials would want to find a way to get them in front of a worldwide audience on network television.
While it remains to be seen if Triple H and Co. will drag out the Judgment Day feud until December, rekindling it in time for the revived Saturday Night's Main Event would be a great way to put eyes on all involved.
Ripley and Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan in a rematch of Bash in Berlin, accompanied by a video package informing the audience of the rich history between them, is an option.
Another would be The Terror Twins and Jey Uso vs. Mysterio, Morgan and Finn Bálor in a match that gets even more Raw talent on the show.
Either way, it seems unlikely WWE would present a show of this magnitude, with an opportunity to get the product in front of new eyes, and not include two of the biggest stars on a brand getting ready to make its Netflix debut just a few weeks later.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Defense
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WWE women's tag team champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were made for the spotlight that a network show such as SNME provides. Charismatic, talented and immensely over with fans, they belong on the event.
Equally as important, a match on that card would highlight the tag titles and also allow two other Superstars to perform on a good-sized stage.
Whether it is against Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre, Pure Fusion Collective, Damage CTRL, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter or a thrown-together tandem of other big names, the positives of booking a tag title match and showcasing the talent in the women's division is too good to miss.
CM Punk Speaks
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CM Punk is one of the biggest stars on the roster and while it may be understandable to want to hold off on booking him in a throwaway match on a television special, he should still have a presence on the broadcast.
Considering how great a promo he is—as witnessed Monday night—some mic time on NBC feels like the perfect way to feature him.
With his feud with Drew McIntyre wrapped up by then, perhaps The Best in the World will target world champion Gunther, who is already on his radar.
Putting the two of them together in a brief in-ring segment that puts over the differences between them, lets Punk get off a few emphatic lines and hypes a showdown between them.
Seth Rollins' Revenge
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Seth Rollins is prominently featured in the promotional materials for WWE's return to NBC, so it's safe to say he will have a significant role on the show.
The last time we saw The Visionary, he was on the receiving end of multiple Tsunamis from Bronson Reed in an angle that resulted in his departure from television.
What better way to hype SNME than by promoting it as the return of Rollins and the setting for his shot at revenge against Reed?
It is a fairly big match from the Raw brand that can reintroduce Rollins just in time for the start of the Road to WrestleMania and wrap up the loose end that is that program with the big man.
On the off-chance Triple H has legitimate WrestleMania 41 plans for Reed vs. Rollins, a return for the latter that sees him attempt to dish out vengeance is also an option.
Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns III
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Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes may be preparing to be tag team partners at Bad Blood on October 5, but there is still a real tension between them centering on the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Rhodes has it, having defeated The OTC for it at WrestleMania; and The Head of the Table wants it back.
The third match in their trilogy on NBC, much like Hogan vs. Andre's WrestleMania rematch did 36 years earlier, is such a layup booking decision that the idea Triple H and Co. wouldn't call for it would be shocking.
More importantly, it's the perfect setting for The Rock's return to WWE TV and his interference in the match, setting up the long-awaited showdown with The American Nightmare that was teased the night after WrestleMania 40 and the emphasis for his one-on-one encounter with Reigns that has been a decade in the making.
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