WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event arrived at a critical junction on the Road to Royal Rumble, and rather than offering tidy resolutions, WWE leaned into escalation, consequence, and momentum. From an opening segment defined by chaos and unfinished business, to a women’s tag title match that advanced multiple intersecting storylines, to a masterclass in professional wrestling from AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, and finally to a main event that reshaped the Undisputed WWE Championship picture, this special succeeded by pushing narratives forward with intention.
This was not a nostalgia-driven showcase. It was a narrative bridge — and by the time the night ended, the Royal Rumble landscape was clearer, heavier, and far more compelling.
Here are the full results
- Cody Rhodes vs Jacob Fatu ended in a no contest
- Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY (c) defeated Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
- AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
- Sami Zayn defeated Randy Orton, Damian Priest, and Trick Williams to become No. 1 Contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship
Breakdown and Analysis
Cody Rhodes, Jacob Fatu, and Drew McIntyre: The Champion Reminds Everyone Who Sets the Terms
Saturday Night’s Main Event opened with an unexpected tone shift. Cody Rhodes vs Jacob Fatu was scheduled to begin the night, but the bell never truly mattered. What followed was a sprawling brawl that spilled throughout the arena, immediately signaling that this rivalry was rooted in unresolved fallout rather than competitive closure.
To fully understand why this segment mattered, the story begins on the January 9th, 2026 edition of Friday Night SmackDown. It was Drew McIntyre, the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, who challenged Cody Rhodes to a Three Stages of Hell match. Confident in his ability to survive Rhodes across multiple stipulations, McIntyre dictated the terms. Rhodes accepted, and the match delivered the brutality it promised.
The controversy came in the decisive steel cage stage. Jacob Fatu made his shocking return to WWE, and while his involvement was not framed as an alliance with McIntyre, it proved decisive. Fatu’s presence and ensuing chaos inadvertently created the opening McIntyre needed to escape the cage, retain the championship, and leave Rhodes once again standing on the wrong side of a moment that was almost his.
That finish directly led to WWE announcing Cody Rhodes vs Jacob Fatu for Saturday Night’s Main Event, framed not as revenge but as unfinished business. A sit-down interview on SmackDown further sharpened the tension, with Fatu insisting there was no intent behind his actions and Rhodes making it clear that intent does not erase consequence.
The opening brawl on SNME was effective in bursts. The early chaos felt raw and personal, but the segment lingered longer than it needed to. Just as the energy began to plateau, Drew McIntyre’s involvement snapped the narrative back into focus. The champion laying out both Rhodes and Fatu was not gratuitous — it was a statement.
McIntyre was reminding everyone that no matter how personal the chaos becomes, the Undisputed WWE Championship still runs through him.
Women’s Tag Team Championship: Champions Retain as the Division Expands
The first official match of the night saw Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez of The Judgment Day.
From a storytelling perspective, this was about composure versus opportunism. Ripley and SKY entered as champions who have anchored the division through consistency and credibility, while Morgan and Perez represented The Judgment Day’s continued attempts to extend their influence across every corner of WWE.
The match itself was solid and competitive, with strong early pacing and physicality. However, the back half felt rushed, as if time constraints forced the competitors to compress what should have been a more deliberate closing stretch. A visible mistiming moment saw Ripley arrive late on a save for SKY, briefly disrupting the rhythm.
Even with those issues, the match never collapsed. Ripley and SKY retained, reinforcing their status atop the division.
The broader implications, however, extended beyond the bell. The presence and continued tension involving Raquel Rodriguez and WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer kept their simmering rivalry intertwined with the tag landscape. Their ongoing power struggle — rooted in dominance, respect, and physical intimidation — remains one of SmackDown’s most compelling slow-burn stories.
Meanwhile, the champions’ path forward is already defined. On SmackDown, Giulia and Kiana James earned a future title opportunity by winning a triple threat No. 1 contender’s match. That result gives the division direction and ensures Ripley and SKY’s reign remains active rather than static.
As for The Judgment Day, this loss does not weaken their presence — but it does reinforce that proximity to power is not the same as holding it.
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura: A Match That Respected Wrestling Itself
The emotional and technical centerpiece of the night belonged to AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.
This match was made on SmackDown when General Manager Nick Aldis invited Styles following his announcement that 2026 will be his final year as an active competitor. With Styles having just agreed to put his career on the line against Gunther at Royal Rumble, the opportunity to face Nakamura one more time carried genuine weight.
Their history stretches well beyond WWE — from their rivalry in Japan to the match that preceded Styles’ transition to WWE. This was not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It was closure.
They wrestled like it mattered.
This was a hard-hitting, technical match built on psychology rather than excess. Styles’ deliberate targeting of Nakamura’s knee gave every exchange purpose. Limb work mattered. Timing mattered. Nothing was wasted.
When Styles finally connected with the Phenomenal Forearm and followed it with the Styles Clash — the first time he used the full combination — it meant something. There were no unnecessary kick-outs, no finisher dilution, no excess.
In an era where finishing moves often feel symbolic rather than definitive, this match respected the very idea of a finisher.
It was the best match of the night, and a powerful reminder of why AJ Styles’ farewell run deserves this level of care.
Fatal Four Way: Sami Zayn’s Moment Arrives
The main event brought together Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Trick Williams, and Sami Zayn, each man earning his place through recent performances and qualifying victories on SmackDown.
Each competitor represented a different future:
- Orton as the legacy threat
- Priest as the relentless powerhouse
- Williams as the rising wildcard
- Zayn as the emotional constant
The match was structured around chaos and momentum shifts. Williams impressed with athleticism and fearlessness, Priest controlled long stretches with power, and Orton provided veteran precision that grounded the action.
But the night belonged to Sami Zayn.
Zayn survived the chaos, capitalized on opportunity, and secured the victory to become No. 1 contender for Drew McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship at Royal Rumble. The post-match confrontation with McIntyre was quiet, tense, and effective.
For the first time in a long time, Zayn did not look like a man hoping for a miracle. He looked like someone who expects to win.
Royal Rumble PLE: Current Match Card
- Drew McIntyre (c) vs Sami Zayn (Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Gunther vs AJ Styles (AJ Styles’s Career on the Line)
- Men’s Royal Rumble Match
- Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Final Thoughts
Saturday Night’s Main Event succeeded because it understood its role. This was not about blow-offs. It was about alignment. Every segment fed directly into Royal Rumble with intention — McIntyre asserting dominance, Styles reaffirming legacy, Zayn earning belief, and multiple divisions advancing simultaneously.
The Road to WrestleMania begins next week.
After tonight, the direction is unmistakable.
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