WWE Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII 12/14/2024

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII 12/14/2024

We are in Long Island, NY, though they say it's NYC. We get a cool retro intro with an old school TV playing. We then get the usual SNME theme.

We got an early 90's entrance set here with the multi-colored lights entrance. We see various wrestlers arrive.

We then see Jesse Ventura, Joe Tessitore and a podium back where the old stage used to be. Jesse says it's been 40 years since he has been in the WWE (not true). He says he's back. Jesse has his leather and snake skin jacket on with a feather boa.

Jesse says he questioned if Cody was Dusty's son as he has washboard abs and Dusty had many abs. He says Cody could end up like a one-legged man in an @ss kicking contest tonight. 

We then see Pat McAfee run down the aisle, which is really small. The ring has special SNME theming and an old school WWE logo. The ref is wearing an old school blue ref shirt.

Pat McAfee and Michael Cole are on commentary though Jesse will do a match.

Sami Zayn vs Drew McIntyre

Sami goes after him before Drew is ready. Sami hits chops in the corner then hits corner punches. Sami lariats Drew over the top then seated moonsaults him outside. Drew is sent over the top. Sami plancha's him, gets caught and is swung onto the commentary table. We go to break and return. Drew hits chops and overhead belly to belly suplexes him for 2. Sami 2nd rope double axe handles him. Drew spears the post when Sami moves.

Drew spinebusters Sami for 2. Drew hits a sitout powerbomb for 2. Drew goes for an air raid crash off the 2nd rope but takes a sunset bomb. Drew headbutts him. Drew runs into Sami's boot and Sami hits a blue thunder for 2. Drew goes out and in, Sami follows then eats a claymore kick. Drew then gets the win.

Thoughts: The ending was sudden and a bit weak which is a shame as they had a good match otherwise. The crowd was into it and they kept up a good pace here. Drew winning wasn't too much as a surprise as he just returned and Sami eat losses for breakfast. 

We see Damage CTRL head to the ring and see Judgment Day as well.

We see Tito Santana, someone named Rich Herring and Jimmy Hart in the front row.  

Women's World Title - Liv Morgan (c) vs Iyo Sky

Liv throws Iyo down. Iyo handsprings off the ropes and is dropkicked. Iyo flying dropkicks her then flapjacks her for 2. Iyo asai moonsaults her outside.

We go to break and return. Iyo shotei's and dropkicks her. Liv goes out and Iyo headflips around. Iyo topes her. Iyo springboard dropkicks her for 2. Liv backcrackers her then 2nd rope diving codebreakers her for 2. Iyo hits triple germans for 2. Iyo slips off a springboard and Liv codebreakers her for 2. Liv hits a step up enzugiri. Iyo knees her in the face. Iyo corner meteora's her then Liv gets her feet up on Iyo's top rope moonsault. Liv hits oblivion and wins.

Thoughts: It was a shorter but fast paced and action packed match. Liv got her nose busted open from an Iyo knee to the face. I liked this one and thought they worked well together. 

Rhea Ripley comes out as Liv, Dom and Raquel walk the aisle. Rhea stares down Liv.

World Heavyweight Title - Gunther (c) vs Damian Priest vs Finn Balor

Finn ducks shots and DP tries to catch him. DP hits forearms and Gunther headbutts him. Finn rolls up Gunther for 2. Finn takes shots from both opponents. Gunther facekicks DP. DP spinning high kicks him. DP then hits a tope con hilo on Gunther.

We go to break and return. DP hits forearms on Finn. Gunther facekicks both opponents. Gunther chops DP down and crabs him. Finn chops Gunther. Gunther chops him back. Finn pele kicks Gunther then DP double lariats both.

DP hits shots on both opponents and forearms Finn down. DP hits flying back elbows on both opponents. He superkicks Finn. DP walks the top rope and crossbodies Gunther down. DP lifting flatliners Finn for 2. Gunther boots DP in the gut. Finn slingblades DP. Finn slingblades Gunther. DP throws Finn over the top. Gunther does a grounded sleeper to DP with some elbows in between.

DP fights out then hits a south of heaven chokeslam. Finn final cuts DP. Finn john woo's DP. Finn is crotched up top. DP hits a razor's edge on Gunther and Finn top rope double stomps Gunther for 2. Finn sunset flips DP for 2 then DP hits a south of heaven for 2.

Gunther sleepers DP outside. Gunther powerbombs DP on the steps then john woo's Finn. Gunther hits a powerbomb on FInn and grabs the win.

Thoughts: The selling wasn't best here. But it was another fast-paced and action packed match. It worked pretty well and they got the guys in and out without disrupting the flow. We got some solid nearfalls out of this one and it felt like Finn and DP both had chances to pull this off. I'm not sure where Finn or DP go from here but it's time to move on from Gunther vs DP and Finn vs DP.

We go to break and return to Jesse and Joe at the podium. Jesse says he loves Liv Morgan. He says she took a shot to the head that would have stopped any normal person. He says Dom can pick women.

Jesse says wrestling is even bigger today than it was 40 years ago. He says the fans can be proud of that.

WWE Women's United States Title Tournament - Chelsea Green vs Michin

Green has cutouts of her head hanging off her outfit and hat which is something else.

Mich snapmares her then armdrags her. Mich hits a japanese armdrag. Green slaps her and throws her out. They fight on the apron and Mich tarantula's her around the 2nd rope. Piper Niven hits a black hole slam on Mich outside.

We go to break and return. Green goes for a leg lariat and is powerbombed. Mich release germans her. Mich tornado ddt's her for 2. Green leg lariats her for 2. Green tries to running spear Mich off the apron but ends up hitting a tope on Piper. Piper catches her though. Mich cannonballs both off the apron and hits soul foot on Piper outside.

Green kicks Mich then Mich rolls her up for 2. Mich hits a bad soul foot for 2. Mich hits Green on the buckles. Piper gets on the apron and Mich dropkicks her off of it. Green flips into an unprettier on Mich and wins.

Thoughts: There was a lot of shenanigans here and it wasn't the longest match ever, so it wasn't that great. Mich messed up a soul foot during this one and Piper was as much involved in this as the wrestlers were. The finish on this was cool. It's nice to see Green be rewarded as the first champ. She's been a very entertaining character and definitely deserved it.

Aldis puts the title around her waist after and Piper holds up Green in the air as fireworks shoot off.

We see Greg Valentine and Koko B. Ware in the front row.

Jesse has joined Pat and Cole on commentary for the main. Jesse said he paved the way for them making all this money.

Pat plays with the telestrator and points out the outfits of Joe and Jesse. Jesse says the snake skin he is wearing is Damien, Jake Roberts' pet.

WWE Title - Cody Rhodes (c) vs Kevin Owens 

Cody wore a version of the old Winged Eagle title out.

KO goes out to stall to start. Cody goes after him and hits punches. KO's head is banged off the commentary table. Jesse complains about Cody's tactics. Cody topes KO and holds his ankle, which Chad Gable worked on at smackdown last week.

Cody hits a drop down punch on KO then gordbusters him. Cody is driven into the post then he is backdropped on the commentary table. KO says, "Hi Randy" into the camera's. We go to PiP break. KO pushes Cody back into the post outside.

Cody limps more on his injured ankle and KO kicks the leg. KO twists the foot then sentons Cody. Cody hits a drop down punch on KO. Cody is limping a lot now. Cody and KO fight up top. Cody is crotched on the top. KO top rope swantons him for 2. Jesse says KO needs to get on the leg.

KO goes for the bionic elbow. Cody stops it then hits his own. Cody flying shoulders him and powerslams him. Cody hits a disaster kick for 2. Cody walks up the buckles and KO goes out. Jesse yells "brilliant, brilliant". KO superkicks Cody.

They go on the commentary table. Cody cutters him there. Cody walks up the buckles and hits a cody cutter for 2. KO hits a 2nd rope twisting fisherman's buster for 2. Jesse complains of a slow count. Cody blocks a stunner. KO pushes Cody into the ref and the ref goes out. KO stunners Cody and goes for the pin but the ref is out.

Another ref runs down and KO gets a 2 count on Cody. Jesse says he was ready to go count the three and says KO won the match. Jesse blames the ref for getting in the way. Cody superkicks KO, springboards and nails the 2nd ref. KO sends Cody into the post shoulder first.

Jesse asks who will count.  KO grabs a chair. Cody ducks the chair shot and Cody hits a cody cutter. Cody hits cross rhodes on KO on the chair. The first ref Charles Robinson, then counts the three while standing outside of the ring.

Thoughts: You can be sure we haven't seen the last of these two. There was a ton of shenanigans in the match and Jesse provided lots of reasons for them to have a rematch. Jesse was great here and called the match just like he would have in the 80's by giving the faces lots of crap, ripping the refs and making excuses for the heels, though he clearly wasn't as knowledgeable about current storylines as he could have been. I didn't love the match though. KO worked the leg. Cody limped on it for a little bit then just went to doing his usual cody cutters and disaster kicks which he shouldn't have been able to do so easily if his leg was hurt. The selling was just not good enough here for me to give this a thumbs up.

Jesse says he will see us in San Antonio at the next SNME and says Cody won by using the chair.

Overall thoughts: This was one of my favorite shows of the year and was so much fun. We had the retro set, we had Jesse and the great SNME theme music. The crowd was hot and they had a stacked card for this. I liked 3 of the 5 matches here. I didn't like the women's US Title match as there was a ton of shenanigans and the main had major issues selling wise. The men's 3-way was good though and the Liv/Iyo match was decent. Jesse was great to listen to though in the main and picked right back up where he left off in 1990. You gotta see this show and I'd give it a 9/10.