WWE Saturday Night's Main Event XLI 11/1/2025

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event XLI 11/1/2025

 

The last SNME is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/wwe-saturday-nights-main-event-xl.html

This ran against AEW Collision. 

Note - Unlike past SNME's, because this is on Peacock, there aren't commercials during matches. 

We are in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

We see various wrestlers arrive. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

WWE Title - Cody Rhodes (c) vs Drew McIntyre

Cody can lose the title via countout or DQ here. DM interrupts Lillian Garcia and says he's the real American dream. The ref then holds the belt up and DM touches it.

Cody misses a charge. DM back elbows him. Cody knees him in the gut then hits shots in the corner. DM double throat thrusts him. They chop each other. Cody gordbusters him. They stare down. Cody side headlocks him and is nearly pushed into the ref. DM tells the ref that he can DQ Cody if he touches him. 

DM rakes him in the face in the corner and taunts him about being DQ'd. DM hits shots and bites him. Cody does a drop down punch then boots DM in the corner. Cody shoves the ref and arguesd with him. DM then hits him from behind. Cody is sent into the post.

Cody is thrown over the rail. DM hits mounted shots and stomps him. DM overhead belly to belly suplexes him. DM back elbows him for 2. DM stomps him. Cody hits forearms. DM back body drops him for 2. They fight on the buckles. 

Cody top rope superplexes him. They trade shots. Cody goes up and over him then powerslams him. Cody hits a disaster kick. Cody then hits a cody cutter for 2. Cody hits punches and bionic elbows him. DM spinebusters him for 2. DM sitout powerbombs him for 2. 

Cody thinks about hitting Drew with his title then is hit with a claymore kick. DM tries to kick Cody's head into the commentary table but he is hit in the gut. DM shoulders Cody off the apron, sending him through the commentary table. Cody beats the count to get in.

Cody ducks a claymore kick. Cody tries to run up the buckles and nearly runs into the ref. Cody then holds his knee and is on the mat. Cody then tries it again and hits a cody cutter for 2. Cody goes for cross rhodes and is knee'd in the face. DM pushes Cody into the ref, knocking him down. Cody springboards and is headbutted.

Drew misses a shot with the title and they collide in mid-air with crossbodies. Cody ddt's him onto the title. Cody hits a cross rhodes and wins.

Thoughts: I was really surprised Cody won here but I have a feeling Drew getting ddt'd onto the title may play into things going forward. The match was an okay match but nothing too special. I don't feel like Cody was supposed to run into the ref but I do think the knee injury is a work. 

Nick Aldis asks Tiffany Stratton is she's ready. Tiff says she is. She says she's the champ, wants to defend tonight and is ready for this fight.

WWE Women's Title - Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Jade Cargill

Tiff htis forearms. Jade throws her off of her and Tiff sells her knee. Jade pump kicks her. Jade kicks her in the leg and chokeslams her. Jade flips her off a pumphandle for 2. Jade throws her.

Jade misses a corner spear. Tiff sells her knee going up on the ropes. Tiff is in tree of woe and Jade stomps her as she hangs. Jade pulls on tIff as she hangs. Jade drops her face first on the apron. Jade is tripped into the steps. 

Tiff drops her face first off the 2nd rope and swantons her for 2. Jade pulls her don by the hair and hits a sitout torture rack bomb for 2. Jade fallaway slams her three times. Jade sitout powerbombs her for 2. Jade then hits 2 powerbombs. Jade hits a jade end and wins.

Thoughts: As always, the match wasn't that good. Jade's a basic wrestler and has no great logic to her matches. She does the same thing mostly every time out. I don't like her winning the title and certainly am not looking forward to seeing any of her matches. Tiff's reign wasn't great as she was face for most of it and she is much better suited as a heel. 

WWE Intercontinental Title - Dominik Mysterio (c) vs Penta vs Rusev

Rusev and Penta both pound on Dom in the corner. Penta boots Dom in the corner. Penta and Rusev trade shots. Rusev dropkicks him. Rusev catches Dom's flying headscissors and powerbombs him down. Rusev gutwrench suplexes him.

Rusev fallaway slams Dom. Rusev is pushed into the post. Penta tope con hilos Rusev. Dom superkicks Penta then topes him. Dom and Penta chop each other in the corner. Penta enzugiri's him in the corner and headstand pendulum dropkicks him in the corner. Rusev lariats Penta on the floor. Penta is sent into the rails and steps. 

Dom's tope is caught by Rusev. Rusev drops him face first on the commentary table. Rusev euros Dom down and kisses the IC Title. Rusev chokes Dom on the 2nd rope. Rusev is tripped into the ropes. Rusev blocks a 619. Rusev camel clutches Dom and Penta breaks it up with a superkick.

Penta goes up and over with a backcracker on Rusev for 2. Penta hits superkicks on Rusev. Penta springboards and is hit. Rusev swinging uranage's him for 2. Penta is knocked off the buckles by Rusev. Dom gives Rusev a chair and pretends Rusev hit him. It's no DQ so it doesn't matter. Rusev chairs Dom.

Penta canadian destroyers Dom off of Rusev's back. Penta superkicks Rusev then 2nd rope ddt's him for 2. Rusev alabama slams Penta. Penta hits a made in Japan on Rusev for 2.  Penta comes off the top and is hit with Rusev's mashka kick. Rusev camel clutches Penta. Dom rings the bell and Rusev thinks he has won. Rusev releases the hold and is shocked. Rusev throws Dom over the rail and sends him into the post. Rusev hits Dom outside then Rusev is pushed into the steps.

Penta grabs the hammer in the ring. He swings it at Dom but nails  Rusev instead. Penta is sent shoulder first into the buckles. Dom frogsplashes Rusev and pins him to win.

Thoughts: I was glad to see Dom win here. He's super over and on a good run and you just don't mess with that. Dom did a House of Torture move here by ringing the bell when it shouldn't have been rung which cost Rusev the match. The match was fine but not much more. 

Jimmy Uso helps Jey Uso warm up in the back. 

John Cena does a video talking about who he wants to face in his last match. He says he wants whoever is willing to step up and seize the same opportunity he was given on his first night. He says there will be a 16 man tournament with wrestlers from Raw, SD, NXT and "maybe some faces who don't even work here". He says there will be a generation of talent he has never faced in his life. He says his final opponent won't be hand picked by hard earned. 

The announcers say the tournament begins on 11/10/25 on Raw.  

World Title - CM Punk vs Jey Uso

They lock up. Punk backs him up in the corner and shoves him. Jey then shoves him off the lock up. Jey rolls him up for 1. Punk shoulders him over then side headlocks him. Punk shoulders him over. Jey flying back elbows him. 

Jey side headlock takeovers him. Jey shoulders him over and slides out. Punk hits forearms, snapmares and elbow drops him. Punk does a bad neckbreaker then tries it again. Jey samoan drops him. Punk hits another neckbreaker for 2. 

Jey hits punches and gets a 2 count. Punk hits a GTS but Jey falls out. Punk throws water on Jey and sends him back in. Punk suplexes him for 2. Jey hits punches and corner hip attacks him. Jey superkicks him then spears him. Jey splashes him off the buckles for 2. 

Punk superplexes him. Punk hits punches on Jey. Jey punches back. They hockey fight. Punk hits shots and leg lariats him. Punk step up knees him then bulldogs him. Jey superkicks Punk out. Jey then topes him. Jey spears Punk through the timekeepers rail.

Punk gets his knees up on Jey's top rope splash and hits a GTS for 2. Jey hits a GTS on Punk. Punk then spears him for 2. Punk hits a GTS. Jey falls on him and does a grounded sleeper on Punk. 

Punk does an anaconda vice and Jey ropebreaks. Punk goes for it again and is crucifixed for 2. Jey superkicks him twice and runs into a knee. Punk its 2 GTS' and wins.

Thoughts: This wasn't good at all. It was slow. They did little but various punches and they messed up a neckbreaker. The two just had no chemistry at all together and it was almost embarrassing at times. These two couldn't have looked much more athletic if they tried.

Overall thoughts: It was a much better presentation than other recent SNME's as there were no commercials interrupting things. There were also no strict time limits around said breaks, so the matches got to play out in full. However, the wrestling wasn't that good here. Drew/Cody was average. Tiff/Jade wasn't good. The three way was maybe the best match of the night. The main was embarrassing at times and made both guys look bad. I'd give this a 5 out of 10 as the in-ring work brought this one down. I can't see myself ever watching this again.