SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT REPORT
NOVEMBER 1, 2025
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AT DELTA CENTER
STREAMED ON PEACOCK
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
NOTE: I’ll be covering this event on slight delay, so if you’re looking for up-to-the-minute results, check out the report from my longtime Wade Keller Podcast Flagship cohost, Jason Powell, over at www.ProWrestling.net HERE.
ANOTHER NOTE: I’ll be recording a Wade Keller Hotline podcast review of this event for PWTorch VIP members tonight with expanded analysis and thoughts. Sign up HERE and also catch up on my new VIP-exclusive Wade Keller News Bulletins (available several times per week in plain text, single page PDFs, and roughly 16 minute podcast formats!)
-They opened with a scene of Salt Lake City, Utah as Michael Cole introduced the show. They showed the arrival of wrestlers for each of the matches.
-A video previewed the show to the SNME theme. Then they cut to the arena where pyro blasted.
(1) CODY RHODES vs. DREW MCINTYRE – WWE Undisputed Title match
Cody Rhodes made his entrance first. Cole said Cody agreeing to waive the Champion’s Advantage could “bite him.” Wade Barrett said Drew is in his head and he has to keep his composure. Barrett talked about Drew’s belief that outside interference, blatant cheating, and terrible referee calls have cost him. He said there can be no excuses after this evening. Lilian Garcia handled formal ring introductions. She noted the lack of a Champion’s Advantage. Drew interrupted her and insisted she call him “The Real American Dream.” He smiled with smug pride knowing he was getting under Cody’s skin already. The bell rang 12 minutes into the hour.
Cody charged at the bell. Drew ducked. He got the better of Cody with some chops. Cody dropped Drew on his face in the ring. Drew rolled to the floor and then begged Cody to come after him. Cole noted Drew was looking for Cody to get counted out and thus lose his title. Barrett said Cody is more tense than usual and realizes he has backed himself into a corner. Cole said Cody might be overthinking everything he does out of his usual flow. Barrett said Drew has the champ rattled. Cody didn’t take the bait.
When Cody stomped away at Drew in the corner at 4:00, the ref counted and then pulled Cody away. Cody shoved the ref off of him, putting himself at risk of getting DQ’d. Cole said he believed it was inadvertent and the referee understands the emotions and that everyone is on edge, so he’ll let “a little thing like that get by.” Drew shoved Cody into the ringpost and then into the time keeper’s area near Garcia. Drew returned to the ring as the ref began counting Cody out. Cody returned at eight.
Drew mounted and pounded away at Cody’s head. Cole said Cody was a step off the entire match and said Drew has Cody off his game. Cody caught Drew on the top rope and set up for a superplex. Drew resisted, but Cody executed it off the top rope. Drew sold it and clutched his ribs. Cole called it a critical point in the match.
Cody landed a powerslam at 10:00. Then he connected with a Disaster Kick. He landed a Cody Cutter next and scored a two count. Cody did a tribute to his dad with a Bionic Elbow preceded by a Dusty crotch grab. It didn’t seem to get a pop. Drew countered Cody with a spinebuster seconds later into a jackknife cover for a two count. Drew landed a quick powerbomb for a two count.
Drew picked up the WWE Title belt and brought it into the ring. Cody snatched it away from Drew. Cole said Cody couldn’t use it. Cody tossed it to the ref. Drew caught Cody with a “flash” Claymore (without the usual wind-up and charging) for a near fall at 12:00. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” (Okay, calm down.) Drew took Cody to the floor, but Cody countered his attempt at a running kick against the announce desk. He threw Drew back into the ring. Drew knocked Cody off the ring apron through the table. Cole implored Cody to stand, cheering for him. (Cole’s advocacy for Cody was too much and came across as just blatantly unprofessional and distracting.) Cody beat the count at 9.
Drew set up a Claymore as fans chanted “Holy shit!” (Are they just pumping in stupid chants over the p.a. at this point or are the Utah fans just that “easy”?) Drew went for a running Claymore, but Cody moved. Cody blocked a Future Shock DDT and climbed the second rope in the corner, but had to dodge the ref who was in his path. Then he stopped and favored his knee which buckled. The ref checked on him and backed Drew away. Barrett said this is all fair game. Cole said the ref was just being a human being. They replayed what happened, but missed Cody making it back to his feet and hitting a running super cutter for a near fall. Barrett said he had huge questions about what just happened. Cody went back to clutching his knee in pain. Both were down and slow to get up. Fans chanted “Cody! Cody!” (That’s more like it.)
Drew upkicked Cody. Drew shoved Cody into the referee in the corner. The ref went down. Barrett said Drew didn’t see the ref. Drew gave Cody a Glasgow Kiss. Drew looked over and saw the referee was down. Drew then brought the WWE Title belt into the ring. He wound up and swung at Cody. Cody ducked. They collided mid-air with bodyblocks. Both were down and slow to get up. Drew crawled over toward the title belt. Cody DDT’d Drew onto the belt that was in Drew’s hands. Cody threw it out of the ring. The ref was still down. As the ref stood, Cody gave Drew a Crossroads for a three count.
Barrett said Cody should have been DQ’d. Cole said he doesn’t even think Cody knew the belt was there.
WINNER: Cody in 19:00 to retain the WWE Undiputed Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: A decent match, primarily centered around the special stip of the potential of a title changing hands on a DQ or countout. The sequence leading to Cody’s win gives Drew something to complain about, but it’s still another loss for Drew. The knee spot was curious as it didn’t seem to really play into anything.)
-They cut to C.M. Punk warming up backstage. Cole plugged his match against Jey Uso later.
-They went to Cole and Barrett at ringside who threw to a video package on the Tiffany-Jade feud.
-Aldis asked Tiffany if she was ready mentally and physically. She said, “Enough!” She said she knows he’s just doing his job, but she’s champion and she wants to defend her title and she is ready for the fight.
-Cole said he admired Tiffany’s determination, but she is about to enter the eye of a storm. [c]
-They showed the exterior of the arena and then The Street Profits doing some charity work. Then they showed Gabriel Luna from “Devil in Disguise” on Peacock and then Pauly Shore (whom Cole called, “My guy”; of course he is.) They showed Tony Hinchcliffe (yes, the guy who called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” (whom WWE subsequently hired to host their official roasts) and Post Malone (whom Cole said is the greatest entertainer alive today).
(2) TIFFANY STRATTON vs. JADE CARGILL – Women’s Title match
Jade’s entrance took place first. Stratton made her entrance next. Cole said this was her tenth title defense and she had only suffered one loss all year. Barrett said that loss was against Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia. The bell rang 44 minutes into the hour.
Jade went right after Stratton’s knee. She landed a chokeslam next. Stratton avoided a charge in the corner, but she wasn’t able to climb the rope in the corner. Jade hung Tiffany upside down in the corner and battered her. She lifted her onto her shoulders at ringside and dropped her over the ringside barricade. Cole said Jade appeared to confident and relaxed. Tiffany side-stepped a charging Jade and sent her into the ringside steps.
Back in the ring, Jade knocked Tiffany off balance on the top rope. Tiffany fought back and landed a top rope Swanton splash. Jade came back with a clothesline and then Eye of the Storm for a near fall. Jade landed a sitout powerbomb a minute later for a two count.
Jade delivered two more powerbombs. Cole said it’s the most intense and ferocious he’s seen Jade. Jade then landed Jaded for the clean win. As Jade celebrated, Cole said Jade said she wanted to become a household name. He said she now is. Barrett said, “Jade Cargill, welcome to the very top tier.”
WINNER: Jade Cargill in 6:00 to capture the Women’s Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was decisive and came quickly. They really only trust Jade and Tiffany to deliver six minutes? Even casual fans are savvy enough to see Jade is being protected or just doesn’t have matches at the level of other wrestlers at her level on the card. I know they played up Tiffany’s knee being hurt going into the match and let everyone know Aldis wasn’t sure she should have agreed to the match in her condition, but it still felt like a weak showing for her.)
-Cole and Barrett threw to the poker vignette with Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, C.M. Punk, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Brock Lesnar promoting WrestleMania 42. [c]
-A commercial aired for the Jan. 24, 2026 Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal.
(Keller’s Analysis: You can book backwards from there whatever big thing is planned next for Sami Zayn.)
-They showed a scene of the capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(3) DOMINIK MYSTERIO vs. PENTA vs. RUSEV – Intercontinental Title match
Penta made his entrance first. Barrett said Joe Tessitore tells him he does the Penta strut in front of the bathroom mirror and asked if Cole does. Cole said he doesn’t and asked if Tessitore wears his toupé when he does that. Rusev made his entrance next. Dom wore his title belts to the ring – AAA Mega and WWE Intercontinental. Cole said it’s his 195th day as IC Champion. He said Dom has more title match wins than anyone else in WWE. Cole said that shocked him. Barrett said that’s because he’s a lifelong Dom hater.
The bell rang 4 minutes into the second hour. Rusev and Penta went after Dom aggressively at the start. Penta then chopped Rusev. Rusev fired back with a dropkick for a two count. Rusev caught Dom mid-air and one-arm slammed him. He followed with a gut-wrench suplex and a vertical suplex.
At ringside, Dom slipped out of Rusev’s arms and shoved him into the ringpost. Penta then landed a running leap onto Rusev. Dom then leaped over the top rope onto Penta at ringside. Penta made a comeback in the ring. Back at ringside, Rusev yelled at a kid in the front row and then threw Penta into the ringside steps. Dom dove onto Rusev, but Rusev threw him into the announce desk. Rusev showed fire and then told the IC Title belt, “I’m coming for you!”
Back in the ring, Rusev kicked Dom. Dom came back with a 619 attempt, but Rusev caught his legs. He then stomped on Dom and applied his Accolade. Penta broke it up and then began kicking Rusev. Rusev knocked him out of mid-air and then delivered a uranage for a two count at 7:00. Rusev set up a superplex, but Penta headbutted out of it. Rusev knocked Penta down. Dom entered the ring and tossed a chair to Rusev. The ref saw it and informed Dom there are no DQd in a Triple Threat match and just shrugged. Rusev then bashed Dom in the back with the chair. Penta kicked a charging Rusev and then launched off a kneeling Rusev with a Mexican Destroyer onto Dom. Penta delivered a tornado DDT next for a two count.
Rusev blocked Penta’s Mexican Destroyer and turned it into an Alabama Slam. Rusev charged, but Penta ducked and landed a Penta Driver for a near fall. Both were down and slow to get up. Penta got up and climbed to the top rope. Rusev kicked him out of mid-air and then applied an Accolade. Dom rang the bell at ringside, so Rusev released Penta. The ref looked confused. Rusev insisted the ref raise his arm. The camera cut to Dom who was holding the time keeper’s bell hammer. Rusev yanked Dom over the barricade to ringside and then threw him into the ringpost.
Cole said he didn’t understand what Dom was trying to accomplish since it only seemed to make Rusev angry. Barrett explained that Dom caused Rusev to release the hold because he thought he won. Cole conceded it was a great point. Dom threw Rusev into the ringside steps. Dom crawled back into the ring and reached for the bell hammer. Penta stepped on his hand and then picked up the hammer. Barrett pointed out (the absurdity) that the use of the hammer was legal (simply because there are three people in the match instead of two). Penta swung and hit Rusev by mistake. Penta expressed remorse. Dom threw Penta into the ringpost and then landed a leaping top rope frog splash on Rusev for the win.
WINNER: Dom in 13:00 to retain the Intercontinental Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: A decent match, but nothing special. Each wrestler got to play into what they’re known for, but it had a “house show going through the motions” routine match feel.)
-They showed Jey Uso warming up backstage and getting encouragement from his twin Jimmy Uso.
-Cole said there had been so much speculation who would be John Cena’s final opponent at SNME next month. He said Cena would address that next. [c]
-A clip aired of John Cena in a sitdown interview where he said he made a promise to WWE that he wouldn’t stick around when his skills don’t match the product. He said that’s okay because he isn’t defined by his job. “Let these guys have it now,” he said. He said he rarely speaks in absolutes, but he knows “never again” because he doesn’t want to let the people made a promise to down. Cole said he can’t wait to see the full interview conducted by Tom Renaldi.
-Cena narrated a video where he said most people ask him who he wants to face in his last match. He said his answer has always been the same, which is he wants to face anyone who wants to step up and seize the same kind of opportunity he was given on his first day. He said a week from Monday on Raw, there will be a 16 man tournament with competitors chosen at random from Raw, Smackdown, NXT, “and maybe even some faces who don’t even work here.” He said there will be some stars with whom he has a storied history and others who would be first-time match-ups.
-They went to Barrett and Cole at ringside. Barrett said the locker room is full of wrestlers who are excited about this. Cole said the tournament will take place on Raw and Smackdown episodes starting in nine days. Cole plugged tickets for Cena’s last match in D.C. on Dec. 13. (Shouldn’t that be sold out by now?)
-A video package previewed the Jey vs. Punk main event up next.
(4) JEY USO vs. C.M. PUNK – World Heavyweight Title match (vacant)
Cole said Punk was dedicating the match to his one-time MMA coach, “Duke” Roufus, who died at age 55 two weeks ago. The bell rang 39 minutes into the hour. Punk gave Jey an intense stare in the corner. There was a dueling chant early. Jey rolled to ringside after blocking a Punk GTS at 4:00. They were pacing themselves for a longish match in the early minutes. Cole noted this is the first-ever one-on-one match between these two.
Punk set up a neckbreaker slowly, but just fell backwards. Punk stomped Jey and then hit the neckbreaker on the second attempt. That was weird. Barrett said Jey seemed a little sluggish early. Jey gave Punk a Samoan Drop and then went for a spear. Punk blocked it and landed a neckbreaker for a two count. Punk landed a GTS a couple minutes later, but Jey rolled to the floor afterward from the momentum. The ref began counting out Jey. Punk poured water on Jey and threw him back into the ring. (Would Punk become champion if he beat by Jey by countout there?)
Back in the ring, Punk suplexed Jey and scored a two count. Punk expressed frustration. Some fans chanted “C.M. Punk!” Jey fought back with some punches a minute later. Cole said Jey was “starting to feel it now.” Jey tossed Punk into the corner and landed a running hip attack. Jey charged again, but Punk lifted him for a GTS instead. Jey slipped out and landed a superkick and a spear. He then climbed to the top rope and landed an Uso splash for a near fall.
Jey climbed to the top rope again. Punk met him up there and superplexed him to the mat. They were both down and slow to get up. Some fans chanted “C.M. Punk!” Punk and Jey exchanged strikes mid-ring. Punk whipped Jey into the ropes. Jey hit the ropes at half-speed and then ran into a weak-looking clothesline by Punk. Punk hit a back elbow and a leaping kick next. Punk hit Jey with a running knee and then landed a bulldog. He signaled for a GTS to very little crowd response. (The crowd came across as listless the whole night.)
Jey kicked Punk to the floor and then dove onto him at ringside. Both were down and slow to get up. Cole asked Barrett if he expected the match to be this physical. Barrett said he did. Jey broke the count and then returned to ringside. Jey and Punk each rolled into the ring to break the count. Punk rolled back to ringside to catch his breath. Jey went after him with a spear into the barricade in the time keeper’s area. Cole said he was giving the ref credit for letting a lot go because it’s for the vacant title.
Jey went for a top rope splash back in the ring, but Punk lifted his knees. Punk then gave Jey a GTS for a near fall at 17:00. Jey landed a GTS on Punk a minute later. Jey went for a spear, but Punk blocked it and scored a near fall. Punk gave Jey another GTS. Jey bounced against the ropes and Punk lifted him for another. Punk fell backwards out of exhaustion. Jey quickly applied a sleeper. Cole said that’s how Jey beat Gunther at WrestleMania. Punk rolled out of it into an Anaconda Vice mid-ring. Jey reached for the bottom rope and grabbed it to force a break.
Punk dragged Jey back to mid-ring. Jey leveraged Punk’s shoulders down for a two count. He followed with a couple superkicks. When he charged, Punk kneed him. Punk gave Jey another GTS. He went for a second one and this time did not collapse. He connected with second one for a three count.
WINNER: Punk in 20:00 to capture the vacant World Heavyweight Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: All in all, it hit a nice crescendo in terms of the struggle to finish the match with counters and big spots. That said, nothing in the match looked great. Just about everything felt like two older wrestlers without in-the-prime crispness and strength to make the moves look good. Cole did a lot to raise the emotions in the closing minutes; the crowd did not. Well, the crowd got a bit more into it in the closing minutes, but they came across largely listless throughout.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: By stripping away all of the special stuff the did in the earlier SNMEs with a second host in Joe Tessitore and guest commentator in Jesse Ventura, it just felt like they phoned in a four match card without anything to set it apart. It felt stripped down and half-hearted. It’s not a huge deal because you mostly want the focus to be on the matches and the stakes in the matches, and this did that well with the video packages, but it just felt like they couldn’t be bothered to do anything else rather than a strategic choice. It felt like walking into the last half of a solid house show event.
ANOTHER NOTE: I’ll be recording a Wade Keller Hotline podcast review of this event for PWTorch VIP members tonight with expanded analysis and thoughts. Sign up HERE and also catch up on my new VIP-exclusive Wade Keller News Bulletins (available several times per week in plain text, single page PDFs, and roughly 16 minute podcast formats!)
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