SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
JULY 18, 2026
NEW YORK CITY, NY AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
LIVE ON PEACOCK, 8 P.M. EASTERN TIME
BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
Correspondents: Cathy Kelley, Jackie Redmond
[HOUR ONE]
-A great video package was shown highlighting the sports history of “the most famous arena in the world”, Madison Square Garden.
-A panoramic view of New York City was shown, with the World Trade Center featured prominently, followed by an outdoor view of Madison Square Garden.
-Jalen Brunson was shown walking in the building, followed by The Judgement Day, Danhausen, Bayley, a disheveled Lyra Valkyria, Brie Bella & Paige, Fatal Influence, Gunther, Sami Zayn, C.M. Punk, and Cody Rhodes.
-Joe Tessitore and WWE Hall of Famer Stephanie McMahon were at the classic SNME podium to introduce the show, then they went to ringside with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett. As they spoke, Fatal Influence’s music began playing as the crowd reacted.
(1) BRIE BELLA & PAIGE (c) vs. FATAL INFLUENCE (Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) (w/Jacy Jayne) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Henley rushed Paige at the bell, but she sidestepped her, and Henley went flying out of the ring. Reid tried to attack her, but Paige turned it around. Bella tagged in, as did Henley. Bella got rocked with a hard right fist by Henley, who celebrated a little too much and got caught. Reid made a blind tag, and Fatal Influence delivered an assisted hotshot to turn the match in their favor.
Fatal Influence slowed the pace and began methodically dismantling Paige. They kept her in their corner for a while, but Paige found an opening and made the hot tag. Bella hit her “yes” kicks on Henley, then a running knee to Henley and Reid. Bella locked in the “yes” lock, but Henley quickly escaped. Paige tagged in and fought on the apron with Henley. Jayne jumped up to the ring apron, but Paige knocked her to the floor. After a little floor action, they returned to the ring to trade a couple of near falls.
Paige kicked Reid in the face, which prompted Jayne to hop up on the apron again. As referee Jessika Carr tried to get her down, Henley ran in and clotheslined Paige. Reid went shoulder-first into the ring post. Henley grabbed her partner from the outside to prevent a German suplex from Paige, but Belle tackled Henley on the floor. Paige rolled up Reid, but Jayne jumped to the apron and yanked Paige’s hair to reverse it. Even though this was done right in front of the referee, she made the three-count.
WINNERS: Fatal Influence at 8:32 to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
(Miller’s Take: I’ve been following Fatal Influence since their formation in NXT, and I knew a long time ago that these ladies would rise to the top on the main roster. To borrow from Jacy, I do think the nostalgia tour is over. Really, Bella & Paige have remained in the background despite being the champs. Fatal Influence has it all: cool entrance music, attitude, and they seem to be a female version of The Fabulous Freebirds. Carr missing Jayne jumping up right in front of her didn’t look good, but the rest of the match was very good. It just felt like Fatal Influence’s night.)
-Henley was bleeding badly from the mouth after the right side of her mouth, but she joined her partners in celebrating their title victory.
-Cathy Kelley was in the back with Sami Zayn, who looked unhappy. He said he wanted to choose his words carefully and not sound like a victim, but basically he’s a victim. He complained about everything and then was confronted by Gunther, who warned him not to do anything to ruin SummerSlam for him.
-Pseudo-celebrities Terence Crawford, N3ON, and O’Shea Jackson were shown in the crowd, as was United States Champion Trick Williams, who Cole said successfully defended his title in the countdown show against Laredo Kid.
-A highly entertaining video package on the feud between Danhausen and The Judgement Day was shown.
-Jackie Redmond caught up with The Judgement Day before McDonagh’s match. He expressed his confidence in putting an end to Danhausen.
(2) J.D. MCDONAGH (w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. DANHAUSEN – No Disqualification Match
WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan appeared onstage with her men but stayed back for this match. Danhausen wore blue and orange tights in honor of the uncursed New York Knicks. J.D. bailed out at the bell to confer with Dom. Mysterio distracted Danhausen long enough for J.D. to nail him from behind. He beat on Danhausen in the ring and on the floor. Danhausen attempted to fight back, but Dominik and J.D. took turns dribbling his head off the announce desk. Back in the ring, J.D. continued to dominate. Mysterio was wiping his shoes with Danhausen’s jersey, which set Michael Cole off.
J.D. did pushups while Danhausen was sprawled on the mat. The very good, very evil one made a short-lived comeback, but J.D. continued his assault. Dom handed the jersey to J.D., who laid it across Danhausen’s chest before missing a moonsault. Danhausen put on the jersey and hulked up. After no-selling a couple of right hands, Danhausen rallied and took Mysterio out of the equation. The two competitors traded rollups and near falls as Barrett expressed shock at the wrestling ability of Danhausen. Mysterio got in the ring and held Danhausen as J.D. rammed his giant head into him with a headbutt.
Danhausen rolled out of the ring and started walking up the aisle. The Judgement Day pulled a table out from under the ring, but a Minihausen was lying on it. Another couple of Minihausens emerged from the ring and comically thumped Judgement Day. J.D. and Dom eventually got the better of the little people and set up a table inside the ring. Danhausen stumbled to the top of the ramp where his cloning machine was. He took a stuffed cat and threw it into the machine. It smoked and sputtered before sparks flew, the door fell open, and smoke poured out. The crowd roared as NBA Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns emerged from the smoke and walked down the ramp. Cole screamed that it was Cathausen. Danhausen stood in front of Towns and cursed The Judgement Day, then gave the signal for Towns to smash. The KAT chokeslammed J.D. to the mat, then chokeslammed Dom through the table. Towns cursed J.D., then Danausen grabbed him and delivered a triple D for the win.
WINNER: Danhausen at 14:13.
(Miller’s Take: This was everything it should have been. I’m okay with a little comedy here and there, and Danhausen’s schtick is much more suited to WWE than it was to AEW, and The Judgement Day was perfect foil for him. Huge crowd reaction for KAT.)
-After the match, Danhausen, the Minihausens, and KAT posed and celebrated in the ring.
-Jackie Redmond approached Lyra Valkyria in the back. Lyra’s hair was all over the place, and she had circles under her eyes. Valkyria said the last time they were in this building, they fought for the tag team championship. She lamented the fact that Bayley wasn’t who she needed her to be, then rushed off. [c]
-Another outdoor shot, this one centered on the Empire State Building, was shown. A video of some Fanatics Fest highlights was also shown.
-Other dignitaries were shown in the crowd, including Michael Rubin, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Jeff Ross, and Cooper DeJean.
-Jackie Redmond caught up with Bayley in the back. She said she would end Lyra before she ever got started.
(3) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. BAYLEY
A darker, heavier version of Lyra’s music played as she shuffled down the ramp in new ring gear to match her darker persona. She sulked in the corner as Bayley made her entrance. They locked up with a purpose when the bell rang. Bayley slapped Lyra, who became enraged. They scuffled until Lyra rolled out of the ring. Bayley rolled out and thumped her, then suplexed her on the floor. Blood was splattered on the mat as the referee checked on Lyra, who was holding her nose. They showed a slow-motion video of how it happened, and it looked like Bayley connected with an errant elbow to her nose while she nailed her with a forearm. The referee kept Bayley back for a few moments before Lyra lunged at Bayley.
Valkyria gamely continued the match for a bit before the referee again backed Bayley off to check on the condition of Lyra. Blood continued to pour from Lyra’s nose as Bayley locked in a Boston Crab. She turned it over and kicked Bayley off, then executed that nasty-looking neckbreaker off the turnbuckle.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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[HOUR TWO]
Lyra landed a great legdrop to the back of Bayley’s neck as she was draped over the second rope.
Valkyria pulled up Bayley, then traded blows mid-ring with her. Bayley did her running sunset flip bomb into the corner and went for the Rose Plant, but Lyra slipped out. Bayley applied a crossface across Lyra’s nose, which looked painful. Valkyria escaped again, and they had a face-off in the ring. Bayley attempted a Bayley-to-belly, but Lyra reversed it into a backbreaker, then cinched in a tight chokehold. Bayley started foaming at the mouth a bit before the referee called for the bell.
WINNER: Lyra Valkyria by submission at 11:25.
(Miller’s Take: They had to do something to freshen up Lyra, and I think this is a good route to go. Kudos to her for continuing the match after possibly suffering a broken nose when Bayley accidentally elbowed her while delivering a forearm. The choke submission at the end of the match looked really good. They can milk a lot more out of this feud.)
-After the match, Lyra kicked Bayley to the floor like she was a piece of garbage. She jumped down to the floor, posted Bayley, then took the ring steps apart. She lifted Bayley and hit Nightwing onto the steps. The crowd booed as a bloody Valkyria made her way to the back. [c]
-A video package of the happenings leading up to tonight’s main event was shown, including Gunther’s brutal beatdown of SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. [c]
-More athletes were shown in the crowd, including Johnny Fisher and Efe Ajagba, a couple of boxers I’ve never heard of.
-At the gorilla position, Cathy Kelley interviewed Cody Rhodes & C.M. Punk. Rhodes cut a Road Warrior-style promo. They reaffirmed their friendship, then Cody asked who was going out first. Punk said normally the champ goes out last as Cody’s music hit.
(4) CODY RHODES & C.M. PUNK vs. GUNTHER & SAMI ZAYN
Rhodes assumed Punk’s signature cross-legged sitting position in the middle of the ring as Punk, who seemed highly amused with his partner, came to the ring. Zayn slapped hands with fans on his way to the ring. Certainly, a far cry from my days at the Evansville Coliseum, where fans would sometimes try to attack the heels on their way to the ring.
As soon as Zayn stepped up to the ring apron, Punk attacked him. Rhodes went after Gunther. Referee Charles Robinson called for the bell as the four men brawled in the ring. The referee finally got Gunther and Rhodes out of the ring and down to a one-on-one. Punk and Rhodes took turns beating on Zayn, but Gunther tagged in and began caving in Punk’s chest with big chops. Outside the ring, he dumped Punk over the barrier with a backbreaker. Rhodes went over to his partner and threw him back in the ring.
Zayn thumped on Punk for a bit before a double hot tag was made. Rhodes landed a crisp snap powerslam, followed by a disaster kick, flip, flop, and fly, and a bionic elbow. He connected with a Cody Cutter on Gunther for a near fall. Gunther snapmared his way out of a CrossRhodes and made the tag to Zayn, who landed a Blue Thunder bomb on Rhodes for a near fall. He missed a Helluva kick, which allowed Rhodes to make another hot tag to Punk, who went to town on Zayn. Punk, who had blood trickling from the bridge of his nose, slipped in an anaconda vice while Rhodes locked in a figure four on Gunther. They escaped and then went into a series of finishers that ended with all four men sprawled on the mat as the fans chanted “this is awesome”.
Punk and Zayn dragged themselves to their corners. Gunther took the tag, threw Punk into Rhodes, who was standing on the apron, then locked in a sleeper. Punk managed to make the tag, and Rhodes came in and delivered a CrossRhodes to Gunther, but Zayn broke up the pin, which also took out the referee. Punk hit a GTS on Zayn, who rolled out of the ring. Punk held Gunther for a Cody Cutter, but he slipped out, and Rhodes collided with his partner hard. Gunther took out Rhodes with a big boot, then grabbed the title belt from ringside and blasted Rhodes with it.
After a powerbomb, another referee ran into the ring to count a pin, but SmackDown GM Nick Aldis pulled the referee out of the ring. As Gunther leaned over the ropes to confront Aldis, the GM clobbered him with the title belt. Punk hit a GTS on Gunther, then dragged Rhodes on top of him. Aldis threw Robinson back into the ring just in time to make the three count.
WINNERS: Cody Rhodes & C.M. Punk at 14:54.
(Miller’s Take: This was a great main event. They teased some possible tension between Rhodes and Punk, as they made inadvertent physical contact a couple of times. It was especially satisfying seeing Nick Aldis get revenge on Gunther for choking him out last week. It’ll be interesting to see where things go from here, but I’m hoping for Gunther vs. Aldis at SummerSlam.)
-After the match, Barrett had an aneurysm over the involvement of Aldis, who smirked as he look back and admired his handiwork. Rhodes and Punk celebrated their victory before leaving the ring.
-They cut back to Tessitore and McMahon at the SNME podium, who discussed what they just saw and ran down the card for SummerSlam as it stands for now. [c]
-James Harrison, Cade Cunningham, Dion Dawkins, and Oba Femi were shown in the crowd.
-A video package narrated by Eli Manning recapped New York sports highlights, including the recent championship won by the Knicks.
-A glowing blimp touting the Knicks floated above the ring as Jalen Brunson was introduced. He was shown walking from the dressing room to the ring as highlights of Brunson’s court prowess were shown. Roman Reigns hooked up with him at the gorilla position as his music played. The World Heavyweight Champion escorted Brunson to the ring. They posed and pointed mid-ring as pyro blasted. Reigns said this is where greatness acknowledges greatness, and this city is the home of WWE. He told the crowd that every time he comes here, they make him feel at home. He said 53 years was way too long. He gave Brunson a spirited introduction, saying there was only one captain and one king. He presented Brunson with a gorgeous Knicks-themed World title belt, then called for New York City and Madison Square Garden to acknowledge them as they held their respective belts high overhead.
Seth Rollins’s music hit as Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton walked down the aisle with a chair in his hand. Rollins used the distraction to slide into the ring and attack Reigns. Haliburton handed the chair to Rollins, who warned Brunson to stay in the corner and stay out of it. He kicked Reigns in the head, then laid a chair under his head. As he prepared for the stomp, Brunson stood defiantly in his way. Reigns recovered to hit a Superman punch, followed by a spear. Rollins rolled out of the ring and retreated to the back with Haliburton. The Larry O’Brien trophy was placed in the ring as Reigns placed Brunson’s belt around his waist and gave him his title belt. Reigns held the trophy over his head as Brunson held the World Championship belt over his. Pyro exploded as they celebrated.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Very enjoyable show. A physical one, too, with Fallon Henley, Lyra Valkyria, and C.M. Punk wearing the red badge of courage during their matches. Lyra’s injury was obviously the most serious, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she suffered a broken nose. Fatal Influence completed their rise to the top by winning the Women’s Tag Team titles. I don’t think it will be much longer before Jacy Jayne is wearing gold. The Danhausen match was ridiculous and fun. Nick Aldis got his revenge, which we were all waiting for. The final segment was a crowd-pleaser, and I’m glad they left the physicality to the wrestlers. Two thumbs up from me on this one.
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