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WWE SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
MAY 23, 2026
FORT WAYNE, IN AT THE ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL COLISEUM
AIRED LIVE ON PEACOCK
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lillian Garcia
Correspondent: Cathy Kelley
[HOUR ONE]
-An outside shot of the War Memorial Coliseum was shown with fans lined up waiting to get in, followed by a highlight package of Saturday Night’s Main Events gone by, along with current feuds leading up to tonight’s special.
-Pyro blasted as Michael Cole introduced the show.
(1) RHEA RIPLEY & CHARLOTTE FLAIR & ALEXA BLISS vs. JADE CARGILL & MICHIN & B-FAB – 6-Woman Tag Team Match
The fans exploded when Ripley’s music hit. Flair and Bliss got pretty warm welcomes, themselves. Ripley joined them in a cutesy little pose in the ring. Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab came to the ring dressed in honor of the late, great Michael Jackson, who was born in Fort Wayne.
Referee Daphanie LaShaunn called for the bell as Ripley wanted to start with Cargill, but Jade faked her out and tagged in B-Fab. Ripley flattened her with a clothesline after a brief back-and-forth exchange, then tagged in Bliss, who Cole pointed out was making her first SNME appearance. Michin tagged in and was quickly overcome by Bliss, who scored an early two-count. The Queen came in next and promptly kicked Michin in the side of the head, then executed her rolling takedown. She followed that up with a handstand clothesline.
Cargill tagged in to face off against Flair, but turned and took a cheap shot at Ripley. Michin took the advantage of Flair being distracted to attack her from behind, then mocked her. The Michael Jackson Tribute Trio began to dominate Flair, keeping her in their corner as they worked her over. While Flair was down, Cargill got in her face and did some pushups to add insult to injury. Michin grounded Flair with a front facelock, but Flair fought out of it and blasted Cargill and B-Fab in the corner. Michin caught her as she climbed the turnbuckle and delivered a Frankensteiner off the ropes. Flair desperately reached for the tag, but B-Fab tagged in and stopped her.
Ripley was itching to get the tag on the apron, and Flair finally got to her. The former champ came in and cleaned house of the heels, much to the delight of the Fort Wayne crowd. Ripley climbed to the top and nailed a big missile dropkick on Michin for a two-count. A “this is awesome” chant rang out as Ripley blasted Cargill, then headbutted Michin, who climbed her shoulders and hit a sloppy, nasty-looking poisonrana.
Bliss took the hot tag and got a near fall on Michin, who promptly tagged out to B-Fab. Bliss failed to deliver a Sister Abigail and nearly got pinned by B-Fab. Bliss turned a double suplex into a double DDT and made another hot tag to Flair, who hit a double cross body on Michin and B-Fab. She went for a figure-four on Michin, who kicked her off toward Ripley. Flair stopped short of colliding with Ripley, then moved as Michin ran in and knocked Ripley off the apron. The fans popped big as Michin pulled off a Styles Clash on Flair, earning her a near fall.
Cargill entered the ring to get the taste slapped out of her mouth by Bliss. Flair made the tag to Ripley, who came in to finally face Cargill. The two women began slugging it out, with Ripley gaining the advantage after a headbutt. The champ hit a Riptide for a two-count, which was broken up by Michin, who kicked Flair in the face before eating a right cross from Bliss. B-Fab nailed Bliss with a pump kick, then poised herself to take out Ripley, but was thwarted by Flair’s boot to the side of her head. This left only Flair and Ripley standing. Flair offered a handshake, which Ripley started to accept, then turned and saved Flair from an attack by Michin.
Flair and Ripley smiled at each other, gave stereo chops to Michin and B-Fab, then executed stereo fall-away slams on them. Flair and Ripley did a double crotch chop and then shook hands. Bliss hopped up into both of their arms as the trio smiled widely. The lovefest was interrupted when Cargill knocked Ripley into Flair and Bliss, then hit Jaded on Ripley for the pin.
WINNERS: Jade Cargill & Michin & B-Fab at 18:05.
(Miller’s Take: Wow! This was a phenomenal opening match! All six women really pulled their weight here. I expected the friction between Flair and Ripley to be a factor in this match because that’s usually WWE protocol, but instead, we got a feel-good moment with Ripley and Flair coming together and looking sincerely pleased with each other until Ripley rained on their parade. The action was fast and furious, with the only thing looking out of place being the sloppy poisonrana from Michin onto Ripley. I never thought I’d speak so glowingly of a match involving Michin and B-Fab, but here I am.)
-Other participants in tonight’s event were shown walking into the arena.
-Cathy Kelley was in the men’s locker room to get a few words from Intercontinental Championship challenger, “All Ego” Ethan Page. He appeared nonchalant about the upcoming match. He said the entire reason for Penta being champion was to hand it over to him tonight.
-A video package on one of Raw’s newest acquisitions, Sol Ruca, was shown. They recapped her recent interaction with Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch.
-Cathy Kelley asked Sol Ruca if she was ready for Becky Lynch. Ruca wondered aloud if Lynch was ready and said the next generation was here.
(2) SOL RUCA vs. BECKY LYNCH
Ruca made her ring entrance to her new music. Lynch was shown emerging from her locker room, putting herself over as she made her ring entrance. Interestingly, Michael Cole pointed out that Jessika Carr, whom Lynch has had issues with, was the referee assigned to this match. Lynch pitched her title belt to Ruca, then decked her with a cheap shot. She mounted Ruca and rained down punches on her as the referee admonished her. Ruca put Lynch down on her backside as she was arguing with the referee, who promptly called for the bell as Lynch protested. Ruca worked over Lynch before nailing her with a springboard cross body. She followed that up with a series of incredibly innovative offensive maneuvers that befuddled the champ. Ruca countered a Manhandle slam with a deep armdrag. She attempted a Sol Snatcher, but Lynch pulled the referee in the way, and Ruca landed awkwardly onto Carr, who called for the bell.
WINNER: Sol Ruca by disqualification at 2:36.
(Miller’s Take: That wasn’t what I expected at all. I’m not going to say I’m disappointed yet, because I’m curious to see where they’re going with this. If given the opportunity, Ruca vs. Lynch could be a barn burner. Ruca crammed in several minutes’ worth of dazzling, acrobatic moves before the match was cut short. Either one of them was working injured, or there are going to be some shenanigans after the match.)
-Lynch looked shocked when Ruca was announced as the winner via DQ. Ruca went over to check on Carr before Lynch ran in and clocked her on the back of the head with the title belt. She gave Ruca two Manhandle slams before a couple of referees ran down to try to intervene. Referee Dan Engler hopped up on the ring apron but jumped back down when Lynch took a swing at him with the belt. She continued to pummel Ruca and gave her a third Manhandle slam before finally walking to the back.
-A video package was shown of Intercontinental Champion Penta cutting a promo on Ethan Page while surrounded by fire. That was pretty cool.
-Clips were shown of the various incarnations of the Intercontinental Championship belt, along with the iconic wrestlers who have held it over the years. I’d love to see more video packages like this that acknowledge the history of championships. [c]
-Back from the commercial break, Michael Cole put over Fort Wayne before they recapped Becky Lynch beating the bejesus out of Sol Ruca. In the back, Lynch walked up to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and complained about being disqualified when Ruca was the one who took out the referee. Aldis said he saw it, and so did Raw GM Adam Pearce. He informed her that Pearce asked him to tell her that as a result of tonight, she’ll be defending her IC title against Sol Ruca next week at Clash in Italy. Lynch lost her mind.
-Cathy Kelley was in the back with The Irresistible Forces, who were preparing for their upcoming title match. Lash Legend said they would end the nostalgia tour and make history by making Bella and Page history.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(3) PENTA (c) vs. ETHAN PAGE – Intercontinental Championship Match
Page made his ring entrance, looking cool, calm, and cocky, before the champion made his fiery, dazzling ring entrance. Lillian Garcia handled the official ring introductions with the classic drop-down mic, which was emblazoned with a neon SNME logo.
Penta slipped behind Page and applied a waistlock, which Page reversed. Penta surprised Page with a kick, but the challenger came back with a hard right hand that put the champ down. Penta then used his speed and agility to get the better of his challenger, but Page caught him with a kick to the back as he attempted a springboard maneuver. Penta came back to hit a beautiful springboard armdrag. Page rolled out of the ring, which prompted Penta to attempt a baseball slide. Page moved out of the way, then backdropped Penta into the announce desk. He continued thumping on the champion on the floor before rolling him back into the ring. Page began methodically dismantling Penta before settling into a rear chinlock. Penta made his way to his feet and tried to fight back, but Page quickly snuffed him out and reapplied the rear chinlock.
[HOUR TWO]
Penta slowly turned the tide of the match, ending with his handstand gut stomp. Page rolled out of the ring and was soon followed by Penta via a top rope cannonball. Back in the ring, Penta joined Page on the top turnbuckle and took him down with a hurricanrana, followed by a tornado DDT for a near fall.
Page avoided a Penta Driver and got a two-count as the combatants began showing signs of fatigue. Penta landed a backstabber for another near fall. They traded chops and forearms mid-ring, then traded superkicks and put each other down on the mat. Both slowly rose to their feet before Page hit a Confidence Breaker for a very near fall. Page incredibly kicked out of a Penta Driver, which shocked the crowd. The champ went for a Mexican Destroyer, but got caught by Page, who took the fight back to the top turnbuckle and delivered a huge avalanche slam for another very near fall.
A frustrated Page began pummeling Penta, then went over to the corner and took off a turnbuckle pad. As referee Eddie Orengo went to replace the pad, Page went to another corner and removed the turnbuckle pad. Penta charged into the bare turnbuckle, and Page rolled him up for a two-count. Penta recovered to hit a somewhat sloppy springboard Mexican Destroyer for the pin.
WINNER: Penta at 15:20 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This exceeded my expectations, which were already high. This is the best I’ve seen Penta in quite a while, and was, without a doubt, the best title defense I’ve seen from him. Page played his part very well. I truly expected Page to win, but his performance was so solid that I don’t think it will slow his momentum much at all.)
-Cathy Kelley was in the women’s locker room with Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella & Paige. They said even though they’re going into the match as underdogs, they have each other’s backs. [c]
-A video package aired of The Street Profits cutting a promo about their upcoming title challenge.
(4) BRIE BELLA & PAIGE (c) vs. THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCES (Nia Jax & Lash Legend) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Once again, Lillian Garcia handled the formal ring introductions. Nia Jax rushed the champs as referee Dan Engler called for the bell, but they eluded her and hit a sloppy double dropkick on Legend. The match settled into Jax vs. Bella, who was quickly overwhelmed by her much larger opponent. She soon tagged Paige, who proceeded to get pounded by the equally large and powerful Legend. The Forces kept beating on Paige in their corner. Jax backed Paige into the ropes and chopped her hard before wearing down her opponent on the mat. Legend grounded Paige with a full nelson, then made her eat the mat. The referee admonished her for choking Paige on the top rope.
Jax tagged in and continued to enjoy mauling Paige. Legend tagged in and kept her from tagging in at first, but then an exchange led to her making the hot tag to Bella, who landed a series of weak-looking kicks to Jax. Again, the size and strength of the challengers proved insurmountable. Jax hit her assisted leg drop finisher on Bella, but Paige broke up the pin. Bella tagged Paige, who dove off the top turnbuckle onto Jax, but got caught. Paige slipped over her back and into a sunset flip, then folded Jax up for the pin, with Bella placing her foot on Paige’s backside to brace her. The referee didn’t notice Bella’s illegal assistance and counted to three.
WINNERS: Brie Bella & Paige at 8:58 to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
(Miller’s Take: I had low expectations for this match going in, and I got what I expected. Bella and Paige are mediocre wrestlers at best, but WWE isn’t quite ready to take the belts off them so early after Paige’s return. Jax and Legend should have made minced meat out of them, but I’m glad Bella assisted with the pin, because the diminutive Paige holding down Jax for a pin would defy all logic.)
-A great video package on WWE tag team history was shown that included The Rockers, The Hart Foundation, The Steiner Brothers, The Wild Samoans, DX, The British Bulldogs, Money Inc., The U.S. Express, and many others.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed The Vision, who hyped their upcoming tag team title defense. [c]
(5) THE VISION (Logan Paul & Austin Theory) (c) (w/Paul Heyman) vs. THE STREET PROFITS (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) – World Tag Team Title Match
Once again, the elegantly dressed Lillian Garcia handled the official ring introductions. Michael Cole mentioned that there has only been one tag team title change in SNME history, that being in 1989 when The Brainbusters defeated Demolition.
Ford and Theory started the match after plenty of stalling and working the crowd. Nearly a minute and a half after the bell, Ford sneaked in a rollup on Theory while he was distracted by the crowd chants for barely a one-count. They traded headlocks before Theory put Ford down. Paul tagged in to try his hand and offered a test of strength, but kicked Ford in the gut before they could lock fingers. Paul put Ford down and posed, but Ford kipped up and came to life with a couple of dropkicks.
Dawkins took the tag, and the Profits proceeded to clean house. The Vision decided they’d had enough and tried to take a walk, but Ford and Dawkins ran down the aisle to escort them back to the ring. Dawkins hit his spinning splash on Paul, followed by a kick for a two-count. Paul clocked Dawkins while his attention was on Theory, then knelt over him and pummeled him with right fists. It was The Vision’s turn to show off their teamwork on Dawkins. They cut the ring in half and continued to beat down Dawkins, pausing only to pose.
Paul settled into a rear chinlock, but Dawkins elbowed his way out of it. He reached for the tag, but Paul delivered a short-arm clothesline to put him back down. Dawkins continued to take a beating while fans chanted “fire Logan” while holding generic signs that looked like they came fresh off a 20-year-old Xerox machine that read “fire Logan Paul”. Ford took the hot tag and flew about 30 feet into the air off the top turnbuckle with a standing elbow. He got a two-count on Theory after a powerslam and a standing moonsault. Paul flipped over the top rope to deliver a stiff lariat to Ford. Dawkins took the tag, and the Profits hit a sloppy double team move, then a much better looking doomsday blockbuster on Theory for a very near fall until Paul broke the pin.
Ford bolted across the ring and sailed over the ring post with a spectacular cannonball to the floor that wiped out both Paul and Theory. Bron Breakker bolted down that aisle at 50 mph and attempted to spear Ford, but Montez leaped over him, and Dawkins pounced Breakker high over the announce desk. That was a very cool spot. They threw Theory back into the ring, where they nailed The Anointment on Theory, but Heyman put Theory’s foot over the bottom rope to break the count. Ford slipped out of the ring to stalk Heyman, but got nailed with brass knuckles by Paul while the referee was busy with Dawkins. Angelo saw what happened with Paul and leaped over the top rope with a cannonball that took him out. Meanwhile, Theory weakly draped his arm over Ford to score the three-count.
WINNERS: The Vision at 17:17 to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This was a damn good main event. The match had some edge-of-your-seat near falls, a thwarted Breakker spear, Heyman being slimy, and an energized Street Profits, who have proven again that they are capable of stealing the show. The Vision were at their heelish best here. They definitely need to run this one back.)
-After the match, The Vision slowly made their way up the aisle as the credits appeared on the screen. At the last minute, Breakker shot down the aisle, slid into the ring, and speared Dawkins out of his skin, then speared Ford’s soul out of his body. The Vision re-entered the ring and posed as the show ended.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The Fort Wayne crowd was hot tonight and very much into everything they were shown. The show was bookended by two outstanding tag team matches, with the only filler being the dud of a match between Ruca and Lynch, and Paige and Bella’s unimpressive victory over Jax and Legend. There were a few mistimed and sloppy-looking spots, but nothing that detracted from the matches. I am surprised there were zero title changes, but I suppose they are saving those for the PLEs. I wish they would go back to the old-school look of SNME that they dusted off with its recent resurrection to make it seem like something different than a mini-PLE, but that’s a minor complaint. This was a very good warmup for Clash in Italy next weekend.
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