Tonight (May 23), WWE brings one of their Saturday Night’s Main Event specials our way from Fort Wayne, Indiana. As it always does now, SNME that will stream exclusively on Peacock for those of us in the United States. For most of the rest of the world, its free on YouTube.
Three of the matches coming our way from Allen County War Memorial Coliseum are for championships, and the other two have big implications for both Raw and SmackDown’s women’s divisions.
It’s a big show, so we’ve assembled our motley
crew of pro wrestling blowhards to give thoughts & predictions on everything booked for the latest Saturday Night’s Main Event!
Let’s get to it.
Men’s Intercontinental championship: Penta (c) vs. Ethan Page
Geno Mrosko: Ethan Page continues to surprise as a solid hand and he’s got good prospects for the main roster but Penta is a cut above. Pick: Penta
Sean Rueter: Long-time fan of All Ego, but he doesn’t need to win a belt this early after being called up to be an important player at this level. Certainly not at the expense of a very popular star who’s slowly but surely gained some mainstream recognition, is one of the best ways WWE has to market its lucha libre brand to the world, and the only fully babyface men’s singles champ on Raw or SmackDown right now. Pick: Penta
Claire Elizabeth: I love Penta, I think he’s had a damn fine reign as champion so far, but All Ego’s been my guy going back over a decade to Evolve and I can’t pick against him in a match like this. Pick: “All Ego” Ethan Page
Cain A. Knight: Penta is low key one of the best babyfaces in WWE right now, and I think it’s too soon to take the title off of him. Pick: Penta
Kyle Decker: I don’t see Ethan Page picking up an IC win this early in his main roster run. But this is a good time to showcase his talents. Pick: Penta
Marcus Benjamin: You know what? Based on the last sit down with Michael Cole, I’m going with Ethan Page. Penta’s hot enough with the crowd that a loss won’t hurt him, and I have a feeling the territory sees a lower ceiling on him than All Ego. Pick: Ethan Page
M. G0MEZ: Mike Cole did a great job putting Ethan Page over on Raw, strong words that should tell everyone exactly where this is headed. Pick: Ethan Page
Jon Velez-Jackson: An upset win by Ethan Page wouldn’t exactly be the most shocking result in recent PLE history, given his recent push. However, Penta has steadily been establishing himself as the top luchador in the company. I think he keeps rolling with the momentum. Pick: Penta
Josh Jagler: My appreciation for Ethan Page is well documented at this point, and I wouldn’t be opposed to him winning his first main roster title here, but Penta has been one of the best babyfaces in WWE the last few months and I think his title reign has more juice left to squeeze. Pick: Penta
World Tag Team championship: The Vision (Logan Paul & Austin Theory (c) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Geno Mrosko: Am I getting juked by another tease of a breakup and a singles run for Ford? A program with Seth Rollins looks mighty enticing to me. Pick: The Vision
Sean Rueter: Seems like there are multiple ways this can go badly for the challengers, so this is another match where the champs leave with the straps. Pick: The Vision
Claire Elizabeth: Maybe there’s a catch, maybe this is a DQ or a countout, maybe it’s a clean victory and the titles change hands, but no matter the details I think the Street Profits are getting announced the victors and getting their hands raised. Pick: Street Profits
Cain A. Knight: The Street Profits are going to learn the hard way that they actually do need Seth Rollins’ help to beat Austin Theory and a YouTube douchebag. Pick: The Vision
Kyle Decker: I don’t buy any Profits breakup in the future as we’ve been that road a bunch and it leads nowhere. But I still think there are too many variables (Breakker & Rollins) they can lean on to keep the gold off the Profits Pick:The Vision
Marcus Benjamin: It’s time, man. I’m tired of seeing these guys not win the big one, even though there’s clearly some tension between them at the moment. Surely said tension will make this pick bite me in the butt. Pick: The Vision
M. G0MEZ: My Spidey-Sense says this is the last stand for the Profits before Seth Rollins comes between them, leading to their long-awaited breakup. Pick: Street Profits
Jon Velez-Jackson: I’m more torn about my prediction for this match than any other on the card. I could make an argument for either team winning, but something tells me The Vision picking up the “W” will do more to further a couple of different storylines. Pick: The Vision
Josh Jagler: As we know by now, teasing tension between members of a tag team or faction doesn’t mean a breakup is imminent. It just means that we’re going to tease it for a little while longer. On a 5-match card, having one end in a DQ isn’t the worst thing, and this is my pick to do that. Seth and Bron get involved and the match gets thrown out. Pick: Street Profits by DQ
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Scream Mode (Paige and Brie Bella) (c) vs. Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax & Lash Legend)
Geno Mrosko: I just don’t think this thing has been working out so well, and Nikki has to be back at some point. Paige can split off and do better as a singles star, where there are some actually compelling matches to get to. The tag division ain’t it. Jax & Lash, meanwhile, still have it on lock. Pick: The Irresistible Forces
Sean Rueter: If I had the book, Forces would become two-time champs here, because Lash is the person with the most upside in this match. But while I’m not sure if they’ll hold onto the titles until Nikki Bella makes it back, I think the powers-that-be at WWE will stay the course with the stars of yesteryear for another few weeks. Pick: Scream Mode
Claire Elizabeth: Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and the Forces already had their great big gold weekend tripped up when Lash Legend failed to beat Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown, so the momentum is ruined. Pick: Irresistible Forces
Cain A. Knight: The babyfaces only won the titles due to Paige’s surprise return at WrestleMania. That moment has passed and they now have a very bad team name, so maybe WWE hits the reset button and puts the belts back on Nia Jax and Lash Legend. Pick: The Irresistible Forces
Kyle Decker: I’m looking forward to when Paige can break off from this makeshift tag team and go solo, but I think that may not happen until Nikki’s return is on the horizon. Unless they have a babyface team in the wings to dethrone the Forces, I think they stick with the nostalgia run. Pick: Scream Mode
Marcus Benjamin: Irresistible Forces should win. But my gut says they want to squeeze more juice out of the Scream Mode nostalgia tour. Pick: Scream Mode
M. G0MEZ: The Irresistible Forces take back what’s theirs, and then it’s off to the guillotine for Paige after costing the Bellas their title, their dream. Pick: Nia Jax & Lash Legend
Jon Velez-Jackson: Nikki Bella has indicated that her recovery from an ankle injury has progressed well, and she hopes to return for Night of the Champions on June 27. Presumably, she’ll be partnering with her sister once she’s back, so the Paige-Brie team will soon be forgotten. On the other side, The Irresistible Forces has become a legitimate team with chemistry, and they could do well with another championship run. Pick: The Irresistible Forces
Josh Jagler: Paige and Brie got their WrestleMania moments, but it’s painfully clear that there are better options to be holding one of the best booked championships in WWE right now. The only out I see here is some of the other teams that are hovering in the title scene (Judgment Day, Bayley/Lyra) getting involved, leading to a DQ finish, but a big title change here could be a way to spice up the allure of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Pick: The Irresistible Forces
Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca
Geno Mrosko: They badly need to get Ruca in the win column but they obviously don’t want to put a title on her nor do they want to take the title away from Becky Lynch. They telegraphed this one. Pick: Sol Ruca
Sean Rueter: Whether or not Ruca manages to win what’s becoming Bex’s belt later on will depend on her. But the champ will put her over and work hard to make the new call-up look great tonight. Pick: Sol Ruca
Claire Elizabeth: Sometimes things just don’t work out how you want. Pick: Becky Lynch
Cain A. Knight: Sol Ruca is desperate for her first win since being called up to Raw, and Becky’s title isn’t on the line. This seems like an obvious call. Pick: Sol Ruca
Kyle Decker: The non-title aspect of this telegraphs the finish. Pick: Sol Ruca
Marcus Benjamin: It’s a non-title match and Becky’s talked too much trash about Sol. Pick: Sol Ruca
M. G0MEZ: Non-title matches don’t usually favor the champion. Plus, Ruca falling to 0-3 to start her main roster career would make her look like a total NERD. There’s no way WWE would do that — would they? Pick: Sol Ruca
Jon Velez-Jackson: As others have said here, Sol Ruca needs the win. Picking up the victory will make her look like a strong contender on the main roster while pushing the feud with Becky. Plus, at this stage in her career, a loss doesn’t harm Lynch, especially in a non-title bout. Pick: Sol Ruca
Josh Jagler: If this was a title match, I would be more inclined to pick The Man here, but Sol (unfortunately) is already in need of a big time win. Good showings with Iyo and Liv in recent weeks have put her on the map, but she can’t keep losing matches and maintain the trajectory she was heading on when she was promoted. Becks gets her Sol snatched. Pick: Sol Ruca
Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, & Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab
Geno Mrosko: There’s a really easy way to get out of the babyfaces losing clean here while setting up future big money matches, and they’re almost certainly going to do just that. This ain’t about the match but the angles taking place within it. Pick: Jade Cargill & Michin & B-Fab
Sean Rueter: That Bitch (her words, not mine) needs her win back, and this is where she gets it — especially since she ain’t winning the belt back from Rhea next Sunday. Pick: Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab
Claire Elizabeth: I dunno, something about a promo our heel team here cut late on SmackDown doesn’t sit right with me. Michin and B-FAB put up a united front about whipping everybody’s ass and then Jade came in saying she’s the only one that matters and very pointedly saying that her underlings learned their lesson last time. She was talking about Clash in Italy being a different result than WrestleMania, but all the same their alliance has never sat easy either. I think this trios is gonna be fraught for both teams… and the babyface team is gonna stick together better. Pick: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley
Cain A. Knight: Jade Cargill shouldn’t lose in her return match since the idea is for her to have a title rematch against Ripley one week later. Pick: B-Fab, Jade Cargill & Michin
Kyle Decker: I think there’s more they can do working with the tension between Ripley & Charlotte (and an eventual WrestleMania 39 rematch) than there is making Jade’s team look weak. Pick: Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab
Marcus Benjamin: One group has internal drama and the other doesn’t. Always makes the latter an easier pick. Pick: Jade Cargill, Michin, & B-Fab
M. G0MEZ: Jade Cargill gets her win back over Rhea Ripley here. Whether she can do it again with the WWE Women’s Championship on the line is another story. Pick: Jade Cargill and Friends
Jon Velez-Jackson: WWE (rightfully, in my opinion) sees Jade Cargill as a top star, so her team losing here would do more damage to her than it would for the opposing team. Pick: Jade and her Baddies
Josh Jagler: It feels like we could be heading towards a triple threat between Rhea, Charlotte, and Jade at some point this summer, and the best way to get there is for Jade’s team to win and finally drive a decisive wedge between Ripley and Flair. I just don’t see where they go from here if Rhea and CharLexa win. Pick: Jade Cargill, B-Fab & Michin
That’s who we’ve got. Who are you taking, Cagesiders?
