Fans tuning in to Main Event on Thursday were in for a real treat as a champion graced viewers with their presence. But their appearance may have been as much a teaching moment as it was an attraction on an episode that saw acts from established stables gain traction.
Like Teflon
Anyone worried about Fatal Influence’s future after a pair of setbacks can relax. This group is going to be just fine.
Facing Candice LeRae, Jacy Jayne was an absolute heat magnet, as interference from her partners, Fallon Henley and Lainey
Reid, kept the odds in favor of the former NXT Women’s Champion.
In between, Jayne taunted the crowd, but she got more of a reaction simply throwing her arms up than she did flashing a crude gesture at fans.
Despite being outnumbered, LeRae was no pushover. She fought back and eventually wiped out Jayne’s associates with a cannonball dive to the floor. Ironically, it wasn’t until she evened the odds that Jayne scored the victory, blasting Mrs. Gargano with a Rolling Encore for the 1-2-3.
After a hot start to their main roster run, Fatal Influence quickly took a couple of hits. Jayne failed to qualify for the Queen of the Ring, then Henley and Reid lost clean to the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Brie Bella and Paige.
But as the trio showed on Thursday, they might be Teflon. Jayne, Henley, and Reid carry themselves with such grating confidence that defeat slides right off.
Class Is in Session
In a non-title match, WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca took on Nattie in a curiously timed contest.
Since graduating from NXT to Raw, Ruca has come under fire after a series of in-ring snafus. The latest, a near-mishap involving Liv Morgan, prompted the I.C. Champion to make her X profile private following harassment from fans.
Here, WWE paired Ruca with Nattie, a veteran who helped Ronda Rousey during her WWE run. But if this was indeed a lesson, it was a painful one.
Nattie rag-dolled Ruca for much of the bout, highlighted by a nasty suplex that sent Ruca’s legs crashing into the ropes and a jarring discus clothesline. Then, in a cruel twist, Nattie trapped the blonde surfer in a surfboard submission.
To Ruca’s credit, she survived, countering with a perfectly timed Sol Snatcher. Showing veteran instincts, she saw that Nattie was too close to the ropes, so she dragged her to the center of the ring and then made the cover.
Something Ruca does need to work on, though, is her aggression.
At the start, she smiled as Nattie charged at her like a pit bull. Perhaps showing hesitation, Ruca placed Nattie gently on the mat on what should’ve been a devastating-looking face-first slam. Late, Ruca showed fire with a flurry of forearms, but they still lacked impact.
Too bad WWE doesn’t run many live events. Matches like this would speed up Ruca’s development.
A Big Strong Chico
What started as a tag team affair between Los Americanos and The LWO’s Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde turned into a one-man show, with Bravo Americano taking center stage.
“Bravito” flashed his strength in the midst of a high-flying affair, draping Wilde across his shoulders while hooking Del Toro by the legs for a simultaneous airplane spin–gorilla swing combination. Later, he adjusted his position in mid-air as he splashed an out-of-position Wilde for the win.
This was every bit as good as their previous encounter on the June 4 episode of Main Event, with a slightly better finish. The victory gives El Grande Americano’s muchachos momentum ahead of Grande’s pending feud in AAA with the 2026 version of Perros del Mal.
The Final Bell
Despite featuring superstars like Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Becky Lynch in the show’s signature open, none of these big names ever appear on Thursday nights. I can’t recall the last time Main Event featured a champion.
For that reason, Sol Ruca earned extra credit with me. Just having a secondary champion show up really elevated the program. Hopefully, we’ll see more of that.
