By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
November 1, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at Delta Center
Simulcast live on Peacock
[Hour One] Michael Cole checked in on commentary and narrated backstage shots that included split-screen shots of Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, and Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill, individual shots of Penta, Dominik Mysterio, and Rusev, and a split-screen shot of CM Punk and Jey Uso… A SNME video package aired… Pyro shot off on the stage…
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes made his entrance. Cole, who was joined on commentary by Wade Barrett, said Drew McIntyre’s mind games cost Cody his championship advantage. McIntyre made his entrance…
Powell’s POV: The building was set up for 8,088. Minutes before the show, WrestleTix listed 7,867 as the number of tickets that had been distributed. By the way, Jake Barnett and I will be doing a free same-night audio review of this show via the Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast.
1. Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship (the title can change hands on a count-out or disqualification). Ring announcer Lilian Garcia delivered in-ring introductions for the championship match with an old-school double microphone that was lowered into the ring. McIntyre cut her off and had her introduce him as the “Real American Dream.” Dan Engler was the referee.
McIntyre bit Cody’s forehead. Cole said McIntyre shielded the referee. Cody came back and put the boots to McIntyre. The referee tried to pull Cody away, and Cody made contact with his elbow. Cole downplayed it and said the referee shouldn’t disqualify him for “a little thing like that.”
Later, McIntyre rolled to the floor. McIntyre grabbed the WWE Championship belt and returned to the ring with him. Cody took the belt away. McIntyre encouraged Cody to hit him, but then McIntyre dropped Cody with a Claymore Kick and covered him for a near fall. A “this is awesome” chant broke out.
McIntyre had Cody down at ringside and set up for a kick through the broadcast table, but Cody avoided it. Moments later, McIintyre shoulder-blocked Cody off the apron, causing Cody to crash through the broadcast table. Cody returned to the ring just in time to beat the referee’s count. Cole said they were just one second away from having a new WWE Champion.
McIntyre counted down and went for a Claymore Kick that Cody avoided. Cody ran toward the corner and had to stop short of the referee. Cody attempted to go to the middle rope, but he clutched his left knee. Cody recovered, ran up the ropes, and hit a Cody Cutter for a near fall. Cody went back to clutching his knee.
McIntyre stuffed a CrossRhodes attempt and pushed Cody into the referee in the process. REF BUMP!!! McIntyre grabbed the title belt and tried to hit Cody with it, but Cody ducked. Both men went for running crossbody blocks simultaneously. McIntyre grabbed the title belt, but Cody DDT’d him onto the title belt. The referee recovered and watched Cody hit CrossRhodes and then counted the pin.
Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre in 18:45 to retain the WWE Championship.
Powell’s POV: A solid match that effectively played into the idea that Cody could lose the championship via count-out or disqualification. While I enjoyed the match, I’m not a fan of McIntyre taking another clean loss, especially at a time when the Smackdown roster is so light on heel wrestlers who feel like a threat to beat Cody.
CM Punk was shown warming up backstage…
Cole and Barrett spoke from behind their broken broadcast table. Cole set up a video package on the WWE Women’s Championship match…
Tiffany Stratton was flexing her bad knee backstage when Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis checked in on her. Aldis said he wanted to make sure she was okay and give her one more opportunity. Stratton cut him off before he could say what the opportunity was, and indicated that she wanted the match so she would get her hands on Jade Cargill…
An ad aired for the WWE Survivor Series PLE that will be held on Saturday, November 29… [C]
Footage aired of R-Truth and Montez Ford helping out at a Utah Food Bank. Cole said it’s a tough time for a lot of people in the country right now…
Actor Gabriel Luna, comedians Pauley Shore and Tony Hinchcliffe, and musician Post Malone were shown in the crowd. Cole said he feels Malone is “the greatest entertainer on the planet today”… Entrances for the WWE Women’s Championship match took place…
2. Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship. Stratton had her left knee wrapped to sell Jade’s recent attack. Jade was dominant to start. She kicked Stratton’s bad leg out from under her and chokeslammed her. Jade executed a pump-handle slam and covered Stratton for a two count.
Stratton rallied and performed a Swanton for a near fall. Jade regrouped and went right back on the offensive. Jade hit the Eye of the Storm for a near fall. Jade put the champion down with three fallaway slams and then covered her for another near fall. Jade followed up with a sit-out powerbomb for another two count. Jade powerbombed Stratton twice, but didn’t cover her. Jade hit Jaded and then got the three count…
Jade Cargill defeated Tiffany Stratton in 5:30 to win the WWE Women’s Championship.
Powell’s POV: Jade got 95 percent of the offense and went over strong with a clean win. Jade looked like a badass. The knee injury gives Stratton an out, so this loss shouldn’t hurt her.
Cole set up the WrestleMania 42 video featuring Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Paul Levesque… Cole indicated that the Intercontinental Championship match would be up next… [C]
Penta made his entrance for the Intercontinental Title match.
[Hour Two] Rusev made his entrance, and then Dominik Mysterio came out alone while making the final entrance…
3. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Rusev in a Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Title. Cole said the Intercontinental Title had only changed hands once in the sixteen times it had been defended on SNME. Early in the match, Dom shoved Rusev into the ring post. Penta hit Rusev with a flip dive, and then Dom hit Penta with a suicide dive.
Rusev came back a short time later and dumped Dom face-first onto the broadcast table. Rusev grabbed the title belt from the ringside podium, said he was coming for it, and then kissed it. Back in the ring, Rusev stuffed a 619 from Dom and put him in The Accolade, which Penta broke by kicking Rusev. Penta put Rusev down with a backbreaker and covered him for a near fall.
Rusev knocked Penta off the ropes. Penta’s foot hit the rope on the way down, and then he sold a knee injury. Dom brought a chair into the ring, threw it to Rusev, and then acted like he’d been hit with the chair. The referee didn’t buy it. Penta jumped off the back of Rusev and put Dom down with a Mexican Destroyer.
Penta hit Rusev with a tornado DDT for a near fall. Penta performed a Penta Driver on Rusev for another near fall while Dom was down at ringside. Penta went up top and jumped toward Rusev, who caught him with the Maschka Kick on the way down.
Rusev put Penta in the Accolade. The timekeeper’s bell rang, and Rusev released the hold and started to celebrate. The referee told Rusev he didn’t end the match. Dom was shown holding the ring bell in the timekeeper’s area. Cole was baffled by Dom’s motive in ringing the bell, but Barrett explained to him that it caused Rusev to release the submission hold.
Penta picked up the ring bell hammer before Dom could get to it. Penta tried to hit Dom with the hammer, but Dom moved, and the hammer struck Rusev. Dom ran Penta through the ropes and into the ring post. Dom frog splashed Rusev and got the three count…
Dominik Mysterio defeated Penta and Rusev in a Triple Threat in 12:30 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Powell’s POV: It seemed like the Rusev character was the only person in the building who thought he won the match when Dom rang the timekeeper’s bell. This was a decent match that would not have felt out of place had it aired on Raw rather than SNME.
Jimmy Uso was shown firing up a smiling Jey Uso in their dressing room…
Cole said there had been a lot of speculation regarding John Cena’s final opponent. Cole said Cena would comment on the matter next… [C]
Cole encouraged viewers to consider purchasing the version of “War Pigs” by Judas Priest with Ozzy Osbourne that the company is using as the Survivor Series theme song, as proceeds go to charity…
A clip aired of Tom Rinaldi’s interview with John Cena, in which Cena spoke about why he will stay retired…
A John Cena-narrated video package aired with him talking about his final match. Cena said there will be a randomly selected 16-man tournament featuring wrestlers from Raw, Smackdown, NXT, “and maybe even some faces that don’t even work here,” to determine his final opponent…
“Wow!” Cole said at the broadcast table, and then Barrett also put over “The Last Time Is Now Tournament.” Cole said the tournament will start a week from Monday when Raw is in Cena’s hometown of Boston. He also hyped Cena’s final match for the December 13 Saturday Night’s Main Event from Washington, D.C. at Capital One Arena…
Powell’s POV: Perhaps this development explains why they didn’t go with a tournament to crown the new World Heavyweight Champion. I enjoy a good tournament, and it will add stakes to some upcoming television matches.
A video package set up the main event…
A referee stood inside the ring holding the World Heavyweight Championship belt. Jey Uso was shown surrounded by fans in the concourse, and then he made his entrance through the crowd. Once in the ring, Jey ran it back. CM Punk made his entrance via the stage. Punk had “Duke” on his jacket, in honor of his MMA trainer Duke Roufus, who died last month…
4. CM Punk vs. Jey Uso for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Lilian Garcia delivered in-ring introductions for the world championship match. Cole acknowledged that Punk’s gear was inspired by the late Duke Roufus and said Punk dedicated the match to him.
Punk backed Jey into a corner of the ring and shoved him. Jey returned the favor in the opposite corner. Punk went for a GTS a short time later, causing Jey to roll to the floor to regroup. Jey returned to the ring. Punk eventually tore Jey’s shirt and chopped his chest. Jey put Punk down with a Samoan Drop. Jey waited for Punk to stand up and then went for a spear, but Punk stuffed it and put Jey down with a neckbreaker for a two count.
Moments later, Punk connected with the GTS, but Jey fell through the ropes to the floor. Punk went to ringside and poured water on Jey and then got him back in the ring. Punk suplexed Jey and covered him for two. Punk set up for a superplex, but Jey fought back and knocked him off the ropes with a couple of headbutts. Jey dove at Punk, who moved, and Jey landed on his feet. Jey threw punches at Punk.
Jey got Punk down in the corner and hit him with a hip attack. Jey went for another, but Punk popped up. Punk hoisted up Jey for another GTS, but Jey avoided it and then speared Punk. Jey went up top and hit an Uso Splash for the first strong near fall of the match. A “this is awesome chant broke out.
A short time later, Jey hit Punk with a suicide dive on the floor that left both men down temporarily. Jey got back inside the ring first. Punk beat the referee’s count, but the broadcast team didn’t play it up even though it could have ended the match. Punk rolled right back to the floor. Jey followed and speared Punk through the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area.
Jey rolled Punk back inside the ring and went for an Uso Splash, but Punk put his knees up. Punk hoisted up Jey and hit the GTS before covering him for another good near fall. Punk showed frustration over not getting the pin. Punk went for a piledriver, but Jey stuffed it and then hoisted up Punk and hit him with his own GTS finisher. Jey ran the ropes and was speared by Punk, who covered him for another near fall. Both men stayed down for a moment.
Punk got back to his feet first and hit another GTS. Jey bounced into the ropes and then fell onto a kneeling Punk’s shoulders. Punk prepared for another GTS, but he stumbled, and then Jey put him in a sleeper hold. Punk’s eyes expressed concern, but he escaped the hold and put Jey in the Anaconda Vice. Jey reached for the bottom rope and eventually grabbed it.
Jey caught Punk in a pin and got a near fall. Jey threw superkicks at Punk, who dropped to his knees. Jey set up for a spear, but Punk stuffed it with a kick. Punk hit another GTS. Jey bounced off the ropes and then Punk hit him with another GTS before covering him for the three count…
CM Punk defeated Jey Uso in 21:00 to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, the referee handed the belt to Punk, who clutched it while on his knees. Punk stood up and held the title over his head while Cole said Punk is now a seven-time world champion. Jey was shown sitting on the floor at ringside watching Punk’s celebration. Pyro shot off. The executive producer credits were shown, and Punk was celebrating on the ropes when the show concluded a few minutes past the top of the hour…
Powell’s POV: A good main event with some nice drama down the stretch. I had my guard up for some interference or a post-match angle due to the drama with Jey’s character heading into the match, but they kept it simple and wisely focused on Punk winning the World Heavyweight Championship. On a side note, by listing Punk as a seven-time world champion, WWE is ignoring his two AEW World Championship wins, his ROH World Championship win, and his ECW World Championship win, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Overall, this was a good two-hour show. It felt like an abbreviated premium live event without as much time in between the matches. It’s worth noting that they toned down the nostalgia by bringing in Jesse Ventura to work with the broadcast team or other legends for cameo appearances. Jake Barnett and I will team up shortly for our same-night audio review of Saturday Night’s Main Event, which will be available for everyone as the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast. Let us know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
