WWE Saturday Night's Main Event Review - December 14, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn

I originally thought a title match would make the most sense to start the show, but getting the only non-title match out of the way early was probably for the best and prevented this from feeling like a buffer. Per usual, they had a really good match. McIntyre winning clean was the right call and Zayn loses nothing from the loss. It's possible their program continues, but I get the sense this was the quick payoff so both guys can move on to other storylines heading into WrestleMania season.

Women's World Champion Liv Morgan def. IYO SKY

I was hoping SKY would be more than just a filler challenger for Morgan, but no such luck. At the very least, she gave Morgan one of her best matches as Women's World Champion, if not the best. One minor botch in the midlde aside, this was a nice match from these two. Rhea Ripley confronted Morgan in front of the entrance afterward, but there was no physicality. Hopefully they finish their feud no later than the Raw's Netflix premiere next month.

World Heavyweight Champion Gunther def. World Tag Team Champion Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a Triple Threat Match

Although I don't think there was much uncertainty surrounding the outcome, these guys busted their asses and produced a hell of a match that the crowd was super into, especially in the second half. They worked a great pace and Gunther winning decisively was a must. Similar to Ripley vs. Morgan, this rivalry is ready to end, so fingers crossed all of these guys can embark in different directions.

Chelsea Green def. Michin in the Finals of the Women's United States Championship Tournament to Become the Inaugural Women's United States Champion

Unsurprisingly, this was when the crowd was at their quietest, but they were behind Green throughout, not only because her husband Matt Cardona is a Long Island native but also because she's gotten herself over in this role since returning to WWE almost two years ago. Green and Michin are going to benefit more than anyone from this title (assuming they stay on SmackDown for the foreseeable future), but Green was the perfect fit to win it first. They had an average outing, but the finish was well done and the crowd popped big for Green's win.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Kevin Owens

First and foremost, Rhodes bringing back the classic "Winged Eagle" WWE Championship belt was awesome. Triple H initially teased it on social media a few days ago, which was smart to get fans buzzing ahead of time. The match itself was entertaining yet a notch below their Bash in Berlin bout. Interestingly, the title was more in jeopardy of changing hands here compared to here, but they didn't quite kick it into that next gear like I thought they would. The best part came after the event went off the air when Owens hit Rhodes with a package piledriver (a move he hasn't hit in over a decade I'm sure) and stole the Winged Eagle title. I hate that this will likely end with Owens losing to Rhodes for a third time, but they definitely have my attention. And yes, that angle should've aired on the actual show. It would've made for a much better cliffhanger.

Overall Show

The throwback vibe of the show was a blast and Jesse Ventura getting as much screentime as he did (including sitting in on commentary for the main event) was wonderful. Although I got all of my predictions right, I did hold out hope that WWE would throw us a curveball with one of the outcomes, but no such luck. I'm biased because I was there live, but despite it being a glorified house show, Saturday Night's Main Event was an enjoyable two-hour event and I'm happy it will remain a quarterly special on NBC and Peacock going forward (with the next installment happening as soon as late January).

SEE MORE: Saturday Night's Main Event Reviews