Blake’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 7/18/26 Review

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In this WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 7/18/26 review, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes team up against Gunther and Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Jalen Brunson are acknowledged by the Madison Square Garden crowd in New York City, and much more.

Here are some thoughts on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Blake’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Thoughts

1. Fatal Influence vs. (c) Paige and Brie Bella – WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles

I said in the Saturday Night’s Main Event predictions column that this was an easy choice, and WWE got it right. Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid have chemistry as a duo, and this match showcased that. Again, I don’t blame Paige and Brie Bella for a lackluster title run after the Nikki Bella injury halted WWE’s original plans. But there was little forward momentum for them as champions. This result gives the Fatal Influence faction a much-needed boost into regular television appearances on both Raw and SmackDown.

2. Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh – No DQ Match

Another match that unfolded exactly as you figured it would. Lots of shenanigans, and the cat tease on SmackDown was hilarious in hindsight. Yes, that’s because Danhausen trotted out New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns from his cloning machine. KAT sent both JD and Dominik Mysterio through a table to give WWE its first big ESPN moment of the evening. This match served its purpose, and it was an entertaining presentation from start to finish.

3. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Make it three for three on the predictions! But let’s be honest, Valkyria had to win. They’ve done an entire makeover with her look and character, with a new finisher included. The post-match attack was a nice touch to further the aggression from Valkyria. It would seem that a rematch is in the works, but that’s fine for the story they are trying to tell between the former friends.

4. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther and Sami Zayn

These four delivered. Shocker, right? I know we have fun with the “can they co-exist” trope in WWE, but it works better when you have top stars in interwining storylines. Punk shoving the title in Cody’s face adds drama and tension for SummerSlam. Nick Aldis costing Gunther the match advances that story towards their intriguing SummerSlam showdown. And then there’s Zayn as the odd man out, which is the point. Great stuff from everyone.

As if that wasn’t enough, WWE posted a heated backstage exchange between Punk and Cody. The latter pushed back on Punk’s title shove, leading to chaos. It would be great if they did more of these on the actual television shows, but I suppose you do get more leeway with language and such in social media clips. Trick Williams also made an appearance to get between the two superstars. It’s worth the watch.

5. Roman Reigns and Jalen Brunson Acknowledgment

Positioning was the key. You knew when they put in the main event slot that WWE had something in the works. One of those aims was to milk the merchandising cow with the custom Jalen Brunson “King of New York” World Heavyweight Championship. Don’t worry, it’s only $700 on WWE Shop! The second aim was to further Reigns’ match with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. The Tyrese Haliburton inclusion also makes sense with the previous angle with Brunson.

In a way, this was the ultimate WWE dream segment. Latch onto the popular sports or pop culture, while promoting your biggest upcoming match. It won’t be every WWE fan’s favorite trend, but it’s a win for the crossover exposure that it wants. Combine that with the fact that ESPN is a partner, and I can’t knock the idea. It’s a good business decision.

What did you think of the July 18 edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event? Did you enjoy the main event tag team match and Roman Reigns/Jalen Brunson segment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading!

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