The road to the Royal Rumble is fast approaching. That said, we’ve got a few more final pit stops as WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (SNME) XLIII hits the WWE Universe’s TV screen. There’s a lot at stake on this installment of WWE SNME as a Fatal 4-Way Match was made official on the January 16th, 2026 edition of WWE SmackDown in London through a series of high-profile matches.
Throughout the night, eight major players on the SmackDown roster had to get through their respective qualifying matches, earning their spot in the multi-man brawl to crown a number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship, now held by the #AndNEW champion, Drew McIntyre.
These qualifying matches began as The Miz cheapshotted Orton before the bell even began. Miz would hit Orton with two Skull-Crushing Finales, but it wasn’t enough. All it took was one well-placed RKO to advance this gauntlet.
In the second match of the night, Trick Williams would overcome the veteran Matt Cardona, as the young newcomer dominated the match, ending it with a Trick Shot to score the fall. Damian Priest would share the exact same fate as Trick, winning his match against Solo Sikoa, with a bit of an assist from The Wyatt Sicks. Priest would hit the South of Heaven Chokeslam and cover a dejected Solo to secure the third spot.
In the main event of the evening, Ilja Dragunov and Sami fought it out for the final slot in the Fatal 4-Way Match to crown the number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship. To no one’s surprise, two of the most physical members of the SmackDown roster went to town and tore the house down, hitting each other with everything they got. Dragunov was poised to win the match after hitting Zayn with a Torpedo Moscow as they stood on the ring apron.
Zayn would reel from the attack, but soon got his act together. Dragunov would scale the top rope, only for Zayn to counter. Before the “Mad Dragon” knew it, he was against the post, ready for the taking, as Zayn hit a Helluva Kick for the victory. Post-match, Trick Williams would make his presence felt yet again, laying out Zayn with a Trick Shot to make a statement to end the night.
One number one contender’s slot on the line, four men, and it all goes down on January 24, 2026, only on WWE Saturday Night’s Main (SNME) XLIII!
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