For the second time in 2026, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (SNME) XLIV is coming into our households. Emanating from Fort Wayne, Indiana, this television spectacular features the best of WWE’s current and future stars. With no World Championships on the line, WWE has chosen to focus on its mid-card and tag team ranks.
It’s a great move to highlight other parts of the roster. Five matches in front of us are going to highlight the mid-card of WWE and give us a sneak preview of a future World Championship match.
The card WWE has stacked Saturday Night’s Main Event, featuring some of the best wrestlers on the planet. Each match has tons of potential, and of course, the winners will have tons of momentum as their careers move forward. It’s a night for great matches and, hopefully, a few surprises. Let’s sit back and enjoy the show.
Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair v Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab (2.5/5)
Anything involving Rhea Ripley is going to get the crowd going. She is the most over female star in the company, and has the knowledge to get as much from the crowd as possible. We can be honest: this match was put together to further the feud between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill.
For the early parts of the match, it was predominantly Charlotte Flair and Michin, and things seemed off. The action wasn’t as crisp as one would come to expect, and the offense moves didn’t carry much impact for them. The spots weren’t very clean, and it didn’t look like these women were given much to work with behind the scenes.
What saved this match was the pure talent of all six women and the crowd’s reaction. Fort Wayne was not letting this match fail as they chanted for just about everything that occurred. Even when the corny finish took place, the crowd never wavered. Good for them.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Becky Lynch v Sol Ruca (1.75/5)
There was a lot of potential circling this match, but not everything that should have been great was. The issues between Becky Lynch and Jessika Carr obviously had to come to a head, but can WWE go anywhere with this? It’s been months of these two going back and forth in the ring, with no payoff in sight. WWE needs to put these two in the ring or end their problems for good.
The match was moving along at a good pace before it was abruptly cut short. It was fun to see Ruca bouncing around the ring, and their wrestling was tight. Please, WWE, give these women more than a few minutes next time.
Men’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Penta v Ethan Page (4/5)
Ethan Page and Penta put together a tight build headed into their first one-on-one encounter. The wrestling world was expecting something special, and Page and Penta delivered on all fronts. This was a fantastic back-and-forth bout that showcased the incredible talents of both men.
Ethan Page was excellent in his role as the vicious heel, and WWE should look long and hard at pushing him to the moon. His facial expressions and move set are perfect for a heel champion. Penta was his usual dynamic self. Showing why is one of the best high-flyers in the company.
This match showed why the IC strap is the work rate championship. There was great wrestling, great character work, and more near-falls than you can shake a stick at. Each man had his chance to win the contest, and Page, trying to cheat his way to victory, was spot on. Penta winning the match was the safe move, but that title won’t stay away from the waist of All-Ego for long—fantastic showing for the Intercontinental Championship.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Paige & Brie Bella v Nia Jax & Lash Legend (2.5/5)
The Irresistible Forces have finally gotten the one-on-one match that they have been waiting for. WrestleMania had two other teams standing between Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and the tag team champs. In their minds, there was no place for Brie Bella and Paige to hide.
This played out as your usual tag team match. The heels dominated most of the contest, working away on both Brie Bella and Paige. Nothing stood out, but there were no mistakes made. The action was inoffensive, but what was more impressive was the size difference between the two teams. Sometimes one forgets how physically impressive both Nia Jax and Lash Legend are.
The match was chugging along well when it broke into all-out chaos. An expected outcome of a tag team match, but it also led to an interesting finish. Paige rolled up Jax, and a well-placed boot from Brie Bella ensured the champs retained. This isn’t something we have seen for a while, so points are awarded for creativity. However, having the babyface champs use that is a slight cop-out and doesn’t make them look incredibly strong.
Men’s Tag Team Championship Match: The Vision v The Street Profits (3.5/5)
These two teams have been building towards a championship match for a few weeks now, and the wrestling world has been expecting to see fireworks. Going on last is a huge responsibility, and it’s nice to see WWE highlight the tag team straps in such a way.
This tag match was a lot of fun. All four men have a penchant for showing off their tremendous athleticism, and they continued that trend. It was almost like there was a game of one-upmanship taking place in the early goings on the way. It was a great way to start the match and light a fire under the crowd.
Seeing the champs try to walk out and the chaos surrounding the final flurry of the match was spot on. This is exactly how one would book a tag team match to give it a sense of importance. The crowd loved every minute of it and was chanting along with every near fall.
The interference surrounding the finish was typical of a Saturday Night’s Main Event, but it did help the solidarity of the top heel faction on Raw. It was a bit of a surprise that Joe Hendy or Seth Rollins didn’t try to tip the scales back in the Street Profits’ direction, but we are nitpicking now. This was a better-than-average main event that didn’t hurt either team.
