CM Punk ended Sami Zayn’s WWE Championship reign after just nine days. (Credit: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event returns on Saturday for the third time in 2026, and this time, it’s heading to “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Just two weeks ahead of SummerSlam, WWE will head to Madison Square Garden looking to build some momentum as it heads into the two-night PLE. At the last SNME event in May, three championships were on the line, and yet, none of them changed hands.
At Saturday’s event in MSG, Paige and Brie Bella will defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship while CM Punk will team with his WWE title challenger Cody Rhodes in a blockbuster tag team match.
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WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 2026 Preview
Below is the confirmed match card for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLV:
- CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther and Sami Zayn
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Fatal Influence
- Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh
- Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
Let’s take a look at some important notes for the final Saturday Night’s Main Event before SummerSlam:
- Punk and Rhodes were originally scheduled to face off at WrestleMania 43 next year. Instead, Punk will defend his WWE Championship, which he just won from Sami Zayn, at SummerSlam, while Gunther is reportedly going to battle SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis.
- Although Paige and Brie Bella will defend their tag titles at WWE SNME, Brie’s sister Nikki Bella is reportedly expected to return soon. That makes her a potential X-factor in Saturday’s tag title match.
- Bayley is just 5-11 in televised matches this year and has just won just one singles match.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 2026 Streaming Info
Date: Saturday, July 18th
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York City)
Start Time: 8 pm EST/7 pm EST (5 pm PST)
Streaming Info: Peacock (US), YouTube (internationally)
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 2026 Predictions
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther and Sami Zayn
WWE is utilizing the classic “can they coexist?” dynamic between Rhodes and Punk, who are friendly on-screen but have suddenly become WWE title rivals.
This has been done hundreds of times in the past, with a pair of babyfaces trying to get along while feuding. In the vast majority of those scenarios, they, at some point, team up for a match only to have issues mid-bout and lose to their opponents. Their WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event match should be no different.
That seemed to be the direction WWE was going here. Then, this week the company announced that if Rhodes and Punk lose to Gunther and Zayn, then the latter two stars would be added to the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam to make it a Fatal 4-Way.
Givent that Gunther is apparently going to face Aldis at SummerSlam, that stipulation seems to have telegraphed the outcome of this marquee tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Prediction: Punk and Rhodes
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Paige And Brie Bella (c) Vs. Fatal Influence
Ever since Paige stepped in as a WrestleMania replacement for Nikki Bella, it’s felt like Paige and her partner Brie are just keeping the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles warm for the next team.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, Brie and Paige will face Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid, who are the best possible options to dethrone them. Paige is really not the ideal tag team partner for Brie, who should be reunited with Nikki soon. Perhaps that happens in Madison Square Garden, where Nikki costing Paige the titles could set up two things: a reunion with Brie and a much-needed heel turn for the Bella Twins.
Fatal Influence should be champions anyway, so this scenario would be the best outcome for all parties.
Prediction: Fatal Influence
Danhausen Vs. JD McDonagh
Ever since Danhausen “un-cursed” the New York Knicks, he has endeared himself to New Yorkers and Knicks fans everywhere. He should be mega-over inside Madison Square Garden, where he will face Judgment Day’s JD McDonagh.
This is a no-brainer, too. Danhausen is one of the most popular performers in all of WWE, and it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to lose to a lower card star in NYC. This match is all about Danhausen getting rewarded with a major win in front of what will likely be a red hot crowd.
It won’t be a Match of the Year contender, but it will be a whole lot of fun.
Prediction: Danhausen
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
WWE has invested a ton of time into this storyline with Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and it initially looked like Bayley would be the one who turned heel.
Instead, Valkyria did, and Bayley remains stuck in somewhat of a lame duck role. As a relative newcomer to WWE’s main roster, Valkyria seems to be more of a priority than Bayley at the moment. Although Bayley remains popular, she’s no longer really booked as a top star.
This feud seems to be all about WWE establishing Valkyria’s new heel character, and that’s likely going to begin with a win at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Prediction: Valkyria
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
