Wrestling Ratings-WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event- January 24, 2026

 

Location- Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Venue- Bell Centre

Host- Stephanie McMahon

Commentary- Wade Barrett & Michael Cole

Jacob Fatu VS Cody Rhodes

Winner- No match after Jacob attacked Cody during his entrance

Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky (Champions) VS Roxanne Perez & Liv Morgan- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships

Winners- Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky

Rating- 8/10

AJ Styles VS Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner- AJ Styles

Rating- 8/10

Trick Williams VS Randy Orton VS Damian Preist VS Sami Zayn- Number One Contender’s Match For WWE Undisputed Championship

Winner- Sami Zayn

Rating- 6/10

Overall Thoughts- A definitive winner for Fatu VS Rhodes would’ve killed the loser’s momentum. Cody would’ve recovered soon enough, but I’m not so sure about Jacob, and we’re too close to Wrestlemania now. The brawling angle works as an emergency exit escape route, and Drew stands tall at the end.

Rhea and Iyo have excellent chemistry as a tag team. Roxanne always does a good job of playing the bratty and obnoxious heel. She forms a perfect pairing with Liv, and there’s no real reason to take the titles off Rhyio now. A really good match, with some nice near falls, and Rhyio continues their dominance as the champs. 

AJ Styles and Nakamura had a hard hitting, physical, and grueling match. The simple story of two respected veterans beating the piss out of each other surpassed my expectations for this one. Nakamura proved he can still rise to the challenge. AJ? Yes, we’re in the middle of his farewell run, but there’s no denying he can still bring it a high level.

Sami Zayn was the right choice to win the Fatal Four-Way, but I still believe WWE should’ve put the title on Sami at Elimination Chamber 2023. It was a perfect storm scenario. That crowd was white hot, Sami had a ton of momentum during the Bloodline drama, playing the scrappy babyface, who was sick and tired of dealing with Roman Reigns being a manipulative bully. Sure, if Sami wins the title at Wrestlemania (if that’s the plan), he’ll get a nice reception, but WWE really missed a big opportunity in 2023.

The match itself was fine. Just about what’d you expect from a Fatal Four-Way: lots of near falls, everyone scrambling for a quick pin cover, and Trick Williams had a few moments. Not a bad match at all, but Sami winning was pretty much a foregone conclusion. 

Show Highlights-

-Jacob Fatu and Cody Rhodes brawl throughout the arena, Drew McIntyre gets involved 

-Rhyio retains, Raquel interferes, but Stephanie Vaquer intervenes

-AJ Styles defeats Shinsuke Nakamura 

-Sami Zayn becomes the number one contender to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Undisputed Championship 

-Zayn thwarts McIntyre’s post-match attack

Overall Rating- 7/10

Wrestling Ratings- WWE Survivor Series: War Games (2025)

 

Location- San Diego, California

Venue- Petco Park

Commentary- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett

Team Rhea (Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee) VS Team Asuka (Asuka, Nia Jax, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, Becky Lynch)- Women’s War Games Match

Winners- Team Rhea

Rating- 7/10

Dominik Mysterio VS John Cena (Champion)- Intercontinental Championship

Winner & New Intercontinental Champion- Dominik Mysterio

Rating- 8/10

Stephanie Vaquer (Champion) VS Nikki Bella- Women’s World Championship

Winner- Stephanie Vaquer

Rating- 5/10

Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, & Bronson Reed VS Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, & The Usos- Men’s War Games Match

Winners- Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, & Bronson Reed

Rating- 6/10

Overall Thoughts- I never believed Stephanie Vaquer was in any danger of losing the title. Of course, a lot of the big names in the women’s division were busy with War Games. Nikki Bella is a veteran with a good amount of name value, so she’s more than capable of filling the role of a credible challenger. Nothing extraordinary overall, but the match was just fine, and Stephanie retaining was the right move.

Cena VS Dirty Dom easily takes the spot for the best match on the card. An electric crowd, some good sneaky heel tactics from Mysterio, and all the shenanigans from Raquel, Dom, and Roxanne added to the insanity throughout the match. Predicting a winner wasn’t so easy, because I genuinely believed there was a real chance Cena walked into his final match with Gunther as the IC Champion. A fun match overall, capped off by Liv Morgan’s big return, and Dom stealing the championship away from Cena.

The women delivered the best War Games match. I’m kind of burnt out on Iyo’s annual trash can spot, but there’s no denying it still looks cool, and the live crowds want to see her jump off the top of the cage. The women’s match had a better flow to it, AJ got the best of Becky again, and I got good laugh out of AJ needing help from Rhea to pass the garbage can to Iyo. 

The men’s War Games match? Yes, the match was loaded with star power. Legitimate main event wrestlers, Wrestlemania main eventers, former world champions, and guys, who were apart of WWE’s biggest feuds for years. But this match never kicked into the high gears that I was hoping for. A lot of big names in the cage, but the match just didn’t live up to the hype.

I kind of wish WWE would move past War Games matches being a staple for Survivor Series. On the flip side of that, I guess going back to the Raw VS Smackdown matches would be the alternative. I could never get into the brand supremacy stuff, because it’s just too silly. I have a hard time buying into Raw wrestlers hating Smackdown wrestlers or vice versa. Everyone on both teams works for WWE, when it’s all said and done, so it’s hard to flip the suspension of disbelief switch. 

Show Highlights-

-Liv Morgan returns

-Dominik Mysterio wins the Intercontinental Championship

-Team Rhea wins Women’s War Games match

-Mysterious masked man attacks CM Punk, Bron Breakker scores pinfall victory over Punk to pick up the win for his team

Overall Rating- 6/10

Wrestling Ratings- WWE Crown Jewel: Perth (2025)

 

Location- Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Venue- RAC Arena

Commentators- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett

Australian Street Fight- Roman Reigns VS Bronson Reed/With Paul Heyman

Winner- Bronson Reed

Rating- 6/10

WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship- Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Champion) VS Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women’s Champion)

Winner & 2025 Women’s Crown Jewel Champion- Stephanie Vaquer

Rating- 6/10

John Cena VS AJ Styles

Winner- John Cena

Rating- 9/10

Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky VS Asuka & Kairi Sane 

Winners- Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky

Rating- 7/10

WWE Crown Jewel Championship- Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Champion) VS Cody Rhodes (WWE Undisputed Champion)

Winner & 2025 Men’s Crown Jewel Champion- Seth Rollins

Rating- 9/10

Overall Thoughts- Reed defeats Reigns! Okay, he had a lot of help from Bron Breakker and a spear from Jey Uso, but scoring a pinfall victory over The OTC is still a big deal. Reed needed this. Losing two singles matches to Roman would’ve completely killed his momentum, so Bronson going over was the right call, even if they took the predictable route with interference and shenanigans to help preserve Reigns’ status. The match itself was an enjoyable street fight. Nothing special, but a handful of fun spots, and I did get a good laugh out of Reigns throwing rugby balls at Paul Heyman. 

The ongoing Bloodline drama after the match? Eh, I’m kind of burnt out on The Bloodline stuff. I get it. Reigns is upset, because he wanted to prove he could beat Reed without any help. He wants to put an end to the belief that he needs his cousins to get things done. Reigns telling Jey and Jimmy that he doesn’t want to see them until Christmas tells me they’re clearly taking this storyline into 2026. Jey is also more aggressive this time around, and he’s still bitter about losing the WHC to Gunther. Maybe they’re building towards a triple threat between Roman, Jey, and Jimmy at Wrestlemania?

Stephanie Vaquer winning the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship was a foregone conclusion. WWE is all in on Vaquer, pushing her as the next big superstar in the women’s division. Tiffany, and the fact that she’s the WWE Women’s Champion, was kind of an afterthought at times, but overall, it was still a solid match. 

Cena VS Styles was amazing. Two legends, slugging it out in a big match, easily lived up to the hype, a wildly entertaining and fun spectacle. Cena breaking out numerous finishers from his opponents over the years works for a handful of surprising moments, while he simultaneously pays tribute to his former rivals, or almost everyone he’s ever been in the ring with. Cena using Sister Abigail to pay homage to Bray Wyatt? The crowd coming together with the fireflies, while singing He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands was just fantastic. One of the big highlights during the match, and Cena was a little bit choked up, when he sat up and looked at the sea of lights 

This is what it’s all about. Cena and Styles threw everything they had at each other, while Cena completely emptied his bag, while borrowing key maneuvers from other wrestler’s bags, because he knows this is it. No reason to hold back now on his final run, so he might as well throw all of his cards on the table. 

AJ Styles’ throwback TNA gear added some nostalgia to the match, and Alicia Taylor’s special introduction for AJ (prepared by Cena) was a cool moment. I wouldn’t have known this, if AJ didn’t post it on X/Twitter, but his gear in this match is the same gear he wore in a WWE VS TNA cover on an old issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, an issue where he shared the cover with Cena. Phenomenal stuff!

They gave Rhea, Iyo, and The Kabuki Warriors a lot of time. It’s not a surprise, because Rhea is the big hometown hero, so it was well deserved. The setup for milking the hot tag from Iyo to Rhea really worked. Rhea got the big pop, and kudos to Asuka and Kairi for using well-placed sneaky heel work and tactics. 

As a fan, I want to see Rhea back in the world title picture, but I’m guessing they’re saving Rhea VS Stephanie Vaquer for Wrestlemania, because that’s a big match. But until that happens, Ripley and Iyo need something meaningful to do, because they’re two big stars.

Rollins and Cody delivered a stellar main event. Two top guys struggling to get the best of each other in a match that featured a lot of good back and forth action. In the end, Rollins, desperate to prove he could finally beat Cody without any help, used the Rolex gifted to him by Rhodes to help him win the match. Great storytelling, with the Rolex working as a personal weapon with sentimental value attached to it, the same Rolex Cody gave Seth as a thank you for helping him defeat Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania. Seth did something far worse than backstabbing with the Rolex, he basically looked Cody in the eyes before plunging the knife deep into his heart. 

Seth Rollins is one of my favorite heel characters in pro wrestling. I believe everything he says, because when Rollins isn’t dancing or cackling, he’s deadly serious. You can believe he genuinely hates CM Punk and Roman Reigns, that he would do anything to ruin their plans and aspirations. 

Seth has all the tools and the accolades to be considered a top guy, but his character is still a deeply insecure man. He’s constantly bitter about having to be the number two guy behind the likes of Punk, Reigns, and Rhodes, because Rollins is the ultimate company man. It’s believable that Seth is not only willing to bleed for WWE, but he’ll die waving the company flag, if that’s what it comes down to just to prove his loyalty. 

Crown Jewel: Perth was a big upgrade over Wrestlepalooza. The big matches delivered, and Seth exorcised some of his demons with a win over Cody. It’s a bummer Rollins apparently hurt his shoulder on the Coast To Coast headbutt, but it’ll be interesting to see where things go with Seth, when he returns. A lot of different routes for Rollins’ future, including feuds with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Hopefully, Rollins returns as a heel. Reed, Breakker, and Heyman turning on Seth perfectly sets the stage for a triumphant return as a babyface, but Rollins is just too damn good at a playing a bad guy.

Show Highlights- 

-Bronson Reed defeats Roman Reigns, Bloodline family drama continues

-Stephanie Vaquer wins 2025 Women’s Crown Jewel Championship 

-John Cena defeats AJ Styles

-Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky pick up the victory over The Kabuki Warriors

-Seth Rollins wins 2025 Men’s Crown Jewel Championship

Overall Show Rating- 8/10

Wrestling Ratings- WWE Wrestlepalooza (2025)

Location- Indianapolis, Indiana

Venue- Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Commentators- Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, & Wade Barrett

John Cena VS Brock Lesnar

Winner- Brock Lesnar

Rating- 3/10

The Vision (Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker) VS The Usos- Special Guest Referee- LA Knight

Winners- The Vision

Rating- 5/10

Vacant Women’s World Championship- Iyo Sky VS Stephanie Vaquer

Winner & New Women’s World Champion- Stephanie Vaquer

Rating- 9/10

CM Punk & AJ Lee VS Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch

Winners- CM Punk & AJ Lee

Rating- 8/10

Undisputed WWE Championship- Cody Rhodes (Champion) VS Drew McIntyre

Winner- Cody Rhodes

Rating- 5/10

Overall Thoughts- We’re in the final stages of Cena’s retirement run….and they open the show with a glorified squash match? I just don’t understand it. They pushed Cena VS Lesnar as the marquee matchup, and this is what they decided to do? But I should’ve known something wasn’t right, when they decided to start off the show with this one.

Cena’s farewell tour was finally going in the right direction, after they abandoned that weird heel turn that just wasn’t working out at all. They were aiming for a callback to the Summerslam 2014 (Michael Cole mentioned it on commentary) match. I get that, but the big difference is, when Brock Lesnar demolished Cena in that match, it was genuinely shocking to see John Cena suffer through a decisive beating. He was manhandled, but this was just disappointing. 

It’s to the point, where you can count Cena’s remaining dates on one hand now. Lesnar has more than enough accolades under his belt at this point, and he’s Brock Freaking Lesnar! I just don’t see the need, or a sense of urgency to make him look invincible, so they can build up momentum for whatever WWE is planning to do with Brock going forward. 

A lot of questions for Paul Heyman introducing Lesnar. Was this just a one-off thing for The Beast and his advocate? Or, is Heyman working on another favor with Lesnar? Survivor Series is coming up, so maybe there’s a chance Lesnar fills the role of a mercenary for The Vision somewhere down the line, as Heyman’s secret weapon.

The tag match between The Vision and The Usos was starting to heat up, but Jey’s freak accident with the chair undoubtedly derailed the final stages of the match. LA Knight stayed true to his character as the special guest ref. Using Knight as the ref was probably the best option to go with. He’s still involved in the storyline, and Knight refusing to raise Reed’s hand was a nice touch.

AJ Lee is back! There’s no denying the match was put together and structured in a way that would benefit Lee, but I still had a blast with this one. No real signs of ring rust on AJ, the entire match was a lot of fun, and the comedy spots were hilarious. Also, Becky Lynch deserves a lot of credit for the build leading up to the match. She was fantastic, playing the annoying and pushy jerk, and the promos with Punk were pretty good. 

Iyo Sky VS Stephanie Vaquer easily takes the top spot for the best match. Sky has a seemingly endless gas tank, and she did a great job of selling the knee injury. A strong match with lots of action, while Sky and Vaquer struggled to get the upper hand on each other, complete with the right winner. Vaquer needed this more than Iyo. Stephanie’s triumphant crowning moment on the main roster was incredible, and Iyo was the right opponent. 

Drew lost again! Cody VS Drew wasn’t bad, but for a world title main event, the match severely lacked any kind of drama or believable tense moments. I never believed Cody was in any real danger of losing the title, and what’s next for Drew? Sure, McIntyre is someone, who will always have the credibility to work main event feuds as a heel, but he lost another big match here. You have to believe Drew is starting at the bottom of the ladder again, and it’ll probably be a long time before he gets anywhere near the top.

Was Wrestlepalooza a bad PLE? No, but with all the hoopla behind WWE’s big debut on ESPN, it’s safe to say Wrestlepalooza didn’t live up to the hype. Triple H’s introduction, a really good opening video package (with LOTS of pyro), and Pat McAffe joined commentary for a while. WWE obviously wanted Wrestlepalooza to be a big deal, but it’s a painfully average show. 

Wrestlepalooza would’ve been a forgettable PLE without the mixed tag and Iyo VS Stephanie. The rest of the card? I just couldn’t shake the feeling that certain matches could’ve happened on Raw or Smackdown. Crown Jewel: Perth is right around the corner. Hopefully Australia is an upgrade over this, because Wrestlepalooza was mostly a big disappointment.

Show Highlights-

-AJ Lee returns to the ring, submits Becky Lynch for the win

-The Undertaker announces Stephanie McMahon is the first inductee for 2026 WWE Hall Of Fame

-Stephanie Vaquer wins Women’s World Championship

-Cody Rhodes retains against Drew McIntyre

Rating- 5/10