3 Mistakes WWE Made in Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII


The topic of WWE Saturday Night’s main event was John Cena’s final match and the future of the company. Cena ultimately tapped Gunther, going against his career mantra of never giving up.

Cody Rhodes i OBA FIMI faced off in a showdown of the current incumbents, but couldn’t find out who was the top man thanks to Drew McIntyre. Sol Ruca defeated Bayley, but Bayley is one of the most selfless performers in history.

Joe Henry made a surprise appearance to calm the Miz down, while AJ Styles and Dragon Lee held off the duo of Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater.

In an emotional night featuring the past, present and future, WWE made the following three mistakes at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII.

#3. A champion eats the pin to protect the future

Leon Slater is the TNA X Division Champion. He has appeared all year on NXT, most notably with Je’Von Evans. The duo challenged for the NXT Tag Team titles, and both were in the final Iron Survivor Challenge match.

World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee shouldn’t have lost to the youngsters in the main event on Saturday night. Luckily, no, but it was Slater, a champion, who ate the pin.

The Young OG defeated the Miz the previous night SmackDown. The partnership has helped NXT a lot, though it hardly makes the TNA champions look believable.

Evans could have easily been pinned to at least preserve Slater’s status as champion. Since he is clearly more important to the bookies, they sacrificed a starter to protect him.

#2. Blurring reality and love in WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

The only Saturday Night’s Main Event contest that pushed an ongoing storyline was Rhodes vs. Femi. McIntyre interfered, but both men hit his tail.

With the litany of praise for Cena throughout the night from stars past and present, WWE should have opted to stick with clichés and not pick a match to favor a current angle.

McIntyre even thanked Cena at one point, blurring the line between real and premeditated. If he hadn’t thanked champion 17, the interference would have been fine.

#1. Drew McIntyre can’t win

Drew McIntyre is supposed to be one of WWE’s top dangerous heels, but his booking with Cody Rhodes paints him the opposite way. He looked strong during the build-up to WarGames, but has fallen to Rhodes’ knees again.

He was not allowed to show up on SmackDown last week and refused to show up this week That didn’t sit well with The American Nightmare last night. The issue clearly telegraphed The Scottish Warrior crashing Saturday night’s main event.

McIntyre blindsided Rhodes during his match with Oba Femi, prompting a disqualification finish. His lead was short-lived as both Femi and Rhodes sent him packing from the ring after getting into shots.

It’s disheartening to see such a talented performer treated like this, especially since he has some truth behind his words.