HIGHLIGHTS
- The No. 1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Royal Rumble has been determined.
- A WrestleMania rematch delivered one of the best matches of the night.
- A chaotic brawl ended without a winner and set up a potential three-way rivalry.
Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal delivered three strong matches and a fight, but not a lot from a storyline advancement standpoint. We know who Drew McIntyre will face for his WWE title at Royal Rumble and a few more details.
What Were the Results From SNME Montreal?
Here’s a look at the results from the four matches.
- Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu – No Contest The match never officially settled. Rhodes and Fatu brawled all over the Bell Centre and into the concourse, laying out security along the way. Drew McIntyre ultimately wiped them both out with a low blow and powerbombs through production tables, leading officials to rule a no contest.
- RhIYO def. The Judgment Day (Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY retain after late interference and a wild closing stretch. Raquel Rodriguez and a returning Stephanie Vaquer factored into the chaos before RhIYO escaped with the belts. This was an excellent tag match and it was good to see Vawuer back and healthy.
- AJ Styles def. Shinsuke Nakamura Styles countered a Kinshasa into the Styles Clash for the three-count. The WrestleMania rematch was framed around AJ needing momentum before his “career vs. title” match with GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble. A stellar worked match between
- Sami Zayn def. Randy Orton, Trick Williams & Damian Priest – Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender’s Match Zayn survived Orton’s RKOs and Trick’s ref-yank, then blasted Priest with a second Helluva Kick to score the pin and become No. 1 contender to Drew McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.
What Was the Match of the Night?
I’d have to look at the Styles-Nakamura match for me.
It played out like a “love letter” to their rivalry with sharp counters, big near-falls and a hot Montreal crowd treating it like a farewell tour stop for AJ.
If you want the emotional pick, the Fatal 4-Way is right there. Zayn winning in Montreal after eating an RKO and a Razor’s Edge, then snatching the pin on Priest with a Helluva Kick, gave you the biggest pop and the clearest storyline payoff of the night. But from a pure wrestling standpoint, Styles-Nakamura.
What Did We Learn About the Royal Rumble?
We didn’t get more entrants confirmed, but most of all, McIntyre got his opponent.
Drew vs. Sami is locked in with layers. Zayn now challenges McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship in Riyadh, giving the Rumble card a sentimental babyface title shot.
Cody, Fatu and Drew are now a triangle. The Rhodes-Fatu no contest, capped by McIntyre laying out both men, keeps Cody out of the title match but tightly orbiting Drew and Fatu. Expect interference in the title bout, chaos in the Rumble match, or a future three-way.
AJ’s clock is ticking louder. Beating Nakamura lets Styles walk into his “retire if you lose” match with momentum, which actually makes a potential loss to GUNTHER hurt more.
RhIYO remain the team to beat. Keeping the belts tells you WWE wants Ripley and SKY holding gold into Mania season, with Liv, Roxanne, Raquel, and Stephanie Vaquer all now in the mix.
I must admit; I wanted more from SNME Montreal. That said, Fatu-Rhodes was entertaining, but Styles-Nakamura was fittingly a classic. We’re on to Rumble week.