WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event results, winners, grades: Cody Rhodes retains title after controversial win

When Saturday Night’s Main Event returned on Saturday night, WWE went back to its roots. The revival of the iconic program, which had not been broadcast since 2008, was held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the same location as the original Saturday Night’s Main Event. In the two-hour broadcast, there was a lot of action with four championship matches and a rematch between Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn.

Cody Rhodes defeated Kevin Owens in the main event of the evening to maintain the undisputed WWE title, but it wasn’t without controversy. Rhodes used a steel chair to win the match, but Owens introduced the foreign object. If the referee hadn’t been incapacitated, Owens would have looked to have won the match.

Chelsea Green defeated Michin in the tournament finals to become the first champion of the women’s United States championship, the only title to change hands.

Liv Morgan held the women’s world title after overcoming a fierce challenge from Iyo Sky, and Gunther maintained the heavyweight title by defeating Finn Balor and Damian Priest in triple threat action.

A memorable main event guest commentary spot from the legendary Jesse “The Body” Ventura was part of the packed two-hour event.

Watch the live blog below for updates and highlights from CBS Sports, which was with you the entire time.

The main event results and grades for the 2024 WWE Saturday Night.

McIntyre, Drew vs. With a hot start that included a springboard moonsault onto McIntyre outside the ring, Sami Zayn took the fight to McIntyre right away. In order to change the situation, McIntyre used a springboard to catch Zayn as he fell off the top rope. McIntyre was able to throw Zayn onto the commentary desk as a result. Following a commercial break, McIntyre had complete control of the bout until Zayn managed to counter a few moves and get out of the way, sending McIntyre shoulder-first into the ring. After returning, McIntyre consumed a sunset flip bomb from the middle rope. Zayn nearly fell after using a boot to counter a Claymore and then the blue thunder powerbomb. To win, McIntyre dodged out of the ring to avoid a Helluva Kick and then returned to the ring to land a Claymore. Featuring both men and concluding with the right storyline winner, this was a good start to the show. Drew McIntyre defeated. Sami Zayn through Pinfall. B is the grade.

World Championship for Women — Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky: Sky attempted to outrun Morgan too soon but was stopped by a dropkick. Sky immediately returned with her own dropkick. To send the show into commercial, Sky would perform a springboard moonsault outside. Despite Morgan’s counterattacks, Sky maintained her momentum and managed to get off the top rope in an attempt to springboard, which allowed Morgan to regain the lead. Morgan got her feet up to counter Sky’s attempt to go up top for a moonsault after she managed to return with a knee to the face. Morgan was able to hit Oblivion to score the pinfall because of that. Rhea Ripley emerged from the doorway and confronted Morgan for a standoff as he was leaving. With a few small blunders, things became awkward in the closing minutes, but the goal was to get Ripley to show up following the game. Def. Liv Morgan. Pinfall was used by Iyo Sky to keep the title. Rating: B-.

Gunther (c), World Heavyweight Champion, vs. Balor Finn versus… Damian Priest: There was a lot of fast-paced jockeying among the three men to gain an early advantage. Following a commercial break, Gunther took over the match and promptly put Priest in a Boston crab. After Balor attempted to chop Gunther, the champion became enraged and Priest was able to hit a double clothesline before delivering several of his own and knocking Balor out with a barrage of blows. Balor struck Priest and Gunther with slingblades as the action continued to alternate between the three men. In order to lock in a sleeper, Priest threw Balor over the top rope. Prior to Balor cutting him off, Priest struggled and hit South of Heaven. He then went up top for Coup de Grace and hit a shotgun drop kick, but Gunther crotched him on the top rope. The next person to use a razor to cut something off of Gunther was Priest. Priest broke the pin when he struck Gunther with a coup de grace. After Priest struck Balor with South of Heaven, Gunther broke the pin, pulling Priest outside and pelting the ring steps with a powerbomb. Returning to the ring, Gunther used a powerbomb on Balor to win the pin and keep the title. The time restrictions made the match a little rushed, as they always do, but the three created enough mayhem to make for a fun three-way race. Def. Gunther. To keep the title, Finn Balor defeated Damian Priest via pinfall. B is the grade.

Chelsea Green vs. Unclaimed Women’s United States Championship. Michin: Before a Green counter sent Michin out of the ring, the two women engaged in some early chain wrestling. Michin ultimately secured a tarantula in a modified form. Piper Niven, who was at ringside to support Green, was able to slam Michin because the referee was sufficiently distracted to break the hold. Following a commercial break, the two engaged in back-and-forth counters, with Green coming close to winning the bout following a rough rider. Before Michin dove onto both women and used Eat Defeat to take out Niven, Green missed a suicide dive and collided with Niven. Green managed to break the pin by getting a foot on the rope after Michin hit him with Eat Defeat. To divert attention, Niven climbed onto the ring apron. Green then flipped into the Unprettier from the middle rope, winning the pin and becoming the first-ever women’s United States champion. A good fight, but not as good as Morgan vs. Earlier in the show, Sky, but WWE gave the right winner. Chelsea Green lost. The title was won by Michin via pinfall. B-.