Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV took place on May 23, 2026, in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV – Jade Makes a Statement, Penta Delivers Again
Saturday Night’s Main Event returned with a card that, candidly I wasn’t all that excited about. I’ve never been a huge fan of tag team wrestling and to see a five match card with THREE tag matches on it was less than enticing.
While the show lacked the must-see feel of a Premium Live Event (as most of these Saturday Night’s Main Events do), it accomplished exactly what they’re supposed to accomplish: advance ongoing feuds, spotlight rising stars, and try to keep fans invested heading into WWE’s next major event.
The biggest takeaway from the night wasn’t a title change or a shocking return. Instead, it was the continued rise of several performers WWE clearly sees as major pieces of the company’s future… whether I agree with them or not 😉
A Note About PPV Dates | All photos courtesy WWE.com
Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab Defeated Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss
The show opened with Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab taking on Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss in a six-woman tag match.
On paper, the star power heavily favored Ripley’s team. Between Ripley, Flair, and Bliss, WWE had multiple world champions standing on one side of the ring.
But this match wasn’t really about them.
Unfortunately… This match was about Jade.
Since arriving in WWE, Cargill has been presented as a future cornerstone of the women’s division. Saturday Night’s Main Event provided perhaps the strongest example yet of how highly WWE views her. I won’t bury the lead here… I’m not a fan of Jade Cargill. I think she’s completely overhyped and I hate that they continue to push her. But that’s exactly what we’re getting.
The finish saw Jade pin Rhea Ripley clean. Ugh.
Ripley has been one of the most protected stars in the company for years, and having Jade score the deciding fall over her sends a very clear message. WWE isn’t just building Jade as a contender. They’re building her as a future face of the division. At least for me, that’s a massive mistake.
Sol Ruca Defeated Becky Lynch
This one was sort of a mess even before we got to the event. There was a question of whether it was or wasn’t a title match. Ultimately, it was a NON-title match. Whatever.
To be fair, the match was shaping up nicely before the ending.
Ruca continues to impress every time she’s given a larger stage. Her athleticism remains unmatched (even with quite a few botches here and there), and she’s quickly becoming one of the easiest wrestlers on the roster to root for.
Just when things started to get interesting, however, WWE opted for a disqualification finish.
Lynch pulled referee Jessika Carr into the path of the Sol Snatcher, causing the match to end before a decisive conclusion could be reached.
Technically, Sol Ruca earned the victory. In reality, nobody won.
The post-match attack from Lynch made it obvious the rivalry isn’t over, but that doesn’t make the finish any less frustrating.
Sometimes extending a story is necessary. This felt like one of those times where a cleaner ending would have benefited everyone involved.
I can only imagine we’re headed toward a Becky Lynch vs. Jessika Carr match – perhaps at SummerSlam? I’m not sure what I think about that. Time will tell.
Penta Defeated Ethan Page To Retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Penta and Ethan Page Steal the Show
Defending the Intercontinental Championship against Ethan Page, Penta once again showed why he’s become one of the most entertaining performers on the roster. I’ll be honest here… I’ve not been a huge Penta guy but I’m starting to come around.
Page deserves a tremendous amount of credit here as well.
This was arguably the biggest singles opportunity of his WWE career, and he looked completely comfortable in the spotlight. Rather than feeling like a challenger who was filling a spot on the card, Page looked like someone who genuinely belonged in the championship conversation.
The chemistry between the two was excellent from the opening bell.
Page pushed Penta further than I would have expected, creating several believable near-falls that had the crowd invested throughout the match.
Ultimately, Penta retained the championship, but the real story is that both men came away looking stronger.
Penta continues to build one of the better Intercontinental Championship reigns in recent memory, while Ethan Page proved he’s ready for bigger opportunities moving forward.
This was the match of the night and it wasn’t particularly close.
Paige and Brie Bella Defeated The Irresistible Forces (Lash Legend and Nia Jax) To Retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Paige and Brie Bella successfully defended the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against Nia Jax and Lash Legend.
This wasn’t a bad match by any means, but it felt like a filler match on a show with only five matches… that’s not good.
Lash Legend continues to develop nicely on the main roster and had several impressive moments throughout the contest. Nia Jax also played her role well as the powerhouse of the team.
Still, the outcome never felt particularly in doubt.
Paige and Brie retained as expected, continuing a championship run that WWE clearly wants fans to take seriously. We’re all just sort of waiting till Nikki Bella comes back from her injury and throws a wrench into this tag team… right?
The Vision (Logan Paul and Austin Theory) Defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) To Retain the World Tag Team Championship
The main event featured Logan Paul and Austin Theory defending the World Tag Team Championships against The Street Profits.
This wasn’t just about the tag titles.
It was about establishing The Vision as one of WWE’s most dominant factions… which is a difficult task seeing at the Vision is clearly NOT a dominant faction due to injuries and sub-par booking.
The Street Profits delivered exactly what fans have come to expect. Montez Ford remains one of the most explosive performers in wrestling, while Angelo Dawkins continues to be one of WWE’s most underrated talents.
The Vision retained following a chaotic finish that featured the kind of interference and underhanded tactics that have become synonymous with the faction. It’s a big bag of ‘meh’ for me.
Bron Breakker’s involvement after the match only reinforced WWE’s larger goal.
The company wants fans to view The Vision as a legitimate force across multiple divisions, and by the time the show went off the air, that’s exactly how they looked.
Love them or hate them, the group feels important. I guess.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV Final Thoughts
Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV won’t be remembered as one of the strongest WWE specials of the year, but it accomplished what it set out to do.
Jade Cargill picked up arguably the biggest victory of her WWE career (which is hilarious cause she’s a former world champion). Sol Ruca continued to gain momentum despite a frustrating finish. Penta delivered another standout championship defense. The Vision strengthened its grip on WWE’s tag team division.
Most importantly, the show helped elevate several performers who feel poised for bigger roles in the months ahead.
Not every event needs shocking surprises or title changes to be successful.
Sometimes moving the pieces into place is enough. That’s what Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV accomplished.
