Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII (2024): WWE Brings Back the Past Without Getting Stuck There

Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn open by skipping the ceremonial feeling entirely. Sami attacks immediately, flies to the floor and makes it clear that Drew's recent assault has turned the match personal. Drew responds by catching him and throwing him across the announce table, which is a useful summary of their chemistry: Sami creates movement and Drew changes the direction of it by force.

The commercial break arrives too early, but the match recovers quickly. Drew's spinebuster and sit-out powerbomb create believable nearfalls, Sami answers with the sunset-flip powerbomb and Blue Thunder Bomb, and the crowd begins treating ten minutes like a much longer fight. Neither wrestler needs excessive setup because their television history already gives every escalation context.

The finish is particularly good. Drew leaves the ring to avoid the Helluva Kick, Sami follows too aggressively, and Drew uses the extra space to return first and hit the Claymore. It is not merely a finisher appearing at the correct timestamp; Drew wins because he manipulates Sami's anger.

B+ / 8.1 reflects a very good television match that feels complete despite its length. TJR gives it 3.5 stars, and the reported Observer rating is also 3.5. The match does not need another eight minutes. It needs exactly the ten it gets and fewer commercials.

Liv Morgan and IYO SKY work a match built around Sky being the faster and more adventurous wrestler while Liv remains the champion who can survive the burst. Sky owns much of the early offense, including the springboard moonsault to the floor, missile dropkick, German suplexes and corner knees. Liv spends long stretches reacting, but that is useful against an opponent whose credibility depends on appearing dangerous.

The match becomes sloppier around the top rope, where Sky slips during one sequence and both wrestlers have to improvise. They recover well enough that the mistake never becomes the story. Sky later catches Liv in the Crossface, lands another knee and goes for Over the Moonsault, only for Liv to raise the boots and immediately convert the opening into Oblivion.

B / 7.6 reflects good wrestling that feels slightly compressed. TJR lands at three stars, while Cagematch lists a 3.5-star Observer rating for the match. WrestleFile splits the difference because the offense is strong and the finish is clean, but the bout never reaches the sustained rhythm of the top three matches.

The post-match Rhea Ripley stare gives the title picture its real direction. Iyo receives a credible challenge without being positioned as the next chapter, while Liv escapes with the championship and immediately faces the woman whose story still defines her reign.

Gunther, Damian Priest and Finn Bálor produce the cleanest pure wrestling on the card because the triple-threat format gives them permission to skip introductions. Balor immediately searches for opportunistic pins, Priest uses his size to control space and Gunther attacks whichever man is available with the kind of strikes that make temporary alliances seem sensible. The match moves because nobody can remain dominant for long.

The closing stretch is excellent. Priest hits South of Heaven on Gunther, Balor breaks the rhythm and lands Coup de Grace, Priest stops the pin, and every major move creates another opening rather than a reset. Gunther eventually removes Priest by powerbombing him onto the steel steps and returns to finish Balor with the dropkick and powerbomb.

A- / 8.5 gives the match credit for maximizing eleven minutes. The reported Observer rating is four stars, while TJR gives it 3.5 and calls it a great match. The difference between those assessments is mostly about length and interruptions rather than whether the closing sequence works.

The result also restores Gunther's certainty. The story entering the match includes questions about his confidence after recent setbacks, and the champion answers by physically removing the larger challenger before pinning Balor himself. No interference, no accidental steal and no argument about who the champion beat.

Chelsea Green and Michin have the hardest assignment on the card because the historical result matters more than the matchup. Everyone knows somebody is becoming the first Women's United States Champion, and Green's popularity makes the likely winner obvious before the bell. The match therefore has to create just enough uncertainty to make the ceremony feel earned.

Piper Niven supplies the expected interference without completely overwhelming the action. Michin survives long enough to hit Eat Defeat and gets the strongest nearfall when Green reaches the bottom rope. Niven is then knocked down, Green escapes another attempt and hits Unpretty-Her from the top-rope setup for the cleanest possible ending available after the earlier outside involvement.

B- / 7.1 reflects a solid tournament final rather than a great match. TJR gives it 2.75 stars, the reported Observer rating is three stars, and other reviews generally praise the result more than the wrestling. That is fair. The important thing happens after the three count.

Green's celebration immediately gives the new championship personality. She has the character to act as though the belt has existed for fifty years and she has personally saved it from obscurity. WWE chooses the right first champion even if the first championship match is merely good.

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens receive twelve minutes on television and spend almost all of them making the audience want the next match. Owens targets Cody's injured ankle from the opening exchanges, mocks Randy Orton while using the announce table and repeatedly treats Cody's friendships as evidence against him. The wrestling is strong because the feud has already established the motive.

Cody's offense is equally referential. He uses Dusty Rhodes punches, hits an RKO on the commentary table and carries the Winged Eagle title to the ring, turning the match into a tour through the people and symbols Owens believes Cody values more than him. The nostalgia never becomes random because Owens' grievance is fundamentally about Cody's loyalties.

The double-referee sequence is busy but useful. Owens hits the Stunner with Charles Robinson down and gets the visual pin, giving him a grievance that survives the loss. The replacement referee is then accidentally knocked down, Owens brings in a chair, Cody avoids it and hits Cross Rhodes onto the chair before Robinson recovers to count three. Cody wins, but Owens leaves with enough evidence to insist the championship was stolen from him.

A- / 8.6 makes this WrestleFile's Match of the Night by the smallest margin over the triple threat. TJR gives it 3.75 stars, the reported Observer rating is four and multiple 411 reviews also identify it as the best or among the best matches on the show. The post-show Package Piledriver elevates the entire segment because Owens stops arguing and starts escalating.

That final attack is essential to the grade's context even though it is not part of the match score itself. Owens drops Cody, takes the Winged Eagle belt and turns a successful title defense into an unresolved crime scene. The television special ends, but the feud becomes hotter after the cameras are supposedly done.