WWE SNME – 5/23/2026: 3 Things We Hated And three We Loved

The forty fourth edition of “Saturday Night’s Principal Event” took place in Fort Wayne, IN, and was loaded with title matches and in-ring motion. I’d inform you more, but that is been handled on the WWE SNME 5/23/2026 results page.

Now, it is time for the Wrestling Inc. Staff to inform you all the pieces they hated, and all the pieces they loved, from Saturday’s big show. There was plenty to like, just like the six-woman tag team showcase that kicked off the event, and there was plenty to hate, just like the frustrating end to Sol Ruca’s match with Becky Lynch. As at all times, you’ll be able to proceed the conversation within the comments section.

Enough of my pontificating, let’s get into that sweet, sweet opinion content.

I don’t normally write these type of “Hated” slides, but considering his prominence within the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and his recently announced merchandise cope with the NY Knicks, I really, truthfully expected to see some Danhausen tonight, and was let down that there was none-hausen.

Possibly Danhausen was busy visiting the morgues and monasteries of Fort Wayne, IN, on the lookout for the needed body parts to make his latest creation. He is kind of simply probably the most entertaining thing WWE has going for it for the time being, and any show without Danhausen is lesser for it in my eyes.

I can accept that Seth Rollins wasn’t there to stop The Vision after the essential event. I can accept Becky Lynch’s underhanded DQ. I’m generally an agreeable guy, but the shortage of Danhausen tonight was glaring, and quite frankly, incorrect.

Written by Ross Berman

There, now I’ve bought myself not less than one other week of not being cursed.

Say what you’ll in regards to the current storyline between Rhea Ripley, Jade Cargill, Michin, B-Fab, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss, with there being plenty that could be said when it comes to how repetitive it’s change into. There is no denying that they placed on a banger of a Six-Woman Tag Team opening match, though.

This was perfect to set the tone for the remaining of this edition of Saturday Night’s Principal Event, making for a fun, action-packed, and well-paced match. I enjoyed that every one six women got quite a little bit of time to shine within the ring and show what they will do between the ropes. The gang was also very into this one, which at all times makes things that a lot better and fascinating to look at as a viewer at home.

I’m sure that many are going to have their thoughts in regards to the finish of this match, but I actually liked the best way that things played out. Ripley being pinned by Cargill was a very good call in my eyes, because it cemented her as a legitimate threat to Ripley’s Women’s Championship at WWE Clash In Italy next Sunday. I also liked the concept of her making the most of Ripley finally getting together with Flair while the 2 women celebrated with Bliss by blindsiding them from behind, fitting perfectly in step with her character, while still not doing an excessive amount of. I thoroughly liked all the pieces about this contest from bell to bell, and it was probably the highlight of this whole show for me.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

For whatever reason, I didn’t foresee Sol Ruca getting the victory tonight over Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch via disqualification. Possibly I must have seen it coming, but I used to be hopeful that Ruca would get a clean victory over “The Man” to go on to challenge her for the title. Thankfully, not less than, certainly one of those things is occurring following Saturday Night’s Principal Event, but the best way we got there type of sucked.

I’m extremely bored with referee Jessika Carr’s spots inside Lynch’s matches. It’s nothing against Carr, and I do know she’s a wrestler herself, but I highly doubt there’s any probability WWE lets her wrestle on the essential roster. On this match, Lynch moved Carr into the best way of Ruca’s Sol Snatcher, one other one that did not look too great in any respect, but possibly that is since the spot was just a little more complex than a traditional Sol Snatcher. Regardless of the way it looked, it earned Ruca a victory, as Carr disqualified Lynch.

It was revealed that Lynch and Ruca will now go one-on-one for the Women’s IC Championship at Clash in Italy next Sunday, and I while that, I can get on board with, if tonight’s match wasn’t a title match (and do not get me began on the times of confusion about that), why would not WWE just let Ruca have a clean win over Lynch? Lynch herself said it during her promo on “WWE Raw” on Monday, Ruca doesn’t exactly have much claim to a title shot, as she hadn’t, at that time, won any matches on the essential roster. Lynch must have thought she’d make easy work of the recent “NXT” call-up.

I actually think Ruca has a shot at winning the title, so I’m not exactly sure why Lynch needed to look strong here, as she beat down Ruca with the title and three Manhandle Slams after the match. I suppose I should not be complaining, since they’ve an official title match coming up in just a little over per week, but I just expected to see quite a bit more from them tonight.

Written by Daisy Ruth

When Paige was subbed into the WWE Women’s Tag Title picture for an injured Nikki Bella, I’d assumed that this may be a brief thing. Paige returns, makes the fans comfortable enough to forget that they paid to see each Bellas, and the titles return to Lash Legend and Nia Jax, or another team.

Which may still be the plan, but Paige and Brie Bella walked out of Fort Wayne, IN with their reign intact, and it was a nice surprise. Brie Bella has at all times been something of a second fiddle, first to Nikki, after which to her husband, Bryan Danielson, and it seems like, alongside Paige, she is getting a modicum of her own time within the highlight. Yes, it’s still shared, but not with the same old familial ties.

Paige, as well, has had a reasonably cursed profession. There have been injuries, there have been personal betrayals, and lots of other indignities she’s needed to suffer, and while she hasn’t at all times handled her issues with grace, there may be at all times something nice about another probability for her to exit on a very good note. I get sufficiently old to understand such things.

Written by Ross Berman

The Street Profits challenged the Vision’s Logan Paul and Austin Theory for the World Tag titles within the essential event, and it was a match that was just beginning to get good before finding probably the most TV finish within the worst way.

Much of the match actually worked rather well, delivering on fast-paced and high-flying offense. It was also really great to see the Profits doing what they do best again, with Montez Ford particularly standing out for his explosiveness and the sheer fluidity between spots. It felt as if the Profits were attributable to win the titles or leave all of it within the ring trying, and things really began to select up as they drew closer to ending things.

That is when Bron Breakker emerged and looked to spear Ford, just for him to leapfrog and for Angelo Dawkins to launch him over the announcer’s desk. They then returned to the ring, dropped Theory for what would have been a sure count. Paul Heyman put Theory’s foot on the rope, prompting Ford to chase him and get clocked with brass knuckles from Paul while the referee was apparently arguing with Dawkins for some reason. Dawkins then took out Paul with a dive as Theory pinned Ford, thus allowing the champions to retain.

The show itself only ended once Breakker had returned to spear each of them, joined by Paul and Theory within the ring for a pose that cut quite abruptly. And it was just much the identical ending to many shows featuring the Vision over the past 12 months. It’s hard to imagine that the identical referee who saw Breakker try and become involved, made a count that was interrupted, and watched Ford square as much as Heyman on the skin, decided that Dawkins entering the ring was going to be his biggest issue.

Dawkins also entered the ring anyway to deliver the senton to Paul on the skin, which also means he could have stopped Theory from making the pin or tagged himself in. Theory and Paul needed to win the match because that was the plan. That’s okay, even when not a choice this author would make. But the best way it’s consistently done slowly corrodes any notion that the show is price watching.

For a whole 12 months, and at any time when the wins matter most, the identical drained tropes come into play with no development. Nobody learns from these routine heel antics, whether that be officials or wrestlers themselves. It’s just frustrating that there will not be enough bravery in booking heels to win clean.

Theory and Paul is not going to feel like legitimate stars while they proceed to win exclusively with asterisks. And it makes the victims look silly in the method.

Written by Max Everett

Ethan Page may not have won the Intercontinental Championship from Penta tonight, but he looked unbelievable in defeat. That might just be me serious about today’s report about how well-liked he’s backstage for the way hard he works, and if that is the case, he proved the hard-working part, not less than within the Saturday Night’s Principal Event ring.

Page gave it all the pieces he had, and he looked to have the bout won at multiple points. He really heeled it up toward the top of the match, as well, when he used Penta’s mask to tug the champion right down to get him into position to hit the avalanche powerslam. I do not normally love mask spots like that, as they’re so overused in WWE anymore, but Page didn’t come close to totally unmasking him, and it just works so well for his character. The challenger was also dastardly in distracting the referee to tug off a near-victory. He took off one turnbuckle pad, then, while the ref’s back was turned, took off the opposing corner’s pad.

He just couldn’t quite get Penta, nevertheless, and despite dodging it earlier within the match, Page took a Mexican Destroyer for the loss after going into the turnbuckle he exposed. He put up one hell of a fight all throughout the match, nevertheless, and I believed it was top-of-the-line bouts of the night.

I do think Page wins the Intercontinental Championship sooner quite than later, especially if he’s so well-liked in WWE, and I hated that this match wasn’t the essential event, especially with Seth Rollins not showing as much as confront Bron Breakker. I did, nevertheless, love the match overall and the way strong it made Page look, even in defeat. He often had answers for Penta’s offense, which was impressive, and held on until his own heelish ways got the higher of him. I do know I’m someone who loves all of the recent “WWE NXT” call-ups (hey, it was a solid class), but I believe even when I wasn’t watching Page before, I’d still be curious to see just what he will do next.

Written by Daisy Ruth