WWE SNME preview and predictions: How will this weekend change the SummerSlam picture?

New York City will be the center of the sports universe this weekend, with Fanatics Fest and the World Cup Final taking place in and around the Big Apple. WWE is making its presence felt as well, bringing its latest edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to Madison Square Garden.

While SNME got its start in New York — at Nassau Coliseum in 1985 — the 45th installment of the quasi-PLE marks just the second time in history it is being held at the "World's Most Famous Arena."

With all of that in mind, the Uncrowned Horsemen are here to preview the event, answer key questions and of course, make predictions for the four-match card.

Let's ride!

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1. With Jalen Brunson set to join Roman Reigns at MSG, which current NBA player would have the most success as a full-time WWE star?

Robert Jackman: Whoa, hold your horses. Over here in London we're not so familiar with the ways of this so-called NBA, so I'm going to have to duck this one. Though as luck would have it, there is a more niche sports event currently happening in your country that I've been following, so maybe I could pick someone from that instead?

In that case, my pick has to be Erling Haaland, the Viking-esque center forward who became a viral sensation in this year's World Cup. At 6-foot-5, he not only looks the part but also has the calorie intake and raw milk consumption of a budding pro-wrestler. More importantly, his social media game and post-match interviews have proven he has the personality to make it in the WWE.

Of course, matching his current Manchester City paycheck might be an obstacle. Though maybe TKO could find a way to make the math work by charging $4,000 for WrestleMania seats or something similar.

Drake Riggs: I'm not an NBA guy. Like, in the slightest. I'm actually more familiar with the WNBA, so I'm going to swerve it in that direction. That counts, right?

Well, Sophie Cunningham is a pretty big deal right now. She's one of the better personalities in the league and isn't shy about putting herself out there, even cameoing as a UFC Octagon girl last weekend for the big Conor McGregor fight. She's already halfway there.

Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: Sophie Cunningham and America's favorite adopted son Erling Haaland are solid choices, even if they are outside the lines of the original prompt! As a stickler for rules, I will go with an NBA player and say Draymond Green. 

Green has shown a level of physicality and swagger that would be perfect to lead a faction in WWE. I can already see him going barb-for-barb with Paul Heyman in the build toward a WrestleMania match and he has a personality that feels like a throwback to to not just the '90s NBA, but WWE’s Attitude or Ruthless Aggression Eras as well.

Kel Dansby: Since the question is specifically "WWE Superstar," the answer has to be Tyrese Haliburton.

He's a natural heel. He embraces the boos, can think on his feet, and already knows how to work a crowd. That's half the battle in WWE. On top of that, he's athletic enough to pull off a technical wrestling style. Picture a taller Zack Sabre Jr. with NBA-level charisma. The transition feels surprisingly natural.

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2. Do you believe we're going to get Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk one-on-one at SummerSlam? Will Saturday's tag-team match result in Gunther and Sami Zayn getting added in? Should they?

Riggs: To answer the first part of the question, we kind of have to. WWE completely rushed this program, starting it with, "Hey, you want a title shot? OK." But now it's too big of a match to advertise and shift at the last minute.

Considering the ongoing mix-up with Zayn and Gunther, the timing certainly feels off, and we'll need a big hinge point somewhere along the way. I don't really understand how this can shake out other than doing a SummerSlam double-night twist. Maybe Gunther and/or Zayn get involved to ruin the match on Night 1, setting up a Fatal 4-Way on Night 2? That almost feels like the only way to get away with their inclusions — yet that would be also dumb, because then they'd be rewarded (again) for ruining a world title match, the exact same way Zayn got into the Rhodes-Gunther rematch at Night of Champions.

As for the "should they?" part of this question, they realistically shouldn't both be added. Zayn and Gunther both lost entirely fair and square in their recent title matches. Gunther has the least credible claim to any of this, and should also be flat-out suspended for assaulting his brand's general manager last Friday. This scene is all over the place, folks.

Dansby: I don't think we need any additions.

Gunther has unfinished business with Nick Aldis after putting his hands on the “SmackDown” General Manager, and that story deserves its own spotlight. As for Sami Zayn, it does leave him without a clear direction, but that's OK for now.

It's time for Cody Rhodes and CM Punk to headline one night of SummerSlam with nothing getting in the way. No triple threat. No Fatal 4-Way. Just two of WWE's biggest stars competing for the championship in a true main event.

Sulla-Heffinger: I do not think we're going to get a singles match at SummerSlam, mostly because if we do, it leaves Zayn directionless, and that feels off for a guy who just dropped the Undisputed WWE Championship. 

Gunther seems to be building toward a match against Nick Aldis, which is fine because “The Ring General” is in dire need of a reset. His match quality is still top-tier, but whatever momentum he had following the retirements of Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles has eroded after a long layoff and coming up short in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture to start the summer.

The angle we're going to see play out here is likely a power struggle between Rhodes and Punk, and ideally we'll see Zayn pin Punk to drive a wedge between “The American Nightmare” and “Second City Saint” while further legitimizing Zayn's inclusion in the match in Minnesota. Shoot, we might even see a heel turn teased by Rhodes during or after the match itself. 

Zayn needs to stay in the main-event picture or else we run the risk of seeing him left off the card entirely at SummerSlam.

Jackman: I'm going to predict they stick with Rhodes vs. Punk. We know Triple H has a fondness for these one-on-one marquee matches, having just given us Reigns vs. Punk at this year's WrestleMania. It's hard to put your finger on, but I think he likes the simplicity of the boxing-style head-to-head match posters, and the way they let the names do the talking.

To be honest, I'd rather see the multi-man option. After that excellent triple threat at Night of Champions, I found myself wondering about the last time we'd seen a Fatal 4-Way match for one of the world titles. By my calculations, it would have to be Seth Rollins defending against Jey Uso, CM Punk and LA Knight at Clash in Paris last year.

My guess is they stick to Rhodes and Punk for the title match, and then use this tag match to set up Sami Zayn vs. Gunther at SummerSlam. There were hints of that on "Raw" last week, before "The Ring General" took out Cody Rhodes, and I expect them to build on that. Most likely, Gunther beats Sami in Minneapolis to avenge that WrestleMania defeat from a few years ago, which then sends Zayn further into his heelish tailspin.

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3. Will Danhausen get the biggest (non-Brunson) pop from the MSG crowd? How would you use him this weekend?

Dansby: This feels like the perfect opportunity to remind people that Danhausen can actually wrestle.

The character is already over, but he's capable of being much more than just comic relief if WWE lets him show it. JD McDonagh is one of the best sellers on the roster, and he'd make Danhausen look like a million bucks.

Give them six or seven minutes to actually wrestle instead of turning it into another comedy segment. Fans will come away looking at Danhausen a little differently.

Sulla-Heffinger: I think so. As big as Punk and Rhodes are, Danhausen is basically a Knicks legend in his own right.

There's no doubt he's going to beat JD McDonagh on Saturday via cursed shenanigans and perhaps even a run-in from another Knicks player. (Josh Hart, anyone?)

Jackman: To quote the old Magic 8 Ball, all signs point to yes on this one. Based on what I saw at "Raw" in London last month, Danhausen is getting one of the biggest pops from the live crowd wherever he goes. Tee him up with a decent hype package about the whole Knicks thing (on which I confess my ignorance) and it should lift the roof off the world's most famous arena.

As for where Danhausen goes, I have no idea. The expectation is obviously that he beats JD McDonagh this weekend because — well, because it's JD McDonagh. I suspect Danhausen will stay feuding with Judgment Day for a while, and my hope is that WWE finds a way to do that without having the whole crew stuck doing comedy skits. Maybe Danhausen could play a role in the anticipated Dom Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano title match at Triplemania?

Riggs: Aside from Brunson, it's difficult to imagine Danhausen getting the biggest pop of the night. It will surely be big, of course. But Punk and Rhodes are on this card. With Danhausen, we'll get a typical, goofy comedy match. Since it's a No DQ match, it will likely be overbooked but will result in his victory via cursed shenanigans. That's the right call. JD barely wins anyway, and Danhausen will stay undefeated for as long as WWE can muster.

Now that I think about it, getting him a world title shot at some point could be brilliant. The whole curse thing would actually provide the slightest possibility that he could win, and in doing so, hopefully force a little creativity from WWE in booking how he'd lose.

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4. Fatal Influence has the numbers advantage over Brie Bella and Paige. Do you see a title change happening at SNME? Will Nikki Bella make a surprise return?

Sulla-Heffinger: We know Nikki will be in NYC this weekend because her and Brie are hosting a live episode of their podcast on Sunday at Fanatics Fest, so that would lend itself to a surprise return.

I do think we'll see Fatal Influence take the Women's Tag Team Championship on Saturday Night, which would be a great move for the recent NXT call-ups and the women’s tag division as a whole. A change — and possible Nikki return — would be a big step toward a trios match at SummerSlam.

Jackman: Yep, they're switching those belts. Fatal Influence has been a rare bright spot over on "SmackDown" and I think it would give Jacy Jayne even more momentum if her underlings were carrying some gold on their way to the ring. More prosaically, I also think WWE is keen to make up for the fact that we’ve had basically a year's worth of SNME shows without a single title change.

As for Brie Bella and Paige … I guess it's been fun while it lasted. They've been more active than I expected with title defenses, but they haven't done anything that even comes close to capitalizing on the reception Paige got back at WrestleMania. I'm not sure bringing Nikki Bella back into the fold is going to change much on that front.

To be honest, I'm pretty much soured on Nikki Bella after her poor runs against Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer last year. The fact that two of the best women wrestlers on the roster were essentially stuck having to babysit a part-timer didn't sit right with me.

Riggs: I would love it. Fatal Influence receiving their push on all fronts is the right move. Even though from a match perspective, the Paige-Bella run has been pretty solid, we can always freshen things up. There's been zero story work between the two other than battling off the stigma of being a nostalgia act.

With all that said, I still can't see the champs losing until Nikki is back. WWE wants the Bellas to be champs, and it will come at Paige's expense whenever possible. So, I expect Fatal Influence will have to wait until Nikki gets her reign for at least a month.

Dansby: Fatal Influence has the potential to become a really strong faction, but this feels like the perfect time to bring Nikki Bella back.

Set up a traditional six-woman tag match for SummerSlam featuring Paige and The Bella Twins against Fatal Influence. WWE loves sprinkling nostalgia throughout its biggest events, and this feels like a natural way to scratch that itch while also helping elevate a newer group.

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5. What is your excitement level for this SNME compared to previous editions and why do you feel differently, if at all?

Jackman: Mea culpa time. Last fall, I wrote a column suggesting that SNME might finally be about to turn a corner — what with the Cena retirement show and CM Punk winning the world title back in November. I'm now ready to admit that I was way too optimistic in my prediction and that it's probably time to pull the plug on the whole SNME experiment.

Ever since they came back at the end of 2024, the SNME shows have occupied this weird space between PLEs and weekly shows. But I'm now starting to fear that they're actually harming those other shows.

For a start, matches that could have taken place on "Raw" or "SmackDown" get sent to SNME instead, which makes the weekly shows feel weaker. As for the PLEs, they sort of suffer by comparison with SNME — albeit in a slightly counterintuitive way. The matches and feuds on the actual PLEs are way better, of course. But the fact that the SNME shows are so streamlined makes the PLEs feel flabby.

I really noticed this back in May, when you had an SNME the weekend before Clash in Italy. Both events have the same number of matches. But while SNME was able to get that done in just a smidgen over two hours, Clash in Italy had to run for almost a whole additional hour. That extra space just gets filled with commercials and recycled video packages, making the whole thing seem so much slower by comparison.

Riggs: The Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria match will steal the show this weekend. After Lyra's (justified) heel turn, that's the only match that grabs my attention.

Everything else is just fine. The men's tag match feels like too much "can they coexist" between both teams. It should still be a relatively interesting event, but the only significant elements whatsoever are surrounding that tag match.

Dansby: On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably at a 2.

I expect the show to move a few SummerSlam storylines forward, but I don't see anything truly memorable happening. Right now, Saturday Night's Main Event feels more like a televised house show than a must-watch premium live event.

That said, Danhausen and the New York Knicks presence should give the Madison Square Garden crowd plenty of reasons to stay engaged, even if the card itself doesn't feel particularly essential.

Sulla-Heffinger: Call me a homer, but I think the fact that this edition of SNME is at MSG does raise the anticipation and excitement. Also, when you look at the talent advertised, it's pretty impressive with Punk, Rhodes and Reigns all of the same card.

Predictions

• CM Punk and Cody Rhodes (Jackman) vs. Gunther and Sami Zayn (Dansby, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

• Women's Tag Team Championship: Paige and Brie Bella (Dansby, Riggs) vs. Fatal Influence (Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger)

• Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria (Dansby, Riggs, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger)

• No DQ match: Danhausen (Dansby, Riggs, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. JD McDonagh

2026 standings

• Robert Jackman: 53-21

• Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: 50-24

• Kel Dansby: 48-26

• Drake Riggs: 48-26