• MFT (Tama Tonga and JC Mateo) def. Rey Fenix and Shinsuke Nakamura • Tiffany Stratton def. Kiana James (non-title) • Ilja Dragunov def. Aleister Black to retain the United States Championship • Drew McIntyre def. Jimmy Uso
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — Drew McIntyre would be a star in any decade of pro wrestling. Friday’s main event between Uso and McIntyre was a solid and fun TV main event between two veterans, and I do hope McIntyre gets another world title run sooner than later. But it’s hard to imagine that happening at Saturday Night’s Main Event on Nov. 1. Rhodes and McIntyre will no doubt have a terrific match, but don’t expect Rhodes to be dethroned.
• Jade Cargill attacked Tiffany Stratton after Stratton defeated Kiana James, which will launch a new era for Cargill as a villain. I feel like this will be when Cargill truly shines — as a supremely confident, “I am better than you in every way” type. A title run is absolutely in her near future.
• I absolutely love the idea of Ilja Dragunov continuing the U.S. Championship open challenge. The U.S title having this sort of hook and helping make stars (and sometimes advancing storylines) is a great vehicle. Dragunov proved last week by beating Sami Zayn and again on Friday against Aleister Black that he could certainly carry a weekly load like this and make it one of the most entertaining and must-see parts of the show, just like Zayn did.
• I’m enjoying the social media discourse every time Rey Fenix gets a new tag team partner that isn’t his brother Penta. It’s terrific that they both team up with everyone else on the roster before finally getting together. Eventually they will team up and it will be a glorious moment — maybe at a big event like Wrestlemania? No need to rush things here.
• The MFTs looked strong and menacing, which is exactly what they needed in this tag team match against Fenix and Shinsuke Nakamura. The Wyatt Sicks await, and the MFTs needed a match they could win convincingly. I see a collision course for Survivor Series: War Games as a strong possibility — with maybe a surprise name or two added to the mix.
I did find it interesting that Rhodes told the fans during his promo that it was uncharacteristic for him to use the title belt as a weapon against someone else, essentially saying “that is not my regular behavior because that’s what a villain would do” and placing blame on the emotions of the moment, rather than a shift in character.
.@CodyRhodes is completely FED UP with @DMcIntyreWWE! 😤 pic.twitter.com/QoDiU1a6eW
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, @Jade_Cargill?! 😳 pic.twitter.com/aTIJn8Vheq
Come on, Talla Tonga! 😡 pic.twitter.com/zK1JY8hdfG
.@ShinsukeN and @ReyFenixMx aren’t giving up yet! 👊 pic.twitter.com/lQxlPLEJd7