Cody Rhodes return at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. (Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Jey Uso is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Cody Rhodes is back and John Cena is his target after a chaotic main event at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Inside the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Uso defeated the YouTuber-turned-wrestler Logan Paul via pinfall to retain his World Heavyweight Championship, but there was much more to the story than that. As Uso neared victory, Cena, who confronted Uso in a backstage segment earlier in the show, pulled the referee out of the ring and attacked Uso, nearly costing him the bout.
But Rhodes was having none of it. In his first appearance since WrestleMania 41, “The American Nightmare” entered the arena to a massive ovation, attacked Cena and helped ensure that Uso held onto his title.
In his lone previous title defense, Uso held onto the World Heavyweight title against Seth Rollins when the match ended via disqualification thanks to interference from CM Punk. At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, he once again held onto his gold under controversial circumstances.
Just a month after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Gunther at WrestleMania 41, Uso battled Paul in a back-and-forth affair that fans had little doubt about Uso winning. Ultimately, there were no real questions about whether or not Uso would leave Tampa with the World Heavyweight Championship he just won.
But how the match played out? Well, that was up in the air, and as it turned out, it was a memorable ending with both Cena and Rhodes showing up and throwing the Yuengling Center into a frenzy.
The wild finish at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event should serve as a creative pivot for all parties involved, too, especially Paul.
Many ritics have called out “WWE’s growing Logan Paul problem,” noting his inability to evolve, his part-time schedule, and the overall staleness of his act. When Paul first came to WWE a few years ago, he quickly turned heads with his jaw-dropping in-ring performances that were unbelievably impressive for a guy who wasn’t a classically trained wrestler.
WWE CCO Triple H said on the Backlash post-show conference (h/t PWMania) that he didn’t view Paul as an “outside celebrity” and that Paul was a full-blown WWE star: ““[He]
can talk, has the character, the swagger, and can perform in the ring. I look at him as full-time as I would look at anybody else… I just see him as an incredible performer.”
But Paul’s incredible performances have noticeably flatlined, most recently during his lackluster WrestleMania 41 match against the legendary AJ Styles. Because Paul started off his in-ring career on such a high note, WWE fans instantly expected his improvements to be both quick and noteworthy.
While Paul is still remarkably good for someone at his experience level, the novelty of his act has been wearing thin. At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, however, Cena’s interference may have saved the day.
Paul’s match against Uso, not known as one of WWE’s best singles performers, was run-of-the-mill, just as the build to their match was. Indeed, Paul’s rivalries continue to follow the same formula: Cheap attacks, Paul boasting, and usually, Paul losing. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Yet, Cena’s appearance has forced him into an alliance with Paul that could help both stars. Rhodes issued a show-closing challenge for Paul and Cena to face Rhodes and Uso in tag team action at next month’s Money in the Bank, and that is the right move for all parties involved.
As Cena has struggled to be a genuine heel, his relationship with Paul should be mutually beneficial. It will freshen up both Cena and Paul while providing fans with a marquee tag team feud in the main event picture.
While there’s no doubt that Paul’s social reach remains appealing to WWE, there should be concerns about how sustainable his current shtick is. As he transitions to a potential short-term partnership with Cena, Paul can evolve as both an in-ring performer and character, catapulting his game to the next level.
And after Paul’s loss to Uso and Rhodes’ triumphant return at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE’s creative team need no longer needs to go back to the drawing board when it comes to booking some of its biggest names. By tossing Rhodes, Uso, Cena and Paul all into the same spot, WWE may have found its recipe for success.
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