Updated

Updated · Bleacher Report · May 24

WWE Delivers 5-Match Saturday Night's Main Event as Penta Retains Intercontinental Title

Updated

Updated · Bleacher Report · May 24

WWE Delivers 5-Match Saturday Night's Main Event as Penta Retains Intercontinental Title

Q: Ahead of their title clash in Italy, can Rhea Ripley's team finally gain momentum against Jade Cargill's dominant faction?

Yes — Saturday Night’s Main Event is a real chance for Rhea Ripley’s side to finally seize some momentum, but the evidence suggests it may be fragile rather than decisive. Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss enter the six-woman tag after repeatedly being outmaneuvered by Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab. The added context matters: Ripley took the women’s title from Cargill at WrestleMania 42, and their rivalry has only intensified since, with Ripley set to defend against Cargill at Clash in Italy. That makes this match less about standings and more about control of the feud heading into the title bout. There are signs Ripley’s team can turn the tide. Flair and Bliss recently beat Michin and B-Fab in tag action, showing Cargill’s group is not unbeatable bell-to-bell. Ripley also has the strongest individual stake in the match, with her championship defense looming, and WWE is clearly framing this as her chance to reassert authority before Italy. Still, Cargill’s faction has consistently held the physical edge, including post-match attacks that have undercut any progress by Ripley’s side. Even if Ripley, Flair and Bliss win in Fort Wayne, that would not necessarily erase the broader pattern of Cargill’s group controlling the rivalry. The most likely read is that Ripley’s team can gain momentum with a win Saturday, but only if they finish the night standing tall. Anything less would leave Cargill’s faction looking dominant heading into Italy.

Q: Will rising star Ethan Page fulfill his dream by capturing the Intercontinental title from the dominant champion, Penta?

It is possible, but Page enters as the underdog against a champion who has been one of WWE’s most reliable titleholders. Page has real momentum. Since arriving on Raw after WrestleMania 42, he has quickly established himself by beating Je’Von Evans, teaming with Rusev to defeat Evans and Penta, and most importantly pinning Penta on the May 4 Raw to secure this opportunity. He has also framed the Intercontinental Championship as a personal dream, calling it the title he grew up wanting most. Still, the evidence favors Penta. He has been dominant since winning the Intercontinental title on March 2 and has already turned back a deep list of challengers, including Dragon Lee, Dominik Mysterio, El Hijo Del Vikingo, and a WrestleMania 42 ladder-match field. That track record makes him a difficult champion to dethrone in Page’s first major main-roster title match. There is also uncertainty around the match itself. While the announced bout is Penta vs. Ethan Page, later Raw developments suggest Penta may end up defending against Page, Rusev, and Je’Von Evans in a multi-man match. If that happens, Page’s chances improve because he would not need to beat Penta one-on-one to leave with the title. So Page absolutely has a credible path to fulfilling his dream, especially after already pinning the champion. But based on Penta’s form and championship résumé, Page capturing the Intercontinental title would be an upset rather than the most likely outcome.

Q: Can Logan Paul and Austin Theory legitimize their controversial title reign with their first clean victory as champions?

Yes — if Logan Paul and Austin Theory beat The Street Profits without interference, it would go a long way toward legitimizing their reign. Right now, their title run carries an asterisk. They won the World Tag Team Championship from The Usos on March 30 with outside interference from IShowSpeed, who used brass knuckles on Jimmy Uso. Since then, they have not recorded a win as champions, and they were beaten in a non-title match at WrestleMania 42 by LA Knight and The Usos. That leaves them vulnerable to the criticism that they are champions in name more than in performance. A clean win over Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins would matter because The Street Profits are an established, credible team and have returned with momentum. Beating them decisively would give Paul and Theory their strongest in-ring proof yet that they can carry the division without shortcuts. The complication is that this match is surrounded by likely chaos. Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker both have issues tied to The Vision and the broader Raw picture, so the possibility of outside involvement is real. If that happens again, the same doubts will remain. So the opportunity is there, but the standard is clear: only a clean defense against a proven team like The Street Profits would truly quiet questions about whether Paul and Theory deserve to be champions.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · May 24

Fort Wayne's Saturday Night's Main Event centered on Penta's Intercontinental title defense, with the champion beating Ethan Page in the show's standout match and extending his run.
Five matches and four title defenses gave the Peacock special a lean, wrestling-heavy format that also pushed major storylines toward Clash in Italy.
Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab beat Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss after Ripley-Flair tension resurfaced, adding momentum to Cargill's looming rematch with Ripley.
Sol Ruca won by disqualification when Becky Lynch shoved referee Jessika Carr into danger, while Brie Bella and Paige retained the women's tag titles in an underdog win over Nia Jax and Lash Legend.
The Vision also denied the Street Profits in the main event, leaving WWE with a show praised for in-ring focus even as several challengers fell short of breakthrough title wins.