Honestly, walking into the Nassau Coliseum on December 14, 2024, felt like stepping into a time machine that somehow kept its modern high-definition shine. You could smell the nostalgia. WWE finally pulled the trigger on bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event 2024, and it wasn't just another B-show or a glorified house show. It was a statement. The red, white, and blue ropes were back. The referees were wearing those retro blue shirts with the black bow ties. It felt different from the polished, almost corporate aesthetic of a standard Monday Night Raw.
Some people thought this was just a quick ratings grab for NBC. They were wrong. This revival was the first step in a new era of TV deals, proving that WWE could still command prime-time network slots without needing the word "WrestleMania" in the title.
Why Saturday Night’s Main Event 2024 Actually Mattered
The show wasn't just about looking backward. Sure, having Jesse "The Body" Ventura back on commentary for the first time in ages was a trip, but the actual wrestling was high-stakes. We saw the crowning of the first-ever Women’s United States Champion. Chelsea Green walked out with the gold after a chaotic match against Michin, cementing her spot as one of the most underrated workers in the division.
People forget that Main Event used to be the place where the biggest stars actually wrestled on TV. In the 80s, you didn't get Hogan on TV every week. You got him there. WWE tried to replicate that "must-see" energy by putting Cody Rhodes in the ring against Kevin Owens.
The Match Card That Shook the Status Quo
It wasn't a long show, which was actually a blessing. It was lean. It was mean.
- Gunther vs. Damian Priest vs. Finn Bálor: A Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Title that proved Gunther is basically a final boss in a video game that no one can beat. He retained after a brutal Tenryu Powerbomb.
- Liv Morgan vs. IYO SKY: Liv is in the middle of this "revenge tour" that people either love or hate, but she silenced a lot of critics by pinning IYO clean.
- Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens: This was the big one. Cody won, but the real story happened after the cameras (technically) stopped rolling.
The Package Piledriver and the "Post-Show" Controversy
If you only watched the NBC broadcast, you missed the most important part of Saturday Night’s Main Event 2024. After the credits teased the end of the show, Kevin Owens didn't just walk away. He stayed. He snapped. He hit Cody with a Package Piledriver—a move that’s been essentially "banned" or at least heavily restricted in WWE for years because of the risk.
Cody was stretchered out. Triple H even came out to the ring to confront Owens. It was a "pro wrestling" moment in the truest sense, blurring the lines between the scripted show and the "real" aftermath. Fans on Reddit and Twitter went nuclear.
By the Numbers: Did Anyone Actually Watch?
The ratings tell a pretty interesting story about where wrestling sits in the 2024/2025 landscape.
The show pulled in about 2.3 million viewers total. On the surface, that sounds "okay," but you have to look at what it was up against. It went head-to-head with the Heisman Trophy presentation and the NBA Cup. It actually beat the NBA game in total viewership. That’s massive. It proved that a "special" event on network TV can still outdraw legitimate major sports if the branding is right.
The Retro Vibe: Gimmick or Genius?
Some critics called the presentation "smark bait." Maybe it was. Seeing the "Winged Eagle" belt back on display and hearing "Obsession" by Animotion as the theme song definitely targeted the 40-year-old fans who grew up with Hulkamania.
But it worked.
The younger audience got to see Gunther chop people’s chests into hamburger meat, and the older fans got to see Tito Santana and Jimmy Hart in the front row. It bridged a gap that WWE often struggles to cross. It didn't feel like the "over-produced" product we see on Friday nights. It felt like a chaotic, loud, slightly messy wrestling show.
What This Means for 2025 and Beyond
If you’re looking for the "actionable" takeaway here, it’s this: The success of the December 2024 revival paved the way for more specials. We've already seen the January 2025 follow-up and the massive May 2025 show where John Cena started his farewell tour in earnest.
WWE is moving away from the "one-size-fits-all" TV model. They want these quarterly "tentpole" events to feel like mini-PPVs (or "Premium Live Events" if you want to use the corporate lingo).
The Next Steps for Fans and Collectors:
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- Watch the "Off-Air" Clips: If you want the full story of the Cody/KO feud, you have to look at the social media exclusives. The TV broadcast is only 70% of the narrative now.
- Track the Belt Changes: The introduction of the Women's US Title on this specific show means the mid-card for the women's division is finally getting the "workhorse" title it deserves. Watch for Chelsea Green’s defenders to be the high-flyers of NXT.
- Check the Peacock Archives: NBC and Peacock are leaning hard into the 80s SNME episodes. If you want to understand why the 2024 version looked the way it did, go back and watch the 1985 debut. The parallels are everywhere, from the camera angles to the "stand-up" interview style.
Basically, Saturday Night's Main Event is no longer a relic. It’s a core pillar of the current strategy. Whether you're there for the nostalgia or the new gold, the 2024 revival changed the rhythm of the WWE calendar.