This week’s WWE Main Event featured Rusev’s return ahead of the Royal Rumble, the shifting momentum in a long-running feud, and a match where it was hard to tell who was the good guy, and who was the bad guy.
Apollo Crews faced the surging Kit Wilson in a match with murky alignments. Vic Joseph noted a shift in the usually smiling Crews, who marched to the ring stone-faced and ignored fans before saluting the crowd. Wilson arrived to a warm reception, with cameras picking up supportive signs and fans bouncing to his theme.
Once the bell rang, Crews drew boos for mocking Wilson’s poses, while Wilson blended aggression with crowd-pleasing offense. When Wilson cinched in a submission, however, the crowd rallied behind Crews, prompting Wilson to get testy with the fans.
Wilson ultimately won fair and square with an elbow off the top rope after firing up the crowd. The subtle character switches may have been WWE testing Wilson in a babyface role. Additionally, a spot where he was sent over the ropes — only to hang on and pull himself back in — hinted at a possible Royal Rumble appearance.
As for Crews, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat as he continued to regain his footing after missing much of 2025 due to injury.
Maxxine Dupri defeated Ivy Nile with a flying bodypress. With Dupri in the midst of a budding feud with her former friend and mentor, Natalya, the result was never in doubt.
Mileage may vary on Dupri as a world-beater, but she showed fire in her comeback, peppering Nile with forearms, clotheslines, stomps, and a fisherman’s suplex. Her improvement is increasingly evident, particularly against Nile, whom she struggled to put away in 2025 despite competitive outings.
Entering the arena shouting, “I’m back, baby,” Rusev looked impressive against LWO member Joaquin Wilde, for the most part.
Announcers Blake Howard and Vic Joseph talked up Rusev’s resume, citing his three reigns as United States Champion, his runner-up finish in the 2015 Royal Rumble, and touting his chances in this year’s event. Wilde, however, got in more offense than expected, flooring Rusev a couple of times.
When Rusev was in control, though, he looked every bit a threat, catching Wilde out of mid-air, deadlifting him off the mat, and tossing him overhead. After roughly six minutes, Rusev sealed the win with the Accolade.
With a shorter match, fewer spots for Wilde, and a bigger stage on Raw or SmackDown, Rusev would have felt like a true force heading into the Royal Rumble.
Clocking in at just over 38 minutes, this week’s Main Event wasn’t as strong as recent episodes in its new YouTube home. The opener was entertaining but hard to invest in, given the unclear alignments, though WWE may be onto something with Wilson.
Still, it was good to see Rusev and Crews back in action, and Dupri’s steady improvement continues to pay off.
