Backstage WWE Reaction to Heavy Knicks Integration Into Saturday Night’s Main Event

Several within WWE weren't overly enthusiastic about the company doubling down on Knicks integration at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Backstage WWE Reaction to Heavy Knicks Integration Into Saturday Night’s Main Event

WWE heavily leaned into Knicks integration at SNME [via- WWE]

It appears like those within WWE weren’t exactly thrilled about the company going overboard with turning its most recent edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event into a New York Knicks love affair. The show held at Madison Square Garden on July 18 witnessed cameos from Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson.

KAT came out of Danhausen‘s cloning machine to help him win against JD McDonagh. The towering No. 32 of the Knicks chokeslammed McDonagh and his partner Dominik Mysterio in the process to guide Danhausen towards victory. Later in the night, the 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson walked out with Roman Reigns.

Brunson got a full-fledged entrance with cameras following him all the way through the backstage area. He also accompanied Reigns to the ring and even got a custom Knicks-themed World Heavyweight Championship. They received a raucous acknowledgement from the MSG crowd before Seth Rollins‘ music hit.

Tyrese Haliburton pulled up to Rollins’ battle hymn to allow ‘The Visionary’ to ambush ‘The OTC’ from behind. Rollins hammered down on his SummerSlam opponent and was about to stomp his head into a steel chair. However, that’s when Brunson stepped in and prevented the catastrophe.

The King of New York’s interference bought Reigns the time he needed to recover. ‘The Tribal Chief’ then landed a Superman Punch on Rollins and followed it up with a spear to stand tall with Brunson.

Afterwards, the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy was brought in for Reigns to hold it up while Brunson got to pose with The OTC’s world title to close out the show.

The fans were divided over the Knicks’ integration, with some arguing it made complete sense with SNME emanating from MSG. But there was also a chunk of fans upset with WWE’s burgeoning tendency of celebrity involvement in its shows under TKO’s leadership and the ESPN deal in place. What did those inside the company think of it?

As per WrestleVotes Radio via Fightful Select, the day-to-day decision-makers in WWE weren’t “exactly enthusiastic” about how heavy the Knicks integration went.

Although they understood the appeal of doing it at Madison Square Garden on the back of the Knicks’ NBA Championship win, those that the outlet spoke to relayed that it was beyond their preference. For what it’s worth, WWE did benefit in ticket sales by announcing Jalen Brunson for the show a week in advance.

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Is Bayley done with WWE after Saturday Night’s Main Event?

Another major story coming out of Saturday Night’s Main Event is regarding the WWE future of Bayley. She had quite a physical match with Lyra Valkyria that night and lost.

After Lyra won, she launched a post-match assault on ‘The Role Model’ that ended with ‘The Bird Lady’ planting Bayley with a Nightwing onto the steel steps.

Bayley faced Lyra Valkyria at WWE SNME
Bayley faced Lyra Valkyria at WWE SNME [via- WWE]

It was reported in the aftermath that Bayley’s WWE contract would be up by the end of 2026. She has yet to re-sign a new one. The fans are under the assumption that Valkyria’s attack on Bayley after their match could be to write Bayley off WWE television for the time being. The situation was discussed by Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Meltzer noted that the former Damage CTRL member has a big decision to make in regards to staying with WWE or parting ways.

Alvarez concluded that the company could continue the feud between Bayley and Valkyria based off that post-match angle should the 4-time women’s champion re-sign. If she doesn’t, the beatdown would be treated as the blowoff to her exit.

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