WWE Saturday Night's Main Event Card Update: Ripley, Flair, Bliss Vs. Cargill, B-Fab, Michin Added

The match was set up on the May 8 SmackDown, when Cargill returned and cost Ripley, Bliss and Flair their six-woman tag against Fatal Influence. After the bell, Cargill, B-Fab and Michin hit the ring and laid out all three women, standing tall to close the segment.

WWE then made the rematch official on this week's SmackDown, framing it as the direct payoff to that beatdown. Fatal Influence and the Cargill trio have been two parallel SmackDown storylines feeding the same talent pool since Jacy Jayne's main roster call-up sparked the Ripley feud, and this six-woman tag pulls both threads onto the same card.

What Does This Match Mean For The Women's Title Picture?

Ripley is still the WWE Women’s Champion after winning the title from Cargill at WrestleMania 42, and Cargill will get her rematch at Clash in Italy on May 31. A pin on Ripley in a tag setting would give Cargill some thought that she’ll regain here title. However, and I think this is more likely, an interference from Fatal Influence makes it all murky. It also furthers FI’s impact on the main roster while not giving Cargill nor Ripley an edge heading into Clash in Italy.

SNME functions as the heat-building step that decides what stipulation or extra wrinkle the title rematch carries into Turin.

What Should Fans Expect Next On The Road To SNME XLIV?

Two TV nights remain before SNME XLIV and that’s the May 18 Raw and the May 22 SmackDown. Typically, WWE finalizes these cards with one more match across that window.

The most likely addition is a Raw-side bout to balance the brand split, with the Seth Rollins–Bron Breakker storyline and the Trick Williams U.S. Title program both sitting in obvious slots.

The current card structure suggests a four-match televised lineup is the target, which fits the historical SNME pattern under the revival. I'll be watching the May 18 Raw closely for the fourth match, and whether WWE uses SmackDown's go-home show to add stipulations to the six-woman tag.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com