WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event update: Jesse Ventura role, possible Rhodes-Owens match

With Jesse Ventura back in the WWE fold, his first assignment could come at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The 73-year-old Ventura confirmed earlier this month that he’s officially signed a WWE Legends contract. He teased that there were “bigger and better” things coming but did not elaborate on what they were.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared that there are plans for Ventura to be involved with the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event this December. Ventura’s role is to be determined, but it’s more likely that he will be involved with a promo segment or calling just one match rather than announcing the whole show.

“Right now there are plans for Jesse Ventura on the show,” Meltzer wrote. “The role is to be determined. Right now the idea is for him not to announce the entire show, perhaps an interview segment or announcing a match but the idea now is simply for him to be part of the show for nostalgia reasons. There is a story going around now that the reason Ventura wasn’t fired in 1986 when Hulk Hogan told Vince McMahon that Ventura was trying to start a union and was going to plan a walkout right before WrestleMania II if the talent didn’t get certain demands is because Dick Ebersol liked him so much as an announcer for SNME. I don’t know that to be accurate but it’s the story that went around.”

Former AWA wrestler Greg Gagne had said last month that he heard Ventura would be involved with the return of Saturday Night’s Main event.

As part of WWE and NBCUniversal’s new TV deal for SmackDown on USA Network, Saturday Night’s Main Event is back as a quarterly special airing live on both NBC and Peacock. The first special is taking place from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on Saturday, December 14.

Meltzer adds that Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens is a possibility for the Saturday Night’s Main Event card: “While not 100 percent, we’re told it looks like the first Rhodes vs. Owens title match would be on that show.”

The Nassau Coliseum also hosted the first-ever Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1985. SNME originally existed from 1985-1992, returned from 2006-2008, and is now back for a third run.