All due respect to CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn and Gunther — who put on a stellar main event — but WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event belonged to the New York Knicks.
With Saturday Night’s Main Event being held at Madison Square Garden for just the second time in the event’s history, WWE fully leaned into celebrating the reigning NBA champions, booking Knicks cult hero Danhausen for a match and advertising NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson to appear alongside World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns — one of the wrestling promotion’s biggest and most recognizable stars.
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Danhausen — who achieved surprising mainstream success during the NBA playoffs by feuding with Stephen A. Smith — received a warm welcome from the MSG crowd that credits the wonky WWE star’s curse/uncurse gimmick with helping power the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years. Danhausen, decked out in Knicks orange and blue, took on JD McDonagh from the Judgment Day faction and was in dire straits as he essentially faced a two-on-one disadvantage.
Enter Karl-Anthony Towns — or KAThausen (buckle up non-wrestling fans, this is where things get weird).
With McDonagh and Mysterio distracted by the MiniHausens, Danhausen made his way to his cloning machine positioned at the top of the entrance ramp. He tossed in a stuffed cat and moments later, the Knicks’ star forward emerged and drew a roar from the crowd. Towns marched to the ring and delivered two massive chokeslams to McDonagh and Mysterio (through a table) before cursing McDonagh and helping Danhausen secure the win. It was Towns’ second brush with WWE, as he was part of the now-viral slap involving Tom Brady and Logan Paul at Fanatics Fest on Friday night.
Later in the night, after the in-ring action was done, it was time for Brunson’s segment alongside Reigns. If the crowd erupted for Towns earlier in the night, it went nuclear for Brunson, forcing Reigns to pause his promo several times as fans chanted “MVP,” “Jalen Brunson,” and “you deserve it” during the show-ending segment.
While Brunson didn’t get as physical as Towns — he is recovering from wrist surgery and was wearing a cast on his left arm — he did play a role in furthering one of his ongoing rivalries and one of WWE’s biggest stories for SummerSlam.
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As Reigns and Brunson stood in the ring, Seth Rollins’ music hit. Rollins is set to challenge Reigns for his championship in two weeks at SummerSlam. Rather than Rollins stepping through the curtain, it was Tyrese Haliburton, whose Pacers have an on-court rivalry with the Knicks and who has a kayfabe wrestling rivalry with Brunson that dates back to 2024.
Haliburton’s distraction allowed Rollins to attack Reigns from behind before Brunson ultimately intervened. Brunson and Rollins traded verbal barbs before Reigns delivered his two finishers to Rollins.
At the end, Brunson, holding the World Heavyweight Championship, and Reigns, holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy, stood tall to close out the show.
With Madison Square Garden playing an integral role in WWE’s history, the company treats its appearances at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” with an extra level of importance and spectacle. While Saturday Night’s Main Event isn’t quite at the level of a SummerSlam or other PLE’s, this show felt like an unofficial championship celebration for the Knicks — especially Brunson, whose affinity for pro-wrestling is no secret. Simply having Towns and Brunson make an appearance in the crowd on the show would have been enough to appease the crowd at MSG, but WWE and the Knicks duo rose to the occasion to deliver on the promise of sports entertainment.
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Much like their historic run through the NBA postseason, the Knicks are standing tall once again.
