SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JULY 3, 2019
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Renee Young, Byron Saxton
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Dana Brooke redeems herself and shines against Sarah Logan
- Discover the importance of Sarah Logan’s howling
(1) DANA BROOKE vs. SARAH LOGAN
During the ring entrances, Renee and Byron narrated video highlights of these two colliding: Brooke’s face smash into the ring post leading to a Logan win by no contest from two weeks ago, and Brooke’s clean victory over Logan last week.
The bell rang and Logan sprinted from the corner and leveled Brooke with a leg drop, then laid in kicks and punches. Logan scoop slammed Brooke, flung her into a corner, then scoop slammed Brooke again before howling into the air. After throwing Brooke to the mat a third time, Logan locked in an arm bar – the crowd responded with a brief “Dana” chant.
Brooke escaped with a jawbreaker and knocked Logan out to ringside with a drop kick, then moved through the ropes onto the apron. Logan, on the floor, charged at Brooke who was stood near the ring post. Brooke dodged the running attack by performing a twisting forward gymnastic flip from the apron, twirling over Logan’s head, and landed on her feet facing Logan. Brooke, determined to complete her floor routine, executed a running handspring into a reverse elbow to Logan, dropping Logan to her knees. Brooke rolled Logan back into the ring.
Logan backed up into the corner and onto the second rope while controlling Logan with in a suplex position. Brooke pushed off the ropes, propelling herself up and around Logan while maintaining the hold. Brooke landed on her feet, 180 degrees from their starting position, then took Logan down with a snap suplex in a single, fluid movement. This was good for a two-count.
Both women got to their feet and Logan whipped Brooke downward, face-first into the bottom turnbuckle, stunning Brooke. Logan followed up with a kick to Brooke’s back, knocking her again into the turnbuckle. Logan covered for a two-count, then laid in some kicks to the prone Brooke. When Brooke recovered, she performed another handspring into a head scissors takedown, then rolled up Logan for a one-count. Logan sprung to her feet and hit Brooke with a hard knee and covered for a two-count.
Brooke rolled through a Logan submission hold, but Logan maintained the upper hand and landed a tilt-a-whirl gut buster. Brooke flap jacked Logan after Logan missed a running front kick. The wrestlers awkwardly clotheslined each other with neither falling down, then clearly communicated to get back on the same page.
Logan whipped Brooke neck-first against the middle rope, causing Brooke to be stunned on her knees. Logan executed a running knee strike to Brooke’s back, sending Brooke’s face into the canvas. Logan covered for the three-count.
WINNER: Sarah Logan by pinfall.
(Meyers’s Analysis: This match had highs and lows. Brooke was responsible for the two highlights: Her dazzling gymnastic flip from the apron to the floor was built into the match in a way that actually made sense in a combat situation: She dodged Logan’s attack, and also landed behind her opponent, facing Logan’s back, giving her an immediate tactical advantage. Brooke’s suplex combo off the middle turnbuckle was also impressive. Less impressive was Logan executing identical body slams within ten seconds of one another in the opening of the match (I suspect she forgot to do her howling gimmick the first time, so instead of skipping it she re-did the spot), and the botched clothesline attempt.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Replay of Strowman vs. Lashley from Raw
- (Meyers’s Note: Corey’s “Holy shit” exclamation was censored on the Main Event replay, and the minutes-long silent lingering shot of the aftermath was removed.)
- Replay of Samoa Joe – Kofi in-ring confrontation from Smackdown
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV, Extreme Rules
- Replay of Undertaker in-ring promo from Raw
- Replay of Ricochet vs. A.J. Styles United States Championship match from Raw
(2) CEDRIC ALEXANDER vs. ROBERT ROODE
Roode taunted Alexander after an early takedown by swelling into his “Glorious” incantation, followed by demonstrative dusting off of his hands. Alexander soon responded with a takedown of his own, then swiveling his hips over the prone Roode. We cut to a commercial break within a minute of the bell ringing.
The wrestlers exchanged chops, kicks, and elbows in the ring until Alexander took out Roode, who was at ringside, with a diving attack through the ropes. Alexander rolled Roode back into the ring, and took down Roode again with a springboard clothesline off the top rope. This was good for a two-count.
Alexander whipped Roode face-first into the corner, then quickly hopped to the apron to hit Roode with a running boot to the face. When Alexander jumped back into the ring, Roode intercepted and planted Roode with a turning spinebuster, then covered for a two-count.
Roode revved up the crowd again and went for the Glorious DDT, but Alexander reversed and escaped the move, allowing him to handspring off the ropes and hit Roode with the Neuralizer. Alexander covered, but Roode kicked out at two. After an exchange near the ropes, Alexander slid into the ring between Roode’s legs and attempted to roll up a pin, but Roode dropped to his knees for a cover of his own. When the ref dropped down to count the pin, Roode grabbed hold of the middle rope for an illegal leverage advantage, which got him the three-count and victory.
WINNER: Robert Roode by pinfall.
(Meyers’s Analysis: This was a lesser version of the match these two had two weeks ago on Main Event. It started similarly, but ended prematurely with Roode’s illicit victory.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 6.8
FINAL THOUGHTS: Watch the first match for flashes of promise from Brooke, and try to figure out what Logan’s ceiling is while you’re at it – she seemed limited here. Skip the second match, and instead watch Roode vs. Alexander from two weeks ago, Main Event episode #351.
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