SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
STREAMED ON HULU
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Mickie James
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Ryder and Cesaro deliver a great match
- Mickie James is back on screen, now on commentary
(1) TITUS O’NEIL & HEATH SLATER vs. ERIC YOUNG & MOJO RAWLEY
The announce team discussed Slater’s “dad bod” as he started off against Rawley. Slater leveled Rawley with a flying forearm, but Rawley quickly retaliated with a knee lift to the midsection. Young distracted Slater from the apron, allowing Rawley to crush Slater with a clothesline. Rawley laid in forearm shots to the prone Slater.
Young tagged in and punished Slater briefly in a neutral corner before tagging Rawley back in. Rawley laid in a front kick and covered Slater for a two-count, then applied a chinlock. When Slater got to his feet and reached out to his corner, Rawley fired him back to the mat with a clubbing forearm, then leveled him again with a shoulder block. Rawley turned to face O’Neil and flicked sweat at him from his supraorbital ridge. When Rawley turned back to Slater, Slater had recovered and took Rawley down with a kick to the face. Both men were slow to get up.
Slater and Rawley both made hot tags, but O’Neil cleared the ring of both opponents. Young scaled the top ropes in the corner and jumped at O’Neil, but O’Neil caught him and the two executed a mistimed Clash of the Titus. This was good for the three-count.
WINNERS: Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater by pinfall.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Lackluster tag match with no high flying or big impacts. Mainly notable for the botched finish: Young bumped for the powerbomb before O’Neil started his motion, thereby causing a one-two punch of Young landing, then O’Neil landing. Unusually sloppy, even for these two.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV Hell in a Cell
- Replay of Rollins vs. Strowman; Fiend interference from Raw
- Shane McMahon – Owens video package
- Replay of Shane McMahon – Owens in-ring legal summit from Smackdown
- Promotion for upcoming season premiere of Raw
- Replay of Lesnar – Kofi in-ring confrontation from Smackdown
- Promotion for upcoming season premiere of Smackdown
- Rowan – Reigns video package
- Replay of Bryan vs. Rowan; Harper interference from Smackdown
(2) CESARO vs. ZACK RYDER (w/ Curt Hawkins)
Cesaro strutted to the ring in women’s cropped pants, snarling to expose his mouthguard. Mickie said, “Zack was here when I was here before, and he’s here when I came back. No one works as hard and wants it so badly, and his smile is infectious.” Dio compared Cesaro to a villain from a 007 movie.
The wrestlers traded wristlocks to start and wound up with Cesaro pinning Ryder against the ropes. Cesaro backed as directed by the ref, then clapped his hands and offered a handshake to Ryder, who obliged.
The two exchanged more holds, which again led them against the ropes. Cesaro offered another handshake, but this time kicked Ryder in the stomach upon delivery. Half of the crowd came alive with boos while Cesaro went on the offense. Ryder interrupted that flow by landing a flapjack against Cesaro, who shrieked comedically on his way to the mat. Cesaro returned to the offense, methodically attacking his opponent, and eventually used a hip-toss maneuver to string Ryder across the top turnbuckle, abdomen-first. Ryder toppled off the apron to ringside, and we cut to break.
Back in the ring, Cesaro maintained the upper hand. He delivered a vertical suplex and covered for a two-cont, then applied a chinlock. Ryder escaped but Cesaro stayed on top of him with more pins and another chinlock. Ryder finally stopped this momentum by reversing out of another Cesaro suplex and transitioning into a neckbreaker. Cesaro held the back of his neck in agony as Hawkins rhythmically pounded the ring apron from the floor.
Ryder rolled up Cesaro for a two-count, then landed a dual knee strike and a missile drop kick. Ryder leveled Cesaro in a corner with a forearm, then successfully landed the Broski Boot. Cesaro kicked out of a cover at two. Ryder looked puzzled. Cesaro rolled out to ringside, and Ryder hit him with another missile dropkick, this time through the ropes. This left Cesaro propped up against the ringside barrier, where Ryder landed another Boot to his face.
Ryder rolled Cesaro into the ring, then climbed to the top rope. He leaped through the air but Cesaro intercepted and nailed him with a European uppercut, which was good for a believable near fall. Both men were slow to get up. Ryder went for a series of quick pin attempts, but Cesaro would not stay down. While the referee’s back was turned, Cesaro put an end to Ryder’s energy with a thumb to his eye, allowing Cesaro to land the Neutralizer. This was good for the three-count.
WINNER: Cesaro by pinfall.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Excellent match. There were two or three moments where it felt like the match might end, and Cesaro was made to look strong throughout, and eventually used heel tactics when he got tired of Ryder’s determination. This felt nothing like a typical Main Event match – definitely worth checking out.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.4
FINAL THOUGHTS: Whether you like botched finishing maneuvers or high-quality wrestling matches, this episode has something for everyone!
Young deserves better.