SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
MARCH 25, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Bonus exposure for NXT talents Carter and Burch
(1) ASUKA vs. KAYDEN CARTER
Asuka quickly faceplanted Carter, then proceeded to sashay around the ring and laugh obnoxiously. Asuka escaped from a waist lock with a reverse elbow, then taunted Carter loudly in Japanese. Asuka’s strutting resulted in her turning her back to Carter, who hit Asuka with a drop kick from behind. The women squared off in the middle of the ring where Carter landed a few forearms, but Asuka ran the ropes and leveled Carter with a shoulder block.
Asuka missed a few running attacks against Carter in the corner, culminating with Carter sidestepping and rolling Asuka up for a quick two-count. Carter executed a needlessly complicated arm drag that involved bouncing off both the middle and top ropes. This sent Asuka out to ringside, and Carter mockingly slapped her own tuchus. Carter ran the opposite ropes and went for a baseball slide, but Asuka caught her boots, spun Carter 180 degrees on her hip, bringing Carter’s skull into range for a knee strike. Asuka danced on the floor while Carter reeled.
Asuka pulled Carter out to the floor and fired her into the ringside barrier. The ref began a count out but Carter rolled in at his three-count. Asuka continued to punish Carter before applying an arm bar on the mat. Carter managed to get to her feet somehow, even in the absence of a crowd mildly cheering her on. She slapped Asuka across the chest and went on the offensive until missing a low drop kick into the ropes. Asuka yanked her off the ropes by her hair, slamming her to the mat back-first. Pointlessly, the ref yelled for Asuka to “watch the hair!” Asuka kicked Carter in the face then applied the Asuka Lock, causing Carter to tap out.
WINNER: Asuka by submission.
(Meyers’s Analysis: The problem with the Main Event match formula is that it relies on the audience to cheer on the good guy while she is in a submission move halfway through the bout. The entire point is for the wrestler to feed off the crowd’s energy, which doesn’t exist in an empty arena. It wouldn’t make sense to eliminate transition submissions altogether, but they should reconsider their frequency. For those unfamiliar with Carter, she is an NXT wrestler with two TV matches this year: A victory and a loss against Chelsea Green.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Replay of Gronkowski / Rawley / Corbin / Elias antics from Smackdown
- Replay of Reigns-Goldberg contract signing from Smackdown
- Replay of Heyman / Lesnar in-ring promo from Raw
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV WrestleMania
- Replay of Orton promo from Raw
(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. DANNY BURCH
The men had a sportsmanlike fist bump before locking up. The match started evenly with the wrestlers exchanging moves and holds. The sportsmanship continued when Burch escaped from a leg scissors on the mat and allowed Carrillo to also get to his feet before reengaging.
The wrestlers ran the ropes. When Carrillo leapfrogged Burch, Burch sidestepped and slammed Carrillo face-first to the canvas by his left leg. Burch missed a clothesline, and Carrillo knocked Burch down with a springboard cross body. Carrillo covered for two. Carrillo hit Burch with a towering missile dropkick from the top turnbuckle. Burched rolled out to ringside, stunned. Carrillo attempted to capititalize by diving through the ropes at Burch, but Burch intercepted with a forearm strike. Carrillo collapsed onto the ring apron, and we cut to commercial.
Burch had Carrillo in a headlock in the middle of the ring after the break. Carrillo soon escaped and went into a handspring rebound off the ropes, lining up for a reverse elbow perhaps, but Burch sniffed out the attack and swatted Carrillo down with a forearm strike to his back. Burch covered for a two-count.
Burch landed two European uppercuts before executing a snap suplex and another two-count cover. Burch laid in a chinlock. Carrillo escaped and landed a series of kicks, allowing him to land a rolling moonsault from the mat. He covered Burch for two.
Burch landed a German suplex into a two-count. Carrillo hit a springboard kick off the middle rope, then climbed to the top turnbuckle to land a majestic moonsault, this time good for three.
WINNER: Humberto Carrillo by pinfall.
(Meyers’s Analysis: A pretty good exhibition, with Carrillo given the opportunity to really shine. In a silent arena, a couple thing stand out in this match: How well the wrestlers can work through so many moves with no audible calls, and how piercing and unnatural kicks sound when the wrestler slaps their own leg for effect. Instead of blending in with the ambient sounds of a full house, it echoes loudly against a silent backdrop.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.0
FINAL THOUGHTS: A refreshing mix of talent for Main Event.
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