8/19 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Bianca Belair vs. Billie Kaye, Murphy vs. Humberto Carillo with an actual main roster storyline showing up on Main Event

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
AUGUST 19, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Main roster storyline woven into Murphy vs. Carrillo match

(1) BIANCA BELAIR vs. BILLIE KAY (w/Peyton Royce)

The women locked up and Belair muscled Kay into a corner, but backed off as ordered by the ref. She continued to control Kay with a front chancery, but Kay moved into a wristlock and slammed Belair to the mat and covered for one. Kay stomped on Belair’s foot to escape a waistlock. Belair leapfrogged the running Kay, then took Kay down with a sluggish hip toss. Byron declared Belair one of the best pure athletes in WWE. Belair knocked Kay down with a shoulder block, then mocked the iIconics pose. Royce distracted Belair from ringside, allowing Kay to move in and hit the Shades of Kay front kick, leveling Belair. She covered Belair for two.

Kay landed kicks in the corner, as well as some clubbing blows to Belair’s back. Kay fired Belair off the ropes and knocked her down on the rebound, then covered for another two-count. Kay applied an arm bar. When Belair got to her feet, Kay swung her back to the mat by her hair, then applied another arm bar. Belair got to her feet again and this time went on the offense with a series of front kicks in the corner. Belair leveled Kay with a drop kick, then kipped up and postured to the crowd.

Belair did a handspring off the ropes into a moonsault. This hit, and she covered Kay for two. Belair ducked a Kay haymaker, then landed a right cross of her own. This allowed Belair to hit the stunned Kay with the K.O.D., which was good for the three-count.

WINNER: Bianca Belair in 6:20.

(Meyers’s Analysis: A marginally useful win for Belair, scoring a pin against Kay in spite of Royce’s attempts to interfere. Kay felt like a bit of an anchor to the technically superior Belair.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Alexa Bliss sit-down interview from Smackdown
• Replay of Strowman / Bliss / Fiend confrontation from Smackdown
• Replay of Mysterio / Dominik in-ring segment from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV SummerSlam
• Replay of Shawn Michaels / Randy Orton in-ring confrontation from Raw

(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. MURPHY

As the match got underway, Byron wondered if Murphy would “come to his senses” about following someone as evil as Seth Rollins. The wrestlers exchanged mat holds early on. The pace picked up with Murphy hitting a shoulder block, but Carrillo quickly came back with a head scissor takedown, then knocked Murphy off the ring apron with a drop kick. We cut to break.

Murphy had control after the break, punishing Carrillo in the corner. He blasted Carrillo in the back with a forearm strike, but a dazed Carrillo managed to land a forearm strike of his own to Murphy’s chin. Murphy landed a kick to Carrillo’s lower back, then covered for two. He lifted Carrillo to his feet by his hair, then applied a chinlock.

Carrillo rammed Murphy twice into a corner to break free, but Murphy tossed Carrillo to the floor through the ropes, then smashed him into the ringside barrier. He slammed Carrillo onto the ring apron, then rolled him into the ring and covered for two. On the mat, Murphy told Carrillo that “this is for the greater good.” Byron emphasized that Murphy has fully bought into the Monday Night Messiah. Murphy also muttered about Aleister Black during the match.

Carrillo fired up and knocked Murphy down three times, culminating with a flying reverse elbow. He rammed Murphy’s face into the top turnbuckle, then landed a series of kicks to the prone Murphy in the corner. Carrillo landed a big kick to Murphy’s face, then hit a missile dropkick. He covered Murphy for two.

Carrillo dragged Murphy into position on the canvas, then went for the moonsault off the top rope but Murphy rolled away. Murphy exploded from the corner with a knee strike to Carrillo’s face. He covered Carrillo for three.

WINNER: Murphy in 7:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Decent action throughout this one. What’s more interesting is the unusual weaving of the main-roster storyline into this match to illustrate that Murphy is not, at the moment, conflicted about his role in Rollins’s plan. Murphy’s mentioning of Black raises more questions about Black’s potential involvement in the Rollins vs. Dominik SummerSlam match.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

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