9/9 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Riddick Moss expands moveset and announcers talk about his Raw Underground experience, Ali vs. Tozawa with a Ninjas shell game

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Ninja shell game
• Commentators tie in Moss’s “Raw Underground” experience

(1) MUSTAFA ALI vs. AKIRA TOZAWA (w/ Ninjas)

Ali took Tozawa down early with three arm drags, then clotheslined Tozawa over the top rope to the floor. The three ninjas surrounded him while Tozawa put on a mask, then the four masked men spun circles in a football huddle before splitting up. The ninjas surrounded the ring, and Joe compared the predicament to “the shell game.” One ninja entered the ring and was able to yank Ali off the ropes while Ali was distracted with one of the floor ninjas. The in-ring ninja removed his mask dramatically, revealing… Akira Tozawa.

Tozawa hit a neckbreaker and covered Ali for two. Tozawa delivered a flurry of elbows to the back of Ali’s head before applying an abdominal stretch. Tozawa fired Ali into the turnbuckles, but Ali still moved in and delivered a DDT. Ali knocked Tozawa down two more times, then face planted Tozawa in the middle of the ring. Tozawa leaped at Ali from the middle turnbuckle, but Ali knocked him out of the air with a well-timed drop kick. Ali covered for two.

Ali dragged Tozawa into position on the mat, but all three floor ninjas took turns jumping onto the apron, each absorbing a punch from Ali. This distraction allowed Tozawa to get to his feet and roll up Ali, but Ali kicked out at two. Ali came back quickly with a superkick, then took Tozawa to the mat with a modified Falcon Arrow, good for the three-count.

WINNER: Mustafa Ali in 5:30.

(Meyers’s Analysis: A fine match that changed gears from the Main Event template by including ninja sneakiness, however ineffective.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Heyman / Reigns in-ring promo from Smackdown
• Replay of Uso vs. Sheamus vs. Corbin vs. Riddle from Smackdown
• Replay of Orton in-ring promo from Raw
• Replay of Lee vs. Orton from Raw
• Replay of Bayley’s turn on Banks from Smackdown
• Replay of Dominik vs. Murphy street fight from Raw

(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. RIDDICK MOSS

The commentators touted Moss’s recent success on Raw Underground, and Joe wondered if his viciousness would transfer into the proper ring. The wrestlers exchanged holds in the middle of the ring. Moss took Carrillo to the mat with a headlock takeover. Carrillo got to his feet and fired off Moss, but Moss leveled Carrillo with a shoulder block. Carrillo popped up, then applied another wristlock before arm dragging Moss to the canvas while springboarding off the ropes. Carrillo executed a similar arm drag from the opposite corner, this time causing Moss to roll all the way under the ropes and to the floor. Moss attempted to enter the ring, but Carrillo knocked him off the ring apron with a missile dropkick. We cut to break.

Carrillo had control during the break, but Moss broke the pattern with a side suplex. Moss landed a series of kicks to Carrillo in the corner, then dead lifted Carrillo before slamming him to the mat with an uranage. He pinned Carrillo for two, then applied a chinlock. Carrillo battled out, but only enough to give Moss the space to execute a spinebuster. Moss mounted Carrillo and rained down with blows. Moss got to his feet while Carrillo remained stunned on the canvas. The referee admonished Moss for reasons not adequately explored.

Moss weakened Carrillo with an abdominal stretch, then slowly paced the ring. Carrillo fired up and hit a series of two clotheslines and a springboard reverse elbow. Carrillo hit a spin kick to Moss’s head, then covered for two. Carrillo climbed to the top rope, but Moss rolled to the relative safety of the apron. Carrillo descended to meet him and absorbed a right cross. Moss dropped Carrillo neck-first over the top rope, then hit an axe-handle neckbreaker in the middle of the ring. Moss covered for three. Byron said, “the untamed environment of Raw Underground has clearly rubbed off on Moss in a good way.”

WINNER: Moss in 8:00.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Not a bad match. Moss appears to be expanding his moveset with modified versions of the uranage and neckbreaker. I’ve heard criticisms of Moss’s capabilities, but he looked fine here.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.0

CATCH UP… 9/2 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Humberto Carrillo debuts new finisher vs. Akira Tozawa, Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali