11/11 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Erik from Viking Raiders vs. Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo vs. Gran Metalik

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 11, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Can Erik score his first singles victory?

(1) ERIK vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

Tozawa used agility to dodge Erik’s early attacks, but Erik turned the tables by launching Tozawa across the ring a couple of times. Tozawa made cartoonish facial expressions to sell the second landing, which was fitting as Kermit the Frog was visible behind him in the Thunderdome. Tozawa ran and jumped at Erik, but Erik caught him in mid-air, held him for a few seconds, then dumped him again with a fallaway slam. Erik covered for two.

Erik ran at Tozawa in the corner, but Tozawa sidestepped, causing Erik to plant both knees into the turnbuckle. Tozawa pounced and rained down a series of rights, then laid in kicks for good measure. Tozawa applied a twisted chinlock, then snap mared Erik to the mat. With Erik in a seated position, Tozawa executed a low drop kick that barely connected. Tozawa shrieked and hit a senton. He covered for two, then went back to the chinlock.

Tozawa clubbed Erik’s back, then attempted to whip him toward the ropes. Erik wouldn’t budge, and instead went on a flurry of offense. Erik slammed Tozawa to the mat with a uranage, then covered for another two-count. Tozawa ducked a clothesline, but Erik followed up with a loud knee strike. Tozawa missed a spin kick, and Erik took advantage on the follow-through by double underhooking Tozawa’s arms from behind, hoisting him up and driving his knee into Tozawa’s back. Tozawa crumpled to the mat and Erik covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Erik by pinfall in 5:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Tom called this Erik’s first win in a “conventional” one-on-one match in WWE. The win feels rare, indeed, considering Erik is half of a currently-defunct tag team. The match did a nice job of showcasing Erik’s power over Tozawa, but Tozawa’s drop kick looked pretty bad.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Banks vs. Bayley from Smackdown
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV Survivor Series
• Replay of Riddle & Lee vs. Sheamus vs. Strowman from Raw
• Replay of New Day & McIntyre vs. Orton, Miz, & Morrison from Raw

(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. GRAN METALIK (w/ Lince Dorado)

The wrestlers shook hands as the bell rang, then locked up. They moved through a series of lucha-style exchanges and quick pins. Carrillo delivered his signature springboard arm drag off the middle rope, but caught a reverse elbow as he charged at Metalik in the corner. Metalik took Carrillo to the mat with a hurricanrana, then applied an arm bar. Carrillo soon fought out and took Metalik down with another arm drag, this time while hopping over the top rope from the apron. Carrillo applied an arm bar of his own. Metalik got free and attempted another hurricanrana, but this time Carrillo remained upright and slammed Metalik face-first to the canvas. Metalik rolled out to ringside and we cut to break.

Back in the ring, Carrillo had Metalik in an abdominal stretch. Metalik began to reverse the hold but Carrillo sniffed it out and grounded Metalik with a hip toss. Metalik came back with a unique DDT that came as part of a mid-air reversal. Both wrestlers were slow to get up, and Carrillo soon had the upper hand again with a springboard kick off the middle rope. He pinned Metalik for two. Carrillo executed a textbook suplex, then dragged Metalik into position on the mat. Carrillo slowly climbed to the top rope and went for the moonsault but Metalik rolled out of the way. Carrillo anticipated this (along with every single viewer) and rolled backward through his landing. Metalik charged in, but Carrillo caught him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He hoisted Metalik onto his shoulders and planted him with a face-first powerbomb. Carrillo rolled Metalik’s lifeless body over and covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Humberto Carrillo by pinfall in 7:00.

(Meyers’s Analysis: The expected back-and-forth action.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.0

Follow Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42