4/21 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Dorado vs. Gulak, Mansoor vs. Akira Tozawa, WWE issues new WWE-style nicknames to wrestlers

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
APRIL 21, 2021
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• WWE issues new WWE-style nicknames to its talent

(1) MANSOOR vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

The wrestlers grappled around the mat to start, exchanging headlocks and arm bars. Mansoor used a unique headstand / kickout technique to escape from a low side headlock, then rolled up Tozawa for a two-count. Mansoor fired Tozawa off the ropes and went on a run of four consecutive drop downs / leapfrogs over Tozawa, culminating with dropping down into Tozawa’s feet, causing him to belly flop to the mat.

Mansoor stalked a crawling Tozawa, then leveled him with a drop kick once he got to his feet. Mansoor flied toward Tozawa with a middle-rope moonsault, but Tozawa dodged and Mansoor landed face-first. Tozawa lined him up with a running knee strike, then laid in a couple kicks to the back of Monsoor’s head. Tozawa controlled Mansoor in a corner, then body slammed him in the middle of the ring and followed up with a standing senton. He covered Mansoor for two.

The men exchanged chest chops from a seated position on the ring, but Tozawa showed more fire and mounted Mansoor to rain down repeated strikes. He then applied a short-lived chinlock. Mansoor escaped and took Tozawa down with a spinebuster. Both were slow to their feet, but Mansoor took advantage with an atomic drop and a spike DDT. He covered Tozawa for two.

Tozawa escaped from a fireman’s carry and rolled up Mansoor for two. Mansoor stayed one step ahead and struck with an enzuigiri, then hopped over the top rope to execute a finishing neckbreaker.

WINNER: Mansoor by pinfall at 5:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: The announcers continue to hype Mansoor’s record, reporting that this victory brought him to 48-0. They also went out of their way to repeatedly call Tozawa the “Stamina Monster,” an ill-fitting nickname considering Tozawa struggled to keep up with the strange drop down / leapfrog spot early in the match. The seated chop exchange felt like a brief glimpse into a New Japan match. This match wasn’t great but it bucked the standard Main Event script.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Reigns in-ring segment from Smackdown
• Replay of Jey Uso vs. Cesaro from Smackdown
• Replay of Mace & T-Bar vs. McIntyre confrontation from Raw
• Replay of Belair / Street Profits in-ring celebration from Smackdown
• Replay of Asuka vs. Charlotte from Raw

(2) LINCE DORADO (w/ Gran Metalik) vs. DREW GULAK

During the entrances, Byron explained that Gulak and Lucha House Party made a wager on this match: If Gulak wins, Dorado owes him $1,000. If Dorado wins, Gulak must wash LHP’s “undergarments” for a week. Kevin replied, “A lot on the line then for Drew Gulak!”

The wrestlers engaged in a test-of-strength grapple which led to brief pin attempts by Dorado. Dorado escaped from an arm bar with a physics-defying arm drag. Gulak fired Dorado into a corner and followed through with a running clothesline. He pinned Dorado for two. Gulak applied a thinly-veiled transition hold, then landed body blows to Dorado in the corner. He fired Dorado toward the opposite corner, but Dorado jumped over Gulak and flipped back to the original corner. Gulak ran in and caught a big boot from Dorado, then Dorado ran the ropes and whipped Gulak to the mat with a hurricanrana. He covered Gulak for two. Gulak fired Dorado off the ropes and scooped him up into a spinning sidewalk slam. Both men remained on the mat as we cut to break.

After the break, Dorado was just breaking free from the obligatory commercial break submission hold. Dorado landed two forearm shots, but Gulak came back and leveled Dorado with a big clothesline. He planted Dorado with a spinning sit-out powerbomb, then covered for two. He turned Dorado over and dropped a head butt to his shoulder, then covered for another two. He kicked Dorado in the chest and covered yet again for a two-count. Gulak applied a chinlock.

Dorado battled out and flipped free from a suplex attempt before using a backslide to pin Gulak for two. Dorado went into a series of drop kicks and a springboard moonsault before covering for another two. Dorado lit up Gulak with some chest chops, then reversed out of another powerbomb attempt by face-planting Gulak to the mat. He covered Gulak for two. Gulak checked his nose for blood as Dorado was first to his feet. Gulak was ready as Dorado approached and soon had him in the Gulock. Dorado couldn’t reach the rope, so he rolled backward onto Gulak, technically resulting in a pin that Gulak had to kick out of, thus breaking the hold.

Dorado hit a superkick in the corner, and Gulak tipped over onto the mat after a brief delay. Dorado climbed to the top rope and hit a shooting star press, then covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Lince Dorado by pinfall at 7:15.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Like Tozawa, Gulak also received a new nickname: The Minimalist Mutilator, because how can an eight-syllable nickname not take the world by storm? This match was pretty fun, but Dorado’s finishing combination seemed abrupt and it appeared to take Gulak by surprise in terms of match sequence.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42