7/28 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza, Ryker vs. Gulak, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JULY 28, 2021
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Garza takes advantage of the return of live fans

(1) JAXSON RYKER vs. DREW GULAK

The men locked up for several seconds and Gulak muscled Ryker into a corner. When the ref backed Gulak off, Gulak snuck in a quick but loud chop to Ryker’s chest that drew a good crowd reaction. Gulak appeared pleased with himself. Ryker angrily threw Gulak into the same corner and laid in aggressive chops of his own. Gulak ran the ropes and took a hip toss and then a spinning body slam from Ryker. Ryker hit a head butt to the prone Gulak before covering for two.

Ryker applied an arm bar but Gulak resisted and got free almost instantly. Gulak dragged Ryker to the mat by his ankle and knee before covering for two. Gulak landed kicks in the corner, then twisted Gulak back to the mat by his neck. He maintained the grip to wear Ryker down, but Ryker got to his feet and broke free. Ryker took a back body drop and was covered for another two-count.

Gulak ran the ropes and kicked Ryker in the face on the rebound. He covered for two then applied another submission in the middle of the ring. Once more, Ryker got to his feet and pried himself free and tossed Gulak to the canvas. The men exchanged blows, then Gulak grounded Ryker again. Ryker got free and leveled Gulak a few times with axe handle blows to the chest. He clotheslined Gulak in the corner, then hit a slingshot release suplex, bouncing Gulak off the top rope. Ryker fired Gulak off the ropes. He caught him on the rebound and slammed him to the mat with a belly-to-belly slam. Ryker covered for three.

WINNER: Jaxson Ryker by pinfall in 5:20.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Ryker’s presentation is one-dimensional: His current character trait is “no longer being with Elias.” He did high five some fans on his way to the ring, doing so with an aura of forced intensity. The wrestlers managed to tell a brief story of Gulak’s repeated attempts to keep Ryker on the mat, and Ryker repeatedly powering through Gulak’s grappling. These exchanges exposed a bit of Ryker’s clunkiness against the polished Gulak.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Cena in-ring promo from Smackdown
• Replay of Reigns in-ring promo, including Balor challenge, from Smackdown
• Replay of Lashley / MVP in-ring promo from Raw
• Replay of Lashley vs. Alexander & Benjamin from Raw
• Replay of Nikki A.S.H. / Charlotte / Ripley in-ring segment from Raw
• Replay of Charlotte vs. Nikki A.S.H. from Raw

(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. ANGEL GARZA

The bell rang and Garza aggressively offered a handshake to Carrillo – the crowd had a mixed reaction to this. Garza responded by rolling out of the ring and giving his single red rose to a woman sat at ringside. She politely thanked him before he rolled back into the ring. Carrillo was waiting and immediately threw on a hard side headlock. Garza fired him off, but Carrillo knocked Garza down with a shoulder block. Carrillo went back to the side headlock and continued wrenching on Garza’s neck.

Garza fired Carrillo off again and the wrestlers set about some lucha libre rope-running and leap-frogging. Garza hit the brakes and held his hand up to signal “stop.” He reached for his waistline to remove his pants but Carrillo didn’t want to wait for that spectacle so he ran in with a clothesline but Garza ducked. Carrillo fired Garza under the bottom rope to the floor with a hurricanrana. Carrillo went for a baseball slide toward Garza, but Garza ducked and Carrillo slid harmlessly over his back. Garza then hoisted Carrillo up onto the apron, upside down, leaning against the ropes. Garza hit a quick superkick to Carrillo’s inverted skull, causing Carrillo to go limp and slump down to the apron as we cut to break.

Garza maintained control through the break and had Carrillo in a chin lock. Carrillo got free and missed a roundhouse kick but hit a springboard high cross body. He covered Garza for two after their landing. Carrillo hit a textbook suplex and covered for another two-count, then applied a chin lock of his own. Carrillo hit a drop kick and covered for two. Carrillo attempted an abdominal stretch but Garza locked his hands to block the full extension. Carrillo countered with repeated blows to Garza’s midsection, allowing him to lock in his hold. Garza hip tossed Carrillo to escape, then tossed Carrillo with a monkey flip from the corner. Garza hit a flapjack, then covered for two.

The wrestlers exchanged quick back-and-forth pin attempts. Carrillo took Garza down with a hurricanrana, then hit a standing moonsault and covered for two. Carrillo climbed to the top rope and went airborne but Garza was waiting and intercepted with a superkick. He finally tore off his warm-ups and hit the Wing Clipper for the three-count and victory.

WINNER: Angel Garza by pinfall in 6:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: A good, crisp match as you would expect from these two. Extra cool to see Garza interact with the still-novel live audience in the match’s opening.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S MAIN EVENT REPORT: 7/21 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Ricochet vs. Cedric Alexander, Garza vs. Gulak, more