12/22 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Veer Mahaan vs. T-Bar, Truth & Tozawa vs. Crews & Azeez, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
DECEMBER 22, 2021
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Veer Mahaan in action as his teased Raw debut nears

(1) R-TRUTH & AKIRA TOZAWA vs. APOLLO CREWS & COMMANDER AZEEZ

Truth started against Azeez, but not without some pre-match antics. Truth held one hand up and slowly circled Azeez, perhaps admiring his size. Truth began wishing “Merry Christmas” to the crowd, and lightly slapped Azeez on the face while making the rounds. Azeez didn’t appreciate this gesture and clobbered Truth with an overhead chop. He threw Truth into his own corner where Truth and Tozawa had a brief confab. Tozawa tagged in and trotted around the ring clapping his hands and shuffling his feet. He dodged a big boot from Azeez, then applied a waist lock but was unable to take control. Azeez splashed him in the corner and Tozawa crumpled to the mat.

Azeez carried Tozawa into his own corner and tagged in Crews. Crews scoop slammed Tozawa and landed a senton to Tozawa before covering for two. Tozawa elbowed his way out of a headlock, then ducked a clothesline and tagged Truth back in. Truth leveled Crews with shoulder tackles, then held his hand up to the crowd and performed John Cena’s “You can’t see me” hand wave and fist drop. Truth hit a spinning forearm strike and covered Crews for two.

Tozawa tagged back in and climbed to the top rope. He hit a single-boot missile dropkick and covered Crews for two. Tozawa hit a series of strikes and kicks, but then absorbed a Crews enziguri. Azeez tagged in and charged at Tozawa in the corner but Tozawa dodged. He hit Azeez with a jawbreaker, then quickly climbed to the top rope and launched into a high cross body. Azeez caught him in mid-air and hit Tozawa with a spinebuster. Azeez lifted Tozawa to his feet and hit the Nigerian nail, then covered for the three-count and victory.

WINNERS: Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez by pinfall in 5:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Decent tag action with three talented wrestlers and Azeez.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Reigns / Heyman in-ring segment from Smackdown
• Replay of Liv Morgan in-ring segment from Raw
• Replay of Styles / Omos breakdown from Raw
• Replay of Lashley / MVP / Big E in-ring segment from Raw
• Replay of Big E & Lashley vs. Owens & Rollins from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV Day One

(2) VEER MAHAAN vs. T-BAR

The wrestlers locked up in the middle of the ring and Mahaan had a slight advantage, inching T-Bar toward the corner, but T-Bar hit a knee lift then applied a side headlock. Mahaan powered out and reversed the hold. T-Bar grabbed Mahaan’s beard and fired him off the ropes. They collided in the middle and Mahaan knocked T-Bar through the ropes to the floor. T-Bar slowly climbed to the apron and dragged Mahaan’s throat down across the top rope. Mahaan blocked a T-Bar forearm and returned fire. He threw T-Bar into a corner then ran in for a spear, but T-Bar sidestepped the move, causing Mahaan to bust hard into the ring post. We cut to break.

T-Bar had control with an arm bar after the break. Mahaan clubbed his way to freedom, then dumped T-Bar with a back body drop. Mahaan splashed T-Bar in the corner then hit a sidewalk slam. He positioned T-Bar in the middle of the ring and hit a jumping elbow drop, then covered for two. Both men ran the ropes and T-Bar came out ahead with a big boot, knocking Mahaan to the mat. He hit a sit out choke slam and covered Mahaan for two.

T-Bar worked quickly to lift Mahaan to his feet but Mahaan came back with a running body splash in the middle of the ring. Mahaan tore off his elbow pad and turned T-Bar inside out with a big clothesline. Mahaan slowly stalked T-Bar and lifted him to his feet and hit a spinning inverted DDT. He covered T-Bar for the three-count.

WINNER: Veer Mahaan by pinfall in 6:00.

(Meyers’s Analysis: I don’t see big things in Mahaan’s future, but his spear into the ring post would make Kurt Angle proud. On the other hand, Mahaan removing his elbow pad before delivering a clothesline makes no sense as the elbow is not the point of impact. Form over function.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S MAIN EVENT REPORT: 12/15 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Apollo Crews vs. T-Bar, Alexander vs. Mahaan, more