4/13 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Crews & Azeez vs. Hurt Business, Ciampa vs. T-Bar, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
APRIL 13, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

Azeez brings awkwardness with timing misfire

(1) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. T-BAR

Ciampa kicked T-Bar in his left leg to start, causing T-Bar to back off and reassess. Ciampa tried to grapple the same leg, but T-Bar overpowered him into a corner. Ciampa fought out with chops, ducked a clothesline, then took T-Bar off his feet with a drop kick to the knee. Ciampa attacked T-Bar’s left leg on the mat and delivered several blows to the knee. T-Bar knocked Ciampa away, then caught Ciampa with a big boot when he ran at him in the corner. T-Bar dragged Ciampa away from the ropes and covered for a two-count.

T-Bar laid in a few kicks, knocking Ciampa into a corner. The crowd booed as the ref backed him off. T-Bar grabbed Ciampa by his perfectly-colored beard and applied a chin lock. When Ciampa nearly wriggled free, T-Bar whipped him to the mat and rained down overhead blows. He covered Ciampa for another two-count, then went back to the chin lock. Ciampa broke free with a jawbreaker, then hit a few chops. He clotheslined T-Bar, then followed up with a flying forearm that knocked T-Bar to the mat. Ciampa hyperextended T-Bar’s knee in the corner, then landed two more shots to his leg before a running knee strike to the face. He covered T-Bar for two.

Ciampa set up for the Fairytale Ending, but T-Bar blocked it and knocked Ciampa down with a crescent kick. He laid back to cover Ciampa nonchalantly for a two-count. T-Bar was first to his feet, and held up his right hand. He gripped Ciampa by the throat but Ciampa escaped with ease. Ciampa landed a punch and kick, then went for another punch but T-Bar dodged and lined up for a possible choke slam. This time, Ciampa reversed out and into a roll-up surprise pin for the three-count.

WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa by pinfall in 6:25.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Ciampa worked T-Bar’s knee throughout the match, and T-Bar even sold it at times, yet it played no role in the outcome. Decent match.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Cody Rhodes on Miz TV from Raw
• Replay of Rhodes vs. Miz from Raw
• Replay of Rousey in-ring interview from Smackdown
• Replay of Street Profits vs. The Usos from Raw

(2) APOLLO CREWS & COMMANDER AZEEZ vs. HURT BUSINESS (CEDRIC ALEXANDER & SHELTON BENJAMIN)

As soon as the bell rang, Crews and Azeez rushed the corner and beat down both members of Hurt Business. In spite of that, Benjamin immediately had the upper hand over his legal opponent Crews. He had Crews down in the corner and knocked Azeez off the ring apron as we cut to break.

After the break, Benjamin and Crews exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. With the ref distracted, Azeez knocked Benjamin off the ring apron to the floor. Azeez tagged in and rolled Benjamin back into the ring. He scooped Benjamin and dropped him face-first on the top turnbuckle, then leveled him with a big boot. He angrily saluted the crowd, then tossed Benjamin into the corner where Crews tagged in. He laid in a series of kicks, then stepped on Benjamin’s throat before the ref backed him off. Crews snap suplexed Benjamin and covered for a one-count. He dragged him back to the corner and Azeez tagged in. He bounced off the ropes and dropped a head butt to Benjamin’s shoulder. Azeez made a cocky one-handed pin for a two-count, then applied a chin lock.

The crowd clapped rhythmically to urge Benjamin to his feet. He escaped and hit a suspended DDT, then collapsed to the mat. Azeez was staggered and immediately stumbled to his own corner, but did not tag Crews in yet as this was meant to be the “both men down” session. Azeez completely jumped the gun while Benjamin was still making the dramatic crawl to his own corner. Azeez had to wait awkwardly next to his partner before tagging him in when Benjamin finally made his tag to Alexander.

Alexander cranked up the speed and took Crews out with a low drop kick. He clotheslined Crews against the apron, then planted him in the middle of the ring with a Michinoku driver. Alexander covered but Azeez entered and kicked Alexander in the face to break up the pin. Benjamin entered and kicked Azeez in the face, and Alexander followed that up with a Neuralyzer. They combined forces to clothesline Azeez over the top rope to the floor.

Meanwhile, Crews recovered in the ring and rolled up the distracted Alexander for a two-count. Alexander ducked a clothesline and hit Crews with the Neuralyzer. Crews responded by raking Alexander’s eyes, then hitting a Samoan drop. He covered Alexander for the three-count.

WINNER: Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez by pinfall in 5:30.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Rushed and sloppy – the heel double-team to open the match was done only because it’s heelish but the match transitioned instantly as if it hadn’t happened. Azeez’s timing error really stood out among polished WWE matches.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.0

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S MAIN EVENT REPORT: 4/6 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: T-Bar vs. Shelton Benjamin, Crews vs. Leslie, more