5/25 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Apollo Crews vs. T-Bar, Azeez vs. Tozawa, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
MAY 25, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Two decent matches and rare Main Event mic work

(1) COMMANDER AZEEZ (w/ Apollo Crews) vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

Tozawa dodged Azeez’s first move and did a quick go-behind and waist lock, then followed up with a single forearm shot to Azeez’s back. Tozawa immediately cowered away, shaking off his arm as if he had just struck a wall made of a tungsten steel alloy. Azeez looked annoyed. Tozawa dodged more lumbering moves from Azeez, then jumped on his back with a choke hold. Azeez flipped him onto the mat. Tozawa was quick to his feet and hit two drop kicks. He climbed a corner but Azeez grabbed him by the throat and tossed him to the mat back-first.

Tozawa cowered on the mat until Azeez lifted him up to land a clubbing blow to his back. Azeez applied a chin lock, then lifted Tozawa into a back suplex. Azeez covered Tozawa by pinning him to the mat by his throat, but Tozawa kicked out. Azeez applied another chin lock. He drove a knee into Tozawa’s gut, then scooped him onto his shoulder but Tozawa wriggled free and drop kicked the back of Azeez’s knee. With Azeez dropped to one knee, Tozawa unloaded a salvo of left-right kicks, repeating. Azeez held up his guard, now finally bothered by Tozawa’s offense. Tozawa ran the ropes and hit the stunned Azeez with a knee strike, finally knocking him to the mat, then covered for two.

Tozawa stomped his way along the ring apron and up to the top turnbuckle. He hit a missile drop kick that sent Azeez reeling against the ropes. Tozawa laid in a flurry of chops and kicks, until Azeez grabbed and lifted him by the throat. Tozawa reversed out of a potential choke slam and rolled Azeez up with a pinning hurricanrana. Azeez kicked out, and Byron commented on what an upset that would’ve been. Tozawa ran the ropes and was knocked down by an Azeez big boot. Azeez lifted him off the mat and took Tozawa out with a spinning uranage, then held him on the mat for the three-count.

WINNER: Commander Azeez by pinfall in 4:20.

(Meyers’s Analysis: I actually liked this match – it felt more dynamic and fresher than most Main Event matches, even though these two are regulars on the program. Basically, a big man / little man formula, but Tozawa made a victory seem plausible.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Lashley vs. MVP from Raw
• Replay of Street Profits & Riddle vs. Usos & Zayn from Raw
• Replay of Asuka vs. Becky Lynch from Raw

After the video recaps on WWE Main Event, we cut back to the arena where Crews and Azeez remained in the ring after Azeez’s victory. Crews had the mic and said it was time for him to establish dominance of his own. He challenged “anyone brave enough to face him.” T-Bar’s music played, and out he came.

(2) APOLLO CREWS (w/ Commander Azeez) vs. T-BAR

For reasons not adequately explored, the ref called for the starting bell while Azeez was still meandering inside the ring. This caused T-Bar, a stupid babyface, to turn his back on his opponent to order Azeez out of the ring. Consequently, Crews charged in to clobber T-Bar from behind. T-Bar immediately turned things around and tossed Crews into the corner and laid in some clubbing blows. He nailed Crews with a backbreaker, then splashed him on the mat and covered for a one-count.

T-Bar scooped Crews but Crews shoved himself free and hit T-Bar with a drop kick. He pushed T-Bar’s face into a middle turnbuckle, then drove his shoulder into T-Bar’s abdomen in another corner. Crews ran the ropes and was knocked down by a T-Bar reverse elbow. T-Bar hit another couple elbows in the corner, then Crews dragged T-Bar down throat-first against the middle rope. Crews whipped him into a corner, but T-Bar bounced out and clotheslined Crews to the mat. Crews knocked T-Bar off the ring apron, then Azeez clotheslined T-Bar to the floor while the ref was dealing with Crews. We cut to break.

Back in the ring, Crews had control of T-Bar with a chin lock. T-Bar landed two elbows, but Crews slammed him to the mat back-first before he could break free. Crews held his hands up to the crowd and did a biceps flex. He stomped the base of T-Bar’s neck, then ground his wrist tape across T-Bar’s eyes. He punched T-Bar twice in the head, until T-Bar blocked his third effort then came back with forearm shots. T-Bar hit another reverse elbow, then went for a suplex but Crews got free again. Nonetheless, T-Bar hit a big boot, then landed High Justice and covered Crews for a believable near fall.

T-Bar shook his head and got to his feet. He caught a Crews boot in the corner, followed by a Crews rising knee strike. Crews kept on with an enziguri and a twisting Samoan drop. Crews hit a standing moonsault, then shrieked in frustration when T-Bar kicked out of a pin after that barrage of offense.

Crews set up for a scoop slam but T-Bar blocked and landed elbows to Crews’s back. T-Bar slammed Crews to the mat, then slowly climbed a corner. Azeez moved in and began shaking the top rope, but the ref ordered him away. T-Bar jumped at Crews who had dodged out of harm’s way. T-Bar landed on his feet, and was flipped over the top rope to the ring apron. Again, Azeez interfered but T-Bar hopped over his attempted arm sweep. T-Bar kicked Azeez in the face with the advantage of the high ground. He climbed to the top rope again, but Crews moved in and kicked T-Bar’s foot out, causing him to land crotch-first on the top rope. Crews hoisted him up and planted another Samoan drop, then covered for three.

WINNER: Apollo Crews by pinfall in 7:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: More good action. It’s worth noting that Crews needed Azeez’s distractions for victory against T-Bar, yet Azeez handled Tozawa single-handedly. Also – and I get that this isn’t fascinating, but Main Event is so formulaic that anytime something different happens it really stands out – it was unusual to have both Crews and Azeez wrestle on the same episode. This is what led to the brief mic work by Crews between matches, something almost never seen on this show.)

WWE MAIN EVENT SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: 5/18 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Street Profits vs. Crews & Azeez, Reggie vs. Ciampa, more