WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT 8/24: Alexander & Ali vs. Benjamin & T-Bar, women’s tag match, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
AUGUST 24, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• See Tamina break Doudrop’s nose

(1) TAMINA & DANA BROOKE vs. NIKKI A.S.H. & DOUDROP

During entrances, Byron explained that Doudrop is responsible for Nikki’s new look: No more cape and a black leather jacket. He said that the updates were to help Nikki be taken more seriously, and to create unity for the duo as a tag team. (Mind you, Nikki still wears the superhero mask.)

Nikki started against Brooke. They locked up and Nikki whipped her to the mat. Brooke snap mared Nikki to the mat, then performed a cartwheel to be in position to kick Nikki’s front side. She splashed Nikki on the mat, then covered for a two-count. Tamina tagged in and punched Nikki in the gut while Brooke held her from behind. Tamina ran at Nikki in a neutral corner but Doudrop was nearby on the floor for some reason and was able to yank Nikki out of harm’s way.

Doudrop tagged in and shoved Tamina, who shoved Doudrop back. The women awkwardly exchanged blows, and Byron even admitted “it’s not pretty.” Both women struggled while trying to lift one another, then Tamina hit a head butt and a series of elbows in the corner. Brooke tagged in and she flipped across the ring for an elbow strike to Doudrop in the opposite corner. Nikki distracted Brooke, allowing Doudrop to run in and flatten Brooke from behind. Nikki tagged in and landed a few front kicks. She snap mared Brooke, but Brooke resisted and stayed on her feet in a way that suggested they weren’t on the same page. Nikki tried again and this time Brooke rolled to the mat as intended. Nikki applied an arm bar.

Doudrop tagged in and Brooke hit an incredibly unrealistic bulldog, then made a hot tag to Tamina. Tamina super kicked Doudrop in the face, then Tamina hit a Samoan drop that nearly dropped Doudrop on her head. Nikki tagged in and took Tamina down with a high cross body from the top rope. Doudrop dragged Brooke out to the floor and crushed her with a senton. Back in the ring, Tamina was slamming Nikki’s face into the top turnbuckle three times, then Nikki helped herself to another face smash even though Tamina had released her and walked away – greedy. Doudrop tagged in and splashed Tamina, then Nikki entered to hit a Samoan drop / neckbreaker combo with her partner. Doudrop covered Tamina to seal the deal.

WINNERS: Nikki A.S.H. & Doudrop by pinfall in 5:15.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Sloppy and borderline dangerous. Nobody clicked together, and Doudrop appeared to suffer a broken nose from Tamina’s superkick.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Reigns / McIntyre in-ring segment from Smackdown
• Replay of Lashley & Styles vs. Miz & Ciampa from Raw
• Replay of Edge vs. Damian Priest from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PLE Clash at the Castle

(2) CEDRIC ALEXANDER & MUSTAFA ALI vs. T-BAR & SHELTON BENJAMIN

Benjamin and Alexander slapped hands and got to grappling. Alexander scrambled to the bottom rope to break Benjamin’s hold. T-Bar tagged in and admonished his own partner before throwing heavy elbows at Alexander in the corner. Alexander dodged a couple attacks and knocked T-Bar down with a drop kick. Ali tagged in joined forces with his partner to suplex T-Bar, but T-Bar was too large for the two grown men and instead suplexed them both himself. T-Bar walked to his corner and slapped Benjamin’s chest to tag him in. Alexander and Ali knocked them both out of the ring. Alexander ran off the opposite ropes and started a dive at T-Bar, but Benjamin swooped onto the apron and intercepted him with a knee strike. Benjamin gestured to T-Bar that he just bailed him out. Ali then dove through the ropes but T-Bar shoved Benjamin aside and caught Ali by his throat. He choke slammed him onto the ring apron, then told Benjamin, “You listen to me!” as we cut to break.

Benjamin had Alexander in a headlock after the break. Alexander got free with elbow strikes, then they traded a few forearm strikes. Benjamin fired him into the corner and hit a running knee strike. T-Bar tagged in and stomped the hell out of Alexander before covering for two. Benjamin tagged himself in, and while he bickered with T-Bar, Alexander rolled him up for a surprise two-count. Alexander immediately hit a low drop kick, flattening Benjamin. Simultaneous tags were made. Ali hit a running drop kick, then ducked two clotheslines and kicked T-Bar in the face. Third try was the charm as T-Bar turned Ali inside out with a big clothesline. He covered Ali but Alexander broke up the pin. Benjamin entered and gave a German suplex to Alexander, then Ali took Benjamin out with a tornado DDT. T-Bar moved in with a big bicycle kick, then covered Ali for two.

T-Bar positioned himself on the middle turnbuckle, swatted away Alexander on the apron, then Ali ran in and took T-Bar to the canvas with a Spanish fly. He covered T-Bar but Benjamin dove in to break the pin. Benjamin tossed Ali out to the floor, then tried to revive his partner. T-Bar shoved Benjamin away, then Benjamin returned the favor. Ali entered the ring and took out both of his opponents with a high cross body. Alexander tagged in and suplexed T-Bar into position for Ali to hit the 450 splash from the top rope, allowing Alexander to move back in for the pin and victory.

WINNERA: Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali by pinfall in 6:55.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Really good action, believable near falls and bail outs. Benjamin must’ve been heavily medicated to put up with this much bullshit from his irritable tag partner.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.6

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH-UP: 8/17 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy, Tozawa vs. Benjamin, more