9/20 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Benjamin & Ali vs. Alpha Academy, Brooke vs. Tamina, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Can Ali & Benjamin coexist against Alpha Academy?

(1) DANA BROOKE vs. TAMINA

Brooke is the 24/7 champion, but this match was decidedly not for the belt. An inset video showed Tamina saying tonight’s match was just between the two of them with no championship at stake.

The women locked up and Tamina shoved Brooke away. Brooke clapped rhythmically, then shoved Tamina back. Brooke hit an enziguri, knocking Tamina into a corner. Brooke ran at her but Tamina hoisted her over the ropes onto the ring apron. When Brooke climbed back in through the ropes, Tamina kicked her in the face and covered for a two-count. Tamina scoop-slammed Brooke, then covered for another two. She lifted Brooke to her feet and choked her against the middle rope before flinging her to the middle of the ring. Tamina applied a chin lock there.

Brooke got free but was knocked to the mat by Tamina’s reverse elbow. Tamina kicked Brooke toward a corner, then clotheslined her twice. Tamina fired Brooke into the opposite corner, then ran in and blasted her in the face with her hip. Tamina covered for another two-count. Tamina dished out more punishment in a corner, but Brooke caught her with a boot and rolled up Tamina for two of her own. Brooke hit a low drop kick, then flipped at Tamina in the corner with an elbow strike. Tamina returned fire with a much larger elbow strike, sending Brooke to the mat. Tamina climbed to the top rope but Brooke caught her there and tossed her to the mat back-first. Brooke took Tamina down with a neck breaker and covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Dana Brooke by pinfall in 4:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: This was fine, nothing special. I was amused by the match not being for the highly coveted 24/7 title – surely a title defense that prestigious should be saved for Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.)

Ali was shown backstage with Alpha Academy. Gable offered him a “free lesson”: He hasn’t fed Otis yet today, so if Ali comes to the ring tonight, Otis will eat him alive.

Later, Ali approached Shelton Benjamin (his tag partner tonight against Alpha Academy) backstage. Benjamin was uninterested in Ali’s strategy. Benjamin listed the championships he’s held and asked if Ali had that many, then offered his own strategy: “Ears open, mouth shut, eyes on the gold standard.”

-Main Event recap session:

• Video package: Logan Paul / Roman Reigns
• Replay of Rollins vs. Lashley from Raw
• Replay of Riddle & Rey Mysterio vs. Judgment Day from Raw
• Replay of Damage CTRL in-ring segment from Raw
• Replay of Bayley vs. Bliss from Raw

(2) ALPHA ACADEMY (Chad Gable & Otis) vs. MUSTAFA ALI & SHELTON BENJAMIN

Benjamin insisted he start against Gable, whose hand he shook to start the match. Benjamin took him down with a waist lock, which Gable quickly reversed. Gable applied an ankle lock that Benjamin reversed out of to apply one of his own. Finally, Benjamin broke the stalemate by knocking down Gable with a shoulder block. This caused Gable to tag in Otis who was deliberate in entering the ring – this gave the crowd time to boo. Benjamin went for a waist lock, but Otis said, “Nope nope nope!” and elbowed Benjamin away. Benjamin came back with an elbow and a clothesline, but he couldn’t knock Otis down. Otis flattened Benjamin to the mat and Gable tagged back in. Ali tagged himself in, then combined forced with Benjamin to knock Otis through the ropes to the floor. Benjamin fired Gable toward a corner where Ali was now perched, and Ali took the incoming Gable down with a tornado DDT. Kevin commended their chemistry. Gable rolled himself out to the floor while Ali and Benjamin actually seemed pleased with one another. We cut to break.

After the break, Gable tossed Ali to the mat with a belly-to-belly suplex, then wrenched in an arm bar. Ali got to his feet and stretched his free arm toward Benjamin, but Gable countered by firing Gable into Alpha Academy’s corner. Gable tagged Otis back in. Otis flexed his biceps, then threw Ali face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Otis stood on Ali’s chest, then stepped down at the ref’s order. He fired Ali into the opposite neutral corner. Otis choked Ali against the middle rope, and when the ref backed him off, Gable kicked Ali in the face behind her back. Otis dropped a big elbow, held up dual peace signs, and tagged Gable in.

Gable took Ali down with a Northern lights suplex and held the bridge there for a two-count, then applied an arm bar. Benjamin hammered the top turnbuckle to encourage his partner and the crowd. Ali finally made a diving tag and Benjamin went on the offense against Gable. After a powerslam, Benjamin covered Gable for two. Gable reversed out of a suplex and struck Benjamin from behind. Benjamin came back with a backbreaker. Benjamin knocked an interfering Otis off the ring apron, then smashed Gable with a rising knee strike in the corner. Benjamin followed up with a superkick that knocked Gable to the mat.

Ali reached out, offering a tag. Benjamin considered this briefly before making the tag. Gable hit a rolling German suplex and tagged Otis back in. Otis lifted Ali up to Gable to hit a powerbomb from the middle rope, then Otis cleaned up with the pin and three-count. Byron said that Benjamin had things in order until Ali tagged in at the end.

Ali and Benjamin had a mildly heated exchange in the ring before Ali rolled out and walked up the ramp by himself.

WINNERS: Alpha Academy by pinfall in 8:20.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Byron made a good point at the end – when Ali tagged in the match fell apart within seconds. Decent tag action throughout, and Otis seems to be relishing the heel role.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.8

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH-UP: 9/13 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Cedric Alexander vs. Shelton Benjamin, Truth vs. Tozawa, more