12/14 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Enofe & Blade vs. Alexander & Ali, Brooke vs. Ray, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
DECEMBER 14, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Briana Ray (Kylie Rae) Makes WWE debut

(1) DANA BROOKE vs. BRIANA RAY

Brooke offered a handshake to Ray. Ray seemed to consider, then smacked Brooke’s hand away and laid in a hard side headlock. She took Brooke to the mat, continuing to wrench on the hold. Brooke reversed the hold, then took Ray down with a waist lock. Ray got to her feet and shoved Brooke away. They locked up and Ray muscled Brooke into a corner, then punched her in the gut when the ref separated them. Ray mockingly offered a handshake. Brooke responded by twisting Ray into another headlock. Ray fired her off, but Brooke knocked her down with a shoulder block on the rebound. Brooke blocked a hip toss, then tossed Ray to the mat herself, and followed up with a kick to the shoulder and a pin for a two-count.

Ray whipped Brooke to the mat by her hair, then covered for her own two-count. Ray hammered down multiple shots with Brooke on the mat. Ray gloated while Brooke crawled to a corner. Ray landed multiple kicks there, then hit a standard suplex and another two-count cover. Ray applied a chin lock. Brooke escaped by way of jawbreaker, then landed forearm shots to Ray’s jaw before taking her down with back-to-back clotheslines. Brooke hit a handspring elbow in the corner, then splashed Ray in the middle of the ring and covered for two.

Brooke caught an elbow from Ray in the corner, then Ray jumped from the corner to take Brooke down with an arm drag. She kicked Brooke in the face and covered for two. Ray set up for another suplex, but Brooke countered with a small package cover for two. Ray snap mared Brooke to the mat and mocked Brooke’s biceps flex. Brooke body slammed Ray, then climbed to the top rope. Ray moved in and punched Brooke in the face, then set up for a superplex. Brooke punched her way out and shoved Ray to the mat, then launched into a swanton bomb and covered Ray for the three-count.

WINNER: Dana Brooke by pinfall in 6:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Both wrestlers looked good here, but this was an unceremonious debut for an established wrestler in Briana Ray: Losing to Dana Brooke on the company’s B-show. Ray juxtaposed an over-the-top smiling babyface entrance with rather nasty behavior once the bell rang.)

-Edris Enofe and Malik Blade were shown wandering backstage where Blade was marveling at their surroundings and a WWE semi trailer. Enofe urged Blade to act like he’s been there before, but was himself enamored when he spotted Cedric Alexander enjoying a cup of coffee. He introduced himself and enthusiastically shook Alexander’s hand. He stumbled over his words and said he was looking forward to facing Alexander and Mustafa Ali tonight. Alexander questioned why Enofe wasn’t wearing a shirt. Ali walked up from behind and seemed distracted. The exciting mood was killed, and Ali wandered off. Blade asked if Ali was okay. Alexander said he was going to find out and wandered off after Ali.

Later, Alexander had caught up with Ali in the locker room. Ali was upset that two more young guys have appeared to take opportunity from “guys like you and me.” He said, “I’ve been chasing after this U.S. Title, but you know what doesn’t come up? A real opportunity.” Alexander complimented his ability to cope with adversity. Ali asked if Alexander ever gets tired of doing the right thing; being the good guy and smiling. Alexander asked where this is going. They stood up. Ali said that tonight, Alexander should do things his way, and Ali will do things his way.

(2) EDRIS ENOFE & MALIK BLADE vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER & MUSTAFA ALI

Alexander started off against Blade, and the two shook hands. They traded go-behinds and quick pin attempts. Alexander side-stepped a drop kick, then kicked Blade to the mat. Alexander allowed him to stand and they fist bumped. Ali tagged himself in, then Enofe followed suit. The crowd briefly chanted for Ali. They locked up and Enofe took Ali to the mat by his waist. Ali elbowed his way out, then Enofe arm dragged Ali twice to the mat. Enofe offered to help Ali to his feet. Instead of accepting the help, Ali reached up and yanked Enofe through the ropes and to the floor. Ali stood over him there as we cut to break.

Ali controlled Enofe with a chinlock in the ring after the break. Ali fired him back-first into the corner, then covered for two. Enofe came back with a spinebuster, and both men crawled toward their corners. Simultaneous tags were made, and Blade went on the offense against Alexander, taking him down with a cross body. He clotheslined Alexander against the ropes, then went to the top rope and hit a high altitude cross body and covered for two. The other wrestlers entered the ring, and Ali took out Enofe with an enziguri. Alexander hit Blade with a Michinoku driver and covered, but Enofe broke it up. All four men writhed on the mat.

Enofe threw Ali out to ringside, then Alexander followed suit and tossed Enofe out. This allowed Blade to move behind Alexander and roll him up for a surprise two-count. Alexander hit a snap German suplex, then tagged in Ali. Ali drop kicked Enofe off the ring apron, then Blade rolled up Ali for two. Alexander tagged back in just to smash Blade with a brainbuster, then Ali tagged back in immediately and landed a 450 splash from the top rope – good for the three-count and victory.

WINNERS: Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali by pinfall in 6:20.

After the match, Alexander urged Ali to shake the hands of their opponents. With some reluctance, he did.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Decent action. After Alexander’s conversation with Ali in the locker room, I expected Ali to sneak a shiv into the match to carve up the rookies, but no – he merely displayed a bit of bad sportsmanship on the way to victory.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH-UP: 12/7 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Cedric Alexander vs. Trick Williams, Chance vs. Tamina, more