6/7 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Apollo Crews vs. Akira Tozawa, LeRae vs. Li, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JUNE 7, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

Tozawa takes tumble during ring entrance

(1) CANDACE LERAE vs. XIA LI

The women locked up and Li shoved LeRae into a corner. LeRae swapped places with Li, then backed out of the corner at the ref’s urging. LeRae knocked Li down with a shoulder block, then ran the ropes. LeRae blocked Li’s attempt to arm drag, but Li planted a knee in LeRae’s midsection. Li ran the ropes, and LeRae hit two successful arm drags and a low drop kick. She covered Li for two. LeRae climbed to the top rope and Li ran in to knock her off balance. Li hit LeRae with a leg drop, then lifted her to her feet. Li landed a few punches in the corner, then paced around the ring while posturing at the crowd. Li tossed LeRae with a pump handle suplex, then covered LeRae for a two-count.

Li caught a LeRae kick attempt, then short clotheslined her to the mat. Li hesitated, then covered for another two-count. Li applied a chinlock. LeRae got to her feet and escaped the hold with a jawbreaker. LeRae chopped and punched Li into a corner. The crowd got mildly pumped up. Li fired LeRae into a corner, but LeRae bounced happily off the turnbuckles and clotheslined Li to the mat. LeRae remained on the mat and considered her options. She decided to go to the ropes and set up for a springboard moonsault, but by then Li was to her feet and tossed LeRae away from the ropes with a release suplex. LeRae fed Li a phony kick, then knocked her down with an enzuigiri from her free leg. With Li on the mat, LeRae hustled to the ropes again and this time hit the moonsault and remained on top for the three-count.

WINNER: Candace LeRae by pinfall in 4:45.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Pretty good match with a good hint of LeRae’s finisher, at first failing due to her hesitation, but ultimately working in the end.)

(2) APOLLO CREWS vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

Tozawa stumbled and fell over while doing an exaggerated jog onto the stage. He completely no-sold it, but a shot of the ring showed Crews genuinely laughing at this rare display of clumsiness.

The men locked up and Crews immediately shoved Tozawa to the mat in the corner. Crews flexed at the crowd while Tozawa got to his feet. Crews tossed Tozawa back to the mat with a release waist lock. Tozawa fired Crews off the ropes, but Crews knocked him down with a shoulder block on the rebound. Tozawa tried this again, but this time got the better of Crews with a drop kick. Tozawa chopped Crews in the corner, then took him to the mat with a hurricanrana. Tozawa rolled up Crews for a surprise two-count, then Crews dropped Tozawa face-first onto the top turnbuckle. With Tozawa dazed on the mat, we cut to break.

After the break, Crews was flinging Tozawa across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex, then turned Tozawa inside out with a big clothesline. Crews covered for two, then applied a chinlock. Tozawa broke the hold by getting his boot to the bottom rope. Crews hit a crisp fisherman’s suplex, then bridged for a pin and another two-count. Crews snap mared Tozawa to the mat and went back to the chinlock. He flung Tozawa to the mat and covered for two.

Tozawa took Crews down with another hurricanrana, then hit a running knee strike. Tozawa climbed to the top rope and nailed Crews with a flying reverse elbow. He covered Crews for two. Tozawa landed several kicks to Crews. Crews came back with a kick to Tozawa’s face, then Tozawa returned the favor. Tozawa bugged his eyes out and went to the top rope again. He jumped, but this time Crews caught him in mid-air and smoothly converted into a Samoan drop. Crews covered Tozawa for the three-count.

WINNER: Apollo Crews by pinfall in 7:00.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Basic match. Crews’s big moves looked sharp, and the ending combination was especially cool.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.6

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH-UP: 5/31 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Candice LeRae vs. Tegan Nox, Lumis vs. Tozawa, more