6/14 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Strong main event effort by Riddick Moss and Apollo Crews, plus solid Natalya vs. Tegan Nox

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JUNE 14, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

Moss and Crews bring hard-hitting heavyweight action

(1) NATALYA vs. TEGAN NOX

The women locked up and Natalya immediately rolled up Nox for a one-count. Nox shouted, “Are you kidding me?” Natalya attempted a figure four leg lock but Nox scrambled to the bottom rope to break the hold. Natalya blocked am arm drag, then rolled up Nox again – this time for a two-count. Natalya set up for a sharpshooter, but Nox kicked her away before rolling out of the ring. She laughed at the crowd booing her, then shrieked in terror as Natalya took to the floor to chase her around the ring. They got back into the ring where Nox fired Natalya face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Nox battered Natalya with kicks in the same corner, then choked her against the middle rope. Nox smiled and patted Natalya on the head.

Nox dragged Natalya to the middle of the ring and covered her for two, then applied a chinlock. Natalya battled out, but Nox slammed her to the mat using Natalya’s hair. She landed multiple punches while mounting Natalya, then locked her legs around Natalya’s lower torso. Natalya managed to turn around and land open-handed shots, but Nox countered with a front chancery. Natalya stood, dead lifting Nox, and slammed her to the mat. Nox flung Natalya to the mat with an arm drag, but Natalya came back with a clothesline. She tossed Nox with a release German suplex, then tried for another sharpshooter but Nox blocked it again. Nox rolled up Natalya for a two-count. Nox lowered her right knee pad and ran at Natalya. Natalya brushed her aside, then successfully applied the sharpshooter – Nox tapped out immediately.

WINNER: Natalya by submission in 6:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Pretty good. Nox’s over the top reaction to Natalya chasing her was genuinely funny, and they did a good job teasing Natalya’s sharpshooter as a serious threat to Nox.)

(2) RIDDICK MOSS (w/ Emma) vs. APOLLO CREWS

Moss took Crews to the mat with a waist lock to start. Crews reverse out and returned the favor. They exchanged a series of go-behinds until they wound up against the ropes. Moss demolished Crews with a serious shoulder block – violent. Crews ran the ropes and Moss gave him another one, this time allowing Crews to control his own bump. Moss bounced around the ring in a celebratory fashion while Crews recovered on the mat. Crews grinned at Moss before locking up again. They did some rope running and crisscrossing before Crews leveled Moss with a drop kick. Crews hit a side headlock takedown. Moss fired him toward the ropes where Emma was waiting on the floor. She grabbed Crews’s boot, drawing his attention away from Moss. Sure enough, Moss clotheslined Crews to the mat as soon as he turned around. Moss issued punches and kicks to Crews in the corner, followed up by a spear to the midsection. Emma hopped onto the apron to give Moss a smooch as we cut to break.

After the break, Moss tossed Crews across the ring with a fallaway slam. He gloated to the fans a bit, then issued another fallaway slam before covering Crews for two with his forearm across Crews’s eyes. Moss applied a chinlock. The crowd urged on Crews who broke free but stumbled to the mat. He got up and chopped Moss several times. Moss had enough of the chops and scooped Crews up into a twisting spinebuster. Moss angrily unleashed a flurry of closed-fist strikes to Crews on the mat. Crews dodged a sprinting Moss in the corner, causing Moss to smash into the turnbuckle. Crews clotheslined Moss, hit a bicycle kick, then another clothesline. He splashed Moss in the corner, then climbed said corner and leveled Moss with a high cross body. He covered Moss for two. Emma looked relieved. Crews climbed to the top of the opposite corner and went for a frog splash but Moss rolled out of the way. Crews still hit Moss with a step-up enzuigiri, then Moss came back with a uranage. He covered Crews for two. Both men lingered on the mat while a “Let’s go, Apollo” chant started.

Moss landed a series of knee strikes to Crews’s ribs. Crews came back with a rising knee strike and another enzuigiri. This stunned Moss enough for Crews to hoist him into a Samoan drop. Crews covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Apollo Crews by pinfall in 8:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Refreshing match for Main Event – could have easily been on Raw. High energy, high effort, and big hits. I rewound to watch Moss’s first shoulder block three times – good stuff.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42