WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT (8/2): Bronson Reed vs. Apollo Crews, Dana Brooke vs. Xia Li

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
AUGUST 2, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Apollo Crews and Bronson Reed provide hard-hitting action

FULL REPORT

(1) DANA BROOKE vs. XIA LI

Brooke ducked a spinning kick and applied a side headlock to Li. She whipped her to the mat, then clearly communicated to Li on camera. Brooke blocked a hip toss, then issued a toss of her own. She kicked a seated Li in the shoulder, then covered for a one-count. Back on their feet, Brooke slammed Li’s face into a top turnbuckle. Things unraveled a bit here: Brooke had a handful of Li’s hair and started to guide her to a different corner, but she tripped and fell onto her butt on the way there. Li awkwardly flopped face-down onto the mat, and neither one knew what to do. They stood up and proceeded to the corner. Brooke whipped Li diagonally across the ring. Brooke chased after her and rolled her up for a two-count.

Li whipped Brooke to the mat by her hair, then hit Brooke with a knee strike. She covered Brooke for two. Li dragged Brooke to the ring apron and landed multiple forearm blows from the floor. She followed up with a running kick to the side of Brooke’s head, then told the audience to shut up before getting back into the ring to cover Brooke for two. Li applied a chinlock. Brooke battled out, but Li flung her back to the mat and covered for two.

Li fired Brooke into a corner and ran in after her with a knee lift to the mid-section. She tried the same in the opposite corner but Brooke dodged. She threw Li to the mat by her head three times, then smacked her in the face and laid in a double axe handle to her back. Brooke hit a handspring reverse elbow in the corner, then took Li down with a bulldog. Brooke climbed to the top rope, but Li scrambled to her feet and kicked Brooke, stunning her. Brooke head butted Li, knocking her back to the mat. Brooke resumed her initial plan and hit Li with a swanton and remained on top for the three-count.

WINNER: Dana Brooke by pinfall in 5:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Not great. Things were a little slow and sloppy, but the ending worked well.)

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(2) APOLLO CREWS vs. BRONSON REED

The men locked up and Reed fired Crews off the ropes and leveled him with a shoulder block on the rebound. Crews recovered while leaning against a corner. He went behind Reed, then applied a side headlock. Reed fired him off again, but this time Crews hit a drop kick. This staggered Reed but did not knock him down. Crews attempted a scoop slam to no avail. Reed tried the same thing and hoisted Crews up, but Crews slipped free and applied a waist lock from behind. Reed knocked him away with reverse elbow strike.

Crews hit a low drop kick to Reed’s knee, then followed up with a kick to his shoulder. Reed rolled out to ringside and walked around the ring. Crews jumped over the top rope and knocked Reed to the floor with a high cross body. He rolled Reed back into the ring, then climbed a corner. Reed got to his feet and yanked Crews’s arm downward across the top rope. Crews staggered out to the floor, and Reed ran down the ring apron and knocked Crews down with a flying shoulder block. We cut to break with Crews on the floor.

Back in the ring, Reed slowly scooped and slammed Crews before applying a rear bear hug on the mat. Crews got to his feet and broke free, then landed a few punches to Reed’s jaw. Crews side stepped a charging Reed in the corner, then kicked him in the back of the neck. Crews hit a bicycle kick, then splashed Reed in the corner. Crews climbed to the top of said corner and nailed Reed with a flying cross body. Crews covered for two. Reed knocked Crews to the mat with an upright splash in the middle of the ring, then dropped an elbow and covered for two.

Crews reversed out of a powerbomb setup and blasted Reed in the face with a kick and a knee strike. Crews hoisted the stunned Reed onto his shoulders. The crowd reacted to this feat of strength, but Reed just slipped down to the mat and hit Crews with a cyclone powerslam. He dragged Crews toward a corner and climbed to the top rope. Without hesitation, he dropped the Tsunami onto Crews and covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Bronson Reed by pinfall in 6:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Decent action with some heavy, hard-hitting moves. The commentators put over Reed early and painted Crews as the underdog, saying a Crews victory would be the biggest win he’s had in recent history.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

(Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42)

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