SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Byron Saxton, Wade Barrett
REASON(S) TO WATCH…
- Bronson Reed vs. Riddick Moss – Who’s the strongest?
SHOW REPORT
(1) BRONSON REED vs. RIDDICK MOSS
The wrestlers locked up, twisted around, and Reed powered Moss into a corner. Reed backed off and chopped Moss’s midsection. Moss came back with kicks and punches, then failed to whip Reed into the corner. Instead, Reed fired Moss into the opposite corner where Reed hit a reverse elbow and caught a charging Moss with a boot up high.
Moss hit a flying shoulder tackle from the middle rope that sent Reed reeling across the ring. Moss mounted Reed in that corner and hammered down on him, but Reed hoisted him up and dropped him across the top rope. Reed proceeded to splash Moss in another corner, then tossed him to the mat.
Moss side stepped a charging Reed, then went for a scoop slam, but collapsed under Reed’s weight. Reed remained on top for a two-count cover. Reed landed four punches to Moss’s skull, then applied a chinlock. Moss escaped with a jawbreaker, but Reed responded with a quick scoop slam. Moss rolled out of the way of a back senton, and both men lingered on the mat.
Moss landed multiple blows to Reed in the corner, then three consecutive spears in the same corner. Reed was dazed. Moss ran the ropes and took Reed out with a clothesline. Reed rolled out to ringside, and Moss joined him there and hit a running forearm in front of the announce table. Reed got onto the apron and hit a diving shoulder block, knocking Moss to the floor.
He rolled Moss back into the ring and climbed to the top rope. Moss met him there and set up a fallaway slam, but Reed knocked him down to the mat. Reed again stood on the top of the corner, but Moss ran up and disrupted the top rope, causing Reed to drop to the mat on his feet. Moss successfully delivered a fallaway slam on the mat, then covered for two.
Reed dodged another spear in the corner, then went on the offense against the stunned Moss. Reed positioned Moss on the mat near the corner, then climbed up again and finally hit the Tsunami for the three-count.
WINNER: Bronson Reed by pinfall in 5:50.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Pretty good! I was curious how this would play out as both men are treated as powerhouses. They definitely gave Moss some strong offense, but it’s Reed who seems to be more upwardly mobile at the moment. Neither wrestler engaged in any heel antics – I suppose they canceled each other out.)
(2) VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar, w/ Valhalla) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN & CEDRIC ALEXANDER
Alexander started against Erik. Eric muscled Alexander into a corner, then released his grip to scream in Alexander’s face. Alexander seemed stunned by this and wandered to his corner to get advice from Benjamin. Erik shoved Alexander into another corner, and snarled at him again. Alexander screamed back with his tongue out in exaggerated fashion. Alexander ran the ropes and took Erik down with a hurricanrana.
Benjamin tagged in and knocked Erik down with a reverse elbow. Alexander remained in the ring briefly to hit a basement drop kick to Erik. When Ivar entered the ring to help his teammate, Alexander and Benjamin teamed up against him as well, knocking him out of the ring. Benjamin whipped Erik to the mat two times, then landed punches in the corner. Alexander tagged back in, knocked Ivar off the ring apron, and went for a handspring cutter but Erik caught him, then leveled him with a knee strike. Erik did some more roaring as we cut to break.
The Raiders were clobbering Alexander as we returned from break. Ivar tagged in and laid in elbow strikes to Alexander in the corner. He gingerly tossed Alexander to the mat, covered for two despite the move having no impact, then applied a chinlock. He whipped Alexander to the mat, dropped a fist, then ground his forearm against Alexander’s eyes. Erik tagged in and kicked Alexander in the midsection. Ivar tagged in and the Raiders teamed up to fire Alexander off the far ropes.
On the rebound, Alexander gave a two-for-one Pele kick, knocking both Raiders to the mat. Benjamin pounded the top turnbuckle with his other hand reached out to his partner. Alexander made the hot tag, and Benjamin splashed the Raiders in separate corners. He leveled Ivar with a shoulder tackle, then dumped him to the mat with a Samoan drop. He covered Ivar for two.
Benjamin applied an ankle lock to Ivar. Erik entered and lifted Benjamin away from Ivar, so Benjamin gave Erik an ankle lock of his very own. Benjamin released Erik and charged at Ivar in the corner, but Ivar lifted both legs up and toward Benjamin, essentially sitting on his chest as they collapsed to the mat.
Erik tagged in and the raiders set up Ragnarök, but Alexander entered to break it up. Ivar was dumped over the top rope by Alexander, who then dove over the top rope to level Ivar on the floor. Benjamin hit a running knee strike in the ring to Erik, then tagged in Alexander as Valhalla climbed onto the apron. Benjamin was distracted by her, and Erik shoved him through the ropes.
Erik hit Alexander with a uranage / knee strike combo. Ivar entered the ring and again combined forces with Erik to hit Alexander with Ragnarök. Ivar covered Alexander for the three-count.
WINNER: Viking Raiders by pinfall in 7:40.
(Meyers’s Analysis: The match was fine, and it was fun to see Alexander and Benjamin reunited. But the Viking Raiders is a bad gimmick that I cannot take seriously. They’re trying to own it, but all I see are two head brewers wearing costumes and pretending to be mean. This dated concept puts a default ceiling over the team – which may be inconsequential as the tag division in general has a pretty low ceiling. Oh well.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2
Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42
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