WWE MAIN EVENT RESULTS (7/17): Joaquin Wilde vs. Luca Crusifino, Malik Blade vs. Pete Dunne

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JULY 17, 2024
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Blake Howard, Brian “Road Dogg” James

(1) JOAQUIN WILDE vs. LUCA CRUSIFINO

Wilde applied a side headlock, but Crusifino soon escaped and leveled Wilde with a shoulder block. Wilde ran the ropes and took Crusifino down with a hurricanrana, then an arm drag. Crusifino blocked and reversed another hurricanrana, this time rolling up Wilde for a surprise two-count cover. Crusifino smashed Wilde with a forearm strike, then whipped him into a corner. Wilde choked Crusifino against the ropes with a head scissors, then hit a springboard missile drop kick off the top rope. Crusifino came back with a big clothesline, spinning Wilde to the mat. He mounted Wilde and unleashed several downward punches, then covered for two.

Crusifino fired Wilde hard into opposite corners, then followed up with a delayed vertical suplex. Crusifino covered for two, then applied a chinlock. Wilde got free and ran the ropes, then knocked Crusifino down with consecutive forearm strikes. He covered Crusifino for two. Wilde chanted “LWO” at the crowd, then spun Crusifino into a cross arm breaker. Crusifino escaped by rolling Wilde onto his back, forcing him to kick out of a cover. Crusifino dodged a springboard moonsault, then took Wilde down with a double-knee face breaker. He covered Wilde for two. Wilde dodged a clothesline in the corner, then hit Crusifino with a DDT. Wilde climbed to the top rope and hit a 450 splash – he remained on top for the cover and three-count.

WINNER: Joaquin Wilde by pinfall in 5:30.

(Meyers’s Analysis: A fine, brief match… Basically a highlight reel of Wilde’s high-flying moveset.)

(2) MALIK BLADE vs. PETE DUNNE

Dunne quickly took Blade to the mat with a wrist lock. Blade got to his feet, reversing the hold. Dunne forced a rope break, then stomped Blade’s shoulder. Blade came back with two deep arm drags and a standing drop kick. Dunne clotheslined a running Blade to the mat. Dunne hyper extended Blade’s shoulder and wrenched his fingers backward. He followed up by stomping Blade’s wrist. Blade writhed on the mat as we cut to break.

Dunne remained in control through the break. Dunne slapped Blade in the face several times in a disrespectful, not combative, fashion. This visibly angered Blade, who fired up and knocked Dunne to the mat. He climbed to the top rope and hit a high cross body, then covered Dunne for two. Dunne blocked a power bomb, then hit Blade with an enzuigiri. Blade came back with a blockbuster off the middle rope, then covered for another two-count. Blade went to the top rope again. He took flight, but Dunne intercepted him with a punch to the jaw. Dunne snapped Blade’s fingers again, then took him to the mat with a pump handle flatliner. Dunne covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Pete Dunne by pinfall in 5:30.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Another brief, high-flying highlight reel, this time featuring Malik Blade. The strangest thing about this episode is that the second match was the same length as the first – usually it extends from five minutes to a hefty seven minutes.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.0

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