WWE MAIN EVENT TV RESULTS (8/21): Show’s move away from autopilot evident with Lyra Valkyria vs. Lola Vice, Dante Chen vs. Ilja Dragunov

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
AUGUST 21, 2024
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Blake Howard, Brian “Road Dogg” James

(1) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. LOLA VICE

The women locked up and Vice yanked Valkyria to the mat by her hair, then swiveled her hips in a seductive celebration. Valkyria took Vice down with a wrist lock, then twisted her into a one-count cover. Valkyria attempted the Nightwish, but Vice slipped free and retreated to the ropes. The ref backed Valkyria away, giving Vice the room to kick her in the ribs. Valkyria came back with a drop toe hold and a low drop kick. She climbed to the middle rope, but Vice yanked Valkyria’s feet out from under her, causing Valkyria to smash her back against the top turnbuckle. Vice laid in a series of kicks on the apron, then covered Valkyria for two.

Vice pulled Valkyria up to her knees, then delivered a flurry of alternating left-right kicks – this looked marginally less silly than when Naomi does this move, but Vice is playing the heel at least. Vice did some center-ring posturing before hitting a hip attack to Valkyria in the corner. Vice covered for two. Vice dragged Valkyria to the middle of the ring in a chinlock. Valkyria got free, but Vice hit a knee strike to her ribs. Vice lined up for another hip attack, but this time Valkyria ran out of the corner and hit an enzuigiri.

Valkyria landed a series of blows, eventually knocking Vice to the mat with a spinning heel kick. Vice rolled out of the ring to the floor, so Valkyria took her out with a drop kick through the ropes. Valkyria rolled Vice back into the ring, then hit a high cross body off the top rope. Valkyria covered for two. Vice slipped out of a second Nightwish attempt, then missed a big roundhouse kick. Valkyria scooped up Vice for again, this time successfully landing the Nightwish. Valkyria covered Vice for the three-count.

WINNER: Lyra Valkyria by pinfall in 5:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Good stuff. Fresh faces, and way more technical than typical Main Event matches.)

(2) DANTE CHEN vs. ILJA DRAGUNOV

Dragunov took down Chen to start. Chen fought out of a headlock, but Dragunov whipped him to the mat with a hip toss. Chen powered out of another headlock, then applied one of his own. Dragunov dropped Chen with a side suplex, but Chen maintained the headlock after the landing. Dragunov fired Chen off the ropes and the men exchanged shoulder blocks with Dragunov getting the upper hand. Chen unleashed a three-piece strike combo, then Dragunov caught Chen’s boot on an attempted bicycle kick. Dragunov threw Chen’s foot down, then knocked him to the mat with a spinning back fist. Dragunov followed up with a senton against the mat, then a pair of running strikes in the corner. Dragunov made a face at the crowd through the ropes as we cut to break.

Dragunov was still in control after the break, landing loud, deliberate chops across Chen’s chest. Chen blocked a third chop, then came back with strikes of his own, including a superkick. Dragunov came back immediately with an enzuigiri, knocking Chen to the mat. Dragunov took Chen down with linked German suplexes. Chen blocked a third, at least momentarily. Dragunov modified the hold to a pump-handle version, then slammed Chen to the mat a third time. Dragunov bridged on the landing and covered for two.
Chen blocked a powerbomb attempt, so Dragunov kicked Chen in the face instead. Chen came back with a back body drop, then an enzuigiri. Both men writhed on the mat. Chen chopped Dragunov in multiple corners, repaying the favor from earlier in the match.

The men exchanged forearm strikes in the middle of the ring. Chen ducked an enzuigiri, then leveled Dragunov with a clothesline and then a shoulder block. Chen hit an inverted atomic drop. Dragunov hit a spinning chop, and Chen took Dragunov down with a front kick. Chen followed up with a uranage, then remained on top for a two-count cover. Chen was first to his feet, but Dragunov got the upper hand with the Constantin Special – a glitzy spinning lariat. This allowed Dragunov to hit the powerbomb he attempted earlier. Dragunov revved up in the corner, then took Chen out with the Torpedo Moscow. Dragunov covered for three.

WINNER: Ilja Dragunov by pinfall in 8:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: More high-quality action. Plenty of blocks, reversals, paybacks, and callbacks. Main Event appears to be reformatted, allowing new faces to show expanded movesets. We’ll see if this continues, or if the show reverts to its standard autopilot template.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 9.0

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