SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Carrillo unveils new finisher
- Ali addicted to neckbreakers?
(1) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. AKIRA TOZAWA (w/three Ninjas)
As the bell rang, Tozawa posed in the ring and screamed “Ninja power!” Carrillo shook his head and the men locked up. Carrillo attempted a baseball slide at Tozawa on the apron. Tozawa somersaulted back into the ring over the top rope to dodge, leaving Carrillo on the floor with the ninjas. With Carrillo distracted, Tozawa successfully landed a baseball slide of his own. Tozawa struck Carrillo a few times on the floor, then rolled him back into the ring. Tozawa bowed to the ninjas and followed Carrillo in.
Tozawa missed a high cross body off the middle rope, allowing Carrillo to hit a standing moonsault and a quick cover for two. He suplexed Tozawa, then dragged him into position on the mat. Carrillo climbed the corner, but Tozawa charged in repeatedly and knocked Carrillo off the top turnbuckle onto his groin on against the top rope. Tozawa hit a senton on the mat, then covered for a two-count.
Carrillo battled out of a stretch submission and hit Tozawa with a superkick. Tozawa delivered two chops to Carrillo’s chest, but Carrillo fired back with chops of his own and a springboard reverse elbow off the middle rope. Carrillo charged at Tozawa from the opposite corner, then climbed to the top turnbuckle. Tozawa dodged a diving attack, but Carrillo adjusted as well, rolling through his move. He got to his feet quickly and executed a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Tozawa, then hoisted him onto his shoulders. Carrillo slammed Tozawa to the mat with an inverted sitout powerbomb, then covered for the three-count.
WINNER: Humberto Carrillo in 5:40.
(Meyers’s Analysis: A decent, decisive win for Carrillo, and the ninja entourage did not taint the outcome. Tom referred to Carrillo’s finisher as “something new.” Standard match.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Replay of Keith Lee vs. Dolph Ziggler from Raw
- Replay of Seth Rollins vs. Dominik from Raw
- Replay of Orton vs. Lee vs. Rollins triple threat match from Raw
(2) RICOCHET vs. MUSTAFA ALI
During the intros, Tom laid out this match as being between two “very close friends as well as eye-popping athletes.” The wrestlers locked up and Ali soon took Ricochet down with two arm drags. Ricochet took Ali down with an arm drag of his own, then asked, “C’mon, where were you at?” Ricochet leveled Ali with a shoulder block, then covered for a zero-count. Ricochet applied a side headlock.
The men battled in the corner, and Ali broke free with a reverse elbow. This first hard shot of the match angered Ricochet, who came back with a forearm to the back of Ali’s head, then a right cross and a chop across his chest. Tom compared the increasing heat of the match to a pickup basketball game among friends, until one friend decides to “play Bill Laimbeer below the net.” Byron concurred, saying, “Happened to me plenty of times playing tetherball.”
After a commercial break, Ali had Ricochet in a headlock in the center of the ring. Ricochet began to battle out, but Ali stopped him with a twisting neckbreaker and a cover for two. Ali set up for another neckbreaker but Ricochet reversed into a backslide pin for two. Ricochet dodged a short clothesline, then landed a punch to Ali’s face, leveling him. Both men recovered on the mat, then got up to exchange blows. Ricochet blocked a satellite DDT from Ali, then hit a northern lights suplex which rolled into a brainbuster. He covered Ali for two.
Ricochet was first to his feet. He positioned Ali onto the top turnbuckle and set up for a superplex, but Ali knocked him to the mat, then took him down with a sunset flip. Ali hit a powerbomb, then covered for two. Ali dragged Ricochet closer to one corner, then climbed to the top rope. He started into the 450 splash just as Ricochet got to his feet. Ali landed on his feet instead, then rolled through the move. Ricochet reversed out of another neckbreaker attempt and hit Ali with a poison rana. This set up Ali for Ricochet to hit the Recoil. Ricochet covered for the three-count and victory.
WINNER: Ricochet in 7:20.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Some cool combinations in this match, and a fun (albeit very brief) story about friends getting pissy once a contest becomes personal.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.6
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.