10/14 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Titus O’Neal vs. Drew Gulak, Humberto Carrillo vs. Akira Tozawa

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
OCTOBER 14, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Two matches, two octopuses

(1) TITUS O’NEIL vs. DREW GULAK

O’Neil showed a strength advantage early on as the wrestlers locked up a few times. Gulak went behind O’Neil and landed a clubbing blow to his back, but then absorbed three European uppercuts from O’Neil. O’Neil fired back with chops, then O’Neil tossed Gulak into a corner and landed more blows before throwing Gulak across the ring toward the opposite corner. He whipped Gulak back-first into the original corner, which sent Gulak toppling to the mat.

O’Neil scoop slammed Gulak, then Gulak leveled the charging O’Neil with two boots up in the corner. Gulak covered but O’Neil kicked out at one. Gulak applied an octopus submission, but O’Neil unhooked Gulak’s ankle to escape. Still, Gulak persisted with a drop kick and covered for a two-count before applying a chinlock.

O’Neil got to his feet with Gulak still latched onto his back. O’Neil eventually whipped Gulak to the mat, then hit Gulak with a sidewalk slam. Gulak ran at O’Neil, but O’Neil took him down with a big boot, then gave Gulak the Clash of the Titus powerbomb. O’Neil covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Titus O’Neil by pinfall in 5:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: O’Neil seemed to battle with 20 PERCENT more fire than normal here, and it was neat to see Gulak trying to submit his larger opponent. For reasons unknown, O’Neil won.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Fiend vs. Owens from Smackdown
• Replay of Orton in-ring promo from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV Hell in a Cell
• Replay of women’s battle royal from Raw

(2) HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

The wrestlers had a rapid back-and-forth grappling exchange before popping up simultaneously in defensive positions. Carrillo was resilient with a side headlock, but Tozawa fired him off. After some leap frogs and dodging, Carrillo sent Tozawa to the mat with a springboard arm drag off the middle rope. Tozawa knocked Carrillo off the ring apron with a kick to the skull. Tozawa went for a high cross body from the apron to Carrillo on the floor, but Carrillo caught him in midair. Carrillo dropped Tozawa face-first on the edge of the ring before rolling him back in. Carrillo climbed to the top rope to set up for a moonsault, but it was too early for this maneuver – Tozawa easily moved in and knocked Carrillo’s feet out from under him, sending him toppling to the canvas. We cut to break.

Carrillo was just kicking out of a Tozawa pin as we came back from break. Tozawa laid in some chops and a right jab in the corner, then hit a suplex in the middle of the ring. Carrillo came back with a flurry of punches. Tozawa stopped the charging Carrillo with a reverse elbow in the corner, then quickly climbed to the top rope to hit a flying elbow strike. Tozawa covered for two. Tozawa applied an arm bar. Carrillo escaped, but Tozawa quickly had him in an octopus submission. Carrillo dropped to one knee as Byron said, “Tozawa has mastered the octopus over the years.”

Carrillo escaped Tozawa’s mastered octopus within seconds, then landed a spinning kick to Tozawa’s face. Both wrestlers got to their feet. Carrillo ducked a clothesline before knocking Tozawa down with a standing shotgun drop kick. Carrillo did a fluid backward somersault into a standing moonsault, then covered for two. Carrillo climbed slowly toward the top rope, but Tozawa met him in the corner. Carrillo knocked him back with a kick, then dove off the ropes. Tozawa had rolled out of the way, so Carrillo rolled through on the mat. Carrillo ducked a spinning kick from Tozawa. Tozawa’s whirling momentum left him exposed, allowing Carrillo to hoist him up and back down with a sitout flapjack. Carrillo covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Humberto Carrillo by pinfall in 8:00.

(Meyers’s Analysis: The announcers touted Carrillo’s finisher, saying that he was expanding his moveset. The match was what you’d expect: Very, very decent.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH UP… 10/7 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kaye in a battle of the former IIconics, Andrade vs. Tozawa battle to “up their stock” in the draft