1/19 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Pete Dunne vs. T-Bar, Ciampa vs. Tozawa, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JANUARY 19, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton and Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

Dunne and Ciampa return, swap opponents from last week

(1) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

The wrestlers locked up and Ciampa applied a side headlock. Tozawa reversed into his own headlock, but Ciampa backed him into a corner and was granted freedom by the ref. Ciampa fired Tozawa into the opposite corner, but when Ciampa ran in, Tozawa lifted both boots into Ciampa’s chest. Tozawa hopped onto the middle rope and jumped at Ciampa, taking him down with a hurricanrana then following up with a quick drop kick. Tozawa ducked a clothesline, then missed a running high cross body when Ciampa dropped to the mat to dodge. Ciampa fired Tozawa off the ropes and blasted him in the ribs with a knee.

This slowed the match momentum as Ciampa landed a series of kicks in the corner. Ciampa backed off, then came back with a running kick to Tozawa’s face. Ciampa leaned against the top rope and pantomimed going to sleep. He yanked Tozawa to mid-ring by his ankle, then covered for a two-count.

Tozawa landed a couple feeble shots, but Ciampa maintained control. He smashed Tozawa with a backbreaker, then slowly got to his feet . He lifted Tozawa to his feet and fired him off the ropes – this time, Tozawa came back with two surprise roll-ups. Ciampa kicked out of both and dialed up the anger by grounding and pounding Tozawa on the mat. He chopped Tozawa’s chest, then the two exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. Tozawa eventually dropped from a front kick to the midsection, and Ciampa covered for two. Ciampa dropped to the mat and applied a chin lock.

Tozawa fought out and tossed Ciampa to the mat, then hit a running knee strike. Tozawa shouted and climbed to the top rope and hit a flying elbow strike, knocking Ciampa back to the mat. He got behind Ciampa with a waist lock, but Ciampa escaped and hit a spinning right cross. Tozawa dodged a running kick, then twisted Ciampa into an octopus hold. Ciampa soon broke free and hit Tozawa in the chin with a bicycle kick, then covered for two. Ciampa, moving quickly, planted Tozawa with the Fairytale Ending, good for the three-count.

WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa by pinfall in 5:30.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Decent back-and-forth action, but nothing extraordinary.)

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Rollins / Reigns in-ring segment from Smackdown
• Replay of Doudrop & Lynch vs. Belair & Morgan from Raw
• Replay of Lesnar / Lashley video package from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV Royal Rumble
• Replay of Lashley vs. Rollins from Raw

(2) PETE DUNNE vs. T-BAR

T-Bar worked Dunne into a corner right away, then tossed him to the mat. Dunne was irritated, but went on the attack with a wrist lock. T-Bar struggled briefly, but then scoop slammed Dunne to the mat. Dunne escaped another slam and hit T-Bar with a big clothesline, but T-Bar remained upright. Dunne followed up with a big forearm strike in the corner, then a missile drop kick to T-Bar’s knee, bringing him to the mat. Dunne went to work on T-Bar’s left arm, twisting his fingers before stomping his elbow.

T-Bar got up, holding his arm, and got hung up on the top rope when Dunne dodged a running kick. With T-Bar stuck, Dunne attacked the fingers again. T-Bar fired Dunne off the ropes, missed a clothesline, but hit a big boot to Dunne’s face. Dunne rolled spectacularly to the ring apron where the ref checked on him. We cut to break.

T-Bar was in control with a chin lock after the break. Dunne reversed out and applied an upright arm bar, but T-Bar reversed this into a release suplex. He rolled Dunne over and covered for two. T-Bar mounted Dunne and landed several overhead blows before covering for another two-count. T-Bar hit a backbreaker and covered for two. T-Bar appeared frustrated, then applied another chin lock. Dunne battled out with elbow strikes, leading T-Bar to set up for a choke slam. On the lift-up, Dunne fired his boot into T-Bar’s face. Dunne went on the attack, blasting T-Bar’s left arm and kicking him in the face. Dunne jumped from the middle rope but T-Bar intercepted him by his throat, then hit the sit out choke slam he wanted earlier. Dunne kicked out at two, and T-Bar looked amused.

With a handful of Dunne’s hair, T-Bar screamed, “A lotta guts, Dunne! But you’re just too small,” channeling Vince McMahon’s thought patterns. Dunne punctuated T-Bar’s statement with a big chop to his chest, but T-Bar maintained control. He set up for a powerbomb, but Dunne clung to him and applied an arm bar. T-Bar went for another release suplex, but Dunne was too persistent – he hung on and rolled up T-Bar in a surprise cradle that was good for the three-count.

WINNER: Pete Dunne by pinfall in 6:40.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Cool match. Dunne’s move set is clearly outside the standard Main Event parameters, so his matches here are going to stand out. You could feel T-Bar’s frustration, being unable to shake the smaller opponent off of the attack.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: 1/12 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Pete Dunne vs. Akira Tozawa, Tommaso Ciampa vs. T-Bar, more