6/8 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Mustafa Ali vs. T-Bar, Reggie vs. Ciampa, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JUNE 8, 2022
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Mustafa Ali wakes up the crowd against T-Bar

(1) REGGIE vs. CIAMPA

The men locked up and Ciampa powered Reggie into a corner, then applied an arm bar. He muscled Reggie down to the mat, but Reggie rolled through and reversed into a wrist lock. Ciampa disrupted the grappling with a forearm strike. After some energy-wasting backflips, Reggie took Ciampa to the mat with an arm drag. Reggie maintained an arm bar, but Ciampa got to his feet and kneed Reggie in the gut. He took Reggie down with a side leg sweep, then covered for two.

Reggie dodged a clothesline with a backflip, then hit Ciampa with two arm drags – Ciampa kicked the bottom rope in frustration. Ciampa escaped another arm bar and stomped Reggie’s head three times. Reggie ducked a clothesline and a backhand strike, then jumped at Ciampa with a high cross body. Ciampa dropped to the mat and Reggie belly flopped. Ciampa sat up and clapped, then patted himself on the back and roused some mild cheers. Ciampa leveled Reggie with a reverse elbow and covered for another two-count. Ciampa hit a short leg drop, then applied a chin lock.

When Reggie got to his feet, Ciampa yanked him back-first to the mat by his hair. After posturing at the crowd, Ciampa went back to a chin lock on the mat. Again, Reggie battled out and landed a series of blows, knocking Ciampa back into the corner. Reggie lined up in the opposite corner and flipped at Ciampa before splashing him against the turnbuckles. Reggie covered Ciampa for two. Reggie knocked Ciampa to the mat with a kick, then climbed to the top rope and launched into a moonsault. Ciampa rolled out of the way, and Reggie rolled through his landing on the mat. While Reggie was regaining his orientation, Ciampa sprinted in with a knee strike to the face. Ciampa looked to the crowd and deliberately set up for the Fairytale Ending – a move good for the three-count.

WINNER: Ciampa by pinfall in 5:25.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Not bad, but the crowd was pretty dead for this one. Reggie continues to develop as a wrestler.)

-WWE Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Cody Rhodes in-ring promo from Raw
• Replay of Usos vs. Street Profits from Raw
• Replay of The Judgment Day in-ring segment from Raw
• Replay of Ripley vs. Doudrop vs. Bliss vs. Morgan from Raw

(2) T-BAR vs. MUSTAFA ALI

The wrestlers locked up and T-Bar quickly shoved Ali to the mat, then lifted his arms and roared. Ali tried an upright side headlock but T-Bar fired him off then leveled him with a shoulder block. Ali held the back of his head and was slow to get up. He applied a waist lock but T-Bar whipped him to the mat, then threw him into a corner and laid in some clubbing blows. Ali took T-Bar down with a hurricanrana, then knocked him off the ring apron with a single-leg drop kick. Ali ran the ropes but T-Bar flipped him round with a big clothesline. Both men lingered on the mat as we cut to break.

Ali was breaking free from a chin lock as we returned to the action. He stunned T-Bar briefly with a kick, but T-Bar caught Ali in a high cross body attempt, then kneed him in the ribs before tossing him to the canvas. He covered Ali for two. T-Bar set up for a powerbomb but Ali slipped free then nailed T-Bar with a surprise superkick. T-Bar dropped to one knee, holding his jaw while Ali also recovered. Ali hit a running elbow strike and a drop kick but T-Bar wouldn’t go down. Ali sidestepped T-Bar in the corner then kicked him in the face. T-Bar came back with a big boot to Ali, then covered for two.

The crowd messily tried to coordinate a “Let’s go Ali” chant. T-Bar chuckled at how Ali could barely stand on his own volition. The ref verified that Ali was good to continue. T-Bar told Ali that he is “a dead man,” but Ali fired up with chops to his chest. T-Bar slammed Ali to the mat from his shoulders and covered again, but Ali kicked out at two. Ali shoved T-Bar face-first into a corner, then hit a tornado DDT. The crowd livened up as Ali climbed to the top rope. He jumped into a 450 splash and covered T-Bar for the three-count.

WINNER: Mustafa Ali by pinfall in 6:45.

(Meyers’s Analysis: The crowd came alive for Ali and this match, especially its flashy conclusion. By comparison, it’s hard for an audience to get behind Reggie (even as he becomes an actual wrestler) due to his goofy upbringing on WWE TV. Ali, on the other hand, continues to garner support in spite of his frequent disuse.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.4

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

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