1/11 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Tozawa vs. Jones, Von Wagner vs. Mustafa Ali, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JANUARY 11, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

Odyssey Jones takes his turn on Main Event

(1) AKIRA TOZAWA vs. ODYSSEY JONES

Tozawa clapped his hands and bobbed around the ring. He dodged a charging Jones in the corner, then hit Jones with a forearm strike to the chest. Jones no-sold it and Tozawa shook his arm off in pain. Jones grinned and said, “Come on, now!” Tozawa jumped to apply a headlock, but Jones pried him off and reversed the hold. He shoved Tozawa into the ropes, then knocked him down with a shoulder block on the rebound. Jones ran the ropes and Tozawa jumped at him, as for a Thesz press, but Jones easily caught him and dropped into an inverted atomic drop. He followed up with a big clothesline that turned Tozawa inside out.

Jones applied a wrist lock and held Tozawa above his head, then tossed him to the mat. Jones applied another wrist lock and proceeded to work over Tozawa’s left arm and shoulder. Tozawa broke free with a novel forearm strike, then climbed to the top rope and jumped at Jones. Again, Jones caught him but Tozawa slipped free and landed some kicks to the knees. He knocked Jones down to a knee with a low drop kick. Tozawa continued with the kicks, then ran the ropes and hit a knee strike, knocking Jones to the canvas. Tozawa climbed to the top rope and hit Jones with a flying reverse elbow. He covered, but Jones tossed Tozawa off at the two-count. Again, Tozawa climbed the corner to the top rope. Jones recovered and moved toward the corner, so Tozawa jumped over him and somersaulted through his landing. He ran and jumped at Jones but Jones caught him with a spinning uranage and pin for the three-count.

WINNER: Odyssey Jones by pinfall in 4:20.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Pretty good action with a solid big man / little man dynamic.)

Von Wagner was shown walking backstage where he threatened the camera operator’s well-being if he didn’t get out of his face. Mustafa Ali appeared, and asked “What’s wrong with you!?” Wagner said, “When you’re Von Wagner, you do whatever you want.” Ali dropped his bag and removed his sunglasses. “You think that you can treat people how you want because you’re bigger than them? I saw you choke out Cedric Alexander. Tonight, I get payback for him and I know an old saying: The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Wagner corrected him, saying, “The bigger they are, the harder they hit.” There was not an ounce of originality in this segment.

(2) VON WAGNER vs. MUSTAFA ALI

Wagner shoved Ali to the mat to open the match. He whipped Ali across the ring back-first into the turnbuckle. He repeated this move in a different corner, then followed up with a shoulder block. He did this a third time, but Ali got his boot up as Wagner ran in after him. Ali hit a few forearm shots, but Wagner was resilient and took Ali down with a sidewalk slam. Ali flipped through a suplex, then landed more shots in the corner. Jones caught Ali by his throat, then fired him into the ring post from the apron. Ali crumpled down to the floor as we cut to break.

Wagner controlled Ali with a chin lock after the break. Ali soon broke free and jumped into a high cross body, but Wagner caught him and hit a fallaway slam, then covered Ali for two. Wagner stomped the prone Ali a few times. Wagner went for a splash on the mat but Ali rolled out of harm’s way. Ali hit three drop kicks, sending Wagner out to ringside. Ali joined him there and shoved Wagner face-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Ali landed a series of kicks, then Wagner came back with a big boot to the face. He lifted Ali to his feet, then turned him inside out with a big clothesline. He covered Ali for two.

Wagner tossed Ali into a corner, then held his boot against Ali’s throat. He set up Ali for a superplex but Ali fended him off and planted Wagner with a sunset flip powerbomb. Ali went back to the top rope and jumped into the 450 splash and covered Wagner for the three-count.

WINNER: Mustafa Ali by pinfall in 7:25.

(Meyer’s Analysis: More decent action, this one going in and out of the ring. This felt like a “real match,” and not a snoozy Main Event template match.)

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

CATCH-UP: 1/4 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Shelton Benjamin vs. Rip Fowler, Brooke vs. Cross, more