3/29 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Odyssey Jones vs. Dexter Lumis, Brooke vs. Lopez, more

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
MARCH 29, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

WWE Main Event Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

REASONS TO WATCH…

• Elektra Lopez debuts on Main Event

(1) DANA BROOKE vs. ELEKTRA LOPEZ

Lopez kicked Brooke in the midsection, then applied a side headlock. Brooke soon knocked Lopez down with a shoulder block. Brooke blocked a Lopez hip toss, then took her down with a hip toss of her own. Brooke covered early for a one-count. Lopez slammed Brooke to the mat by her hair, then laid in a series of kicks to her opponent on the mat. Lopez covered for two. Lopez took Brooke down with a gut wrench suplex, then choked her against the middle rope. She flung Brooke to the mat and covered for another two-count before applying a chinlock.

Brooke started to battle out but Lopez flung her to the mat by her hair. Lopez drove her knee into Brooke’s spine three times, then dropped an elbow and covered for two. Lopez went back to the chinlock. Lopez scooped Brooke for a slam but Brooke slipped free and rolled up Lopez for a two-count cover. Brooke landed a series of forearm shots, then took Lopez down with consecutive clotheslines. Brooke hit a bulldog, then ran the ropes and hit a running splash before covering Lopez for two. Brooke climbed to the top rope and launched into a high cross body. She hit her mark, but Lopez rolled backward with Brooke in her arms, then dead lifted her before slamming her back to the mat with a uranage. She covered Brooke for two in a believable near fall. Lopez informed Brooke that she “messed with the wrong Latina.” She lifted Brooke to her feet but Brooke hit a surprise roll-up pin, this time for the three-count.

WINNER: Dana Brooke by pinfall in 5:10.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Standard Main Event match, complete with two chin locks. There were moments of awkwardness where a wrestler would hesitate or visibly direct the other to the next move – unusual in a WWE ring.)

(2) ODYSSEY JONES vs. DEXTER LUMIS (w/ Johnny Gargano)

The men locked up and Jones quickly shoved Lumis to the mat. They went again with the same outcome, but Lumis dragged himself on his knees toward Jones, thus “freaking out” his opponent. Lumis applied a side headlock, but Jones fired him off and knocked him down with a shoulder block on the rebound. Jones somersaulted over Lumis like a makeshift steamroller, then mimicked Lumis’s creepy slither. Lumis met his gaze on the mat and both men stood up slowly. Jones said he’d “give you one on the house,” offering Lumis a free shot. Lumis bounced off the ropes and clotheslined Jones twice, unable to budge him. Jones scooped and slammed Lumis to the mat. Lumis sidestepped a splash in the corner, then landed a few blows before Jones shoved him away. In another corner, Jones rained down an old school ten-shot of punches. Lumis hit Jones with a big boot to the chin, but Jones tossed Lumis with a back body drop. Lumis rolled out to ringside and recovered with Gargano as we cut to break.

Back in the ring, Jones still had control. He splashed Lumis in two corners, thrice in total. Lumis collapsed and Jones covered him for two. He lifted Lumis to his feet and carried him back to a corner, then laid in some shoulder thrusts to Lumis’s gut. Jones took his time and power slammed Lumis, then covered for another two-count. Jones applied a nerve hold to Lumis’s neck. Lumis soon got free and booted Jones in the face before hitting a missile drop kick, knocking Jones down for the first time. Gargano urged Lumis to “stick and move.” Lumis landed three punches and attempted a sunset flip but Jones wouldn’t go down. Jones quickly dropped to the mat butt-first but Lumis rolled out of the way. Lumis took Jones down with a belly-to-back suplex, then hit a leg drop and covered Jones for two. Jones hoisted Lumis onto his shoulder, but Lumis wriggled free and dropped to his feet. He shoved Jones from behind into the ropes, then dropped to his hands and knees, causing Jones to stumble backward over him as he bounced off the ropes. Lumis moved into a stacked-up pin and covered Jones for the three-count.

WINNER: Dexter Lumis by pinfall in 7:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Not bad. They hinted at the big man / little man dynamic, but not to an embarrassing level. Lumis has some good moves, and I don’t envy him performing at a fast pace while maintaining his stoic appearance. Jones is super athletic and moves well for his size.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.8

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

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