SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT #316
OCTOBER 18, 2018
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY MIKE MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson
REASONS TO WATCH…
– Tag match with great team contrast.
– Conga dancer sunglasses destruction.
(1) RHYNO (w/Heath Slater) vs. KONNOR (w/Viktor)
As the Ascension made their way to the ring, Percy pointed out that Konnor is undefeated on Raw. Konnor and Viktor did their Ascension pose while Rhyno glared from his corner. “ECW” chants through the crowd as Rhyno and Viktor locked up to a stalemate in the center of the ring. Rhyno trotted in a circle, clapping, to incite the audience.
The wrestlers shoulder blocked each other in another stalemate, then exchanged chops in the center of the ring. Rhyno was whipped into the corner, and Konner charged in and smashed Rhyno’s face with a right elbow. Konnor planted five kicks to Rhyno’s midsection before clotheslining him to the mat for a two-count. Konnor then applied a chinlock. Rhyno quickly got to his feet, but Konnor used his height advantage to leverage Rhyno back down to his back by his neck, and got another two-count with his forearm across Rhyno’s face.
Konnor applied a front headlock, and transitioned into another chinlock from behind. Rhyno again got to his feet but was met with strikes to the head. Rhyno was whipped into the corner but Rhyno stopped himself, turned around, and charged Konnor. The wrestlers clotheslined each other mid-ring and both went down. Slater slapped the mat rhythmically at ringside to rouse his stunned partner.
Back to their feet, Rhyno got the upper hand by blocking Konnor’s strikes and returning fire. Rhyno bounced Konnor off the ropes and leveled him with a shoulder tackle. After Konnor missed Rhyno in the corner, Rhyno rolled him up for a two-count of his own. Rhyno got to his feet and bounced off the ropes toward an upright Konnor and was met with a big boot. Konnor covered Rhyno for another two-count. Konnor was sloppily getting up from the pin before Rhyno flipped his shoulder up. Konnor went immediately for another pin, and Nigel explained that every kickout forces Rhyno to expend more energy.
Konnor slowly walked to the ropes, then delivered a big elbow drop to the prone Rhyno for yet another near fall. Konnor displayed some frustration while kneeling next to Rhyno before bouncing off the ropes for another elbow drop, but this time Rhyno rolled out of the way and got to his feet with a bug-eyed expression indicating that his recharge was complete.
Rhyno landed chops to Konnor’s chest before hoisting the him onto his shoulder, but Konnor quickly wriggled down to his feet and delivered a “high impact move,” as called by Vic – a leg sweep / clothesline combination that was finally good for the three-count. Viktor stoically entered the ring to join his partner, while Percy explained that even though this was a singles win, it would transcend into great things for the Ascension. Vic asked if they were entering the Wasteland. I was wondering the exact same thing.
WINNER: Konnor by pinfall.
(Meyers’ Analysis: Nothing remarkable about this match. The commentators talked up the size of both wrestlers, but the their performance did nothing to accentuate the idea. Would like to see more power moves from either worker. For better or worse, neither of the ringside partners got involved in the match.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Replay of Bellas turning on Ronda Rousey from Raw
- Replay of Rousey’s catty promo against the Bellas from Raw
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV Evolution
- Replay of Becky Lynch and Edge dialogue from Smackdown
- Replay of Rey Mysterio vs. Shinsuka Nakamura from Smackdown (World Cup qualifier)
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV Crown Jewel (Including John Cena and Daniel Bryan)
- Replay of New Day vs. The Bar from Smackdown
- Replay of Brothers of Destruction foggy red promo from Raw
(2) ZACK RYDER & NO WAY JOSE vs. THE REVIVAL
As Jose made his entrance with the usual conga line, Percy encouraged Nigel to get with the spirit and dance. Nigel said, “Unfortunately, Percy, I couldn’t dance if you shot at my feet.” The Revival made their entrance, and Dawson approached the conga line, tore off one of the dancer’s sunglasses, and broke them in half before ascending the ring steps. The dancer looked heartbroken. Percy explained that the Revival have known each other since they were six years old, and it’s hard to beat that type of chemistry.
Jose started out against Dawson. Jose danced in the middle of the ring, and Nigel asked “What is that?!” Vic indicated that Jose was having a good time, and that’s what he is all about. Dawson grappled Jose to the mat and applied a wristlock, using spare energy to slap Jose in the face. Jose kipped up to his feet, and slammed Dawson down to the canvas. Jose tagged in Ryder, who wrung Dawson’s arm and delivered headbutts to his shoulder. Ryder tagged Jose back in, who struck Dawson’s extended arm with a double axe handle.
Dawson used a handful of Jose’s hair to guide him into the Revival’s corner. Wilder tagged himself in on Dawson’s shoulder, then delivered a headbutt from the ring apron to the backside of Jose’s skull. Wilder entered the ring and chopped Jose across the chest, but Jose returned fire with blows to Wilder’s face before landing a dropkicks to both members of the Revival. In the corner, Jose was distracted by Dawson on the ring apron – Wilder took advantage and whipped Jose to the mat by his hair.
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Dawson tagged in and applied a rear chinlock. Jose escaped by arm dragging Dawson to the mat. Dawson attempted a back body drop on Jose, but Jose rolled it into a sunset flip attempt. Dawson would’ve gone down for the pin, but he reached out to Wilder on the ring apron who grabbed Dawson’s hand and used the leverage of the ropes to prevent Dawson from being taken down. Vic indicated that the Revival were “cutting corners to make ends meet,” but this seemed truly resourceful by a tag team.
Dawson tagged in Wilder, then lifted him into the air in an atomic drop position before dropping Wilder onto the prone Jose with a big leg drop. Wilder went for the pin and got a two-count. Wilder applied a not-so-restful chinlock to Jose, and wrestled him to the mat in this position. Ryder, from the apron, shouted encouragement to Jose, and Jose began to recharge with his right fist in the air. This effort was cut short by an alert Wilder slamming him back to the mat, again by the hair, earning some admonishment from the referee. Wilder implored the ref to “ask him!”
Again with his fist in the air, Jose began another comeback. Blows were delivered to Wilder’s midsection, but again Wilder cut off the momentum by positioning Jose against the ropes and driving his shoulder through Jose’s belly. Wilder delivered a clubbing blow Jose’s back and tagged in Dawson. Wilder whipped Jose against the ropes, took him down with a leg sweep while Dawson landed a well-timed elbow drop to the back of Jose’s neck as he landed. Vic indicated that the Revival have been “in cruise control.” Dawson delivered a sharp leg drop, quickly got to his feet and drove his forehead into Jose’s shoulder and then pinned for a two-count.
Jose reached out toward his partner on the apron, looking like a dying E.T. on the bathroom floor. Dawson guided Jose to his feet by his hair, and lifted him into a piledriver position but Jose reversed into a back body drop. Dawson managed to tag Wilder in, and instead of tagging in Ryder, Jose performed a pop-up punch to Wilder, sending him sprawling into the ropes. Dawson and the fully-charged Ryder then tagged in simultaneously.
Ryder delivered a clothesline and forearm to Dawson before being whipped into the corner. Dawson charged the corner, but Ryder lifted both knees to stun Dawson. Ryder then climbed to the second turnbuckle and fired a missle dropkick at Wilder who was approaching on the ring apron. Dawson lurked behind Ryder, attempted to roll him up, but Ryder reversed the move into a pin of his own for an emphatic kickout on the two-count. Wilder tagged in and the Revival got in formation to deliver a double suplex to Ryder, but Ryder reversed the move by landing on his feet and delivered a double Woo’d Awakening.
Zack “Woo woo woo’d” the crowd and prepared to land the Broski Boot on Wilder, but Wilder rolled out to the safety of ringside. While Wilder and Dawson regrouped on the floor, Ryder bounced off the far ropes and landed a dual sliding kick through the ropes, sending both members of the Revival to the floor. Zack exited the ring to roll Wilder, the legal man, back onto the mat. Ryder follwed, and signaled for the Rough Ryder. As he charged, Wilder lifted Zack into an involuntary leapfrog, dodging the attack. Wilder smashed Ryder with a Eurpoean uppercut, and rammed him chest-first into his own corner. Jose tagged himself in, unbeknownst to Wilder, who was now pinning the non-legal man in the center of the ring. Jose seized the opportunity to scale the corner and land a high cross body to Wilder who was on his knees. This was good for a two-count.
Jose shot Wilder toward the ropes, which knocked Ryder off the ring apron. Jose rolled up Wilder for another two-count. Wilder got to his feet, and bounced Jose off the ropes from a side headlock position as Dawson tagged himself in. Jose leaprogged Wilder, hopped over the obstacle that was Dawson, bounced off the ropes but into the the launching arms of Dawson who delivered Jose to Wilder to complete the Shatter Machine for the three-count.
WINNER: The Revival by pinfall.
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 6.0
FINAL THOUGHTS: The first match was skippable, but there was plenty to enjoy with the tag match and especially the Revival. Tag team wrestling, done right, is a thing of beauty and I’d like to see Dawson and Wilder on the main roster.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS REPORT: 10/11 WWE Main Event Report: Ryder gets his first singles victory over his former tag partner Mojo, Revival up to old tricks, Operation Monochrome executed by announcers
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