wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 8.10.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-SummerSlam video package starts us off. I enjoyed the show, but it certainly lost steam and limped to a finish. Tribal Combat was disappointing as Roman matches usually deliver, but this was a misfire and the ending was a downer. I didn’t need Jey to win, but having Jimmy turn was a choice.
-Announce Team: Byron Saxton and Wade Barrett (Sweet!)
-Taped:
Indus Sher (w/ Jinder Mahal) vs. Akira Tozawa and Apollo Crews
-Byron notes that Apollo and Tozawa go way back and they have always wanted to team together. Tozawa was smashed by Sanga a few weeks ago. Tozawa starts with Sanga and it’s like a fly hitting Godzilla, so Tozawa tags in Crews. Apollo hits a dropkick and then another to the knee. Enziguiri to Sanga as he is dropped to a knee. Tozawa in and he gets planted with a choke slam. Veer in an he drops his leaping elbow. Veer hooks a nerve hold because I guess we had too much excitement in these opening two minutes. Veer tries the elbow again and Tozawa moves. He catches Veer with a series of enziguiris and makes the tag to Apollo. He runs wild and hits the Stinger Splash in the corner, but gets mowed own with a clothesline. Tozawa off the tag as he got a blind tag and he hits the back elbow on Veer. He throws a series of kicks, but Veer shakes it off and the Tozawa is finishes quickly with a modified version of Demolition’s finisher. That gets the pin at 3:57!
Winners: Idus Sher via pin at 3:57
-I know Apollo wanted to tag with Tozawa, but it kind of sucked seeing him in this match as a SQUASH victim. Tozawa was really the victim but this didn’t do any favors for Apollo following the fun series of matches against JD. SQUSAH
-Back to SummerSlam where GUNTHER beat Drew McIntyre and just has to get through Payback (in Pittsburgh) to pass HTM’s record as longest reigning IC Champ.
-Please Don’t Try This At Home or Anywhere!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SummerSlam for highlights of Ricochet vs. Paul. It was apparent they needed someone to lose to Paul, but at least it was due to cheating. Good match, but I was hoping for more.
-Back to RAW as we had a #1 Contender’s Match for GUNTHER and his IC Title. We join in progress: Chad Gable vs. Riddle vs. Tomaso Ciampa vs. Ricochet. Wonderful match with all four men getting a chance to shine and show what they can do. Gable gets the in in front of the hometown crowd and will be GUNTHER’s next victim. The question is do they do the match at Payback or is it a RAW special?
-WrestleMania XL tickets go on sale next Friday! My plan is to be there!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SummerSlam where LA Knight won the Slim Jim Battle Royal. They had to give this one to Knight and thankfully no swerve. The crowd loves LA!
-Back to RAW as LA Knight and Miz come face to face. Miz calls Knight a flash in the pan and Knight notes he would have never put up with the crap Miz did as far as the boys in the back. Miz can cut a great fired up promo when he feels he has been disrespected. Knight has the crowd eating out of his hands. Yeah! Miz gets stuck with BFT and I assume this will be a match on RAW soon.
-Back to SummerSlam as Asuka wins the WWE Women’s Championship, but Iyo Sky cashes in an is our new Champion!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SummerSlam for Tribal Combat! Some will say the match is still ongoing as it tries to catch up to Orton/Edge from Mania 36. Roman retains and I have no clue who is next? They could heat up AJ Styles I guess.
-Hail to The Chief celebration this Friday on SmackDown!
Tegan Nox vs. Nikki Cross
-Nikki with a quick roll-up for two, but runs into a side headlock. Nikki back with a shoulder tackle and she does her dance where she shakes his hips and humps the air. Wade thinks that could get them thrown off the air. Nox with a Flatliner into the corner and then a clothesline gets a one count. Tegan does her version of Nikki’s dance as Byron brings up these two have been rivals for nine years. Monkey Flip out of the corner by Nikki and she hits a basement dropkick that sends Nox to the floor. Nikki off the apron with a crossbody as we take our break at 2:35.
-90 seconds of Hulu commercials!
-Back with Cross sending Tegan into the corner and getting the 10 count punches. Nikki off the middle rope with a Tornado DDT, but Nox pushes her off and gets a running kick to the head. Wade gets in a shot at Megan Rapinoe and the US Women’s WC Team. Teegan stands on Nikki’s head and stomps the ear. She chokes Nikki on the middle rope. Nikki tries to fire up, but gets planted face first on the mat for two with a release front suplex. Tegan squashes Cross in the corner and that gets two. Nox starts firing off hammer fists to the back of the head and then hooks a chinlock. She takes it to the mat, but Nikki gets to her feet and breaks with a jawbreaker. Nikki avoids a charge in the corner and gets a dropkick to the knee. Byron mentions the knee issues that Tegan has had in the past. Splash in the corner from Nikki and she brings Tegan out with a bulldog. Nikki up top, but Tegan trips her and gets a two count as the ref catches her feet on the ropes. Suplex is countered into a nasty looking DDT. That didn’t look good for Nox. The Purge Neckbreaker finishes at 9:10.
Winner: Nikki Cross via pin at 9:10
-This was solid if a tad long, but the work was good. Not sure who this helps though as you assume both women are there to help the younger crew. **
-Back to SummerSlam where Brock beat the ink out of Cody, but Cody kept coming and eventually gets the win off Three Cross-Rhodes. Bock goes rogue and shakes Cody’s hand and offers a hug after the match. Good for Brock!
-Back to RAW as Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins come face to face to tease a match between the two. Judgment Day interrupt (minus Finn) to let Cody and Seth know they run RAW. Balor attacks Rollins after coming through the crowd. Sami Zayn comes down to help and we have a 6 Man Tag set for the Main Event spot.
-Later in the show, JD takes out Sami and Nakamura volunteers himself to take Sami’s spot.
-SmackDown commercial!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SummerSlam as we get a highlight package of Rollins win over Balor. Great match and I will admit that I was rooting for Balor to get another Championship to make up for what happened seven years ago.
-Back to RAW for our six man tag and it was a fun party match that the crowd ate up. Sami gets involved and that lets Rollins hit a super kick into the briefcase into Balor and a Cross Rhodes gets the win. Everyone celebrates and the show closes before we get the Seth/Cody tease and Nakamura taking out Seth. Nakamura will be a fine challenger and I hope the match happens in Pittsburgh. I also liked that Nakamura didn’t turn during the match and he was there to help him team win and then he went after Seth when the match was done.
-Thanks for reading!
