wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 06.18.20
Loading...-Back at it with another episode of WWE Main Event on Hulu. Thanks to everyone who checked out yesterday’s Backstage Report and commented. It is really appreciated and I enjoy the discussions these shows can produce even if it’s just one person passing along their thoughts. Let’s get to it!
-Commentary Team: Tom Phillips and MVP
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL
Humberto Carrillo vs. Shane Thorne
-Lockup to start and a go behind by Humberto to get things to the ground. He works an arm and Shane is able to flip to a vertical base and into an armlock of his own. Humberto counters by flipping through and taking the fight to the corner. Humberto dodges a charge in the corner and we gets some flips and misses before Carrillo connects with a press for a two count. Thorne gets sent to the floor and Humberto tries a baseball slide, but Thorne ducks. Carrillo tries to spring back in, but Thorne knocks him off the ropes and fires him in the corner followed by a cannonball. Thorne grinds the face with his boot in the corner and hits a kick to the back as someone in the crowd yells, “you ain’t right Shane. You ain’t right.” Biting trash talk. The man has feelings! Thorne works the neck on the ground as the PC crowd tries to rally Humberto. Thorne ducks one kick, but Carrillo spins through and hits a kick to the head to create space. Thorne keeps charging though and misses several times. Carrillo connects with another kick from the apron and follows with a missile dropkick from the top. That sends Thorne across the ring so Humberto heads up top over their and the moonsault finishes at 5:20.
Winner: Humberto Carrillo via pin at 5:20
-Just an average sub 6 minute match with a decent story of Thorne trying to ground the luchador and failing to do so in the end. I am still not seeing a lot from Thorne though other than guy that works holds and throws some hard shots at times. Though Main Event probably isn’t the best way to showcase what he can do. **1/4
-Corey Graves narrates a fantastic package on the IC Title and seeing the past champions and moments is amazing. It would be great if they treat the title with this much respect in the current day and perhaps AJ’s run will help with that. After talking up the history the package shifts to focusing on Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles and how each took a different route to the finals of the IC Title Tournament. It seems we will be getting AJ vs Bryan from SmackDown next. Sweet!
-Intercontinental Title Tournament Finals: AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan: Joined in Progress obviously as Bryan has the Yes Lock on, but AJ is able to get his foot to the bottom rope. Bryan stomps away on AJ’s face as he gets fired up and shows some great aggression. He preps for the running knee, and AJ counters into the Styles Clash. That was great! AJ then struggles to the outside and hits The Phenomenal Forearm to claim his first Intercontinental Title. Man, I wish they had shows us more. My thoughts were that the match was great and they delivered a classic that would have been off the charts with a real crowd. AJ winning was also the right call in my view.
-At Backlash Drew McIntyre retains his WWE Title against Lashley in a hoss fight. We go back to RAW as Drew and R Truth defended each of their titles in a Tag Match against Lashley and MVP. Again, JIP as Truth is getting mauled by Bobby Lashley. MVP gets the tag and Truth is able to fire off a kick and get the space to make the hot tag. Drew and Bobby face off again with Drew dominating with a belly to belly suplex. The Future Shock DDT is escaped with an elbow. Lashley tags MVP, but he also gets caught with another suplex and MVP is screwed as he is on his own. That goes as it should as Drew hits a Future Shock DDT for two as Lashley makes the save. Truth and Lashley go at it on the floor and Lashley ends up hitting the steps. Back inside MVP eats a Claymore and the tag is made to Truth who hits a splash off the top for the pin. Again, MVP is great in his role of bump machine and talker/hype man for Lashley.
Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega) vs. Ricochet
-This could be a fun and would have ruled hard at a Takeover Special. This does seem like a demotion for Andrade though after weeks on RAW, but perhaps they just want to see him get some work. Andrade smartly uses mat wrestling to start as it’s always best to keep Ricochet grounded. He works a headlock as Ricochet fights out, but Andrade switches to an armlock. Ricochet escapes and connects with an armdrag and keeps control of the arm. Andrade backs Ricochet to the corner and connects with some right hands. He targets the knee with an elbow and then back to the midsection. Ricochet starts flying once Andrade lets him create space and he connects with a dropkick. He springs in for a move that Andrade avoids, but Ricochet tweeks his knee on the way down. He tries to walk it off, but Andrade follows and hits a running kick to the knee as we take a break.
-Back with Andrade having a half crab locked in. Ricochet is able to fight to a more vertical base, but Andrae goes right back to the knee. In the corner Andrade uses the middle rope to continue the attack on the knee as Vega talks trash from the floor. Always appreciate when managers talk crap! Ricochet is able to get a flash near fall off a roll-up, but Andrade simply kicks him in the face with a boot to stop that comeback. Andrade goes back to the knee with a sick looking submission. Knees shouldn’t bend like that! More damage to the knee as Andrade again uses the ropes to inflict pain. He lets go of the hold and charges for the double knees in the corner, but Ricochet escapes. Ricochet starts firing off right hands and connects with a rana as he sells the knee. A Standing Shooting Star gets a two count. He looks for The Ripcord, but Andrade goes right back to the knee. Simple and effective way to kill a comeback. Andrade gets a snapmare that sends Ricochet into ropes as his knee bounces off them. The Hammerlock DDT finishes at 8:59.
Winner: Andrade via pin at 8:59
-Criminally short as the break ate up 90 seconds and they never got to kick things into a higher gear. I loved the story of Andrade working the injured knee, but Ricochet didn’t get much of a comeback and then ate a DDT to end it. I know this isn’t the show for great wrestling matches, but they could throw us a bone every now and then. **3/4
-Backlash saw Randy Orton win The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. Here is my take as I am not a fan of these matches that are shot with several takes and like a movie. I am cool with cinematic matches like what we got at Mania and with what Hardy does, but when it’s a match inside a ring I want an actual one take match. Ciampa/Gargano was butchered because of this format and that could have happened here as well, but Edge and Orton did all they could to deliver a classic. It just takes away from my enjoyment when I know they had several takes and several camera angles to get a move just right. Edge being injured sucks too as I want to see him in a true wrestling environment having great wrestling matches.
-Back to RAW as Orton and Christian have a war of words that leads to an unsanctioned match later in the show.
Unsanctioned Match: Randy Orton vs Christian
-Before we can get the introductions Ric Flair is out to try to talk sense into Christian. He tells Orton to cut Christian some slack. Christian tells Ric that he has to do this and he turns his back on Flair. That’s his downfall as Flair low blows him and Orton hits the MDK punt to finish this match at 1:00.
Winner: Randy Orton via pin at 1:00
-More angle than match, but it was fantastic and uncomfortable in the right way. Christian should have known better than to trust Flair. MDK
-Orton is great when he can sink his teeth into something and him blaming Christian for this while also telling the paramedics to take care of him is a wonderful character touch. This whole deal was just great!
-Thanks for reading!
