wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 12.14.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Saturday Night’s Main Event #20 should be dropping in the new couple days as I continue the march through 1989. For now, it’s Main Event! Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Blake Howard and Byron Saxton
-Taped: Cleveland, OH
Natalya vs. Elektra Lopez
-They have to be getting Lopez ready for a call up and pairing her with Santos again. For Lopez she is making her second straight appearance on Main Event and gets a RAW Superstar this time. Nattie controls with a side headlock to start and Lopez rolls over for a one count. To their feet and Nattie tries to run Lopez over, but gets shouldered down. Kick to the gut from Lopez and she grabs an arm as she yells at Nattie. She responds by flipping out and getting a roll-up for two. She goes for the Sharpshooter, but Lopez kicks her off and bails to the floor. Nattie gets a baseball slide that sends Lopez into the announce table. Lopez wants time back in the ring and suckers Nattie into the corner, where she throws her into the middle buckle. Running shoulder in the corner followed by a take down and elbow for two. Lopez uses the top rope to choke and then puts a knee in the back to choke on the middle rope for good measure as well. That gets a two count, so Lopez hooks a modified Cobra Clutch. Choke Neckbreaker gets two and back to the Clutch. The crowd starts to rally Nattie as she fights to her feet. She gets a roll-up for two and lands an elbow and kick as Lopez charges. Nattie with a discus clothesline for two. She goes for the Sharpshooter again, but Lopez rakes the eyes and gets a roll-up for two. Nattie slides behind on a slam attempt and goes for the Sharpshooter again, but another roll-up for two. Lopez gets a swinging side-slam for two and she is not happy with the ref. She misses an elbow and then a charge in the corner. On the fourth try, Nattie finally gets the Sharpshooter and Lopez taps at 5:45.
Winner: Natalya via tap-out at 5:45
-This was solid and I will keep pounding the table for Lopez to be brought up and paired with Santos. Nattie is always a good choice to work with these kids on this show. **1/4
-Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe is our Main Event Main Event tonight!
-Video package on Drew McIntyre airing his grievances and then destroying Sami Zayn to give him some time away. Later in the night, Drew attacks Jey Uso and Seth gets some too for not minding his business. Give no cares Drew is great!
-Don’t Try This At Home, School, WalMart, or Anywhere!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to RAW as we get the entire Jey Uso/Roman Reigns promo segment before they have their one on one match. Drew wants an apology and Jey just won’t give him one.
-Now to the match and it’s a good one as one would expect with these two in the ring. Drew goes to the eyes and then hits The Claymore for the win. As Jesse Ventura always said, “win if you can, lose if must, but always cheat.”
-Back to SmackDown as CM Punk set up several feuds for down the line, worked in a joke about his time in AEW, and made it know that his goal is to finish what he started: Being in the Main Event of WrestleMania!
-Roman Reigns returns this Friday. I assume we will get clarity on his Royal Rumble match soon (assuming it’s Orton or at worst a Triple Threat with Orton and LA Knight). Plus Carmelo Hayes is the mystery NXT competitor in The US Title Tournament.
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to RAW as CM Punk holds court before making his decision on where he wants to sign. They include Punk apologizing for walking out on the fans ten years ago. I remember Austin did the same after his walk-out, though he apologized during his Hall of Fame speech. It’s still surreal that Punk is back as I was there in Pittsburgh almost ten years ago for his last WWE match at The Royal Rumble. Punk is here to bury the ghosts, right some wrongs, and ten years later he walks right back in as part of Monday Night RAW. Seth Rollins interrupts and this is what we have been waiting to see. The crowd is pumped for the stare down. Rollins asks for one thing and that’s for Punk to stop calling this place his home. He brings up how Punk walked out and then slandered Rollins, The Company, and everyone who worked here. The crowd popped when Rollins said it was his home and then they sang his song. He is going to defend this place and knows this will go one of two ways: Punk will blow up and Rollins will be the first to slam the door on his ass as he is kicked out the door. The other scenario is that if by some miracle Punk has changed, Rollins will embarrass him in the ring. He will wrestle circles around Punk and let him know what it means to be “The Best in the World.” Punk says that was Rollins one pass to speak to him like that. He has never asked for anything to be handed to him. He calls Pearce back into the ring and Punk is entering The Royal Rumble. When he wins, Seth is who he may be coming after. Great stuff here!
-Hulu commercials!
Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe
-Apollo Crews is given a week off I see. Von Wagner is still being called a Free Agent, so I guess that is why he is able to bounce around anywhere he wants. They fist bump in a sign of sportsmanship before the match. Wagner uses his power to control to start as he controls the arm and beats Enofe to the mat. Enofe tries to pick up the pace, but gets dropped with a clothesline. Wagner hits a leaping shoulder block and then lays the beats on Enofe in the corner. Wagner with an elbow, but Enofe snaps off a dropkick and then hits a flipping dive over the top to the floor to pop the crowd. We head to a break at 1:52.
-WWE Live! Coming to a town near you!
-90 seconds of Hulu commercials!
-Back at 4:05 with Wagner coming off the middle rope with a clubbing blow. Enofe catches Wagner in the throat to turn the tide and gets a two count. He hooks a side headlock, but Wagner punches his way out. Snake Eyes is escaped and Enofe hits an ugly Fame-asser. That was not good! Enofe tries a 450, but Wagner moves. Enofe rolls through, but gets slammed down by Wagner. Powerbomb is fought out off, but it only delays the inevitable. Powerbomb finishes at 7:01.
Winner: Von Wagner via pin at 7:01
-Not much to this one as it was little more than an extended SQUASH for Wagner. Enofe got to hit a cool dive to the floor and then an ugly Fame-asser before eating the pin. *
-Wagner offers a handshake and Enofe accepts.
-Video package on Nakamura and his issues with Cody Rhodes. Cool stuff with the comic illustrations worked in.
-Hulu commercials!
-This Monday on RAW it’s Double Tag Gold as Judgment Day defends against The Creed Brothers and Piper/Chelsea defend against Chance and Carter.
-Back to RAW as we join Cody vs. Nakamura in progress. Good stuff, but nobody really watched because the NFL had two games go down to the wire at the same time. No winner as Nakamura hits the RED MIST for the DQ. The Creed Brothers run in for the save. Interesting! This feud must continue!
-Thanks for reading!
