Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 12.24.20

-Christmas Eve is upon us and I have the longest break from work since I was a junior in high school as we are closed until Jan 4. Thankfully, my 3 year old and 2 month old will keep me busy I’m sure. It will also give me time to work on Year in Review articles for Main Event and 205 Live. My idea is to rank all the matches based on my rankings (since I took over late May) and using those from the Great Larry Csonka when he covered the first 5 months of each show. Obviously, ratings are a subjective thing, but I really don’t want to go back and watch 5 months of both shows in the next week and I also wanted to honor Larry as well. Any thoughts please comment below. That’s all for the coming weeks though as we still have 2 episodes of Main Event left to close out 2020. Let’s get to it!

-Announce Team: Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton
-Taped: WWE ThunderDome (Tropicana Field), St Petersburg, FL

Nikki Cross vs. Reckoning (w. Retribution)

-Tentative start before a lock-up and Cross eats a cheap shot in the corner. Reckoning fires off chops, and sends Cross to the apron. Cross gets in a shot and sling shots in for a cradle for one. She goes to an arm drag into an armbar. A whip to the corner, but Reckoning bounces out with a clothesline. She stomps away in the corner and goes to the opposite corner for more stomping. A boot to the face gets a two count. More kicks and then some choking with the bottom rope. Cross gets a flash small package for two, but gets caught with a dropkick for two. Reckoning hooks a Bow and Arrow as I always appreciate Joe getting excited when someone breaks out a nasty submission. It’s a wonderful character touch. Reckoning gets caught with an elbow, but sends Nikki back to the mat with a palm strike. Cross is able to get an arm and fires off some clotheslines and a neckbreaker. She hits the running crossbody in the corner for two. Cross up top, but she misses and as she rolls through, Reckoning destroys her with shotgun dropkick. A chinbreaker (as called by Joe) finishes this one at 5:14.

Winner: Reckoning via pin at 5:14
-This was okay as Cross bumped like crazy and Reckoning’s offense looked good. It was basically a step above a SQUASH and accomplished what they wanted in making Reckoning look like a threat. **

-Back to TLC as Charlotte returns as Asuka’s partner and we have new Tag Team Champions. I assume this ends with one of them turning on the other and if not they better find another Super Team or it’s going back to Shayna/Nia as nobody else is going to be believable against them in the division.

-Back to RAW as Asuka and Charlotte successfully defend their titles against Evans and Royce as Royce taps to the Figure 8.

-Back to TLC and The Firefly Inferno Match. Orton wins by setting The Fiend on fire and really, we have had worse things done to people in the WWE. The Giant fell off a roof, HHH was dropped off a lift in a car, Taker has been buried alive countless times, etc. I mean, even JR was set on fire and came back. I have a friend on Facebook that went on a rant with the result as he felt this was the WWE getting rid of The Fiend character. I told him we have seen Undertaker survive worse, and I am sure he will be back soon. The WWE wasted no time in letting all of us know that as well as Bliss returned the next night on RAW with a playground set and basically warned Orton that The Fiend would return. Alexa is great in this role!

Lince Dorado (w/ Gran Metalik) vs. Akira Tozawa

-I guess we are back to the 2 match format with less star power this week, which is fine. These two could probably tear the house down, but we aren’t getting that here. Tozawa seems more serious this week without the ninjas. They work a mat sequence and it’s an early stalemate. Another go and Tozawa gets grounded with a trip and then into a hammerlock. Tozawa breaks with a right hand to the face. Effective! Tozawa gets a hammerlock, but Dorado escapes and picks up the pace. He takes Tozawa over with a rana and then a backbreaker followed by some Ninja offense of his own. Tozawa rallies and sends Dorado to the floor with a dropkick as we take a break.

-Back with Tozawa in control as he connects with a Senton. A flurry of strikes in the corner nets a two count. Another one off a sweet back elbow to the face. Tozawa goes back to the ground as he ties up Dorado. He switches to a knee in the back while controlling the head with a chinlock. Dorado gets in a shot and a quebrada gets two. Tozawa counters a tilt-a-whirl into the Iron Octopus. Dorado escapes by dumping Tozawa on his face. Again, effective! Dorado runs wild with strikes and then a slam into a facebuster. Dorado misses a charge in the corner and ends up on the apron. He hits an enziguri though and follows off the top with a crossbody for two. Some great height on that one! Another charge misses and Tozawa snaps off a rana. Tozawa comes off the top with his cannonball dive and that gets two. Again up top, but Dorado moves and catches Tozawa with a superkick. Now Dorado heads up and The Shooting Star Press gets the win at 8:00.

Winner: Lince Dorado via pin at 8:00
-This was all action after the break and turned into a fun sprint. I also liked that Tozawa dropped the Ninja stuff this week and they just let these two have a good wrestling match. **3/4

-Back to TLC as The Miz cashes in during the Drew/Styles TLC match which was stupid. I mean, talk about picking a horrible time. I know they wanted the briefcase gone, and probably wanted to somewhat protect Miz, but man it just made him look like an idiot. The bad part is we know he knows how to pick a more opportune moment.

-Back to RAW as the opening segment sets up our 6 Man Holiday Street Fight. Put me in the corner of those complaining about having to make a tag in a Street Fight. Team Drew get the win as Lee hits a Spirit Bomb. Sheamus hits Lee with a Brogue Kick to continue the slow build to Drew vs. Sheamus.

-Thanks for reading!

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

A solidly average episode of Main Event this week which is fine. The Main Event was good and the extended SQUASH served it's purpose. The recap stuff with a bit better as it usually is following a PPV and they showed a good chunk of the Holiday Street Fight which was appropriate. I was a little disappointed this week they didn't include any Holiday wackiness with Truth considering the date, but maybe the figure less people will be watching this one and it was best to go back to the format we have had most of the year.