Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 7.16.25

-Written: 7.16.26
-Source: YouTube
-Run Time: 29:06

-Plugs: Evolve 7.15.26

-Announce Team: Blake Howard and Vic Joseph

-Then! Now! Forever! Together!

-FEEL SO ENERGIZED! WE CAME FOR THE PRIZE!

Matt Cardona vs. Ricky Saints

-Judging by the signage, this match was taped in OKC. This is Saints’ Main Event debut. Cardona shoves Saints on his ass and then lands a series of forearms. Saints goes to the eyes, but gets caught with a one-man flapjack and a clothesline sends him to the floor. Cardona comes through the ropes with a dropkick. He sends Saints into the ring, but Ricky rolls right back out and is able to catch Cardona from the floor with a trip. Snap suplex gets two. Howard notes that Saints holds a victory over Oba Femi in NXT. Saints off the top with a forearm to the back followed by a reverse neckbreaker. He then poses and soaks in the boos from the crowd. Too much time wasted though as Cardona hits a spinebuster. Clothesline follows and then he drive Saints face first into the mat. Broski Boot! Unprettier gets two. I think it’s great he uses his wife’s finisher. Ruff Ryder misses and Saints gets a stun gun. He snaps off a Tornado DDT and hits a Roshambo for the pin at 4:40.

Winner: Ricky Saints via pin at 4:40
-Perfectly acceptable Main Event match. Saints getting the win is the right call. Cardona is there to help the next wave as the crowd was into him. This was fine. **1/2

-SummerSlam! Minnesota! They better announce what matches are which night to see if that helps sell some tickets. Other issues, but I would fix what I can if I was them.

-Club WWE! Become the ultimate insider!

Ivy Nile vs. Thea Hail

-Ivy has become Miss Main Event, which is both a blessing and a curse. At least she is getting ring work, but she has been stuck on the D show. Thea is from Pittsburgh, so that’s awesome and I have seen many of her matches on Level Up back in the day. Chase U for Life! I have reviewed these two in the ring before as they faced off in 2022 on Level Up. They also met on Main Event last December. Cool! Ivy was being managed by Malcom Bivens (Stokley) back then. Hail with an arm-drag and then another into an armbar. Thea escapes a slam, but Ivy counters that with a roll-up for one. Hail gets a kimura, but Ivy gets to her feet and forces a break by getting to the ropes. Thea goes back for the arm, but Ivy counters and slams her face first on the mat. Ivy goes to work on the arm and runs Thea shoulder first into the corner. Again as we get a “we want tables,” chant from the crowd. Not on Main Event! Ivy delivers rapid fire elbows and gets an arm submission. Hail powers Ivy up on her back and then hits a Code Breaker on the arm. Back splash in the corner followed by an Exploder. Diving neckbreaker gets two. Ivy gets an opening and goes for The Dragon Sleeper, but Thea gets a sweet counter into a head scissors where she drives Ivy on her head. She goes back to the kimura, but Nile runs her throat first into the top rope. Ivy hits the Gain Train for the pin at 4:58.

Winner: Ivy Nile via pin at 4:58
-This was similar to their match last December as a lot of the action was the same. That one I think was a little better, but this was in the same neighborhood. I like both women and it was nice seeing Thea back on the show. **1/4

-Survivor Series: War Games! Hosuton, TX!

-WWE Unreal drops next week and I will plow through all five episodes to have a review, right here, on 411mania.

LWO (Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro) vs. Dark State (Cutler James and Osiris Griffin)

-This is my first look at Osiris. Cutler has been on Level Up, and LFG in the past. He also started appearing on Evolve recently. Cruz starts with Osiris. Cruz throws leg kicks, but gets caught with a slam as Osiris uses his power. It seems he is a former New Orleans Saint. Cruz slips out of another slam and brings in Wilde. LWO double team and get a springboard splash for two. James in and gets caught with a knee to the gut. Everyone in the ring and the LWO gets stereo mounted punches in the corner as thie crowd counts along. James reverses a whip and Wilde gets his head taken off with a boot by Osiris. James slams Wilde down and brings Osiris back into the match. He just kind if poses and brings James back in for an alley-oop into a Euro Uppercut. James with a swinging backbreaker for two. The crowd is into this which is good to see. Wilde hits a jawbreaker and tries to crawl for the tag but gets caught. He kicks off and we get tags on both sides. Del Toro runs wild like a bull in a china shop! He catches James in the corner with a head kick and comes off the top with a missile dropkick. That gets two as Griffin breaks the count. Wilde off the top but gets caught and shoved into the corner. He charges, but hits post. James sent to the floor and the LWO fly with stereo suicide dives. Wilde off the middle ropes with a moonsault and Cruz off the top with a twisting 450 for the pin on James at 5:10.

Winners: The LWO via pin at 5:13
-Basic tag match which is fine as following the tag formula usually works. The crowd was into it and were on board with LWO comeback and win. This was solid like the other two matches on this show. **1/2

-Thanks for reading!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Back to the three match format this week and I enjoyed all three matches. We had a return to Main Event episodes of years past as we featured Main Roster vs. NXT in two of the matches. Easy show as always to watch and three rock solid matches makes this one a good show. No Main Event BANGERS, but just solid wrestling with a crowd that was enjoyed what they were watching. I will take that every week.