wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 7.20.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-RIP to Rick Scaia.
-Announce Team: Kevin Patrick and Byron Saxton
-Taped: Atlanta, GA
Riddick Moss vs. Akira Tozawa
-Lockup and Moss powers Tozawa to the mat and then does some pushups as he lets Tozawa know he is just getting warmed up. Tozawa grabs a side headlock, but gets mowed down with a shoulder. Moss woos a lot and then chokes Tozawa in the corner with his boot. Tozawa blocks a charge in the other corner with two boots to the face and then snaps off a head scissors. Tozawa with some of his own pushups to a nice pop. Tozawa gets too close though and gets dropped throat first on the top rope and then turned inside out with a running clothesline. Moss has been hitting that well and needs to keep that. It has kind of a JBL feel to it. SOS Slam gets a one count so Moss hooks a reverse chinlock. Tozawa rallies behind the crowd and elbows his way out, but gets cut off with a knee to the ribs. Tozawa ends up getting another head scissors followed by a basement dropkick. Tozawa comes off the top with the back elbow for two. Tozawa tries to lift Moss and nearly gets him up, but Moss fights off. He tries a suplex, but Tozawa slides off and hits a series of kicks. He heads up top again but gets caught. Tozawa escapes into a roll-up for two, but walks into a choke slam. Jackhammer finishes at 5:19.
Winner: Riddick Moss via pin at 5:19
-Just a basic match where Tozawa got in enough hope spots and a close fall to get the crowd into it. **
-JD vs. Apollo III is set for later! YES!
-Back to RAW two weeks ago where Brock Lesnar returned and got into a brawl with Cody Rhodes. Cody hits a Cutter to stand tall!
-Don’t Try This at Home or Anywhere!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to RAW as Cody Rhodes wants a third match with Brock Lesnar. Brock plays mind games and suckers Cody into the back where he hits him with a chair off camera. He then beats the dog piss out of Cody in front his mom, the rest of the family and all his friends in Atlanta. Brock accepts the challenge and we have a match for SummerSlam!
-Back to RAW where Rhea Ripley interrupts Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. They get into a brawl and Raquel gets injured which is an issue for their Tag Title defense later in the show.
-SummerSlam: Detroit! Ford Field!
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SmackDown as Asuka/Bianca ends in a DQ thanks to interference from Charlotte, Bayley, and Iyo. We all know this is building to a Triple Threat with Iyo and her briefcase hanging over everything.
-Back to RAW as we join Raquel/Liv defending their Tag Titles in progress against Chelsea Green and Sonya Neville. This was fine and good for Chelsea and Sonya got winning a Championship. I like them as Champions better than the Liv/Raquel team and to think they likely would have been Carmella and Chelsea, but Carmella is getting a much more important title.
-Hulu Commercials!
-Two weeks ago Roman and Solo destroyed Jimmy Uso and Jey IS PISSED! You can call him the Head of the Table and Real Tribal Chief. Paul Heyman interrupts with Solo and we learn that next week Jey and Roman discuss the rules of engagement. Heyman places blame on Jey for what happened to Jimmy. Things break down with Jey and Solo getting into a fight and Heyman finally eats a super kick to the delight of the crowd. Solo gets worn out with a steel chair again.
-SmackDown is on FS1 this week thanks to Women’s World Cup Coverage! Jey and Roman will make their match at SummerSlam officially by the sounds of it!
Apollo Crews vs. JD McDonagh
-This is the rubber match as Crew won the first match a month back and JD stole a win a week later. Both matches were wonderful and I am excited for this one. Best rivalry on this show since Ali/Ricochet. Let’s go! JD blitzes Apollo to start and stomps him down in the corner. He uses the boot to choke and lays the bad mouth on Apollo. Crews lands a shot and gets a discus clothesline. JD trails to bail, but Crews catches him and runs him down with a shoulder. Stinger Splash in the corner and a high backdrop sends JD flying. Crews heads up, but JD rolls to the floor. He suckers Apollo in and tries to slam him into the announce table, but Apollo blocks. They trade chops on the floor and that doesn’t go well for JD, so he heads back in the ring. Apollo sends him flying into the ropes with a monkey flip and bounces his head off the top and middle buckles. Another shot into the buckle sends JD flying across the ring. JD eats a clothesline that sends him to the floor as we take a break at 2:40.
-SmackDown is on FS1 this Friday!
-Back with Apollo getting yanked off the top rope and he hits his head on the buckle on the way down. JD gets a two count and goes to a chinlock. He takes it to the ground and the crowd is solidly behind Apollo. They start trading blows and Apollo wins the exchange. He gets a kick to the head and catapults JD into the ring post. JD runs into a boot to the face and now Apollo heads up top. He comes off with a crossbody for two. JD tries a roll-up, but Apollo rolls through and stands up to deliver a kick. Standing moonsault gets two! JD avoids the Samoan Drop and gets a roll-up for two as he couldn’t grab the rope. JD with a standing Spanish Fly for two! JD heads up top, but Apollo meets him up there and fires off some chops. Superplex is blocked and JD shoves Apollo down. He bounces right back up and gets knocked down again. JD comes off the top, but Apollo catches him, rolls through and gets the Samoan Drop for the pin at 7:24.
Winner: Apollo Crew via pin at 7:24
-Sadly, this was the weakest of the three matches as they went home just as they were hitting another gear. Still a good match for this show, but not up to the level they gave us twice in the last few weeks. **1/2
-Back to RAW where Judgment Day brag about running Monday Night RAW. Prison Dom gets booed out of the building and then KO and Sami are out to interrupt. A Tag Title Match is made for later in the show. I thought they might save that for SummerSlam, but I guess not.
-Hulu commercials!
-RAW this week will feature Logan Paul, and Drew McIntyre coming face to face with GUNTHER! All the SummerSlam hype!
-Back to RAW as Seth Rollins has a sit-down interview hosted by Byron Saxton backstage. Seth notes that Finn has to wait in line because there are others who deserve a shot. That won’t work for Balor who shows up and has Byron leave. Balor wants his rematch at SummerSlam and he is going to take the Title. He will do to Seth, what he did to him: hurt him, laugh in his face, and alter his career forever. Seth tells Balor the World Title is more important than that. Balor pretends to leave and then throws a chair at Seth’s face. He beats on Seth and tells him to make the match.
-It is official: World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor!
-Back to NXT (which we don’t say often) as Dirty Prison Dom ends the long reign of Wes Less as North American Champion. Good stuff here as the crowd was shocked and losing to Dom won’t hurt Wes. It will be interesting to see what they do with Dom as Champion now. Wes Less is great! Judgment Day celebrating with Dom is great as well! I’m sure Rey was smiling somewhere!
-Back to RAW as the day before Dom had a chance to win the Tag Titles with Priest as we join their match against KO and Sami in progress. Fun match as you would expect! Liv Morgan heads down and occupies Rhea which leaves Dom exposed. Priest eats a Stunner and Heluva Kick to Dom ends this one as KO an Sami retain.
-Thanks for reading!
