wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Main Event Review 9.07.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Got to this one late as my wife was out with a friend, so I was on dad duty with my boys. I am sacrificing the end of the Chiefs/Lions game to bring this to you. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Byron Saxton and Wade Barrett
-Taped: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
-Payback video recap! Was a fun show and it’s a bummer I wasn’t there. Tag Match was great as was the cage match. I enjoyed the Main Event as well and I was pulling for Nakamura.
Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa
-Tozawa has been pulling double duty between this show and NXT Level Up as part of the Global Heritage Invitational. Reed controls early with his size. He fires off some chops in the corner, but Tozawa gets his feet up in the corner to block a splash. He throws some strikes, but runs into a brick wall as Reed mows him down. To the corner where Reed lands some shoulders. This time the splash in the corner connects and then he tosses Tozawa across the ring. Reed hooks a neck crank as the crowd tries to rally Tozawa. He fights his way out and gets Reeed to his knees. Shining Wizard connects! He comes off the top with the diving back elbow for two. Tozawa gets dumb and tries a slam. Reed blocks, but eats a knee to the head. Tozawa lands an enziguiri and heads up top again. He hits the Senton for two! He tries the slam again and Reed falls back on him. Now Reed with a Senton and The TSUNAMI finishes for the pin at 4:52.
Winner: Bronson Reed via pin at 4:52
-This went about how you would expect. Tozawa got in a little more offense than I expected. The pop for the TSUNAMI was strong as the move is a killer. *1/2
-Back to RAW as Judgment Day celebrate their success at Payback as Rhea Ripley retained and Balor/Priest are our new Undisputed Tag Team Champions. GRAND SLAM FINN! JD McDonagh is out and he gives Priest a new “Senor Money in The Bank” briefcase. Sami Zayn interrupts and he wants a match with Dom, but instead he is offered one with JD.
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to RAW as we join Zayn vs. JD in progress. Prison Dom interferes and that leads to JD getting the pin. Sami gets some revenge after the match.
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to RAW as Seth Rollins wants more of Nakamura following their match at Payback. Rollins offers a World Title shot right now and Nakamura passes. Rollins charges and the fight is on! Nakamura goes to the back and Ricochet is out to help Rollins.
-We jump forward in the show as we join Nakamura vs. Ricochet in progress. Nakamura uses a chair to cause a DQ, but the point was to make Nakamura look more vicious and perhaps Rollins has a new ally in Ricochet. Rollins is out after the match, but Nakamura leaves him laying again.
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to SmackDown as John Cena made his return to the WWE. He is interrupted by Jimmy Uso and Cena lets him know “the wrong Uso quit.” Jimmy tries to take a shot at John, but eats an AA.
-Later in the night Jimmy Uso costs AJ Styles his match against Solo.
Riddick Moss vs. Tommaso Ciampa
-Lockup to start and the crowd is behind Ciampa in this one! Moss backs Ciampa into the corner and delivers some shoulders. Ciampa escapes a suplex and lands some strikes including a chop. Side headlock by Ciampa, but he is shoved off and Moss runs him down with a shoulder. He uses his knee to choke Ciampa on the middle rope. Hard whip to the corner and Moss shows off with some push-ups. Ciampa avoids another whip to the corner and lands a back elbow. Thesz Press and some right hands. Ciampa gets a two count and then does some push-ups of his own. Moss escapes Fairy Tale Ending and drops Ciampa throat first on the top rope. Running clothesline knocks Ciampa down as we take a break at 2:53.
-This Friday it’s Jimmy Uso vs. AJ Styles!
-90 seconds of Hulu commercials!
-Back at 5:08 with Moss hitting an SOS Slam. Running shoulder in the corner as we are told this is “Riddy Mo’s world.” Moss catapults Ciampa into the middle rope and gets another SOS Slam. This one gets two. For those wondering Detroit just beat Kansas City in the NFL opener according to the alert that just went off on my phone. Go Niners! Moss: “Wade Barrett come out of retirement. I need more than this.” Wade wonders if Moss needs a tag partner and tells Byron to protect him. A third SOS slam if avoided by Ciampa and he side steps a charge and shoves Moss into the middle buckle. Ciampa unloads with chops and gets a clothesline. He hits a trio of corner clotheslines and then another clothesline sends Moss to the floor to pop the crowd. Willow’s Bell gets two! Ciampa drops the knee pad as he has bad intentions. Moss catches Ciampa coming though and gets a version of a uranage for two. Neckbreaker is countered into a backslide by Ciampa. Moss back with a sweet spinebuster! Moss charges and eats a knee to the jaw. Fairy Tale Ending finishes for the pin at 10:44.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa via pin at 10:44
-This got pretty good after the break as they just started hitting each other hard until one was left the winner. I appreciate all the trash talk from Moss as it gives him some personality. Ciampa getting the win is the right call though as I assume they are patiently waiting for Gargano to get healthy to put DIY back together. **1/4
-Hulu commercials!
-Back to Payback as we get video of Rhea’s win over Raquel. The rematch is this Monday on RAW and Dirty Prison Dom is barred from ringside.
-Back to RAW as GUNTHER had his final IC Title Defense before breaking the longevity record. This was great as you would expect considering it’s GUNTHER vs. Chad Gable. The crowd was buying into Gable winning here and they did a fantastic job building to this match all night and making The IC Title feel important. Good for Gable getting a chance to close Monday Night RAW. GUNTHER gets the win and makes Chad’s daughter cry, but the man had a record to break. Move over HTM! At some point GUNTHER will have to drop this title as The World Title needs to be in his future. Whether it’s by giving the Title up when he wins the World Title or they pull the trigger and let someone beat him.
-Thanks for reading!
