Alpha Academy—the team of Otis and Akira Tozawa—are your new top contenders to the WWE World Tag Team Championships after winning a four-way match on Monday Night Raw.
After a chaotic sequence that included Jey Uso superkicking Grayson Waller at ringside, Otis slammed Julius Creed onto his brother, Brutus, then tagged in Tozawa. Tozawa hit Julius Creed with a senton off the top rope and pinned him.
The New Day and Rayo & Bravo Americano were the other two teams in the match, along with Alpha Academy and the Creed Brothers. No date was given for when Alpha Academy would receiver their championship match against the Usos.
Otis and Tozawa first teamed up in November of 2023 as members of the Alpha Academy faction alongside Chad Gable and Maxxin Dupri. They teamed frequently in 2024 and 2025, usually on Raw or Main Event. They had won five of their last six matches going into Monday night. They have never had a championship match as a team, falling short in three previous matches or tournaments with title matches at stake.
Otis and the rest of Alpha Academy have left Chad Gable.
After months of build, Otis finally had enough on Raw. After Gable lost to Braun Strowman, he began to yell at Akira Tozawa and took away Maxxine Dupri’s crutch. When Otis heard Gable slapping Tozawa, he reacted by shoving Gable to the corner, walking away with the rest of Alpha Academy.
Later backstage, Otis was seen packing as Gable entered the room and yelled at him for what had happened. Otis replied that they were done with Alpha Academy as he, Dupri, and Tozawa left the locker room. Gable in response said they were expelled, saying he would win Money in the Bank and do something that Otis had never done, cash in the briefcase successfully.
Relations within Alpha Academy started to crumble in the weeks following WrestleMania when Gable turned on Sami Zayn. He then began berating the rest of Alpha Academy, encouraging them to do his bidding, which they did reluctantly. At Clash at the Castle, Otis chose to help an injured Maxxine Dupri to the back rather than help Gable, who ended up losing his chance at winning the Intercontinental title.
Alpha Academy are in NXT tonight for a tag match with Stand & Deliver implications.
Akira Tozawa & Otis are facing NXT Tag Team Champions Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin tonight. Though the belts aren’t on the line, Alpha Academy have the chance to earn a title shot with a victory. Tozawa & Otis will be added to the tag title match at NXT Stand & Deliver if they defeat Breakker & Corbin tonight.
Breakker & Corbin are set to defend against either Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro, Axiom & Nathan Frazer, or Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson at Stand & Deliver.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is defending against Tony D’Angelo at the WrestleMania weekend NXT event. Tonight, Dragunov takes on D’Angelo’s associate Stacks.
Shawn Spears vs. Dijak, Josh Briggs vs. Duke Hudson, Thea Hail vs. Jazmyn Nyx, and a Lola Vice open challenge have all been announced for tonight. There will also be Prime Target vignettes building up Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes for Stand & Deliver.
We’ll hear from Ridge Holland tonight as well. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
*************************
NXT is on the air, and two enigmatic characters clash in a singles bout that opens the show from a sound stage at the Performance Center. Not sure who is the protagonist in the match, or if there is even one? Do we even need one if they proceed to have a banger?
Dijak defeated Shawn Spears
Dijak pinned Spears in a hard hitting opener. Really good match to kick off the show.
According to commentary that accompanies the match, this match “could have North American Championship implications.” Turns out, that is about half right.
Spears on a roll when he does a plancha. Not to be outdone moments later, Dijak does a flip dive over the ropes. Slapping leather, and clubbing strikes. Dijak climbs to the top rope, and Spears jumps to the top and suplexes Dijak.
Joe Gacy is seen crawling out from underneath the ring. Gacy grabs the metal folding chair Spears brought with him to the ring, and Gacy drags the chair under the ring.
The match goes through a split-screen commercial break. High spot as the come break from break, Dijak leaps off the top rope with a flying clothesline.
They go on to trade strikes. Dijak punishes Spears with hard overhand chops. Dijak in a focused rage, but Spears has counters. They trade near falls. “Fight forever” chants from the live studio audience. Also, some “NXT” chants from the crowd.
Dijak springboards into a flying elbow drop, but no water in the pool. Spears goes to grab the chair he brought with him earlier, but it is no where to be found. Gacy had stolen it.
Spears gets caught on an attempted flying ax handle, and Spears takes a sit-down choke bomb from Dijak. Spears gets a shoulder up at two and three quarters.
For the finish, Dijak delivers a kick set up Feast Your Eyes. After Dijak executes his finisher, he covers Spears for a three count.
Roxanne Perez is the focus of a vignette where she looks back at her babyface persona, and she is now detests that version of herself. Even if she is likely miscast as a heel, Perez plays the character well. She challenges for the NXT Women’s title at NXT Stand & Deliver.
Thea Hail (with Riley Osborne, Andre Chase & Duke Hudson) defeated Jazmyn Nyz (with Jacy Jayne)
Hail submitted Nyz, despite blatant interference by Jacy Jayne. A brawl afterwards appears to set up a women’s trios match.
Nyz got a lot of offense. Jayne was a distraction at ringside at ringside. She stole the Chase U towel from Chase, and Jayne threw it into the ring, as if someone from Hail’s corner was throwing in the towel. Osborne rushed into the ring and caught the towel, as the towel has to land on the mat to count. The referee then ejects Chase U from ringside for interfering in the match.
Jayne then gets on the apron, and Hail screams at her about them once being friends. Jayne slaps Hail, and somehow the ref did not see it. Nyz goes for a roll-up, but Hail counters the schoolgirl. Hail locks in an kimura, and Nyz taps out.
Jayne jumps Hail after the match. Jayne is stomping on Hail as Kaina James and Izzi Dame also rush into the ring Dame and James hold Hail for Jayne to deliver strikes. Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan run down to even the odds. Hail soon joins the other two babyfaces in cleaning house on the heels. The post-match brawl and angle would appear to set up a six-woman tag team match.
Up next is a great video package hyping the upcoming grudge match between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes. The hype video even had clips of main roster stars commenting on the bout, including Randy Orton and CM Punk.
A commercial advertised the NXT: Next Gen reality show.
Natalya defeated Lola Vice
Nattie makes a surprise appearance on NXT, and Nattie goes on to pin Vice in a very competitive match.
The story going in was Vice issued an open challenge with a tweet. The open challenge is probably one of the most overdone plot devices in wrestling these days. Regardless, Vice cut a strong promo in the ring before the match began. Nattie answers the open challenge in a surprise appearance, and Nattie cuts a promo of her own on Vice. The brawl as the match gets underway.
Vice is in control as the match goes through a commercial break. Natalya comes back after the show returns from the break. They both go for submission holds.
Out comes Karmen Pertrovic, who has issues with Vice. Nattie soon makes a comeback, and she looks to apply a sharpshooter. Vice counters into a roll-up, but Nattie responds by going for an armbar. Nattie goes on to duck a strike, and Nattie uses an O’Connor Roll to score a pinfall.
An upset Shawn Spears is leaving the building. From above, Joe Gacy appears on a roof with the chair he stole from Spears. Gacy throws the chair down, and laughs manically. NXT North American Champion Oba Femi comes into frame and he stomps on the chair. Gacy laughs manically some more. Much like any segment with Gacy these days, I have far more questions than answers.
Sol Ruca is the focus of a video package, which hypes a match between Ruca and Blair Davenport. This plays off an injury angle based on a real injury to Ruca.
Davenport is interviewed with Kelly Kincaid, and Davenport cuts a promo on Ruca.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo in a non-title match
Dragunov pinned Stacks after Torpedo Moscow. Dragunov sold his hand during the match, as Stacks stomped on Dragunov’s fingers. Undaunted, Dragunov makes a comeback to win the match.
Lorenzo’s cohorts in The Family purposely stayed away from ringside, but Stacks was still there to soften up Dragunov ahead of Tony D’Angelo challenging for the title at Stand & Deliver. So, Stacks targeted the hand.
“The Don” and Lucio Crusifino watched the match from a monitor backstage. After the bout is over, Tony D tells Crusifino to invite Dragunov to a special dinner.
In a great video package continued from earlier in the show, Trick Williams returns to Philadelphia to see his uncle James, who Trick calls “Sweet Baby James”. Williams cuts a promo with his uncle, and Williams talks about Philly being a special place for him. This hyped up Williams-Hayes at Stand & Deliver, and it included more clips of CM Punk breaking down the match. Great stuff here.
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) confront NXT Tag Team Champions Wolf Dogs (Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker) in a locker room skit.
Ridge Holland is in the ring for a monologue, where he announces he is stepping away from in-ring competition. The ring is darkly lit, as Holland stands solemnly, yet well dressed in a suit jacket. Holland begins by thanking Marty Jones, William Regal, Shawn Michaels, the other producers, and the talent.
Holland says as been hesitant lately, and a step off. He cannot in good conscience risk hurting his self or someone else. Holland acknowledges he is aware of the perception about him.
Whether the whispers and comments about him after true or not, they had an affect on the man behind Ridge Holland. He is tired of taking his work home, and he wants to get a good father and husband for his family. Therefore, Holland announces he is indefinitely stepping away from in-ring competition.
Another great hype video focuses on NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria defending her title against Roxanne Perez at Stand & Deliver.
Josh Briggs defeated Duke Hudson
Briggs pinned Hudson after a clothesline from hell. This was basically a showcase for Briggs, and it set up an angle afterwards. That will lead to a triple threat title match at Stand & Deliver.
Dijak is at the announce desk for guest commentary, and he buries both guys. That match itself goes through a commercial break.
Hudson takes a superplex from Brigg. That targetes Hudson’s back, which he sold throughout the match. Briggs also rammed Hudson into the ring steps before the commercial break, further targeting the back.
Briggs climbs the turnbuckles, but he is cut off and powerbombed by Hudson. Nevertheless, Briggs cuts off Hudson, Briggs then delivers a Stan Hansen lariat. Briggs covers Hudson for a pinfall.
After the match is over, Dijak leaves the announce booth. He climbs on the apron and has a stare down with Briggs. Suddenly, Oba Femi’s theme music blares over the house speakers. The North American Champion is then seen overlooking he ring from a perch.
Femi cuts a poor promo, where Femi basically announces a triple threat match at Stand & Deliver. Femi defends the North American title against Dijak and Briggs.
More for the hype video building up Williams-Hayes at Stand & Deliver. A written recap would not do these hype videos justice. The hype videos should be seen. Good stuff.
Next Tuesday on the go-home episode, Williams and Hayes have a final face-off ahead of their grudge match at Stand & Deliver.
Meta-Four have commandeered a produce truck they are the NWO. Noam Dar and company then announce they are the official hosts for Stand & Deliver.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is delivered an invitation to attend the meeting with Tony D’Angelo. This was a campy skit.
NXT Tag Team Champions Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin defeated Akira Tozawa & Otis in a non title match
Breakker pinned Tozawa to win the match. They shattered an announce desk, among other high spots, to give this bout the pop it needed to make it worthwhile. They succeeded in that.
Breakker was explosive at times, but at first this match seemed like somewhat of a letdown compared to other bouts on the show. Was I ever wrong about that. The match came around in the end, and it ended on a hot note.
The tag title match went through a split-screen commercial break. It builds to a hot tag that brings in Otis. Alpha Academy rallies, but Breakker counters them in a feat of strength.
Breakker is in a electric chair when Tozawa leaps off the top rope with a crossbody. Breakker catches Tozawa, and turns it into an avalanche powerslam. Highlight reel high spot right there.
Corbin & Breakker go on to double team Otis, and they powerbomb Otis through the announce desk. The desk crumbles, and the studio audience pops huge. “Holy s****” chants are bleeped out on the USA Network.
Back in the ring, Tozawa is alone against Wolf Dogs. Corbin blocks a hurricanrana, and Corbin powerbombs Tozawa. Breakker follows up with a spear on Tozawa, and Breakker covers him for a the deciding pinfall.
LWO appears after the match, as does Gallows & Anderson. There is a brief stare down, as LWO and the Good Brothers close in on the a ring. A brawl erupts as Nathan Frazier & Axiom also rush into the ring. The show ends with a big melee in the ring.
A stipulation match featuring the The Wolf Dogs vs. Raw’s Alpha Academy is one of five bouts set for the March 26 WWE NXT show.
NXT Tag Team Champions The Wolf Dogs (Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin) will take on Alpha Academy’s Otis & Akira Tozawa on next week’s show. If Alpha Academy are victorious, they will be added to the NXT Tag Team title match at Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 6.
Breakker & Corbin are currently set to defend the Tag titles against the winners of a number one contenders match set for the April 2 NXT show, but the Stand & Deliver bout becomes a triple threat should Alpha Academy win next week.
Four more matches, plus a series of vignettes for the Stand & Deliver bout between Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes are also set for next week’s NXT.
A “Prime Target” vignette series on next week’s episode will recap the Williams vs. Hayes feud, plus preview their Stand & Deliver contest.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov will be in action on next week’s episode against Stacks Lorenzo in a non-title match. Dragunov defends the NXT title against Stacks’ partner Tony D’Angelo at Stand & Deliver.
NXT GM Ava also announced a pair of matches for next week’s show that she says could decide competitors in the NXT North American Championship match at Stand & Deliver. Shawn Spears will face Dijak on next week’s episode, plus Josh Briggs will take on Duke Hudson. Oba Femi is the current North American Champion, and has yet to have an opponent announced for Stand & Deliver.
In a women’s division contest set for next week, Thea Hail will face Jazmyn Nyx in Nyx’s first televised match. Nyx cost Hail’s Chase U stablemate Riley Osborne his NXT Heritage Cup match on this week’s episode against Drew Gulak.
The announced card for the Tuesday, March 26 WWE NXT :
The Wolf Dogs (Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin) vs. Alpha Academy’s Otis & Akira Tozawa –If Alpha Academy win, they are added to the NXT Tag Team title match at Stand & Deliver
Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams “Prime Target” vignettes
Two more Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches are set for next week’s NXT.
It was announced on Tuesday that the four men and women who failed to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at Deadline on December 9 will be entered in a four-way last chance qualifying match. The matches will have Kiana James take on Roxanne Perez, Fallon Henley, and Thea Hail and Carmelo Hayes take on Eddy Thorpe, Joe Coffey, and Tyler Bate.
A six-person tag team match is also set after Noam Dar challenged Alpha Academy to a match for next week. Dar managed to retain his NXT Heritage Cup trophy against Chad Gable on last week’s show.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov and Baron Corbin will also meet face-to-face just days before Dragunov defends the title against Corbin at Deadline.
Here is the lineup for next week’s WWE NXT:
Ilja Dragunov/Baron Corbin face-to-face
Iron Survivor Challenge Last Chance qualifier: Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Fallon Henley vs. Thea Hail
Iron Survivor Challenge Last Chance qualifier: Carmelo Hayes vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Joe Coffey vs. Tyler Bate
Alpha Academy (Otis, Chad Gable, and Maxxine Dupri) vs. Meta-Four (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, and Lash Legend)
During a segment on Raw Monday, Chad Gable told Akira Tozawa that they would accompany him for his match against Noam Dar tomorrow for the NXT Heritage Cup title. Tozawa earlier on Raw had lost a match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
On last week’s NXT Halloween Havoc, Noam Dar and the rest of Meta-Four spent time inside a haunted mansion looking for Tozawa, who had stolen the Heritage Cup trophy the week prior. Dar eventually found Tozawa and asked for the cup back. Tozawa said he would agree if he were given a match for the trophy. Dar eventually relented, but was attacked by the undead as Tozawa left.
Tozawa earlier this year competed in the NXT Global Heritage Invitational, but scored zero points during the course of the tournament. In recent weeks, he’s become the newest member of Alpha Academy along with Gable, Otis, and Maxxine Dupri.
Here is the lineup for Tuesday’s NXT:
NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar defends against Akira Tozawa (with Alpha Academy)
Lyra Valkyria to make return
Bron Breakker vs. Von Wagner
Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley
Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match: Dijak vs. Tyler Bate
As of right now, the plan is for The Creed Brothers to be called up to the main roster.
Over the weekend, the brothers accepted an open challenge to meet Alpha Academy on WWE Raw tonight. Should the match be made official, it would be their first time wrestling on an episode of Raw or SmackDown.
Our own Dave Meltzer addressed WWE’s plans for The Creed Brothers on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“I was told tonight that right now – barring any changes, not like it’s 100 percent – but right now, they’re being called up,” Meltzer said.
“I think it’s about time for them to be called up, honestly,” he continued.
“There was a time where my mentality was, and I’m sure it’s the same as theirs, it’s like these guys have the chance to be really big stars. And they are very, very high on Julius as a singles, but they will probably start as a tag team.”
WWE signed Julius Creed in October 2020 and Brutus was signed the following February. They debuted in NXT that August. The Creed Brothers won the Dusty Rhodes Classic in early 2022, beating MSK in the finals. They then won the NXT tag titles in June 2022 at In Your House before dropping them that September to Pretty Deadly at Worlds Collide.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer talked about the last few segments of WWE Raw on Tuesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
After a Seth Rollins/Finn Balor promo that set up their match for SummerSlam, The Viking Raiders defeated Alpha Academy in a Viking Rules match where the ring morphed into a viking ship. Although it started slow, the match picked up toward the end, with both Alvarez and Meltzer enjoying the match.
“This was a good match,” Alvarez said. “Very, very good payoff to this thing.”
Following that match was a promo featuring Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. Rousey challenged Baszler to a match at SummerSlam, refusing to come to the ring and meet Baszler. Both Meltzer and Alvarez presumed that Rousey was a heel.
“Last week, Ronda’s the babyface,” Meltzer pointed out. “This week she’s very clearly a heel.”
“And Shayna is very clearly the babyface,” Alvarez added.
The main event had Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeat Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles.
“This match ended up being a great main event,” Alvarez said. “Last few minutes were awesome.”
Mysterio ended up taking the pinfall despite challenging Wes Lee for the NXT North American title the next night on NXT. Both Alvarez and Meltzer wondered if it was a sign that Mysterio could win the title from Lee.
An Alpha Academy graduation ceremony for Maxxine Dupri has been added to the Monday, July 10 WWE Raw lineup.
WWE has announced that after Dupri’s winning performance in a six-person mixed tag match on the July 3 Raw, that Chad Gable and Otis of Alpha Academy will hold a graduation ceremony for Dupri on the July 10 Raw.
Gable, Otis, and Dupri defeated Erik, Ivar, and Valhalla of The Viking Raiders on the July 3 Raw in Baltimore, with Dupri scoring the winning pinfall over Valhalla.
The graduation ceremony joins a lineup that includes three matches, plus two other segments.
Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark, Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz in a No DQ match, plus Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle vs. Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci are set for Raw. Cody Rhodes delivering a message to Brock Lesnar, plus a face-to-face between Logan Paul & Ricochet are also set for the show.
WWE has revealed the teams entered into the men’s Showcase Fatal Four-way tag team match at WrestleMania 39.
Braun Strowman & Ricochet, The Viking Raiders, The Street Profits, and Alpha Academy will be the four teams showcased in the match.
Men’s and women’s fatal four-way tag matches were announced for WrestleMania on Friday’s SmackDown. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez qualified for the women’s match by defeating Emma & Tegan Nox on the show.
WWE posted a video of Byron Saxton revealing the teams on Monday:
The Judgment Day are set for action on tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that tonight’s Raw will feature a tag team match with Judgment Day taking on Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable & Otis. Both teams were involved in a tag team turmoil match on Raw last Monday, with Judgment Day winning to become the number one contenders to The Usos’ Raw Tag Team titles.
Judgment Day defeated The Street Profits, Alpha Academy, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander, and Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows to win the tag team turmoil match.
When Judgment Day were facing Alpha Academy during tag team turmoil, there was an injury angle where Balor’s ribs were hurt from a Vader Bomb from Otis. Dominik Mysterio replaced Balor for the remainder of the match, teaming with Damian Priest to defeat The Street Profits.
Raw is taking place at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio tonight. The build to the Royal Rumble will continue on the episode. WWE will also follow up on Bobby Lashley’s return from last Monday.
Matt Riddle will get his wish as he teams up with Elias on Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Riddle & Elias will take on Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) in tag team action on Raw this Monday. In recent weeks, Riddle has been attempting to get Elias to form a band with him.
Riddle first approached Elias about wanting to form a band on the October 17 episode of Raw. Elias was initially dismissive of the idea. But after losing to Otis on Raw last Monday, Elias was interviewed on Raw Talk and said that it might be time for him and Riddle to collaborate.
Monday’s Raw is being held in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s the updated card for the show:
United States Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
Matt Riddle & Elias vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
The Miz to address Dexter Lumis controversy on Miz TV
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson are set for their first in-ring action since returning to WWE.
WWE has announced that Gallows & Anderson will team up against the Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) on this Monday’s episode of Raw. The match comes one week after Gallows & Anderson made their WWE return.
Gallows & Anderson came back to WWE on Raw this past Monday, reuniting with AJ Styles and helping him even the odds against The Judgment Day. Styles, Gallows & Anderson brawled with Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio until Judgment Day retreated.
Gallows & Anderson’s return was their first appearance for WWE since being released in April 2020.
Despite being back with WWE, Anderson is still NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Champion. He’s defending that title against Hikuleo at NJPW’s Battle Autumn show on Saturday, November 5.
Monday’s Raw is being held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The updated lineup for the episode is listed below:
Brock Lesnar appears
United States Champion Seth Rollins defends against Matt Riddle
Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz (if Lumis wins, he gets a WWE contract)
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano will team up on the September 26 episode of WWE Raw.
In a match announced on this week’s show, Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano will face Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable and Otis.
In his return match to WWE on the September 12 Raw, Gargano defeated Gable. Gargano got involved in Owens’ match against Austin Theory on this week’s Raw, distracting Theory and allowing Owens to pick up the win.
Also set for next week’s show, Matt Riddle will face The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in singles competition.
Riddle’s feud with Seth Rollins continued on Raw, with a Fight Pit match between the two now set for Extreme Rules on October 8. Damian Priest and Finn Balor teamed against Rey Mysterio and Riddle on this week’s Raw, with Balor scoring a pinfall on Mysterio.
Here is next week’s announced Raw lineup:
Kevin Owens & Johnny Gargano vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC before Monday’s Raw.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Akira Tozawa (5:22)
This was a solid match between two good athletes where they both played the babyface. Coming off of back-to-back defeats on Main Event, Shelton got his arm raised here against an exciting Akira Tozawa.
Tozawa is so good at flipping all over for a bigger opponent. Some of the air time that he got on his back body drops and suplexes were not only impressive but made Benjamin look seriously strong here.
One little thing that seems to have changed since Vince departed is some of the camera work on this show. There was a nice moment where they cut to a camera that was behind the hard cam to the left and it panned across to take in the action. It gave the feel that this was a classy live event.
In the end, Tozawa came off the top but Benjamin had it scouted. Tozawa landed on his feet and then ran into the Pay Dirt to end it.
After the match, Benjamin helped Tozawa to his feet and offered him a fist bump as a goodwill gesture.
The Street Profits defeated Alpha Academy (6:51)
Not only was this a really strong match but the live crowd were really into it, which helped the match.
These two teams have been used sparingly on Main Event in the past year or so, but this is the first time they’ve faced off against each other on an episode of the program. It was well received by the live crowd and you could tell that they were all buoyed by the reaction.
The Street Profits came out in Washington Commanders shirts which got them a nice pop when they hit the ring.
They began with Dawkins and Ford cutting the ring in half to keep Gable in the ring and they did loads of neat chain wrestling that the crowd enjoyed. They then headed to the break with a tope from Ford.
Otis was in after the break and the action slowed down. Ford played babyface in peril and they built up the tension for the hot tag really well.
After Dawkins came in and cleared house, they quickly went to the finish, with the Street Profits hitting the Doomsday Blockbuster on Otis for the win.
Seeing Otis take the finisher here got a great reaction. They should be doing this sort of match on Main Event every week. As far as curtain-jerkers go, this was pretty hard to top.
Final Thoughts:
Lots of babyfaces having good matches is a fun way to book a show. If they continue to do this every week, this show will be a pleasure to watch. There’s still a rationale, though, that says that Main Event ought to be a platform for talent to try out new gimmicks and for fresh talent to learn their trade. Otherwise, you have to ask what this show is really all about.
