Tag: Cedric Alexander

Cedric Alexander ‘100 percent’ hoping to reunite with Hurt Syndicate in AEW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With free agency approaching, Cedric Alexander is hoping to reunite with The Hurt Syndicate in AEW.

Alexander was released from his WWE contract on February 7 and will be free to elsewhere in May once his 90 day non-compete is up. He appeared on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet that was released on Thursday, opening up about his release.

“Good,” Alexander responded when asked how he’s doing. “Everything’s fine. Once I got that news, I wasn’t even mad. It kind of felt like a pressure was lifted off my shoulders. Oh wow, I’m free to do other things, cool, all right, let’s see what happens.”

Though he wasn’t expecting to be released, Alexander was not surprised by the news. He always thought he was going to be let go when WWE made other roster cuts in the past. Surviving those cuts made him think he had a real future in the company, but things kind of fizzled out.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but it was the thing of, like, I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “I guess I kind of saw the writing on the wall after a while. It was kind of just, eh.”

Alexander’s mindset is that WWE was his job, but wrestling is his career. He still gets to be a wrestler despite his dream job with WWE being over.

“So I immediately thought to myself when I was released, I was like, ‘Ok, that’s a job. Wrestling is my career. I may be out of a job, but I still have a career.’ All thanks to [Mustafa] Ali, he’s one of the guys that — he called me within the hour of me being released and was immediately like, ‘Hey dude, it’s all good.’ You know, just being super positive, as Ali is,” Alexander said. “It sucked, because it’s a dream job. It’s one of those jobs that I’m a kid and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to wrestle for WWE.’ Then when it ends, it just ends. You just move on.”

In addition to Ali, Shelton Benjamin and Lince Dorado have also been a big help to Alexander after his release. Alexander said he’s even heard from some people that he didn’t think he had a good rapport with. He and Dakota Kai only had a few conversations in the locker room, but she reached out wishing him well.

Going back to the indies feels like starting over for Alexander after spending nine years with WWE. He needed to catch up on which promotions are good to work for and find out which opponents are hot right now. Alexander has three months of bookings lined up and knows he’ll be able to make money in wrestling, but his biggest concern is making sure that he can still provide the quality of life that his wife and daughter deserve.

Alexander said AEW is where he wants to end up, but it’s fine if that doesn’t happen. He listed NJPW and Mexico as other places he would like to go.

“100 percent,” he responded when Van Vliet asked if he wants to join The Hurt Syndicate in AEW. “That’s a big chapter of my career that I really felt was never fully explored. And I think it’ll be great to finish that out.”

Bobby Lashley, Benjamin, MVP, and Alexander were known as The Hurt Business in WWE. The other three members of the group besides Alexander are all signed to AEW now, with Lashley & Benjamin currently holding the AEW Tag Team titles.

Van Vliet’s full interview with Alexander can be watched below:

Cedric Alexander announces WWE departure

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Cedric Alexander has announced that he is no longer with WWE.

In a social media post Friday, the former WWE Cruiserweight Classic standout revealed that he was no longer with the company and will be free to work elsewhere in 90 days.

Alexander wrote in a post on X:

Thank you for the last 8 1/2 years! Being a professional wrestler has been a dream of mine since I could form memories and I will continue to do so till the good Lord says otherwise. #SeeYouIn90

The 90-day reference indicates that this was a release or a negotiated buyout and not a contract expiry.

Alexander worked ROH and the indies beginning in early 2010, but his big career break came when he took part in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, with his second round match against Kota Ibushi leading to the crowd chanting “Please sign Cedric.”

The chants were so strong that WWE’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque emerged from backstage to acknowledge them and indicated that he would in fact be signing Cedric:

As part of the Raw and 205 Live rosters, Alexander won the WWE Cruiserweight title in 2017 at WrestleMania 34. He was also part of The Hurt Business faction alongside Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin, including winning the Raw Tag Team titles with Benjamin on one occasion.

Since 2023, Alexander had primarily wrestled in dark matches or as an enhancement talent on TV for WWE. In 2024 he was shifted to the NXT brand where he briefly aligned with Je’Von Evans, and a potential rivalry or team with Ashante Adonis was teased but never materialized on television.

Alexander’s last WWE match came on the January 28 NXT episode where he lost to Ethan Page.

Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches official for WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Iron Survivor Challenge qualifiers have been announced.

On social media Saturday, NXT GM Ava announced the first two qualifying matches for the Iron Survivor Challenge that will take place at NXT Deadline on December 7 in Minneapolis. For the men, Wes Lee will face Cedric Alexander. Meanwhile, Cora Jade will face off against Sol Ruca.

Wes Lee in recent weeks has been targeting Alexander’s tag team partner Je’Von Evans, with the two facing off on Tuesday during NXT’s event at the former ECW Arena. Thanks to Rob Van Dam’s assistance, Evans won the match after hitting a frog splash.

Jade competed in a ten-woman tag team match in Tuesday’s main event. However, her team failed to topple Jordynne Grace, Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia, Kelani Jordan, and Zaria as they stood tall to end the show.

The announced card for the Tuesday, November 12 WWE NXT:

  • NXT Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley defends against Kelani Jordan
  • Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier: Wes Lee vs. Cedric Alexander
  • Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier: Cora Jade vs. Sol Ruca
  • Nikkita Lyons vs. Adriana Rizzo
  • Ava decides the next challengers to Nathan Frazer & Axiom’s NXT Tag Team titles

Two title matches set for next week’s WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two title matches are set for next week’s NXT.

Axiom & Nathan Frazer will defend the NXT Tag Team titles against Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander. In a backstage segment that aired on Tuesday, the champions consoled Evans after he lost in the main event of last week’s show. Frazer, however, was more pandering in his comments, saying that Evans was young and had a lot of time, and told Evans to get used to it. Evans slapped Frazer as their partners held them back.

The champions were later seen in Ava’s office, where Frazer agreed to put up the NXT Tag Team titles with Axiom reluctantly agreeing.

Charlie Dempsey also agreed to give Lexis King a shot at the Heritage Cup trophy on next week’s show. King told Dempsey that he didn’t want to be seen as a loose cannon like his father. Later, King went into Ava’s office and asked her to appoint someone in his corner for the match. Ava said she couldn’t do it.

Here is the lineup for next week’s show:

  • NXT Tag Team titles: Axiom & Nathan Frazer defend against Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander
  • NXT Heritage Cup: Charlie Dempsey defends against Lexis King

Cedric Alexander reportedly re-signed contract with WWE

Posted on by Josh Nason

Cedric Alexander is staying with WWE for the foreseeable future as Fightful reported that he re-signed a new deal with the company this past spring.

No other details were reported other than the deal is for multiple years.

During a virtual signing session Friday, former Hurt Business stablemate MVP said he thought Alexander had re-signed.

The 35-year-old first debuted for WWE in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic. He then made his main roster debut in August 2016 as part of the cruiserweight division and won its title at 2018’s WrestleMania 34 before losing it in October of the same year.

He went on to join the Hurt Business faction in 2020 and eventually held the Raw Tag Team titles with Shelton Benjamin for nearly three months through March 2021. He also held the 24/7 title three times.

Since July, Alexander has been on the NXT roster and picked up a win over Brooks Jensen at one of July’s Great American Bash episodes was also the last time he was in action. Along the way, he also aligned with Ashante Adonis which began with SmackDown dark matches in late-2023.

Cedric Alexander joins roster, Ashante Adonis appears on WWE NXT

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Cedric Alexander has officially joined the WWE NXT roster, and his tag team partner may be coming with him.

Alexander was introduced as the newest member of the NXT roster in a backstage segment on Tuesday’s WWE NXT episode as part of the ongoing storyline where Stevie Turner and Robert Stone vie for NXT GM Ava’s favor.

Turner set up a meeting between Ava and Alexander in storyline, and it was revealed that Alexander has officially been added to the brand. Stone then introduced Adonis and inserted himself and Adonis into Ava’s meeting with Alexander.

Alexander and Adonis had been part of the SmackDown brand and began teaming in dark matches at SmackDown tapings last December.

Vignettes presenting the pair as a tag team were produced and were posted to WWE’s digital media channels in February. The two never wrestled as a team on TV following the vignettes, instead working dark matches. Alexander had been used sporadically this year on the SmackDown brand as enhancement talent and as part of the WWE Speed show on X.

Both took part in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal on SmackDown in April, which was Adonis’s last televised match.

Ricochet, Bronson Reed advance in WWE Speed title tournament on debut episode

Posted on by Josh Nason

Ricochet and Bronson Reed were both victorious on the first-ever broadcasts of WWE Speed on Wednesday, advancing in an eight-man tournament to crown the inaugural Speed champion.

The show introduced a new format of match for the company where bouts are just three minutes long, emulating aspects of Stardom’s High Speed division. WWE aired both matches at separate times with a total combined runtime of around seven minutes.

In the first match, Ricochet picked up the win over Dragon Lee in the X-exclusive broadcast. As expected, it was non-stop offense with both men emptying out their respective tanks.

Ricochet was on a roll early, answering nearly everything Lee had to offer. Lee rallied with a step-up knee strike and poisonrana that was countered by a Ricochet clothesline for a nearfall.

Lee went for Project Dragon, but Ricochet transitioned from a fireman’s carry into a kick to the face followed by the Recoil for the pin with four seconds remaining.

The second match saw Reed take on Cedric Alexander, picking up a victory in just under two minutes. To no surprise, Reed used his power to counter Alexander’s speed. Alexander hit a top rope flip dive to Reed on the floor to briefly get the advantage before Reed hit a DVD for a nearfall.

That led to a clothesline, senton and then the Tsunami off the top rope to get the win to advance.

WWE did not reveal the full field of entrants into the tournament, but Axiom will face JD McDonagh next Wednesday in another tournament bout.

New team forms in WWE SmackDown tag division

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new team is coming to the WWE tag division.

After Friday night’s SmackDown, WWE uploaded a video revealing that Cedric Alexander & Ashante “Thee” Adonis are the newest addition to the tag team division. Alexander & Adonis put the rest of the division on notice, mentioning The Judgment Day, Pretty Deadly, and The OC by name.

Adonis suggested “Rags and Riches” for their tag team name, joking that Alexander looked like a referee with the black and white shirt he was wearing.

Adonis: I just got our tag team name: Rags and Riches.

Alexander: Why I gotta be rags?

Adonis: I mean, look at you – you look like a referee.

Alexander: That’s…really?

Adonis: I’m just playing, I’m just playing. You know what, we gotta get you leveled up, though. I got you. Don’t even worry about it, I got you.

Alexander: That’s on you?

Adonis: That’s on me.

Alexander: Ok. Remember you said that.

Alexander is a one-time former tag team champion in WWE, holding the Raw Tag Team titles with Shelton Benjamin when they were in The Hurt Business together. Adonis formerly teamed with Top Dolla as part of Hit Row. Both Benjamin and Top Dolla were released by WWE last September.

Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor are the current Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. They’re defending their titles against Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate at Elimination Chamber later this month.

Two title matches announced for next week’s WWE Raw

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Two championship matches are set for the Monday, September 25 edition of WWE Raw.

In a Payback rematch, the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line next week, with The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor defending the titles against former champs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. 

In the other title match announced, The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio will defend the NXT North American Championship against Dragon Lee. 

Another segment announced for next week will see Shinsuke Nakamura respond to Seth Rollins after Rollins declared that Nakamura can choose a stipulation, time, and place for their next World Heavyweight Championship match. Nakamura attacked Rollins on this week’s Raw. 

Also set for next week, “Big” Bronson Reed will face Alpha Academy’s Otis in singles competition. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser is set for the episode as well.

The current lineup for the Monday, September 25 Raw in Ontario, California at the Toyota Arena: 

  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
  • NXT North American Championship: The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio defends against Dragon Lee
  • Shinsuke Nakamura responds to Seth Rollins
  • “Big” Bronson Reed vs. Alpha Academy’s Otis
  • Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser

WWE Main Event results: Viking Raiders vs. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, before Monday’s Raw.

There were decent matches on display this week with talent who can work these kinds of curtain-jerker matches with ease. As usual, however, there’s little here to go out of your way to seek out.

Bronson Reed defeated Riddick Moss (5:48)

This one was hard-hitting as you might expect. They did well to tease a Moss victory, but Reed continued his undefeated streak on this show.

Last week, Reed was reasonably comfortable in his win against Akira Tozawa on Main Event, but his matches are too evenly contested to be considered even extended squash matches. This one was broadly the same with Moss posing much more of a likely match for Reed than Tozawa would have.

Moss spent most of the match trying to get Reed off his feet and when he did, Reed cannily rolled to the outside. They did a chase and run outside with Moss getting smashed into the apron and nailed with an elbow drop.

Reed went up top but got toppled so that Moss could hit the SOS for a near fall. You could tell they had managed to get buy in from the crowd at this point as they thought that was it.

In the end, it was a missed charge to the corner that allowed Reed to hit his Tsunami for a huge pop and another W — his sixth straight on Main Event since January.

The Viking Raiders (w/ Valhalla) defeated Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin (7:32)

This was a solid tag bout here that was a bit dull in the early going. Benjamin was the star of the show, despite the loss, with the crowd super into his hot tag.

Benjamin and Alexander haven’t been together on Main Event since back in February. They have been working six-man tags at the live shows in August with Austin Theory against AJ Styles, Gallows & Anderson. I have no problem believing that those would have been a ton of fun.

This was a match in four parts: Alexander took the early going, then Erik and Ivar slowed it down and then Benjamin got the hot tag, but Valhalla used the distraction to get the Viking Raiders the win.

Although this one went too long for my liking, it certainly picked up after the commercials as these matches tend to. Benjamin came in full of energy, using a series of splashes before hitting Erik with an Angle Slam. He even used an ankle lock. This is definitely the way to book Benjamin at 48 years old.

In the end, just as Alexander and Benjamin looked in control, Valhalla came up onto the second rope and to speak to Benjamin. He was bundled out of the ring and Alexander was caught with a knee as he came off the top rope with a springboard. This allowed Erik and Ivar to hit Ragnorak for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Candice LeRae & Mia Yim vs. Tamina & Dana Brooke

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, before last Monday’s Raw with Kevin Patrick and Byron Saxton on the call.

Cedric Alexander (w/ MVP & Shelton Benjamin) defeated Akira Tozawa (4:59)

This was a solid opener and the Hurt Business seems to be back.

They aired some footage from two weeks ago on Raw where Alexander and  Benjamin got a win over Alpha Academy with MVP in their corner. Patrick and Saxton speculated that things had gotten back to normal with the Hurt Business now.

Benjamin and MVP didn’t really involve themselves, but the crowd were into them being there and their presence gave this a feel of a more important match. Still, it seemed pointless having Benjamin there in his ring gear if they aren’t going to have him work a match.

Alexander and Tozawa have had countless Main Event matches and always work well together. They didn’t get long enough here to do what they are capable of, but this was what we’ve come to expect from them.

After Alexander taking the opening and Tozawa rallying, Tozawa kicked out of the Michinoku Driver, missed a spinning kick, and ate the Lumbar Check to give Alexander the victory.

Candice LeRae & Mia “Michin” Yim defeated Dana Brooke & Tamina (7:22)

This felt like early 1990s WWF when Vince McMahon would talk all over matches between random opponents to build up a match that was upcoming or to recap an angle that he was more interested in.

They replayed Brooke’s loss against Wendy Choo last week and discussed how Tamina and Brooke would work together. Taking on fresh faces has mainly been the job for Brooke and Tamina of late, so it seemed somehow fitting that they should tag up at some point.

As Yim came to the ring, they replayed Piper Niven’s win over her from Raw last week. And, finally, as LeRae made her entrance, they showed how Nikki Cross has been stalking her over the last few weeks. With all that being recapped, we were able to get this thing started.

The match marked both the Main Event debut for LaRae and a return for Yim as this was her first time here in over two years when she was Reckoning. It wasn’t much of a return as she spent most of it being beaten up or stuck in a chin lock.

After what felt like an age, LeRae got the hot tag and hit a top rope missile dropkick on Tamina and then used her as a battering ram to take out Brooke. She tagged in Yim who hit Eat Defeat on Tamina to leave her prone for LeRae to hit a springboard moonsault for the win.

Final Thoughts:

This was a forgettable show compared to the last year or so of episodes where we have seen fresh faces galore. Since WWE was in Canada, perhaps it meant that talent couldn’t travel, so hopefully things will return to normal next week.

WWE Main Event results: Alpha Academy vs. Ali & Alexander

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida before last Monday’s Raw.

Akira Tozawa defeated Reggie (6:12)

This was good with Tozawa getting a rare win in a longer-than-usual opening bout.

Akira Tozawa is a Main Event regular these days, but he’s always excellent value and that was no different here. Reggie is yet to notch up a win on Main Event this year and he didn’t really ever look close here.

They went back and forth but Tozawa took most of the early going. They traded high spots and tried to outdo each other, with Tozawa really looking the more accomplished.

In the end, Tozawa went up top and Reggie tried to suplex him but got thrown to the mat. Tozawa then ended it with a senton to leave Reggie 0-5 in his recent Main Event outings.

This was Tozawa’s first non-24/7 title singles win since January 2021. What that says about Reggie is probably more worrying than what it says about Tozawa.

Alpha Academy defeated Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander (7:18)

This was a really good Main Event tag match.

Ali was flanked by Alexander last week, but this week they had matching ring gear. Although they’re both fantastic workers, their gimmick is super-cheesy grins and they’re trying to play up that they’re harmless pranksters. It’s actually fairly excruciating.

This one also marked Alpha Academy’s debut on Main Event. Chad Gable and Otis have both worked the show before, but never in this guise. This foursome could pretty much curtain jerk any live event from now on and people would enjoy it, but they’ll no doubt have higher aspirations than that.

The final few minutes were really fun with a typical WWE tag match format where about 30 things were happening at once in a kind of controlled chaos.

Otis came in to break up a pinfall after Ali had nailed Gable with a second rope tornado DDT. They then did this cool spot where Otis was posted and laying with his chest on the second turnbuckle so Ali and Alexander did a superplex off him with Gable. The crowd popped for this one.

After Gable kicked out, they went to the finish. Alexander took out Otis with a flip to the outside over the top rope and Gable set up Ali for the Alpha Bomb after Otis recovered to help out.

The crowd really got into it for the finish which was very strong.

Final Thoughts —

Two decent matches, but all eyes will be on how all these limited-audience shows change over the coming weeks now that Vince McMahon is gone. There’s a big opportunity to do something completely different with a show like this, but time will tell.

WWE Main Event results: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cedric Alexander

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, New York, before Monday’s Raw.

Apollo Crews (w/ Commander Azeez) defeated T-Bar (5:07)

Crews got his third win in as many weeks on Main Event in a decent five-minute match.

There was some nice storytelling as they actually referenced something that happened on this show last week. T-Bar was selling his left knee, which was wrapped up, because it had been damaged in his match last week against Tommaso Ciampa.

T-Bar did a really good job here of continually selling the knee throughout, even at one stage grasping at it as he was covering Crews for a near fall. It’s a side of his in-ring work that has improved dramatically over the last year and all credit to him for doing so.

Crews used the injured knee as his focus for the match and it played into the finish. T-Bar wasn’t 100% and couldn’t follow through with some of his move set like High Jutsice.

Azeez tried to swipe T-Bar’s knee but missed, but it was enough of a momentary distraction for Crews to regroup and hoist him up for the samoan drop for the win.

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Cedric Alexander (w/ Shelton Benjamin) (7:40)

Ciampa continued his run of wins on Main Event in a really strong match with Alexander. This is one to check out if you can.

The Hurt Business have been on this show for the last few months having consistently good matches, either as singles or as a tag team and this one was no different.

The fact that there is no spot for this kind of match on Raw, is inexplicable. It also stands to reason that they should link Ciampa up with someone else so that they don’t get have to send Benjamin all the way to TV to just stand in Alexander’s corner for a match that gets very limited eyes on it.

Ciampa took the early going for the commercial break with Benjamin trying to interfere. When the ref had had enough of his antics, he sent him to the back. Ciampa waved goodbye, but it was all a rouse and allowed Alexander to get the upper hand.

There was a great little moment at the end where Ciampa had kicked out of the Michinoku Driver but was looking done for. Alexander went for the Neutralizer, but Ciampa rose quickly and slide in to hit Alexander with a baseball slide to the face. From there, Ciampa hit a running knee strike and was able to use the Fairytale Ending to get the win.

This was a really good match by the end and one that the crowd was getting into as well.

Final Thoughts:

Two good matches this week with Ciampa and Alexander having a match that is actually worth going out of your way to check out if you can. That said, all four of these wrestlers can now be considered regulars on Main Event, which is not a label that anyone wants.

WWE Main Event results: Cedric Alexander vs. T-Bar, Veer in action

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois before Monday’s Raw.

Veer Mahaan defeated Joe Alonzo (4:11)

This was another squash against a local jobber as Veer continues his slow march towards his April 4th Raw debut on April 4th.

Whether that date means that he’ll make a WrestleMania appearance remains to be seen, but at least the ridiculously long wait is over.

Alonzo is a Chicago local and worked some AEW Dark matches in 2020 against the likes of Cody Rhodes. His Twitter account tells you all you need to know: he wants to sign a professional wrestling contract really badly. Good luck to him.

Mahaan didn’t give him much here as he shrugged off his advances. Veer used a nerve hold which seems totally unnecessary in a squash, but I guess he wants to clock up some minutes ahead of his Raw debut.

The finish was the usual three move setup: running splash, lawn dart, Million Dollar Arm. But rather than the DDT, he used a submission move this week which we haven’t seen from him before. It was kind of a choke hold, but looked a little loose.

Let’s see how they book him on the main roster and how long his undefeated streak lasts before they give up on him.

Cedric Alexander (w/Shelton Benjamin) defeated T-Bar (8:59)

Once again, T-Bar looked unlucky in his loss but he is still winless in his last five. Apart from unnecessarily long rest holds, this was good.

This went longer than it needed to (nine minutes) with Alexander managing to wear T-Bar down by hurting his legs so that he was too unstable to hit the Eyes Wide Shut.

T-Bar now has the moniker “The Tyrant” on his trunks, but it’s not something they’re making much of a reference to in the announce booth. This losing streak has been full of people stealing victories, but this, coupled with his continual appearance on Main Event, has to be a concern.

They opened with a good pace and it ended well, but otherwise this dragged a bit.

In the end, Alexander used a dropkick to T-Bar’s left knee and followed it up with a leg sweep which toppled him and made him unsteady. He was wincing when he had Alexander up on his shoulders for the Eyes Wide Shut.

Alexander wriggled out of the hold and rolled him up for the win. He and Benjamin got out of there as quick as they could and I guess we’ll see if they rematch this one next week.

Final Thoughts:

Another meager Main Event offering this week. Mahaan will have one more squash before he moves up, so it will be interesting to see who they use on this show after WrestleMania. Main Event is still a show that needs a real shakeup, but I’ve been saying that for years now and it doesn’t look like they’re interested in doing anything with it.

WWE Main Event results: Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, before Monday’s Raw.

Veer Mahaan defeated Savion Truitt (4:53)

Another week and another squash for Mahaan that again went much longer than it needed to.

Truitt was this week’s victim, making his WWE debut. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, he has worked for APW and LSC in the past.

They mentioned that Mahaan is still not yet on the main roster despite the continual adverts promoting him coming “soon.” Saxton reckons Mahaan is keeping the roster on its toes. Yeah, that’s it.

Although Truitt got some offense in toward the end, Mahaan finished him with what is becoming a familiar combination: a running splash, the Million Dollar Arm, and a ddt.

Veer is now 11-0 since October last year when they added the ‘Mahaan’ to his name.

Street Profits defeated Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin (7:56)

This was a lot of fun: a good, solid tag match that the pre-Raw crowd could get behind that built to a neat finish.

This was the Street Profits’ Main Event debut. While Angelo Dawkins has worked this show before in a singles capacity, this was Montez Ford’s first outing on the show. Dawkins worked with Buddy Murphy when they were filming shows without crowds at the Performance Center during the pandemic.

They went back and forth in this one and worked through a commercial break. Lots of pace and creativity meant that there was a lot to like here.

The finish was a typical WWE tag finish where one member from the heel team ends up incapacitated on the outside, allowing the other to take the finisher in the middle of the ring without any shenanigans.

With Benjamin and Alexander on the floor, Dawkins nailed them with a diving senton and rolled Benjamin back in so that Ford could end it with the top rope frog splash.

Final Thoughts:

The show featured a fun tag team match and an unnecessarily slow squash, but it was a better show than last week. I’d like to know what the over/under is on Mahaan debuting before WrestleMania, but I’m guessing he’s coming in afterward. Street Profits being on Main Event isn’t a great sign, but they’re good enough to overcome it.