The Big Takeaway: Ricochet returned to Main Event, defeating Eric Young in a very fine opening match. Humberto Carrillo then made his show debut with a win over Shelton Benjamin.
Both matches were strong and with the Raw and SmackDown quick recaps, the show was a perfectly fun way to spend 45 minutes.
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Ricochet defeated Eric Young (5:28)
This was really strong. Two talented, currently underused performers doing a really good job of warming up the pre-Raw crowd was a pleasure to watch.
Eric Young flipped around for Ricochet extremely well. He tried to work a 205 Live style to fit in with Ricochet and was generally up to the task, and even more impressive given that these two have only worked together once before on TV and that was over a year ago.
Ricochet teased the flip dive to the outside twice before finally hitting it on the third attempt. Ricochet went for his finisher twice, too, but was knocked off the top rope by Young each time.
Eventually, Ricochet was just too quick for Young, who ran out of steam and ability to thwart his plans. Ricochet hit the 630 for the win and the crowd was into it. This was good, solid babyface vs. heel fare.
Humberto Carrillo defeated Shelton Benjamin (5:17)
The impressive Humberto Carrillo made his Main Event debut here after what has been an excellent first run on the main roster. The 25-year-old’s work with Andrade has been outstanding at times and often a contender for the best match on the show. Their Elimination Chamber match is a case in point.
Benjamin has been a regular on Main Event over the last month and has looked somewhat rejuvenated. His matches have been very good and his new cross armbar submission hold has been inescapable until now.
Benjamin went for the move within the first 30 seconds of the match and they did it so well that it looked like total chance that Carrillo was close enough to the ropes to get his legs over them to break the hold. Carrillo worked 100 mph before eating a big boot to the outside; Benjamin stood smoldering and we went to a break.
It was actually pretty impressive what they managed to fit in to such a short match. Benjamin really helped to put Carrillo over. They did a cool spot outside where Carrillo flipped over him into a handstand on the apron and then fell back onto Benjamin and planted him in a DDT.
Carrillo tried to finish things off, but Benjamin rolled out of the way when he came off the top rope. Carrillo landed on his feet, but Benjamin wasted no time in locking in his new submission move. This time, Carrillo managed to stand up to reverse the hold into a cover. Benjamin released the hold and kicked out at two.
Carrillo then put Benjamin in position with a spin kick and came off the top rope with a moonsault for the win.
Final Thoughts —
Two good Main Events in two weeks. Yes, it’s a shame that performers of this quality end up working on a show like this that has such little reach these days, but if you don’t have much time to watch WWE content it’s worth seeking it out as a one-stop shop to catch up on the past week of storylines.
