WWE Main Event results: Curt Hawkins goes 0-142

The Big Takeaway: Curt Hawkins’ losing streak continued to rise with a loss against Rhyno, and the trend of short cruiserweight tag matches headlining the show persisted with Gran Metalik & Akira Tozawa dispensing with Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher in less than four minutes.

**********

Rhyno (w/ Heath Slater) defeated Curt Hawkins (5:02)

In the city that is home to the currently winless Cleveland Browns, Curt Hawkins added yet another loss to his ridiculous total. Although this took the streak to 0-142, at the time of this writing, Hawkins is now 0-144.

Rhyno mowed down Hawkins in the first few minutes, taking stiff chops in every corner of the ring. Finally, Hawkins reversed a whip to the corner and waffled Rhyno with a lariat and then applied a rest hold. Hawkins took Rhyno outside and roughed him up, nailing him back-faced into the ring apron.

Rhyno got the advantage with a huge back body drop and started to fire up with clotheslines and belly-to-bellys. The finish saw Rhyno catch Hawkins and nail him with the spinebuster for the win.

Gran Metalik & Akira Tozawa defeated Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher (3:20)

Main Event was again left with a tag team bout that was 100 mph and lamentably too short. The standout performer was Gran Metalik, who was exceptional here — moving around with such pace and agility.

Tozawa was all over Gallagher in the early going and Metalik then overwhelmed Kendrick. Gallagher distracted him to break up the flow of the match so that Kendrick could come off the second rope with an inverted atomic drop on Metalik.

Metalik worked his way out of trouble, hitting Gallagher with the Metalik Driver but missing the blind tag that Kendrick had made. The ring filled, and Tozawa sent Kendrick outside so that he and Metalik could hit stereo suicide dives on the heels. Metalik then finished Kendrick off with a rope-walk top rope elbow drop.

WWE Main Event results: Curt Hawkins goes 0-137

The Big Takeaway: Gran Metalik & Kalisto defeated Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher in less than four minutes. Apollo Crews beat Curt Hawkins in a rematch from last week to take Hawkins’ storyline losing streak to 137.

**********

Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O’Neil) defeated Curt Hawkins (5:13)

In a rematch from last week, Apollo Crews beat Curt Hawkins again. They have upped his streak by five from last week even though Hawkins hasn’t worked a live show in the last seven days, suggesting that the number is as arbitrary as the angle itself.

Hawkins took a beating in the first half of the match, with Crews showing off his strength with a long vertical suplex. When Hawkins got some heat, he went outside and mimicked O’Neil’s Florida Gators call, but O’Neil didn’t rise to it this week.

The last few minutes saw the two men exchange quick pinning combinations as Hawkins looked like he was pushing Crews all the way. It ended, though, when Crews ducked under a clothesline and spun Hawkins up into the air to nail him with his spin-out powerbomb.

Gran Metalik & Kalisto defeated Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher (3:44)

Gallagher is a remarkable performer but is perhaps even more so now that he wrestles in a full three-piece suit and dress shoes. He and Kendrick are as different as chalk and cheese — especially evidenced if you’ve seen their episode of “Ride Along”on the WWE Network — but functioned well as a tag team here.

After Metalik played babyface in peril, he managed to get distance between himself and Gallagher and Kendrick. They did a great spot where Kendrick slid back into the ring as Metalik was crawling to make the hot tag and Kendrick dove to stop him, just missing as the tag was made. The timing was perfect.

The finish saw Metalik hit a prone Gallagher with his rope-walking elbow drop while Kendrick was too far away to make the save. Metalik and Kalisto celebrated like they had just won a championship but, overall, this was far too short given the talent on the show.

WWE Main Event results: Jason Jordan returns to the show

The Big Takeaway: Jason Jordan returned to Main Event and took Curt Hawkins’ loss tally to 121, then Cedric Alexander beat Tony Nese in a short back-and-forth bout.

**********

Jason Jordan defeated Curt Hawkins (4:58)

You have to go back a year ago — almost to the week — to find a Jason Jordan appearance on Main Event. In November 2016, he defeated Viktor in an unmemorable singles match and there was just as little of note here in his bout against Curt Hawkins.

Hawkins’ losing record is now being referred to as the “longest in the modern era” on commentary. Jordan dispensed with him with relative ease, despite giving Hawkins more of the match than his status deserves, using his as-yet-unnamed finisher — a belly-to-back suplex lifted and dropped into an elevated neckbreaker.

The match was full of drop down/leapfrog combinations until Hawkins worked over Jordan’s storyline injured shoulder and took control with rest holds. The turning point was when Hawkins came off the top rope for an elbow drop and Jordan rolled out of the way. It led to a quick finish from Jordan, who had stopped selling his elbow and pinned Hawkins to continue his losing misery.

Cedric Alexander defeated Tony Nese (4:30)

So often on Main Event, the cruiserweights aren’t given nearly long enough and this was no different. It becomes a see-how-much-of-our-stuff-we-can-get-into-five-minutes contest and it does them a disservice when you look at the talent on display.

Despite its brevity, there were several good moments in the match. Alexander had a shine segment where he slid under Nese’s legs, sprung up and rolled underneath him, and came up with an overhead kick. He then did a kip up and drank in the roar of the crowd while mocking Nese by counting his abs. These two are very good together.

The finish really could have gone either way: after Nese had used his pumphandle slam, Alexander barely kicked out, but quickly recovered to nail Nese with a springboard handstand scissors takedown. Alexander used the Lumbar Check and leaped on top of Nese as hastily as he could to ensure that he got the win. This was a good, solid match.

WWE Main Event results: Matt Hardy makes his show debut

The Big Takeaway: Matt Hardy won his Main Event debut, taking Curt Hawkins’ loss tally to 120. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson also dispensed with Apollo Crews & Titus O’Neil in less than three minutes.

**********

Matt Hardy defeated Curt Hawkins (5:07)

Before he left WWE in 2010, Matt Hardy had become somewhat of a regular on WWE Superstars. To see him become such a success outside of WWE, re-sign with the company in 2017, and then wind up on Main Event (albeit Superstars under a different name) is vexing to say the least despite the circumstances with Jeff Hardy being out with an injury.

On commentary they made an effort to note that he was a successful singles performer, but in a way that sounded like the tag team division was where he was supposed to be. Hardy was still clearly a star given the reaction he got when he hit the Twist of Fate at the end of the match.

They are slowly pushing Hawkins’ losing streak on commentary, which after this was up to 120 matches without a win. He probably came closest this week to breaking the curse than any in recent memory, though, as the last minute of the match was a trading of near falls.

After a Michinoku Driver from Hawkins, Hardy kicked out at two. Hawkins made it look like he was going to finish things and got Hardy up into a fireman’s carry, where Hardy was able to elbow his way out. Hardy then reversed Hawkins’ grip into a Twist of Fate for the win.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated Apollo Crews & Titus O’Neil (2:49)

Crews & O’Neil were just two challengers to a more established tag team in Anderson & Gallows here. Crews wasn’t given nearly enough in the match, either, with virtually no chance to shine in what was a really short bout.

Once they had gone through their early exchanges, Crews & O’Neil got the upper hand and managed to dump Anderson to the outside and then double team Gallows to send both men packing. 

They looked like they might have a chance as Nigel McGuinness was putting over Crews as the difference maker, calling him the “X-factor of this match.” But after the break, we returned to Anderson taking out Crews on the outside so that Gallows could nail O’Neil in the middle of the ring.

Gallows tagged in Anderson and they hit the Magic Killer on O’Neil for the win. This was way too short to have much of an impact.

WWE Main Event results: Dash Wilder teams with Curt Hawkins

The Big Takeaway: Curt Hawkins took the pinfall as he and Dash Wilder lost again this week to continue both of their respective losing streaks. Akira Tozawa also got a win over Tony Nese in a fairly ordinary main event.

**********

Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Dash Wilder & Curt Hawkins (5:22)

I mentioned a few weeks back that Curt Hawkins has been without a win since the night he returned to WWE. Well, he is now playing this up in his ring entrance on Main Event. Over his music, Hawkins’ recorded voice says, “his 118 match losing streak is going to come to an end right before your eyes.” And, of course, it didn’t.

Wilder is also without a win since his Revival teammate Scott Dawson was struck down with an injury in June, and it didn’t get any better for him here. However, his tag partner took the loss — when Rhyno nailed Hawkins with a spinebuster — to take the streak to 119.

Slater and Rhyno fared well with the pre-Raw crowd. They have been performing without each other for a number of weeks now, but, reunited, they went over well here. Rhyno did the power moves, Slater played babyface in peril, and Hawkins brought out the inner trash-talker in Wilder. Overall, this match was fun while it lasted.

The finish started when Rhyno got the hot tag. Hawkins blind tagged in while Wilder was wheeling from the onslaught, but Slater saw it and dumped Wilder outside so that Rhyno could focus on Hawkins, who he nailed with a spinebuster for the win.

Akira Tozawa defeated Tony Nese (4:56)

Tozawa hasn’t been on Main Event since April, but he’s such a pleasure to watch. Here, he was all action and took the match 100 miles per hour. Nese is a good foil for Tozawa’s pace and made it look like he was going to take the spoils until he got caught trying something on the top rope and Tozawa was able to hit the Drop Zone.

There was a spot here where they teased an early finish with Nese lying prone and Tozawa in position for the Drop Zone, but Nese rolled out of the ring. Tozawa’s response was amazing: he leaped off the top rope and — as he landed — began sprinting into the ropes and then dove through them headfirst at Nese. It was both breathtaking and really quite dangerous at the same time.

Otherwise, it was Nese using his physique and strength to try to dominate Tozawa and the match was punctuated by Tozawa’s efforts to get the crowd riled up. When the finish came, it felt a little early, but Tozawa seized the opportunity and got plenty of hang time on his impressive finisher, the Drop Zone.

WWE Main Event results: Dash Wilder just keeps on losing

The Big Takeaway: Other than Dash Wilder remaining winless as a singles competitor, this was not a newsworthy show. That said, Rich Swann’s corkscrew 450 splash is still a thing of beauty.

**********

Heath Slater defeated Dash Wilder (5:28)

Nigel McGuinness was back this week and made reference to the fact that Wilder has now lost four in a row. McGuinness claimed that it was “not about the wins and losses” for Wilder and brought up that Kenta Kobashi once lost 63 matches in a row.

Wilder is quite a ring technician, though, and as much as it is becoming somewhat of a burial seeing him lose to the likes of Slater and Rhyno each week, it can’t be long before they give him some kind of push.

The match was nothing special. They teased a countout victory when Wilder dumped Slater outside and then knocked him off the apron with a right hand for an eight count. Wilder had a near fall shortly after with an inventive fireman’s carry backbreaker, but Slater got the win with a schoolboy.

Lince Dorado & Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar & Tony Nese (4:56)

After a few strong main events for the cruiserweights over the last few weeks on this show, this proved to be too short and lacking in creativity to be as good as any of those.

At one point, Dorado had a visual pin on Noam Dar. Dar’s role was essentially to wreak havoc when he wasn’t in the ring. He knocked Swann off the apron so that he missed a tag and later broke up a pin on Nese. He plays the chicken heel really well.

In terms of in-ring action, Swann was probably the standout here. Dorado’s handspring stunner led to both he and Dar going down. He got the hot tag to Swann, who came in and fired up on Dar. Nese saved the pin and Swann used a roundhouse kick on Dar. Dorado gave Nese a hurricanrana to the floor outside so that Swann could get the win with the corkscrew 450.

WWE Main Event results: Rhyno vs. Dash Wilder

The Big Takeaway: Dash Wilder made his singles debut on Main Event in a loss to Rhyno, then the cruiserweights put on a good six-man tag match with a magnificent finish.

**********

Rhyno defeated Dash Wilder (5:45)

Wilder took a lot of the match here despite Rhyno’s size and strength advantage. Unfortunately, Wilder has been completely forgotten about since Scott Dawson got injured and the crowd, who were initially behind Rhyno, quickly didn’t care too much for this match.

Rhyno and Wilder went back and forth until Wilder knocked him off the top rope over to the outside. The blow Rhyno took as he tumbled to the matting slowed him down and let Wilder look like he had a realistic shot.

Wilder tried some quick pin attempts and used a rear chinlock to wear him down, but Rhyno worked his way out and speared Wilder in the corner. Rhyno tried a belly-to-belly suplex but only got a two count.

Rhyno went for the Gore, but Wilder dodged and rolled the posted Rhyno into a schoolboy, using the ropes for leverage. Rhyno kicked out and this time picked up the running Wilder into a spinebuster for the win.

Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado & Mustafa Ali defeated Ariya Daivari, Noam Dar & Tony Nese (5:20)

After endless entrances, Dorado and Daivari started things off together. Ali distracted Daivari and he turned around to eat a slick dropkick from Dorado, but Daivari kicked out at two. Dorado hit him with a second rope springboard moonsault for two and then locked in a rest hold.

Daivari tagged in Dar and Dorado made the tag to Ali. Ali came off the top rope and nailed Dar’s left arm with a double foot stomp and then tagged in Metalik, who did likewise with a double axe handle. Metalik flipped all over around Dar, who did his best to dodge, but he was planted with a bulldog and rolled outside.

Both teams stared each other down as we headed to a break.

Daivari was yelling at Dorado as we returned. He slapped on a rear chinlock to a roar of boos. The crowd clapped Dorado out of the hold and he was able to surprise Daivari with a springboard stunner. They crawled to their corners and tagged in Ali and Dar. Ali overwhelmed Dar and hit him with a roll-through neckbreaker, but Nese and Daivari broke up the pin.

The ring filled, with all six men going at it. The heels were sent packing and Metalik, Dorado, and Ali hit them with triple seated sentons in what was quite the spectacle. Ali rolled Dar back into the ring and hit the 054 for the win. Nese never even got tagged in, but this was a fun match.

WWE Main Event results: Elias makes his show debut

The Big Takeaway: Nigel McGuinness replaced Corey Graves on commentary, and we were treated to excellent tag team action in the cruiserweight division. Elias also made his Main Event debut, stealing a win against Kalisto in the main event.

**********

Lince Dorado & Mustafa Ali defeated TJP & Brian Kendrick (6:33)

Kendrick and Dorado started off and exchanged chops. A head scissors takedown sent Kendrick outside, then Ali tagged in and they double-teamed Kendrick for a two count. Kendrick took over, tagged in TJP, and the heels started to slow the match down.

Ali outsmarted TJP, using some quick skill to flip out of a wrist lock and TJP backed off impressed. Ali mimicked the dab and gave TJP a hurricanrana. He tagged in Dorado and the pair double-teamed both TJP and Kendrick, cleaning house.

Kendrick and Ali then settled into it, with TJP sweeping the legs of Ali while the referee was distracted. The heels cut the ring in half and worked over the left shoulder of Ali.

After Dorado got the hot tag and worked over TJP, he tagged in Ali to finish him off. Dorado did a suicide dive onto Kendrick to the outside to take care of the threat, while in the ring Ali hit a neckbreaker to put TJP in position for the 054. This was a good win for Dorado and Ali, who worked really smoothly as a team.

Elias defeated Kalisto (2:24)

Elias was introduced in the middle of the ring, playing a song that buried Omaha, Nebraska where Main Event was being taped. The crowd booed so he started over because he had told them “to hold their applause.” Kalisto’s music cut him off and Elias was maddened.

Elias cut off any attempts by Kalisto to kick him and outpace him. Kalisto was slung around the ring until he connected with a right foot and a springboard crossbody. He sent Elias outside and used a springboard moonsault as we went to a break.

Kalisto gave Elias a hurricanrana to the mat as we returned, getting a two count. He used another top rope moonsault and went for the Salida del Sol, but Elias caught him and reversed it into the Drift Away and got the win after having taken virtually none of the match.

WWE Main Event results: Ali vs. Daivari; Dana Brooke vs. Alicia Fox

The Big Takeaway: A show that lacked punch had a decent cruiserweight bout between Mustafa Ali and Ariya Daivari and a tepid women’s division win for Dana Brooke over Alicia Fox.

**********

Dana Brooke defeated Alicia Fox (5:17)

Fox and Brooke had a couple of matches on Main Event back in January and in both cases Fox took the spoils, but Brooke got the win here over Fox who is now a nine-year veteran in the women’s division having started with the SmackDown brand back in 2008.

They exchange early cover attempts, trying roll-ups and inside cradles until Fox dodges a charge from Brooke and scissor kicks her back for a near fall. Fox works over the lower back with knees, following it up with a reverse chinlock and trying to stretch Brooke out.

When Fox goes for a til-a-whirl backbreaker, Brooke reverses it into a cover for a two count. A rather heelish Fox gets stroppy here, finishing some knee strikes with her patented bridging northern lights suplex for two. She slaps Brooke, then Brooke wakes up and gets the heat with a clothesline and scoop slam.

Brooke looks slow here as she goes to the finish with a handspring back elbow smash to the corner, followed by what looks like a new finisher, a running cartwheel splash. Brooke gets the win in what seemed like a long five-minute match.

Mustafa Ali defeated Ariya Daivari (4:50)

On the bell, Daivari takes down Ali into a front face lock and trash talks him, laughing in his face. He grabs the hair and whips Ali back to the mat in a wristlock. Ali immediately quickens the pace, showing his high-flying style is so different to Daivairi’s ground-based offense. A dropkick to the face sends Daivari outside as we head to a break.

Daivari catches Ali with a high knee as we return and covers him for a near fall. Daivari tries an inverted DDT, but again Ali stays alive. He goes for a suplex, but Ali uses an inside cradle as they trade pin attempts.

After Ali kicks out of a spinebuster, he dodges the charge and uses a pop-up stunner and spinning DDT to put Daivari in position for the 054 for the win. In contrast to the opener, this felt short and would have benefited from giving Ali longer to get his offense in before the pin.

WWE Main Event results: Slater & Rhyno vs. Gallows & Anderson

The Big Takeaway: R-Truth made his first appearance on Main Event in a year while beating Curt Hawkins in the opener, then Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson stole one against Heath Slater & Rhyno in a strong main event.

**********

R-Truth defeated Curt Hawkins (4:38)

R-Truth comes out rapping to this expectant crowd in Nashville. He is in incredible physical shape at 45, a fact that many casual WWE fans just won’t realize. He and Hawkins do a lot of comedy early here, with Truth now adding dabs to his dubious dance repertoire.

Truth legdrops Hawkins, who rolls under the ropes to take a breather. Hawkins spikes Truth on the top rope and then takes over with strikes and a big vertical suplex. Truth kicks out at one and Hawkins slows things down with a rear chinlock.

When Truth works his way out, Hawkins takes him down by sweeping out his legs from under him and goes back on offense. Truth kicks out of a side suplex as Hawkins postures to the crowd. Truth nails him with a leg lariat and then gets the heat with clotheslines and a sit-out reverse suplex slam.

Truth misses the axe kick but is able to hit him with a finisher that he used to use in TNA, the reverse STO. This was pretty much by the numbers and exactly what you would expect.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno (6:09)

Rhyno and Anderson start off together, with Rhyno taking the early going. He runs through Anderson and tags in Slater for some tag team tandem offense. Slater works over the left arm until he goes to tag in Rhyno. Anderson decides he’s had enough and retreats to his corner. He tags in Gallows to square off against Rhyno.

Gallows looks to waste no time, but he gets caught by Rhyno, who then goes to the second rope and floors Gallows with a diving shoulder block. Gallows kicks out of the cover, then Rhyno tags in Slater.

As Slater mounts him in the corner for punches, Anderson distracts Slater and he turns around to eat a superkick from Gallows. Anderson and Gallows celebrate with the too sweet as we head to a break.

Gallows and Anderson have the ring cut in half as we return, with Slater playing babyface in peril. Slater works his way out of a rear chinlock and is nailed back to the mat, then Gallows goes over and nails Rhyno. He turns around and gets dropkicked by Slater as both men crawl to make tags.

Rhyno comes in and is all over Anderson with a running spear to the corner and a huge belly-to-belly suplex. Gallows has to come in to make the save and Slater takes him out and they both spill outside. Rhyno hits Anderson with a superplex, but he kicks out at two.

Rhyno then looks for the tag, but Gallows sneaks around and takes out Slater’s feet so that he smashes his head into the apron. With the referee’s back turned, Gallows enzuigiris Rhyno to the back of the head and they hit the Magic Killer for the win. This was a decent match but had a really good finish.

WWE Main Event results: Mickie James vs. Emma

The Big Takeaway: Mickie James beating Emma was the most noteworthy aspect of a fairly run-of-the-mill show that featured TJP and Lince Dorado in the main event.

**********

Mickie James defeated Emma (5:50)

Mickie James comes out to mark her debut appearance on Main Event, while it also marks over a year for her opponent, Emma. Emma’s last outing on this show was way back in April of 2016 in a loss against Paige.

James takes the early going, showing her veteran experience and outwitting Emma at every turn. A neat dropkick from James gets an early near fall. Emma then ducks under the rope to get a breather. She uses it to her advantage and goes on the offensive. When she connects with a powerbomb, we cut to Dana Brooke, who is backstage watching the action on a television in her dressing room.

After Emma applies a full nelson, James gets out but is planted with a clothesline for two. Emma hangs her in the tree of woe and slides outside and pulls her hair around the ring post. Emma goes back to the full nelson, but James works her way out and gets the heat.

James uses clotheslines and a flapjack and then comes off the top rope with a Thesz press for two. She finally beats Emma with the Mickie DT. As James celebrates, we cut backstage and see Brooke, but it comes to nothing and we go to a break.

TJP defeated Lince Dorado (4:31)

Both these men are so proficient in all aspects of what’s needed in the ring, particularly TJP. His unique offense starts early here as he uses a headstand headscissors takedown into a near fall. After exchanging intricate interchanges, Dorado chops TJP and dropkicks him, forcing him to take a walk to regroup.

Dorado teases the suicide dive, then when TJP runs away, Dorado stops, looks at the crowd, and mimics his dab. The crowd loves this and Dorado, who is now oozing confidence, clearly loves the reaction. Dorado invites him back in, drop toeholds him, and slaps on a rest hold as we head to commercials.

Dorado is in control when we return; he hits a top rope moonsault, a belly-to-belly, and a springboard stunner on TJP, who just manages to kick out of the cover. TJP crotches Dorado but is thrown off onto the mat. Dorado goes for the shooting star press, but TJP rolls out of the way and is able to use the Detonation Kick for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Kalisto vs. Scott Dawson

The Big Takeaway: Solid cruiserweight action held up the show again, while The Revival made it two weeks running on Main Event, this time with Scott Dawson in singles action.

**********

Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari (5:40)

Although it’s sad to see Rich Swann in a lesser position than he was in previously, this was a good advert for 205 Live. Swann starts quickly and is all over Daivari like a rash, even teasing an early Phoenix Splash. Daivari coaxes him out on to the apron and is able to send him head-first into the post.

Swann sells the move and acts as a deadweight as Daivari struggles to roll him back into the ring and stomps all over him. He slaps on a rear chinlock to slow things down. Swann works his way out and is able to hit Daivari with an enzuigiri to the back of his head as both men go down.

The last two minutes are excellent. Swann hits a beautiful modified Michinoku Driver, but Daivari kicks out. He counters with an inverted DDT and the Persian Lion Splash, but Swann kicks out. They go back and forth until Swann connects with a superkick to put Daivari in position for the Phoenix Splash, which he lands for the win. This was a very good opener.

Kalisto defeated Scott Dawson (w/ Dash Wilder) (4:40)

Kalisto takes no disrespect from Dawson, and after some early shoving, slaps him in the face. Dawson charges around the ring, hitting Kalisto with European uppercuts until Kalisto spins him around with a hurricanrana and dropkicks him outside.

Dawson goes to his tag partner and calls for a timeout as Kalisto teases a suicide dive onto both Dawson and Wilder. The Revival then try to team up on Kalisto, with Wilder handing the ring apron to Dawson to help him stop the momentum of a sunset flip. Dawson then regains his balance, and as the referee sees to the apron, he drives his knee into Kalisto’s left arm and we head to a break.

When we come back, Dawson tries to superplex Kalisto but is thrown off and eats a diving crossbody, followed by a springboard seated senton. Kalisto hits the spike rana, but Dawson kicks out at two.

Kalisto sends Dawson outside, then after punting Wilder, takes a huge clothesline on the apron from Dawson and looks in trouble. But back in the ring, Dawson tries for a suplex and Kalisto catches him in an inside cradle that he can’t kick out of in time, so Kalisto steals a plucky win.

WWE Main Event results: The Revival take on Gallows & Anderson

The Big Takeaway: Brian Kendrick and Cedric Alexander had a really strong match at the top of the show, then The Revival made their Main Event debut by beating Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.

**********

Cedric Alexander defeated Brian Kendrick (5:38)

Cedric Alexander hasn’t been on this show since February, so it was a pleasure to see these two work together here. On the bell, Kendrick hits Alexander with a big boot that sets the tone and pace for the match. Alexander responds by sending Kendrick to the floor outside and hitting him with a springboard senton.

He rolls him back in and catches him in a head scissors and follows it up with a dropkick. Kendrick thumbs him to the eye and flips him over into the Captain’s Hook. Alexander makes the ropes, but only with his foot. Kendrick regains control and transitions it into a seated Cobra Clutch.

Alexander works his way out and fires up with chops — only to be cut off by Kendrick’s leg lariat. The speed that Kendrick got up and down for this was seriously impressive. He goes for a cover but can only get two.

Alexander manages to hit a spear to the corner and follows it up with an enzuigiri to the back of Kendrick’s head. He comes off the top with a clothesline, but Kendrick kicks out at two. There’s then an awkward spot where Kendrick is trying to get the Captain’s Hook back on and Alexander lands on his head.

The finish sees Kendrick look for the Sliced Bread #2, but the counter by Alexander lets him get Kendrick up for the Lumbar Check for the win.

The Revival defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (7:20)

Even though The Revival find themselves on Main Event — there are many positives here: their opponents are Gallows & Anderson, they have a really good first outing, and they debut on the show with a win.

Dash Wilder and Anderson start things off before Scott Dawson comes in to have some quick back and forth with Anderson. Anderson starts to get some dominance and tags Gallows in.

Gallows works over Dawson with clubs to the corner. Wilder tries to come in and help out his buddy, but Gallows fights them both off. Gallows and Anderson are total babyfaces here, sending The Revival packing as we head to a break.

After the ads, Wilder cuts off Anderson and tags Dawson in. They double team Anderson and take control, cutting the ring in half. They do every heel tag team gimmick in the book, swapping in and out when the ref’s back is turned and making the crowd desperate to see Gallows come in.

Finally, Anderson is able to give Gallows the hot tag. He hits a Stinger Splash and a superkick on Wilder and he tags in Anderson while motioning for the Magic Killer. They hoist Wilder up, but Dawson runs in and pushes Wilder off. He sends Gallows outside and The Revival hit the Shatter Machine on Anderson for their first win on Main Event.

WWE Main Event results: Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese

The Big Takeaway: Kalisto grabbed a win against Rhyno in the opener, then Gran Metalik lost his second straight match on Main Event, this week losing out to Tony Nese.

**********

Kalisto defeated Rhyno (5:38)

A series of rarities kick off the show this week: a rare babyface vs. babyface match saw an unlikely fist-bump of appreciation between the two on the bell here. Moreover, this is Kalisto’s first appearance on this show in almost exactly a year — it was June 26th last year when he last performed on Main Event, beating Viktor in singles competition.

This was as you would expect for a giant vs. luchador match. Kalisto tried to unsteady the enormous frame of Rhyno, who pinged Kalisto around the ring like a rag doll. Occasionally, Kalisto would catch Rhyno, as he does a couple of minutes in with a hurricanrana. Rhyno is so stunned that he rolls outside and takes a walk.

Rhyno then works over Kalisto’s lower back, sending him from pillar to post, playing the heel by mocking his “lucha” arm chant. Kalisto immediately gets payback, though, as he nails Rhyno with a spike rana for two. Rhyno fights back with a second rope suplex, but Kalisto has enough to kick out.

The finish sees Kalisto dodge Rhyno’s charge so that he can tuck around the back and nail him with the Salida Del Sol for the win. This got pretty good in the last few minutes.

Tony Nese defeated Gran Metalik (3:20)

In a short match here, Gran Metalik once again lost after a reasonable amount of dominance. He rolls out of the way from Nese’s attempt at a top rope senton in the early going and dumps Nese outside. He then uses a top rope springboard senton onto the matting outside as we head to a break.

Metalik has the heat as we return. He nails Nese with a running bulldog and follows it up with a rope-walk missile dropkick. He goes up top and hits an elbow drop, but Nese kicks out at two.

Metalik looks to finish it with the Metalik Driver, but Nese ducks out of the way and uses the ropes to break the hold. He German suplexes Metalik into the turnbuckle and then finishes him with a running knee strike in the corner. This was fine, but it was quick.

WWE Main Event results: TJP and Gran Metalik face off again

The Big Takeaway: With Vic Joseph from NXT leading the announce team, TJP beat Gran Metalik in the opening bout, while Rhyno and Heath Slater picked up a win against the begrudging combination of Curtis Axel and Curt Hawkins.

**********

TJP defeated Gran Metalik (5:25)

TJ Perkins, now “TJP,” doesn’t seem to be a perfect fit as a heel. His gimmick is perhaps more annoying than it is heelish. He comes out here against Gran Metalik and other than a curl of his upper lip, his entrance is just as it was when he first came to the main roster last year.

After a slow start, they put on some good wrestling. They previously faced off in the finals of the Cruiserweight Classic last year, where Perkins became Cruiserweight Champion.

Rest holds and TJP’s attempts to thwart any high flying from Metalik soon give way to these two reverting to type and doing what they do best.

After TJP’s suicide dive to the outside, Metalik does a beautiful ropewalking dropkick and then hits a top rope splash for a near fall. TJP rolls out of the way of a moonsault and hoists Metalik onto his shoulders and hits his Detonation Kick for the win.

Rhyno & Heath Slater defeated Curtis Axel & Curt Hawkins (7:36)

These are the kind of undercard performers it’s fun to watch before an episode of Raw. Curt Hawkins has had a string of appearances on Main Event over the last few weeks. His entrance complete with his “heaping helping of Hawkins” is the kind of stuff The Miz was attempting to get over before he was given a push. And Hawkins has the in-ring ability to match his promos.

The story of the match is that Hawkins and Axel don’t really get along but are still very effective. Slater works most of the match, with Rhyno waiting for the hot tag.

Axel and Hawkins keep blind tagging in as they tease dissension early on. But they cut the ring in half and keep Slater as the babyface in peril. The match isn’t too much to write home about as Axel and Hawkins transition from one chinlock to the next, but Hawkins is very neat and tidy and doesn’t waste too much movement.

The finish sees Slater give the hot tag to Rhyno. He nails Axel and covers him for a near fall before Hawkins makes the save.

Slater superkicks Hawkins and springboards over the top rope onto him on the outside. Inside the ring, the distraction allows Rhyno to spinebuster Axel for the win.