Tag: main event

WWE Main Event results: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins reunite

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Dana Brooke grabbed a rare solo win against Alicia Fox and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins made their first tag team appearance together in nearly 10 years.

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Dana Brooke defeated Alicia Fox (5:20)

Its sometimes easy to forget that Alicia Fox is the longest tenured female performer on the Raw roster — and yet she’s only 31. Having been signed in 2006 and debuting in 2008, she’s been doing this for a very long time — and yet there’s still no spot for her on this weekend’s Survivor Series card.

In Brooke’s case, you’d have to argue that she has really struggled since Titus Worldwide was disbanded. This was her first solo win since January and she pretty much stole it here in a match that felt like a long five minutes. 

They were supposed to trade small packages at the finish, after Fox rolled Brooke into one, but instead of Brooke rolling her over into her own, she essentially just covered her. It was an underwhelming finish, but Brooke showed her delight at finally getting a win.

Apollo Crews & Tyler Breeze defeated Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder (6:02)

For those still following along, Hawkins is still on his losing streak that began back in November of 2016. He is currently 0-236. He and Ryder are now producing their own YouTube content for WWE — Figure It Out – where they hunt down vintage action figures.

Ryder and Hawkins’ reunion as a tag team wasn’t quite met with the approval that you might expect. Given that this was their first tag match together since late 2008, its significance may well have been lost on some. Whatever anyone says, these are two men who have been around the block, fighting the mad and the bad and are good enough to still be filling a main roster spot.

Ryder and Hawkins took a lot of the match, were slick and smooth, and as a match it was perfectly good. It led to a finish where Hawkins was sent outside after he and Ryder looked to have Crews beaten. Ryder sent Breeze outside too but then got caught by Crews: first with a Gorilla press drop and then with the standing moonsault for the win.

WWE Main Event results: The Revival vs. Roode & Gable

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: With Main Event being filmed in Manchester, UK last week, there was a significant improvement in the feel and the quality of the show.

Tyler Breeze snatched a win over Mojo Rawley and The Revival beat Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a fabulous main event.

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Tyler Breeze defeated Mojo Rawley

I was in attendance in Manchester to watch these two matches live. It was interesting to see how Breeze received the kind of reaction that he did. British wrestling fans don’t have short memories and they remember his work in NXT and know what he’s capable of.

Breeze essentially played babyface in peril for most of this relatively short match. The fans were on Rawley’s back throughout and Rawley certainly gave it back, shouting abuse back to the cat calls in the front row.

Breeze eventually got some separation and went up to the second rope to hit the crossbody and then put on the Boston crab. Rawley got to the ropes and — after some brief back and forth — Breeze came off the ropes again and managed to roll through to pin Rawley with an inside cradle. 

On the bell, the crowd erupted and Breeze made out of there like a bandit. A nothing match made all the more interesting by the hot crowd.

The Revival defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable

This was probably the best match of the entire night. Raw was tepid at best and this match bested anything that Raw had to offer in terms of work rate. Go out of your way to find this if you have the time.

It was interesting here to see how Roode was received by the casual fans. A guy next to me wasn’t aware of Roode particularly, and asked who he was because he felt he looked like an absolute star. 

They went 100 miles per hour here with Gable being the star of the match. The Revival are such a smooth tag team and the British fans were hugely into them, especially after their cult status on the NXT roster. 

The finish was pure chaos, but fantastic to watch. After Roode had looked to be cleaning house, Gable came in with a top rope moonsault. Dash Wilder then nailed Roode to the outside and Gable chased him around the outside. When he got back in the ring he ran into Scott Dawson and they teamed up to nail Gable with the Shatter Machine for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Crews vs. Rawley, Ryder vs. Kanellis

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Mike Kanellis lost again, this time to Zack Ryder in a solid opener. Kanellis is still without a singles win since July 2017. Apollo Crews then defeated Mojo Rawley in a decent bout at the end of the show.

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Zack Ryder defeated Mike Kanellis (5:10)

While Zack Ryder spends his free time making podcasts with Curt Hawkins about wrestling figures of old, you have to admire the physical shape both he and Mike Kanellis present themselves in. Both don’t appear to have an ounce of fat on them — with Kanellis looking especially lean here.

This was a solid, entertaining match. Mainly because they looked to be setting up for a quick win for Ryder — with him even hitting the Rough Ryder early on — but Kanellis got his foot on the rope to save the match. Things then switched and went completely in Kanellis’ favor.

Kanellis hit a Samoan driver on Ryder, got a near fall, and teased hitting a Broski Boot of his own. His wicked smile as he mimicked Ryder’s “woos” was great. But Ryder moved out of the way and sprung up to hit the Rough Ryder for the win.

Apollo Crews defeated Mojo Rawley (7:26)

Mojo Rawley has had a good run of late. Over the last few months, he has picked up wins against the likes of Tyler Breeze, No Way Jose, and even Chad Gable. However, it seems that whenever he comes up against Apollo Crews, he comes up short. And that’s just what happened here.

These two took their time and on the opening bell made it look like it had a big-match feel as they squared off in the middle. In another promotion maybe it would be, but Rawley has never had a character that has properly connected with the fans and, despite his talent, Crews has been given a character that just feels lacking in any depth.

Crews got a near fall on Rawley, then connected with an elbow and went for a crossbody, but Rawley caught him. Rawley hoisted him up onto his shoulders and nailed him with a flapjack. After Crews kicked out at two, Rawley taunted and trash-talked him, kicking him in the head and screaming at him.

Crews rolled out of the way and then sprung up and nailed Rawley with an enzuigiri. Rawley sold it like he was knocked out and Crews hit the frog splash for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Ruby Riott vs. Ember Moon

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: No Way Jose continued his winning Main Event run with a victory over Tyler Breeze. Ruby Riott and her cronies then saw off Ember Moon in a match that marked their collective debuts on this show.

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No Way Jose defeated Tyler Breeze (5:15)

Jose and Breeze looked like they were having a lot of fun out there for this good opening match. They were full of smiles and laughs early on, and it was infectious on the pre-Raw crowd as they did some comedy.

They worked really hard, with lots of back and forth. The middle of the match was dominated by Breeze working over Jose’s left leg and culminated in him putting Jose in a single-leg Boston crab in the middle of the ring. Jose fought his way out as the crowd got into it.

The finish saw Breeze get slingshot into the corner and then, dazed, run straight into Jose, who popped him up and nailed him with his knockout punch for the win. The victory marks Jose’s sixth straight win in as many weeks on Main Event.

Ruby Riott (w/ Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan) defeated Ember Moon (5:23)

It’s good to see WWE finally using this show to promote some of the strong talent in the women’s division and use it as a training ground when there isn’t room for another match on Raw.

Both Riott and Moon were making their Main Event debuts here, and it has to be said that both looked good in the ring. Ember Moon particularly stood out — she is incredibly agile and has a move set that really showcases her skill.

The match felt like it would be Moon’s for the taking, but The Riott Squad lurked at the ring apron and you sensed that they would ruin things for Moon, which is exactly what they did. After lots of close holds early on, they both had moments to shine, but the end saw Moon thwarted by Logan and Morgan as she looked to hit The Eclipse.

Moon was up top and fought off Morgan first, then Logan. It looked as though she might still come through with the victory, but Riott sprung up and hit her mid-air with the Riott kick for the win. This was a nice twist to mark a fine show debut for this pair.

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley vs. Rhyno

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: No Way Jose got another win against Mike Kanellis, who is still without a singles win since July 2017. Mojo Rawley also dispensed with Rhyno in fairly quick fashion.

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No Way Jose defeated Mike Kanellis (5:14)

Both Jose and Kanellis are Raw main roster talents who are being underused at present. Jose made his Monday Night Raw debut the night after WrestleMania 34 with a quick victory over an enhancement wrestler, but he has failed to make an impact since. Kanellis seems to have suffered from a lack of a creative direction too.

These two were fine together, but you have to think that Kanellis has much more to offer than he is being allowed to show right now. There were glimpses of that here in a match that otherwise dragged a little in the middle.

The finish saw Kanellis, who looked like he was on course for the victory, take too much time setting up on the top rope with Jose prone. Jose popped up and nailed Kanellis with his knockout punch for the win.

Mojo Rawley defeated Rhyno (w/ Heath Slater) (3:23)

Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson claimed that Rawley was still reeling from his defeat at the hands of Bobby Roode two weeks back on Raw.

The anger made sense with this going as short as it did. Rhyno didn’t get much of his stuff in at all. They did lots of tests of strength early on. They went through a commercial break and came back to Rhyno getting the hope, culminating in a near fall.

Rawley then fired up and nailed Rhyno with a running forearm smash and pinned him in the middle of the ring with an impressive Alabama slam. Slater seemed very muted on the sidelines, and it felt a little like they were trying something new with Rawley here.

WWE Main Event results: Gable & No Way Jose vs. The Ascension

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: With all the talk about the women’s revolution in WWE at the moment, a show that would be a perfect training ground for some once again featured no female performers.

After a win on Main Event last week, Mike Kanellis went back to his losing ways, with a loss against Zack Ryder. The team of Chad Gable & No Way Jose then dispensed with The Ascension in fairly swift fashion.

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Zack Ryder defeated Mike Kanellis (5:40)

Last week it looked as though they were at least aware of the terrible start that Kanellis had made on the main roster, when they played up his lack of a win and teamed him up with The Revival to get one. He took a step back here by losing to Ryder in what was actually a pretty decent match.

Ryder came out to the ring in his futuristic silver coat with a ‘Z’ fastening the front, and reminded me of the comment on his Twitter this week. Ryder noted how The Miz’s new merchandise essentially rips off Ryder’s old design. Actually, both Ryder and Kanellis could use some new ring gear.

They worked nicely together here, trading near falls at the end: Ryder dodged Kanellis’ charge so that he posted himself, and then Ryder hit the Broski Boot. Kanellis kicked out and managed to nail Ryder with a superkick. Ryder then reversed a suplex into a neckbreaker and followed it up with the Rough Ryder for the win.

Chad Gable & No Way Jose defeated The Ascension (4:15)

The unlikely pairing of Gable and Jose made short work of The Ascension here. Konnor and Viktor are perennial losers anyway, but this was brief and nothing to write home about.

The Ascension tried to cut the ring in half and stop Jose from getting the hot tag and, even in a short four-minute tag match, resorted to chinlocks and rest holds. The crowd was relatively into the finish when it came, but the conga line always makes Jose’s matches feel more loud than they probably really are.

The finish began when Jose hit a flapjack on Viktor, but Konnor broke up the pin. Gable then hit a rolling senton off the apron onto Konnor on the outside. This allowed Jose to hit the pop-up punch on Viktor. Viktor didn’t quite know how to sell it, so Jose maneuvered him into position for the pinfall.

WWE Main Event results: Revival & Kanellis vs. Slater, Rhyno & Gable

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: No Way Jose got the win against Curt Hawkins, taking Hawkins’ losing streak to 0-209. Mike Kanellis teamed up with The Revival against Chad Gable, Heath Slater & Rhyno in an attempt to get himself his first victory since moving to the Raw roster.

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No Way Jose defeated Curt Hawkins (5:27)

Hawkins not only lost again this week, but he was put through a table at the Buffalo Bills training facility. The vocal New York Jets fan did a training session alongside Titus O’Neil and Finn Balor. O’Neil joked on Twitter that Hawkins had started a “Jets” chant and it hadn’t gone down too well.

No Way Jose’s stuttering start to his main roster career continued here. The singing and dancing conga line gimmick would work fine if we hadn’t seen Adam Rose use it in virtually the same way in recent memory. But Jose and Hawkins worked fine together on this show.

Jose hit a crossbody on Hawkins and covered him for two. Hawkins then elbowed Jose in the face and hit a back suplex for a two count. Hawkins charged at Jose, looking for the spear, but Jose had it scouted and hit the pop-up punch for the win.

The Revival & Mike Kanellis defeated Chad Gable, Heath Slater & Rhyno (4:04)

The story of this one was told by Nigel McGuinness on commentary as they made their entrances. He noted that Kanellis had been winless since the Superstar Shakeup and was looking to use The Revival to get him a much-needed confidence boost. With this in mind, it became much more of a squash match than it ought to have been.

Gable got some early stuff in here but was otherwise largely anonymous. The babyfaces got some heat towards the end, with Rhyno hitting a belly-to-belly suplex on Dash Wilder and following it up with a spinebuster on Scott Dawson. Kanellis broke up the pin and then Slater hit a spin kick on Kanellis to send him outside.

The finish started when Wilder sent Slater out and Rhyno sent Wilder, but Wilder only landed on the apron. So Wilder blind-tagged in just as Rhyno was whipping Dawson to the ropes. Dawson then slid under Rhyno so that The Revival could hit the Shatter Machine for the win. Clever little finish to a nothing match.

WWE Main Event results: Authors of Pain, Chad Gable in action

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: The Authors of Pain continued their undefeated streak, seeing off Titus Worldwide with relative ease. Chad Gable and Curt Hawkins had a good match, leaving Hawkins without a win since November 2016.

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The Authors of Pain defeated Titus Worldwide (w/ Dana Brooke) (4:34)

This was yet another dominant performance of power, strength, and agility from the Authors of Pain, and they remain undefeated since being called up to the main roster in April. The only thing stopping these two is going to be promos. With Paul Ellering gone, if they are to be main event players, they might need someone to talk for them.

Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews couldn’t get any degree of separation until O’Neil dodged a charge to the corner, leaving Rezar posted. This meant O’Neil and Crews could grab a minute or so of offense, before they were quickly cut off again.

The finish started when Rezar broke up a pin attempt by O’Neil. Crews came into the ring, but Rezar sent him packing and neutralized him outside by driving him into the apron. He then blind tagged in so that he and Akam could hit the Last Chapter on O’Neil for the win.

Chad Gable defeated Curt Hawkins (4:58)

Hawkins and Gable had a fine match here, ending with Hawkins’ streak extending to 0-208. He took to Twitter this week to show the extent of his injuries from the match — some pretty nasty bruising to his left forearm.

This was a pretty athletic contest from start to finish and went by in a flash. Why they aren’t doing more with either of these performers is a question worth asking. Hawkins is a good foil for Gable, who is able to flip around and show off all of his best stuff and distill it down to five minutes.

There were a few false finishes at the end. And then, after Hawkins got a near fall on Gable, Gable escaped a powerbomb attempt, sending Hawkins into the turnbuckles. Gable then sunset flipped Hawkins, following it up with a roll-through German suplex for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Jinder Mahal in action, The Ascension win

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: The Ascension grabbed a very rare win in the opening bout against Heath Slater & Rhyno, and former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal returned to Main Event to beat Zack Ryder and close out the show.

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The Ascension defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno (5:08)

Both matches on the show this week felt slow and labored. And at just over five minutes, this easily felt twice as long as that. Nigel McGuinness noted on the bell that Rhyno and Slater had been “tearing it up at the live shows” of late, but there was little evidence of that here.

The Ascension don’t get many victories. You have to go back as far as February of 2016 to find a tag team win for the pair — and it came on a show that no longer exists (Superstars) against a team that featured a wrestler who no longer works for WWE (Damien Sandow).

The finish started when Konnor broke up a pin attempt by Slater, then Rhyno clotheslined Konnor to the outside. Viktor, in turn, sent Rhyno out and Slater tried to steal the pin on Viktor. Konnor then sent Rhyno into the dasher boards, while back in the ring Viktor clotheslined Slater and tagged Konnor back in. Together, they hit The Fall of Man on Slater for the win.

Jinder Mahal (w/ Sunil Singh) defeated Zack Ryder (5:30)

Mahal hasn’t appeared on Main Event since March of last year, and that’s probably quite a good barometer of just how much his push totally transformed his career. He went from a regular on Superstars and then Main Event to WWE Champion within months. His change in physique was marked and appeared to have a significant influence on the timing of his upturn in fortunes.

He and Ryder worked as you would expect: Mahal’s move set is a slow, heel one that included several long headlocks here. It stifled what Ryder does best and took the pace and thrust out of his offense. The match only really picked up when Ryder got some hope.

Ryder connected with a forearm on Mahal in the corner, but Sunil Singh distracted him on the apron. After he had scared Singh off, Ryder went for the Broski Boot, but Mahal had it telegraphed and was able to hit the Khallas for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Bobby Roode makes his show debut

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Chad Gable got the victory against Mike Kanellis, who is now winless since November, and Bobby Roode enjoyed his show debut with a six-man tag match that was on the good side of wacky.

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Chad Gable defeated Mike Kanellis (5:14)

Another week for Chad Gable on Main Event and another week where it feels like he may be directionless. The same could certainly be said for his opponent, Mike Kanellis, who seems to be treading water when he should be main eventing on Raw. For the latter, it feels like the curse of not coming in via NXT is the issue.

They worked very well together here in the time that they had. They were smooth, paced things nicely, and sold well for each other. In another universe, this could easily be a program that could deliver fantastic matches.

Gable got a near fall on Kanellis, but he hit a modified slam on Gable before grabbing a near fall of his own. Kanellis superkicked Gable and clotheslined him in the corner, but Gable was able to regain his senses and managed to duck under and German suplex Kanellis for the win.

Bobby Roode & Breezango defeated Curt Hawkins & The Ascension (4:29)

It’s been a few weeks since Curt Hawkins’ “streaking” was last on Main Event. The loss here took him up to 0-205 in what now seems to be a gimmick that has lost any momentum that it ever had, but what a pleasure it was to see him in action here against Roode.

Roode brought some legitimacy and relevance to this match and would have been well within his rights to be wondering what he had done to deserve being put in the same breath, let alone match, as his partners and opponents. Roode was easily the star of the match and took much of the high spots.

Roode was enjoying every bit of this — he was all smiles with his partners throughout and, just before the finish, Fandango slid in and gave Roode his policeman’s hat and Roode finished the match wearing it.

The finish saw Viktor break up a pinfall attempt by Roode on Hawkins, then Konnor sent Breeze to the outside — with Roode following up with a clothesline to dump Konnor. Roode nailed Hawkins with a spinebuster before hitting the Glorious DDT for the win.

WWE Main Event results: The Authors of Pain squash Breezango

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Tony Nese picked up a rare victory against Gran Metalik and The Authors of Pain made it two wins in two matches on Main Event since being called up to the main roster.

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Tom Phillips and Percy Watson hosted the show in a two-man announce booth. Phillips replaced Vic Joseph, while Nigel McGuinness was also absent this week, as the pair were over in the United Kingdom covering the WWE UK Championship tournament and the launch of the NXT UK brand.

Tony Nese defeated Gran Metalik (w/ Lince Dorado) (5:03)

Tony Nese has had a fairly rotten couple of years in terms of results in WWE. In 2017, Nese only had 14 singles wins all year – and for a guy who can appear on Raw, 205 Live, and Main Event, that’s got to be demoralizing. This year, he’s only had three and we’re nearly in July.

Gran Metalik is another wrestler who seems to suffer a lot considering his ability and potential to be a star in this cruiserweight division. But the two worked well together here, with Nese finally getting the upper hand after a solid back-and-forth match.

Metalik hit a hurricanrana from off the top rope on Nese but was only able to get a two count. So he got Nese up into a fireman’s carry, but Nese grabbed at Metalik’s mask. He hit a German suplex on Metalik and then nailed him with the Running Nese for the win.

Dorado added little from the sidelines, but Nese was good here notching up his fourth-ever win on this show.

The Authors of Pain defeated Breezango (2:30)

This was as close to a squash as they come on WWE programming these days. Tyler Breeze got in a total of two dropkicks and a superkick and Fandango managed some knife-edge chops, but that was about it.

The Authors of Pain used power moves and postured a lot, making the match longer than it actually ought to have been. They seem to be fairly over, getting a good reaction to their devil-may-care attitudes here.

Inexplicably, in a match that ran less than three minutes, they went through a commercial break. When we returned, Breeze hit the Beauty Shot on Akam for two. Rezar tagged in, elbowed Fandango off the apron, and they hit the Last Chapter on Breeze for the win. 

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley vs. Chad Gable

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Titus Worldwide picked up a relatively easy victory against The Ascension. Mojo Rawley then made it two wins in as many weeks in a strong match against Chad Gable.

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Titus Worldwide defeated The Ascension (5:42)

There was a period back in 2016 when The Ascension were on Superstars every other week and writing about them got stale as they lost to anyone who was anyone. Unfortunately, not much has changed — bar their face paint.

But much of this is hardly their fault. Look at Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, for example. When they first arrived from Japan there was a hope that they would bring killer heat and use that Bullet Club dominance at every turn. It has hardly worked out that way. Konnor is huge; Viktor is a good worker. In another company, these two could probably do pretty well.

The match was as you would expect. The finish saw Konnor break up the cover of O’Neil on Viktor. Crews sent Konnor outside and then hit a beautiful standing moonsault off the apron, with Konnor just barely catching him. O’Neil then nailed Viktor with the Clash of the Titus for the win.

Mojo Rawley defeated Chad Gable (7:31)

This was easily Rawley’s best match on Main Event since he switched brands during the Superstar Shakeup in April. But then Gable has been the best opponent Rawley has had in recent months. They had a pretty even contest and put together a very strong closing segment to the match.

Gable came off the apron with a cannonball senton and rolled Rawley back in the ring, but he got caught coming off the top rope with a crossbody. Rawley went for the Hyper Drive before Gable fought his way out. Gable tried to pin Rawley with a German suplex into a bridge but didn’t have enough.

Rawley hit the Hyper Drive, but Gable kicked out at two, so he set up and hit Gable with a running forearm smash for the win. The combination of Rawley’s timing, the camera cut just as he hit the move, and Gable’s selling all made the move look fairly devastating. This was a good win for Rawley.

WWE Main Event results: Jose vs. Kanellis, Gulak vs. Tozawa

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: After losing to Mojo Rawley on Main Event last week, No Way Jose got his win back here over Mike Kanellis. Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa also put on a fine match at the top of the show with Gulak notching up a submission win.

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No Way Jose defeated Mike Kanellis (5:10)

After a defeat at the hands of Mojo Rawley last week, No Way Jose beat Kanellis with the pop-up punch. At this point, the decision not to put Kanellis through NXT before progressing to the main roster would seem to have been a questionable one, with Kanellis floundering and without a singles win since July of last year.

There wasn’t much to this, but Jose’s entourage of conga line cheerleaders always gives his matches more of an important feel. Kanellis took most of the match with his aggressive and physical moveset. He started to pose, blow kisses, and even bust a few ironic moves the more he took control of things.

Jose got a near fall from a flapjack and then looked beaten when Kanellis nailed him with a superkick. He looked dazed and staggered into the middle of the ring but snapped out of it in time to catch Kanellis and pop him up for the Fastball Punch.

The conga line went crazy on the bell and we went straight to the Raw recap without a replay of the finish.

Drew Gulak defeated Akira Tozawa (6:44)

The cruiserweight division over on 205 Live has made for compelling watching of late with some solid output. Not only has the content been good, but some of the personas are really developing, too.

When Gulak first came to WWE, he looked a little like a fish out of water, until he walked through the ropes. Looking at him now, he’s so much more confident in his character and really looks the part as he struts to the ring in his hooded boxer walkout robe.

These two worked well together and kept things 50-50 as they paced themselves towards a finish built around Gulak’s dragon sleeper (with a body scissors) submission hold. At one point, Tozawa locked in a modified Octopus, but Gulak got to the ropes. The other high points were when Tozawa escaped a powerbomb attempt and Gulak moved out of the way of a top senton attempt.

The finish looked really strong as Gulak sent Tozawa face-first into the second turnbuckle so that he could snap on the Gu-Lock right in the middle of the ring. Tozawa had no option but to tap to a submission hold that Gulak makes look pretty inescapable and terrifying.

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley attacks Titus Worldwide

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: A run-of-the-mill show this week saw Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher get a win in the all-cruiserweight opener and a furious Mojo Rawley attack both Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil after he lost in the main event.

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Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher defeated Kalisto & Lince Dorado (w/ Gran Metalik) (4:46)

These two teams have been trading wins across WWE programming over the last few weeks, with the Lucha House Party subbing out Metalik for Dorado here. It was interesting to hear Rey Mysterio’s comments regarding the strong Latino talent in WWE right now with his longterm status still in the balance.

There wasn’t much to this one in the end. And after last week’s tapings in London, this was inevitably going to feel a little tame, but you can see that the teams have worked together a lot as there was a smoothness to their routines here.

Dorado helped Kalisto springboard into a senton on Kendrick to the outside. Dorado rolled Kendrick up, with Kendrick not being the legal man. Gallagher then headbutted Dorado and covered him for the win.

Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O’Neil and Dana Brooke) defeated Mojo Rawley (6:01)

Rawley was fired up when he came out here and, although the match was nothing special, the newsworthy note was his attack on both Crews and his manager, Titus O’Neil, after the match.

Crews got the better of Rawley and overcame a fight back to get the win. He hit Rawley with an enzuigiri and followed it up with a clothesline. After fighting off Rawley’s attempts to get back into the match, he hit his standing moonsault for the win.

Normally on Main Event they cut away from the celebrations and go straight to recapping Raw, often without a replay of the finish, so here it was clear something was going to happen. Rawley attacked O’Neil with several double axe handles to the shoulders, taking him to the mat, before sending him shoulder-first into the post.

He then leapt on Crews, hitting aggressive clubbing forearms to the back of the head. Rawley made it look incredibly intense as he screamed at both men the whole time. The angle easily garnered the most heat of anything on the show.

WWE Main Event results: Authors of Pain win their show debut

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: A good show from London this week. The Authors of Pain won their Main Event debut against Titus Worldwide, then Mojo Rawley defeated an impressive Chad Gable to give Rawley his first win since he switched brands.

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The Authors of Pain defeated Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews (w/ Dana Brooke) (4:40)

When the European tour heads to the United Kingdom, you often find NXT wrestlers getting a run out on Main Event. Last year, Aleister Black made his first main roster appearance on this show. Having got the call-up after WrestleMania, here in London, The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) got a decent reaction as they came out to face O’Neil & Crews.

The crowd wasn’t much into this one from there, but they were keen to see O’Neil, who has gained some cult status since his slip at the Greatest Royal Rumble last month. The Authors of Pain impressed, cutting the ring in half and working in tandem. The fact that they look huge when next to O’Neil and Crews says it all.

Late in the match, Akam took out Crews, clotheslining him on the outside matting. Rezar then attacked O’Neil from behind in the ring and Akam tagged back in so that they could hit the Last Chapter for the win.

Mojo Rawley defeated Chad Gable (7:37)

You have to go back to late 2016 to find Gable on Main Event, and his defeat here to Rawley marked his first appearance on the show as a singles wrestler. Back at Fastlane in March, Rawley, Gable & Shelton Benjamin were on the same team, but they had a good back-and-forth match as adversaries on this show.

This got pretty good the longer it went. Gable was impressive, particularly in his strength when throwing Rawley around. Gable got some heat after Rawley had dominated the first part of the match and, after repeated European uppercuts, he was able to nail Rawley with a beautiful looking Alpha-Plex.

The finish saw Rawley launch Gable head-first onto the top turnbuckle and hit his running forearm smash. Rawley covered Gable for the win and sold the effects of the match as if it had been an epic battle.