Tag: WWE Main Event

WWE Main Event results: Julius Creed vs. Luca Crusifino

Posted on by James Cox

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

Not much to get excited about in the opener this week, but the Creed vs. Crusifino match at the top of the show was a lot of fun by the end.

Xia Li defeated Gigi Dolin (5:46)

This was fine, but nothing special. Dolin is still winless in 2024, while Xia Li picked up her first win of the year.

Watching Li here showed just how much presentation is key in wrestling sometimes. She brings so much energy to what she does that it masks what is otherwise quite basic stuff in the ring.

Li has started to plait her hair and the bottom halves of them are dyed blonde. They whip around her when she works and, together with her face paint, create a colorful image. She’s made a way to make herself stand out.

Dolin worked from underneath for a lot of the match but showed a lot of fight. Li applied a camel clutch that looked brutal on Dolin’s neck and back, but she managed to escape and fired up with strikes and a clothesline.

Dolin looked like she was setting up for her finisher as she had Li in an abdominal stretch position, but she escaped and used a spinning leg lariat to get the win.

The finish looked a bit soft as it didn’t connect, but otherwise, this was fine.

Julius Creed (w/Brutus Creed) defeated Luca Crusifino (6:25)

The Creed brother has enjoyed a run of singles matches on this show over the last month or so and has impressed. The debuting Luca Crusifino was just the latest to get thrown around by a ridiculously strong wrestler with the surname Creed.

Crusifino currently plies his trade on NXT Level Up and so this match marked his first outing on a main roster TV show. He is tall and lean and looks like he could do some serious damage. He was largely methodical throughout this one, playing the heel, but certainly didn’t look out of place here at all.

The highlight of the match was undoubtedly the spot after the ads where Creed fought his way out of several chin locks to explode with six – yes, six – German suplexes in a row. Each was made the more impressive by the kip-up that Creed did between each. I don’t think some people will realize how difficult that is to do.

The crowd certainly appreciated the effort and straps came down. Creed hit a beautiful standing shooting star press, but it was a false finish as Crusifino kicked out at two.

He kicked out at Creed’s left leg and then hit him with a kind of fisherman’s suplex into a neckbreaker which looked cool. He lay across Creed, exhausted, but Creed also kicked out.

The finish saw another German followed by a clothesline to end a fun match between these two. 

WWE Main Event results: Brutus Creed vs. Myles Borne

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Given the news coming out of WWE this week, it remains to be seen what will happen to a show like Main Event, but it feels even more inconsequential than ever that this was a perfectly mediocre show this week.

Chelsea Green w/Piper Niven defeated Gigi Dolin (5:09)

This was fine, but nothing special. Niven interfered so that Green could get the win, but that’s pretty much what you would expect.

Dolin worked Main Event last month, getting a debut win against Elektra Lopez, but essentially played babyface in peril in this one until she was cheated out of a win.

Green was an excellent heel throughout, in a role that clearly suits her and that you can tell she enjoys. She was slow and methodical, asking the crowd at one stage here to ‘get your cameras ready for this one’.

Weirdly, Green and Dolin were wearing similar ring gear to the point where you’d think that they were a tag team that had just split.

Green used a chin lock and the crowd rallied behind Dolin who managed a roll-up for a two-count. They both collided and went down with Dolin getting up first and nailing Green with a German.

After a dropkick and another two-count, Dolin looked set to go home but Niven interfered, allowing Green to hit an UnPrettyHer for the win.

Brutus Creed w/Julius Creed defeated Myles Borne (6:58)

They got going after the commercials in this one and both worked hard, but it didn’t top the work that Julius Creed and Apollo Crews put in on the show last week.

Brutus Creed earned his first main roster singles win here against a returning Myles Borne in his third Main Event bout of his career. Borne looks good in flashes, but they are yet to give him a win on this show.

It was Borne who took the early going and they started slow, but built to a spot where Creed went up to the top rope. He was knocked to the outside with a slick dropkick from Borne as they went to an early break.

There was some back and forth after the ads, with Borne using some ground and pound and locked in the dreaded chin lock. The crowd did at least play along and cheered on Creed to break the hold.

Creed got some hope spots in with clotheslines and a Samoan Drop, followed by a standing moonsault, which was enough to earn him a two-count. Borne used his Orton-esque power slam but got blocked looking for a suplex.

In the end, Creed planted Borne in position with a powerbomb and then, despite Borne getting back to his feet, finished him with a top rope cannonball. It’s a soft-looking finisher from a really strong dude, but otherwise, you can’t help but be impressed by the Creed brothers.

WWE Main Event results: Apollo Crews vs. Julius Creed

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas before Monday’s episode of Raw.

The match at the top of show was hands down one of the best matches on Main Event in a while. Julius Creed and Apollo Crews could do this every week and live crowds would certainly be happy.

Dante Chen defeated Tavion Heights (5:50)

This was a straightforward and basic match and both looked fine in only their second appearance on Main Event.

They did some chain wrestling in the early going and then Chen started to attack and work over Heights’ left arm. The slower pace didn’t do much to rouse the crowd at this point and so they traded a few pinfalls.

Heights made a comeback, using the turnbuckles and then a belly-to-belly and a what I guess you would say was a sling blade. It was quite reminiscent of Finn Balor. He then used a running powerslam for a near fall which got the crowd more invested.

Chen seemed to be summoning energy with his hands – looking a little like Asuka – before using a double chop/clothesline to get the win.

It’s a pretty weak-looking finisher and didn’t really play into the work he’d done on Heights’ arm. I’m also not sure about the facepaint, but that could just be me.

Julius Creed (w/ Brutus Creed) defeated Apollo Crews (6:13)

This was a strong match to top the show. Crews’ winning streak since retuning from his injury came to an end, so good for Julius Creed who looks really impressive. Worth catching this one if you can.

The first couple of minutes were quite explosive. For big men, neither really moves or carries themselves like one. 

After sending Crews to the apron, Creed hit him with a beautiful moonsault and we went to the break.

After the ads, Crews had Creed in a side headlock and Brutus was beating the mat from the outside to encourage his brother. Creed not only worked his way out, but did so by hoisting Crews into a suplex from his knees, standing up as he hit the move. That’s really not something you see every day.

The finish was excellent. They did a superplex, which the crowd absolutely loved, and after getting to their feet, Creed picked Crews up from a roll up pin into a power bomb. When Crews then slid out of it, Creed sat down and hooked his legs to get the win.

The strength on display here was, at times, next level impressive. Creed is a serious talent.

WWE Main Event results: Duke Hudson vs. Myles Borne

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon before Monday’s episode of Raw.

All told, a fun show, but nothing was especially dazzling this week.

Bronson Reed defeated Javier Bernal (5:05)

This was all about how long Bernal could avoid the inevitable and it was fun while it lasted.

In a big man versus little man contest like this, you kind of know that it’s only a matter of time before the big man hits his move and wins. The fun of the chase and the potential for an upset is what keeps people watching. And this one was very much in that pattern.

Bernal was on the end of his second Main Event defeat here in his second appearance. He looked plucky enough but the crowd seem to be increasingly behind Reed, who hasn’t lost a TV taping bout since October.

The early going was Bernal ducking and weaving, avoiding the charges from Reed. He eventually got caught in a nerve hold but fought his way out, landing a couple of dropkicks to wobble Reed on his feet.

Reed then caught him off the top rope, nailing him with a DDT before they went to the finish.

The Tsunami is getting over with live crowds and it got Reed the win here, but longer term, its not going to be great on his body.

Duke Hudson defeated Myles Borne (6:06)

This lacked much excitement and dragged in the second half when the dreaded chin lock was brought out, but the ending was decent enough.

Hudson and Borne are still very new to main roster action and it showed a little bit in how safe and formulaic this match was. For Hudson, it was his fourth match on the show and only the second for Borne.

They did mat work in the first few minutes, exchanging headlocks and Hudson pushing his Chase U gimmick to the crowd. Before the break, Hudson missed a charge and Borne used a dropkick.

The highlight for Borne was the near fall he got from an Orton-esque scoop slam after having missed a dropkick and run into an elbow in the corner.

Hudson worked the whole match in his Chase U bib and did a full hulk up after that two count, stopping short at actually tearing his shirt.

In the end, the finish saw Hudson use a German and then his finisher – the scorpion death drop – to get the win. And, actually, as finishing moves go, its pretty cool.

WWE Main Event results: Apollo Crews vs. Javier Bernal

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Two simple matches this week, but again Main Event delivered fresh talent to make it a more interesting show.

Gigi Dolin defeated Elektra Lopez (4:58)

This was a very straightforward affair from two pretty new faces. They worked hard and Dolin got the win in her debut.

While this was Dolin’s Main Event debut, it was Lopez’s second appearance and second loss. She worked the show back in March in a losing effort against the now-former WWE employee, Dana Brooke.

There was some nice banter between Saxton and Barrett on commentary, referring back to their FCW days, which brought some color to this one. It felt as though they piped in a ‘let’s go Gigi’ chant, but it could have been legitimate.

Both had their moments, with Dolin’s coming from a basement dropkick where they slowed down the hang time she got before she landed it. Lopez was more the slow, methodical heel, but certainly had the look of a main roster talent here.

In the end, they exchanged near falls, but Dolin was plucky enough to hit Lopez with a kick to the head so that she could use her Gigi Driver for the win. It looked a little sloppy but it’s a creative-looking finisher.

Apollo Crews defeated Javier Bernal (7:41)

This was a good match in the end, after a slow start. The crowd liked the near falls at the end, but it was another week and another win for Crews who continues his dominant run against NXT talent on Main Event.

Like Gigi Dolin, Bernal made his debut here, but it wasn’t his first taste of main roster action. He appeared on Raw back in May in a tag team squash at the hands of Sanga and Veer. Singles action allowed Bernal a way better platform to show what he could do.

Bernal has an interesting look. On the one hand, his jacket is kind of reminiscent of Shawn Michaels in the early 90s, after he went solo. But he also has the mannerisms of Edge as well. This isn’t to say he works like either of those two gentlemen, but the influence is clear to see.

Crews looked none too impressed with Bernal, but once they started to work together there was a slickness in what they did. After an early back and forth, Bernal knocked Crews off the apron and we went to an early commercial break.

After the ads, Bernal was in control and locked in a head scissors. A better rest hold than usual chin lock, but still a pet peeve for these short matches.

The highlight of the match was when Crews looked like he was going home, having hit the standing moonsault he went up top, rolled through and got nailed by an elbow. Bernal went for a cross body and got caught, so reversed it into a tornado DDT. The crowd thought it could have been the finish, but Crews kicked out.

Crews then got the win with a head kick and a top rope splash to keep his streak going.

WWE Main Event results: Apollo Crews vs. Riley Osborne

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Another week and another set of NXT stars appeared on Main Event and it produced some entertaining matches for a very expectant pre-Raw crowd.

Duke Hudson defeated Charlie Dempsey (6:37)

This was a fun opener with a solid debut performance from Hudson against an always-entertaining Charlie Dempsey.

While this was Dempsey’s third all-time Main Event appearance, NXT’s Duke Hudson made his first appearance on the show in over a year and did so with a nice win to boot.

Dempsey is probably an acquired taste, but he’s certainly mine. His methodical style and attention to detail are fun to watch especially when he is paired with the right opponent. His Main Event record dropped to 0-3 here with the loss, but in all three matches, has come out looking good.

Dempsey does double underhook suplexes beautifully, but you also have to admire how he can do the intricate work as well as the flashy stuff. He did a neat kip-up in the early going.

It was very much a 50-50 match all the way through. They worked at quite a pace too, never really slowing down, apart from a front-face lock part-way through and the near falls at the end.

In the end, Dempsey sent Hudson to the outside but he used a springboard off the apron into the ring so that he landed behind Dempsey. From here, he used a German suplex to get the win.

Apollo Crews defeated Riley Osborne (6:16)

This was decent, with Crews continuing his winning streak on Main Event. Osborne was able to show flashes of what he can do.

As Crews continued to come back from the injury that took him out of action over the summer, they fed him some cannon fodder in the form of debuting Riley Osborne here. That’s not to say that this was a squash, but it did allow Osborne to flip around all over to make Crews look like a strong force.

The comparisons between Osborne and Evan Bourne during his run in WWE will probably be made if he gets more main roster appearances and that’s certainly no bad thing. He worked hard here and took some pretty nasty bumps for Crews.

Crews dominated Osborne here, including a really disrespectful-looking move where he launched Osborne up for a delayed suplex, but instead of landing on the mat together, he just threw him off and remained standing. The bump Osborne took looked like it really sucked.

When Osborne did manage to get some offense in, he used a tremendous standing corkscrew splash, which frankly puts Crews’ standing moonsault to shame. He even did a top rope shooting star press that he landed on his feet when Crews got out of the way.

Ultimately, Crews nailed him with a big boot and used his frog splash off the top rope for the win. It seems strange that WWE hasn’t given it a wacky name yet because it’s generally his finisher these days. But this was a fun match and Osborne certainly didn’t look out of place.

WWE Main Event results: Joe Coffey vs. Von Wagner

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan before Monday’s episode of Raw.

A solid episode of the show this week, with even more new faces as the show continues to promote NXT talent, allowing them to perform in front of pre-Raw crowds.

Apollo Crews defeated Myles Borne (5:13)

This was fine. Crews is starting to gain some momentum following his injury earlier this year against a debuting Myles Borne.

Borne made his Main Event debut in what was his first-ever appearance on a main roster WWE show. And for a guy who hasn’t had a ton of matches in his career to date, he did well.

The comparisons to Randy Orton have been with Borne since he joined the company and he did nothing to dispel that, showing an attitude here and also using a quick scoop slam a la Orton at one point.

Crews took the early going, dominating and slowing the pace of the match down. It was only when Borne thumbed his eye that the tide turned.

After some basic offense, Crews fired up with his usual splashes to the corner and the standing moonsault. Borne dodged a second splash and used a neckbreaker (not an RKO) for a near fall.

In the end, Crews hit Borne with an enzuigiri to line him up for a frog splash off the top rope and get his hand raised in back-to-back wins on Main Event.

Joe Coffey defeated Von Wagner (6:59)

This was a slow and steady bout that got going towards the end as Coffey got a surprising victory in his debut.

While Von Wagner has had a few sporadic appearances on Main Event over the last three years, this was Joe Coffey’s first outing on the show and so felt good for him to get a win. Wagner, however, goes to 0-6 with this loss.

Before the break, Wagner was in control and after the commercials, Coffey was working a comeback. He secured a submission and the match slowed right down after quite an explosive start.

Wagner worked his way out and culminated in a double underhook suplex for a two-count. Coffey blocked Wagner’s chokeslam attempt and then they went to the finish.

After Wagner had Coffey on his shoulder looking to finish him, Coffey raked his eyes and used his discuss lariat to get the win.

WWE Main Event results: Apollo Crews vs. Tavion Heights

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Despite some fresh faces, the work in the ring never really dazzled and so the show was a bit of a damp squib.

Katana Chance defeated Tatum Paxley (4:48)

This was quite a tepid offering from the pair, that didn’t get going, but Chance is a good babyface with a lot of crowd-pulling potential.

Tatum Paxley is an NXT Level Up performer who has been in and around the show since the summer of last year. While she and Chance have worked together before, they haven’t done a singles match.

They laid out a basic match with Paxley taking advantage early of a slip-up so that she could work over Chance’s left arm.

After a few near falls, Paxley had a slip-up of her own where she walked into Chance’s boot. And that was pretty much it.

Chance hit a Sister Abigail-type flatliner move and got her hand raised to keep her Main Event record at 4-1, for those keeping score.

Apollo Crews defeated Tavion Heights (7:36)

A better bout than the opener, but Crews is still coming back from injury and Heights is still pretty green.

Heights made his Main Event debut here and certainly has a good look. His name, however, is pretty lame. He’s an Olympic wrestler so I would say his real name G’angelo Hancock is a lot cooler, but what do I know?

Crews is certainly a good person to debut against because he’s a guy who doesn’t get involved in too many bad matches and who knows his way around the ring.

As you might expect, there was a lot of mat work in the early going. After some grappling, Heights gave Crews a big boot to send him outside and we went to the break.

After the ads, Heights was getting some serious heat. People were booing him as he locked in a rest hold and stomped and beat down Crews. Heights dodged a charge and used a scoop slam for a near fall.

The finish was very ordinary: Crews used a boot to plant Heights and then he hit a top rope frog splash to get the win.

WWE Main Event results: Ludwig Kaiser vs. Apollo Crews

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania before Monday’s episode of Raw.

One poor and one good match this week, but it was a show that had a variety of fresh faces and was all the better for it.

Veer & Sanga w/Jinder Mahal defeated Noam Dar & Oro Mensah w/ Lash Legend & Jakarta Jackson (6:02)

Despite there being a lot of people in and around the ring, that traffic didn’t translate into much of an exciting match. It was largely slow and methodical interspersed with sporadic moments of pace.

For a while there, Veer was a Main Event regular, but this was just his second Main Event appearance as part of Indus Sher. For Mensah, it was his Main Event debut, and he did well.

Jinder Mahal looks very comfortable in the elder statesman role because he’s a very experienced performer now who has worked at the top level and been in big title matches in the past.

Dar and Mensah tried their best to inject some action into the match, but it quickly became a series of slow double-team moves from Veer and Sanga, cutting the ring in half and using quick tags. Everything was made to look bigger than it was, with the camera kept low to make even an elbow drop look damaging.

Dar got a hot tag after Mensah had been destroyed for a while, but this was quickly thwarted as he and Mensah tried to get Veer off his feet. Veer reversed it into a double suplex in what was probably the highlight of the match.

In the end, Sanga held Dar up as if he was going to use a backbreaker while Veer came off the second rope with a leg drop and they got the win from there.

Ludwig Kaiser defeated Apollo Crews (7:11)

This was a much stronger match than the opener as Kaiser and Crews were great together. It was a genuine 50-50 bout with a real smoothness about how they worked.

While this match marked Kaiser’s Main Event debut, Apollo Crews has been here many, many times before. Yet, it was Crews’ first televised match since August, in a summer where he was a show regular.

They worked quickly together in the opening couple of minutes, but went to an early commercial break when Crews clotheslined Kaiser over the top rope to the floor.

When they came back, although there was a brief rest hold, it was all action as both men tried to get the win. Crews used a belly to back suplex to get some separation and as he was mid-air, Kaiser threw out out his hands in desperation. There’s a lot to like about Kaiser and his instincts are clearly very good.

After Crews hit his standing moonsault, he went up to the top rope. Kaiser had it scouted and nailed Crews with a kick to the head. At some point here Kaiser had bloodied his nose, but it made it look all the more cool when he hooked in his finisher and glared at the hard cam.

He held Crews a bit like you would for a Sister Abigail, but hooked his arm behind Crews’ neck so that he could transition into a DDT to get the win.

There was a lot to like and enjoy here but, sadly, I don’t think Kaiser is about to become a Main Event regular anytime soon.

WWE Main Event results: Akira Tozawa vs. Wes Lee

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Two good matches and two Main Event debuts helped to freshen up the feel of the show this week.

Kayden Carter w/Katana Chance defeated Blair Davenport (5:07)

These two worked well together, giving it their all and making it look good. Carter has a new finisher that feels like it could get over well.

Davenport made her main roster debut here, having gained a fair bit of traction over on NXT. Her win at Halloween Havoc over Gigi Dolin was the latest in a long line of victories since she joined the company from Stardom in 2021.

Davenport took control in the early going, thwarting Carter. Chance played cheerleader on the outside, trying to rally Carter who found herself locked in a Boston Crab.

When Carter broke the hold on the ropes, she made her come back. She got a near fall with a springboard leg drop but quickly found herself in trouble again as she ate a forearm to the face for a two count.

After Carter nailed Davenport with a boot to the face, she used a rope-hung pedigree for her finish, yelling ‘Party over!’ before she hit the move. 

We were told on commentary that she is calling it The Hangover, but it’s a creative move that the crowd certainly seemed to dig.

Akira Tozawa w/Maxine Dupri defeated Wes Lee (7:02)

This was a good, solid match that got going after the commercials when they started to really go back and forth.

It’s been pleasing to see Tozawa finally get something thrown his way on Raw after serving such a long time on Main Event. He is always value for money, so it will be good to see how they use him as he joins up with Alpha Academy.

This match marked Wes Lee’s first match on a main roster show and he did well. The former NXT North American champion has worked with other top talent lately over on NXT, with match-ups against the likes of Dominik Mysterio and Mustafa Ali.

After a sweet tope from Lee to nail Tozawa on the outside, they returned from the ads with Tozawa struggling to get out of a hammerlock. Dupri looked concerned on the outside and was slamming her hands on the apron to get Tozawa to break the hold.

Tozawa got out and used the ropes to get a head scissors, before nailing Lee with a high knee and top rope missile drop kick. It wasn’t enough to get the job done and the pair started to trade blows in the middle of the ring.

Lee and Tozawa went down and Tozawa was up first. He slowly climbed outside and began to climb the ropes, but Lee charged. He missed and ate a head kick to leave him prone for the senton that gave Tozawa his third straight win on this show.

WWE Main Event results: Akira Tozawa vs. Nathan Frazer

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Two fine matches, with returns to the show from NXT talent Trick Williams and Nathan Frazer, made for a solid episode again this week.

Chad Gable (w/ Otis and Maxine Durpis) defeated Trick Williams (5:39)

This was ok for what it was. It’s always fun seeing someone like Chad Gable on this show because he’s always entertaining. He and Williams did well together, but nothing too dazzling here.

It was September of last year when Gable and Otis were last on Main Event, but back then they were in tag action against Mustafa Ali and Shelton Benjamin.

Meanwhile, Trick Williams has worked this show three times and is yet to get his hand raised, with his last outing against Akira Tozawa back in March.

They did some neat mat work early on, reversing each other and trying to get quick pins. Gable came off the second rope with a headbutt but couldn’t get it done as Williams fought his way out of the ankle lock.

There was a little bit of sloppiness in the closing moments, but they covered it over with Williams missing a charge to the corner before Gable hit a German and used the Chaos Theory suplex to get the pin.

Akira Tozawa defeated Nathan Frazer (7:22)

This was a good, solid match but it never peaked to where you’d think it might. Tozawa has been superb on Main Event this year and gets nowhere enough credit for the job he does.

So, these two had this match back in May on this show and it was Tozawa who also got the victory there, but I hadn’t realized that they then faced off in NXT last month with Frazer getting one back over on him.

As is often the pattern in Tozawa matches, he took a beating early on and it culminated with Frazer hitting a tope onto Tozawa as we took what felt like a very early break for the adverts.

When they returned, Frazer had a submission hold locked in. They rested like this for a while until Tozawa worked his way out and hit an enzuigiri and a top rope back elbow for two.

The finish was all built around the pair on the top rope. Frazer missed a splash, but Tozawa was able to connect with his senton to get the win.

It felt like Frazer ought to have won this one because it doesn’t really help to elevate Tozawa, but otherwise, this was a good curtain-jerker for this pre-Raw crowd.

WWE Main Event results: Akira Tozawa vs. Axiom

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Two good matches this week, with an appearance from the very talented Axiom to boot, made this a very pleasant experience indeed.

Nikki Cross defeated Kiana James (5:07)

This was a good five-minute match where James was able to get over who she is as a character, whilst also showing off her moveset.

Kiana James hasn’t appeared on Main Event in over a year. Believe it or not, she wrestled Asuka the last time she worked an episode. Asuka is a dream opponent for anyone on Raw, let alone on this minnow of a show.

James plays the heel really well, she appears to be a businesswoman who has the power to manipulate anyone who stands in her way. She’s got a great smile and so if they wanted to turn her babyface later down the line, that’d work too.

She hit a great-looking belly to back suplex, but unfortunately, they stuck a body scissors spot in the middle, which always look a little bit hokey for my taste. Credit to Cross who sold it like the move was squeezing the life out of her.

The finish saw Cross go for a bulldog, but she was posted as James halted it. James hit the 401K but Cross kicked out. After some back and forth, Cross used a swinging DDT and The Purge to get the win.

Akira Tozawa defeated Axiom (8:48)

This was an excellent match by Main Event standards. Tozawa is always value for money and here despite winning, he played his role just right to allow Axiom to get over with the live crowd.

Axiom has only had the opportunity to appear on a main roster show once before and it was this one in December last year. He was able to work with Mustafa Ali and they were tremendous together.

It was nice to see here that they resisted the temptation to put him up against a giant, like a Bronson Reed, and instead went with something that would be far more entertaining.

This was a really carefully crafted match. It had everything you would want: a ton of grappling and intricate mat work early on, some high spots and some late drama before the victor was crowned.

It’s hard to believe that they haven’t worked together before, because the timing was there. Before the break, they worked really hard on the mat and then Axiom did a springboard moonsault onto Tozawa on the outside as they went to the ads.

Tozawa was in control after the commercials and did a sweet spot where he did a kip up into a German before heading up to the top rope.

In the end, the top rope played a big part in the finish. They fought up there and did a wicked-looking Spanish Fly for a near fall before Tozawa got the upper hand and used the senton to get his hand raised.

WWE Main Event results: Nikki Cross vs. Kayden Carter

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the SAP Center in San Jose, California before Monday’s episode of Raw.

These matches were just last week’s shuffled around and since the releases a few weeks ago, the show feels like it has a more limited pool of talent to work with. This was the third straight week that Main Event offered an all-women’s card.

Indi Hartwell defeated Xia Li (5:19)

This was just there really, not much to shout about at all but it told a story of sorts in which Hartwell’s knee wouldn’t hold and yet she still got her hand raised against the odds.

Hartwell has done really well on Main Event since she started getting some main roster action back in February of this year. Only a couple of defeats to Dana Brooke and Nikki Cross, but otherwise lots of wins. She also worked a three-way on NXT this past week and is certainly getting her minutes in.

The crowd liked Hartwell and didn’t like Li much, and they especially didn’t like her when she started to work over Hartwell’s left knee. She used a kind of knee bar, almost a half Boston crab to get Hartwell hobbling in discomfort.

Li telegraphed everything after this far too much so it was relatively easy for Hartwell to get the win. She dodged a charge and hit a cool-looking spinebuster. Then she missed a high knee and ate a facebuster to allow Hartwell to get the win.

Nikki Cross defeated Kayden Carter (6:54)

Cross’ finisher, The Purge, is proving decisive on Main Event these days and it once again got it done here. Carter took most of this one and although better than the opener, wasn’t anything special.

Cross is quite active on her socials and built up this one on X this week, as well as reposting some positive press from others.

As she normally does in these matches, she gave Carter plenty of chances to take control and show off what she can do. Cross is very good in this sort of spot.

Cross hit a Stinger Splash and a Michinoku Driver before she went for and missed a top rope cross-body. Carter seized the opportunity and locked in a submission hold. It didn’t feel like the finish and it wasn’t.

Cross crawled her way to the ropes to break the hold and then quickly managed to counter Carter to hit The Purge for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Nikki Cross vs. Xia Li

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Another all-women’s edition of the show made for nice viewing, but nothing really dazzled. Everyone worked hard but, all told, this was a missable show.

Indi Hartwell defeated Kayden Carter (w/Katana Chance) (6:06)

Neither Hartwell nor Carter did anything wrong here, they just didn’t really use the time they were given and so the match felt like it was just there.

This was just the second singles match these two have had but they’ve certainly been on opposing teams in NXT tag matches several times in recent years.

This was Carter’s second appearance on Main Event and she remains winless. Hartwell has been booked evenly on the show, having traded wins recently with Dana Brooke before she was released.

Chance was on the outside cheerleading but didn’t really add much. Hartwell hit a spinebuster in the last few minutes which looked cool, and they both took time to gather themselves.

Carter then dodged a stomp and swept Hartwell off her feet. She did a neat springboard leg drop but only got a near fall from it.

In the end, Hartwell got the win with a modified full nelson she transitions into a flapjack. Carter and Chance were left to lick their wounds.

Nikki Cross defeated Xia Li (6:26)

This was the better of the two matches, but much like the opener, it dragged a little and would have been better if they had shaved off a couple of minutes.

It’s rare that they give the two matches on Main Event a similar amount of time. This one was longer because they shoved a commercial break in part way through, but was otherwise a similar length to the opener.

Cross is a new regular on this show and generally gets her hand raised. They seem to trust her to take the lead against greener talent and you wonder whether she may take on a trainer-type role in her later years.

Li was sporting new red and black ring gear which looks very cool. She also has face paint to match, so her overall presentation is way better. I’m still not convinced by her overall, but Cross gave her loads here to show off what she can do.

Li had Cross draped over the apron at one point and used a leg drop before going outside and banging the dasher boards to try to rally the crowd.

There were times when Li was getting frustrated by not being able to get it done and with her new face paint the way she screamed into the mat gave her a renewed intensity that looked a lot more believable.

Cross took a beating, but it was a tilt-a-whirl DDT and her finisher, a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker I believe she calls The Purge, that earned her the victory.

WWE Main Event results: Tegan Nox vs. Xia Li

Posted on by James Cox

WWE Main Event was taped at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, before Monday’s Raw.

In an all-women’s edition of the show, there was some decent wrestling offered with Tegan Nox vs. Xia Li offering the most engaging action on this week’s show.

Nikki Cross defeated Indi Hartwell (5:28)

This was fine for what it was and it was good to see Hartwell going up against another experienced hand even if it didn’t go her way in the end.

It will be interesting to see how this show changes over the coming weeks, given the releases that have taken place in the company. Regulars over the last few years such as Mustafa Ali, Dana Brooke, Shelton Benjamin, Emma, and Riddick Moss all being gone means the landscape of this show will look very different.

Cross and Hartwell worked well together with Cross leading the action. They did a chinlock spot which is always a frustration in these short matches, especially with a crowd that is eager for the Raw episode that is to come.

After Hartwell got a two count from a spinebuster, Cross regained the advantage and they went to the finish. Cross used a DDT to plant Hartwell and then came off the top rope with a crossbody to get the win.

That isn’t much of a finisher, but it got the job done for Cross, who has only lost once in 11 matches on Main Event this year.

Tegan Nox defeated Xi Li (7:04)

They told a story here with Li working over Nox’s knee. The crowd was certainly behind Nox, who is easy to like.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio this past week that it had been the plan for Nox to take on Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Title on Raw, but for whatever reason, that plan was changed and Natalya took her place. Instead, Nox found herself back on Main Event this week where she has been a semi-regular since May.

Before the break, they were very much equal with some intricate pinning combinations. Li changed things up when she went after Nox’s left knee and they went to the break with her lying on the outside of the ring in pain.

After the ads, it was very much Li focusing on Nox’s knee, but Nox did a tremendous job of selling the pain. Li used a half-crab, which was built up on commentary. When Nox did eventually get to her feet, she was unsteady and sold it as if she couldn’t bear weight on her left leg.

Nox was just about able to rally and muster a Stinger splash before kicking out of a suplex. She then ducked an enzuigiri from Li, which enabled her to hit the Shining Wizard for the pin and win.

This was a neat little match with a neat little story — made all the better for the reaction that Nox got from the crowd.