Tag: WWE Main Event

WWE Main Event results: Tony D’Angelo, Damon Kemp debut

Posted on by James Cox

Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before Monday’s Raw. It featured the debuts of two NXT regulars in Damon Kemp and Tony D’Angelo.

Shelton Benjamin defeated Damon Kemp (5:49)

This was a good match with Kemp looking good and getting a handshake from Benjamin after the match. It was good to see how Benjamin gave most of the match to Kemp.

On his way to the ring, they gave Kemp an inset promo in which he put himself over as the new “gold standard” in WWE. Both men are University of Minnesota alumni, but Kemp claimed that it was time for Benjamin to move over.

So while Kemp has worked some 205 Live tapings, this was his first Main Event outing and, as you might expect, they did lots of mat work early on.

The turning point was when Kemp got the better of Benjamin that led to him rolling out of the ring to take a breather. When he climbed back in, Kemp went for a handshake and slapped Benjamin as he accepted it. The veteran’s facial expression at the disrespect shown was a picture.

Benjamin took a beating from there on out with very little hope. He finally rallied after kicking out of a Perfect Plex. Shelton nailed Kemp with a German suplex and a splash to the corner before hitting Paydirt for the win.

To his credit, Benjamin gave Kemp the benefit of the doubt in storyline and, in shaking his hand, showed him that he respected him after the bell.

Akira Tozawa defeated Tony D’Angelo (7:12)

A rare win for Tozawa went over well with the crowd and D’Angelo played his part perfectly in helping that happen. This was good, basic stuff but had one of the most engaged crowds for a Main Event match in recent memory.

They replayed Tozawa’s loss against Bronson Reed from last week’s show and Tozawa came out with his ribs and abdomen taped up, selling the loss. At the time, the match was far from a squash, but the replay made Redd look like a force to be reckoned with.

D’Angelo was great here in the early going. He was surly and looked at Tozawa like he was nothing. He looked huge in his white vest next to Tozawa, who flipped all over for him. Two big moves before the break looked really impressive: an inverted backbreaker and a power bomb.

After a long abdominal stretch on the other side of the commercials, the crowd rallied behind Tozawa who hit a top rope elbow for a two count. D’Angelo hit a vicious clothesline for two before they went to the finish.

They teased a top rope suplex but Tozawa fought his way out and with D’Angelo laying in position, he looked at the crowd who roared with approval. Tozawa hit the top rope senton and they counted along for the win.

Final Thoughts:

This was good stuff on the show this week. It’s always a pleasure to see some fresh faces on Main Event and both newbies did well. The key is to give them opponents who know what they’re doing and with Benjamin and Tozawa, they got more than a safe pair of hands. 

WWE Main Event results: Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross, Bronson Reed in action

Posted on by James Cox

Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Bronson Reed defeated Akira Tozawa (4:45)

This was fine for what it was. Reed looked strong but not invincible as Tozawa managed to get in lots of offense in this short match.

Reed returned to Main Event for the first time since June 2021 when he made his debut on this very show. Then, it was Drew Gulak who he destroyed but this week, it was another destruction of Tozawa.

They aired a replay of Reed defeating Tozawa on Raw last week leading to Kevin Patrick quite rightly asking why Tozawa would accept another match with Reed after what happened. Byron Saxton posited that it must be that Tozawa wanted to prove himself.

At first, this looked like it would be an extended squash, but it turned into much more as Tozawa spent most of the bout trying to topple Reed. Unfortunately, rest holds were involved, but the crowd got behind the Tozawa’s plucky attempts.

Not only did Tozawa manage to take Reed off his feet, but he planted him with a DDT after a suicide dive to the outside. The crowd loved this and began to cheer even more for him.

It was, of course, all for naught as Reed rolled out of the way of Tozawa’s senton and finished him off with a top rope splash to continue his unbeaten run since his return to the company.

Nikki Cross defeated Dana Brooke (7:22)

This was fine with Cross trying to get her new maniacal character over.

They aired a backstage segment where Cross appeared to be chalking something on the back of some equipment while laughing insanely. She looked at the camera and shushed us.

These two have worked together a lot, both on the road and on this show. They have both got better over the last few years through different character iterations with Brooke very much the smiling babyface and Cross the unhinged heel here.

They went 50/50 in the early minutes until Cross trapped Brooke between the apron and the ring and pummelled her, before grinning creepily as we went to the commercials.

They traded pin attempts after the break until Cross used a chicken wing and a half Boston crab to wear Brooke down. When she finally worked her way out, they clashed in the middle and both went down.

Brooke was up first and used the opportunity to make her comeback with a splash to the corner and a running bulldog.

But in the end, Cross grabbed Brooke out of a blocked cartwheel and finished her with the Whiplash. Brooke sold it like she was out cold to make it two in two for Cross against Brooke this year.

As the ref checked on Brooke, Cross rocked back and forth on the apron. I think I liked her better as Nikki ASH.

Final Thoughts:

There was nothing much to write home about this week as there were no continued storylines or feuds. The run of NXT call-ups also halted this week, but it was fun to see Reed back in action, especially as Tozawa is always such good value.

WWE Main Event results: Dexter Lumis vs. Charlie Dempsey

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, before Monday’s episode of Raw.

Dana Brooke defeated Zoey Stark (4:34)

This was once again a good match from these two in a rematch from a few weeks back on this very show.

Before the match, they showed how Stark beat Brooke last time in addition to an inset promo from Stark saying that this match would end in exactly the same way.

The early going was even here with Stark employing the same tactics as she did in their last match. Simply put, she likes to pull hair. I had nothing against this, actually, as they used it in a fairly creative way.

They did a few quick pins before Stark applied a chin lock. There are so many more creative ways to save energy and I would be happy to never see another chin lock ever again. Odyssey Jones was a good model of how to avoid them in his match against Akira Tozawa on Main Event last week.

Stark hit a German suplex on Brooke but she rolled out of the ring before Stark could capitalize.

As we headed to the finish, Stark tried a top rope seated moonsault, but Brooke rolled out of the way and went up for a crossbody. Stark rolled it through into a pin, but Brooke kicked out. Stark then tried to hit her finisher but Brooke had it scouted and grabbed a quick roll-up for the win.

The story here was how Brooke had learned from her mistakes last time. With the honors now even between the two, it would be good to see the trilogy match on Main Event. However, Stark would definitely benefit from working with a range of other main roster talent because she seems like a good fit.

Dexter Lumis defeated Charlie Dempsey (8:13)

This went too long but allowed Dempsey to show what he can do. For both, this was their show debut, but that may mean very different things for both guys.

They gave Dempsey a little vignette to hype him. He came across as very earnest, criticizing the social media generation and putting himself across as a serious pro wrestler. It then flashed to Lumis putting his gloves on as he stared down the barrel of the camera.

Byron Saxton explained that Dempsey uses the deck of cards training method where the next card dictates what you do next in your workout.

Later, Lumis and Dempsey met backstage. Dempsey said he was fine that Lumis didn’t talk much because he would take great pleasure in making the first noise that came out of his mouth a scream. Lumis stared him down and then handed him a joker card before leaving.

They sized each other up before Lumis took the early going. After Lumis worked over his right arm, he mounted Dempsey in the corner for ten strikes and nailed him with a big boot so that they could head a commercial break.

After the break, there were some nice spots with Dempsey tying up Lumis and using some seldom seen moves like the double hammerlock and a neat dragon screw leg whip. The crowd seem to really like Dempsey as he gives them something different with a real air of William Regal and Bryan Danielson about him that blends in well.

In the end, Dempsey had a submission hold locked in but, Lumis fought his way out with a one arm slam, before putting Dempsey in a kata gatame (which they call Silence) for the win.

Final Thoughts:

Charlie Dempsey made a big impression and it would be great to see him more on this show. Equally, however, Stark should get more airtime. As I have said in the past, though, Main Event is a much more interesting show as a platform for new talent or a playground to try out new ideas and that was very much the theme this week.

WWE Main Event results: Mustafa Ali vs. Von Wagner

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped last Monday at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, before Monday’s Raw.

Odyssey Jones defeated Akira Tozawa (4:23)

This was a pretty basic match with Jones getting his second win in his second-ever appearance on Main Event.

Back in August 2021, Jones made his debut on this show, defeating Austin Theory. It seems hard to imagine that happening now and just shows how radically things change in pro wrestling.

They gave the very excitable Jones an inset promo as he made his way to the ring. He’s going to need some work on who his character is, but he’s certainly likeable.

Tozawa is perfect in this role. He is an excellent opponent for a less experienced talent because he is so giving and will always bump all over the ring to make them look better. This was certainly true here.

They didn’t go for restholds which was a welcome relief and instead while Tozawa tried his best to take Jones off his feet, Jones worked over his left arm and wrist.

When Tozawa did eventually topple the big man and get a cover on him after a top rope spinning elbow, Jones kicked out and pushed Tozawa off him with Tozawa launching himself up in the air like he had been attached to a rocket.

But when Tozawa went up top again, it was one time too many as Jones dodged it and used a spinning side slam to get the victory.

After the match, they shook hands and hugged with Jones showing respect as he was playing the babyface.

Mustafa Ali defeated Von Wagner (7:35)

All things considered, this was a match that had some context and allowed them to tell a good story.

Before the match, they aired some backstage footage from earlier in the day when Wagner was arriving in the building. He was rude to the camera crew and Ali intervened, calling him out on being a bully. The segment ended with Ali saying he was going to get payback for what Wagner did to Cedric Alexander two months ago.

As he made his way to the ring, they aired the beatdown that Wagner gave to Alexander that led to a DQ in addition to a post-match angle where he continued to destroy Alexander. The announcers tried to put him over as a force to reckoned with.

This all played well into how Ali was received by the crowd when he came out as well as throughout the match with Ali trying to build up their support as the two circled each other after the bell.

Before the break. it was pretty much all Wagner with little bits of hope for Ali snuffed out as soon as they got going. Ali was on the apron when Wagner grabbed him by the throat and drilled him into the ring post to leave him writhing in pain as we headed to the commercials.

After the ads, every time Ali got some separation, he was thwarted by Wagner and the match overall did a good job in making him look strong.

For the finish, they teased a top rope superplex but when Ali reversed it into a sunset flip, his face was a picture. The crowd reacted knowing that it meant he had a chance. With Wagner down, Ali seized it and hit his 450 splash for the victory.

Ali celebrated and Wagner retreated to the back selling his ribs from the splash.

Final Thoughts:

These were two perfectly watchable matches with the second being the better of the two this week. It would be good to see them return to the Alexander, Ali and Benjamin storyline at some stage as they have really fully resolved it and none of the trio have much material on WWE main show television right now.

WWE Main Event results: Shelton Benjamin 20th anniversary celebration

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, before Monday’s Raw. As this is the first Main Event of 2022, happy new year, everyone!

Nikki Cross defeated Dana Brooke (5:30)

This was fine with a cheap finish that suits Cross’ current character.

As she was walking to the ring, Cross had an inset promo of sorts. She paced up and down saying, “It’s going to be mine” before laughing maniacally into the camera.

Under her old moniker of Nikki ASH, Cross was quite a regular on Main Event, but has only made four appearances on the show in 2022 and none since last June.

They went back and forth the whole match with Cross using Brooke’s hair as much as she could to get the upper hand. Brooke kicked out of a spear and Cross kicked out of a backslide.

They both went down after stereo clotheslines until Brooke got up first for the hope spot.

In the end, Cross dodged the charge from Brooke into the corner and then went for a sleeper. With her back to the referee, she used her right hand to rack Brooke’s eyes that allowed her to finish her off with a swinging neckbreaker.

After the bell, they went to a Schism promo backstage saying that Rip Fowler would be facing Shelton Benjamin on his own tonight.

Shelton Benjamin defeated Rip Fowler (w/ Jagger Reid) (5:00)

This was fine and gave Benjamin a nice win after the inevitable interference finish.

Before the match, they played a package to celebrate Shelton Benjamin’s 20 Years in WWE. There were clips of his debut, his ladder matches, and his work with some of the biggest stars in the business. The talking heads were great with Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle being the pick of the bunch. They did a good job here.

The match took a while to get going, drawing a few boos from the audience when Fowler tried to slow things down with a rear chin lock. Fowler booted Benjamin outside as we went to the break and when we came back, the dreaded chin lock was still locked in.

Benjamin fought out with a suplex and then traded blows with Fowler. Reid hit the ring but got nailed with a Paydirt. Fowler then came off the second rope with a Codebreaker and it looked like it was all over.

Benjamin kicked out and fired up with three German suplexes before finishing Fowler off with an old school t-bone suplex.

After the match Benjamin shook Fowler’s hand and then got on the mic to cut a promo. He said he wanted to thank the fans and WWE for allowing him to live out his childhood dream. The crowd burst into a “Thank you, Shelton’ chant before he reassured everyone that he was not done and was still “The Gold Standard.”

Final Thoughts:

The Benjamin video package was great and the fans reaction to his win and promo were tremendous, but none of this should’ve be tucked away on a show like Main Event. Otherwise, there wasn’t much to go out of your way to see this week.

WWE Main Event results: Axiom vs. Mustafa Ali, Andre Chase in action

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa before Monday’s Raw.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Cedric Alexander defeated Andre Chase (5:09)

Chase looked perfectly fine here in his main roster debut.

As he made his way to the ring, Chase got an inset promo where he said his students were on winter break. As a producer tried to wrap him up, he started cutting a promo on the guy behind the camera which included an f-bomb that was bleeped out.

If you’re not familiar, the WWE NXT regular is tall and works in a red Chase U sweater along with slacks and a white collared shirt. 

He and Alexander shock hands at the bell. They did lots of neat, intricate mat work early on. In a strange little peek behind the curtain, Kevin Patrick mentioned that these two know each other well from working indies back in North Carolina.

Chase hit a sit-out powerbomb for two and went up top, but Alexander had it scouted. He rolled through but Alexander was able to nail him with the Neutraliser before using a scoop brainbuster to get the win.

As Saxton pointed out, the win took Alexander to 7-0 against NXT competitors on Main Event.

Mustafa Ali defeated Axiom (7:09)

This was very good. They worked a slow start but got the crowd behind them as they got into it. Axiom had a very solid main roster debut here.

They did lots of chinlocks, wristlocks and chain wrestling early on. When Axiom got the better of Ali, he looked dazed and bewildered which the crowd liked very much. After lots of back and forth, they went to a commercial break when Axiom hit a beautiful top rope springboard moonsault to Ali on the outside.

After the break, Ali took control until Axiom (the former A-Kid in NXT UK) locked in a sleeper hold. When he got out of it, Axiom came off the top rope but Ali quickly got to his feet and sliced him in half with a dropkick. Axiom kicked out just before three for a false finish.

The crowd got into this as they started trading near falls. Axiom looked to have it won with a guillotine submission hold, but when Ali turned it into a power bomb, he left him prone. Ali finished him off with his 450 splash to get the win.

After the replays, Ali raised Axiom’s hand to crowd to put him over. There was a real sense of appreciation here and an understanding that Axiom on the main roster would do absolutely fine.

Final Thoughts:

There was some good wrestling this week on Main Event. They do debuts well when they put guys up against the right kind of opponent. Alexander and Ali can get good work out of just about anyone, but Axiom and Chase hardly looked incongruous here. More of this next week would be fine by me!

WWE Main Event results: Kylie Rae debuts, Edris Enofe & Malik Blade in action

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before Monday’s Raw and featured debuts and returns of sorts.

Dana Brooke defeated Briana Ray (6:13)

This was a decent offering from the two, running slightly longer than they usually allow for these openers. Ray, the former Kylie Rae, should be happy with how she did in her debut.

In the latest round of debutantes to try out against either Dana Brooke or, more inexplicably, Tamina, Ray took center stage for this one. Apparently, ‘Kylie’ was for no good for some reason so they went with Briana and a different spelling of Rae.

Having had her own personal battles, it was probably cathartic for Rae to get the appearance on the show despite being on the losing end.

They were very evenly matched and slowed things down with a couple of chin locks in the early going, but it really wasn’t clear which way the pendulum was going to swing.

In the end, Brooke was on the top rope and managed to fight off what looked to be a superplex attempt by Ray, finishing things with a swanton to grab the win.

Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali defeated Edris Enofe & Malik Blade (7:01)

This was a good, but felt like it should have been even better given who was involved.

Backstage before the match, Ali and Alexander were in conference. They were kind on the same page and kind of not, but made it clear that Ali was still wanting to fight for the U.S. title even though he was on this show.

It’s been a few weeks since Ali has been on this show. It’s a shame that he can’t just be on the main roster, but it probably feels better for him to be involved in good tag team bouts on Main Event rather than being pummelled and belittled by the likes of Lashley on Raw.

Enofe and Blade have been NXT Level Up guys and this marked their first true main roster TV match as they made 2021 appearances on 205 Live. Both are still a little bit green, but certainly look the part and couldn’t have asked for better opponents.

Things started off with a handshake and we ended up at the commercial break with Ali getting frustrated, yanking Enofe out from under the ropes and slamming him into the dasherboards.

After the break, Ali and Alexander were very much in control. After lots of near falls, it ended with Alexander hitting the Michinoku Driver and Ali pinning Blade after the 450 splash.

Final Thoughts:

Both matches were ok, but when you have new faces, the quality of the match is sometimes outweighed by the intrigue in seeing how the debutants will fair. Long may this continue, but it would also be good to see some of these talents debut with strong wins that make a point.

WWE Main Event results: Trick Williams, Katana Chance in action

Posted on by Josh Nason

This week’s WWE Main Event action was taped prior to this past Monday’s Raw and featured more WWE NXT stars getting a main roster look in Trick Williams and Katana Chance.

I can’t lie to you: these matches were pretty awful.

Katana Chance defeated Tamina

Chance (the former Kacy Catanzaro) is one half of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and did a very bland inset promo to kick things off. In the WWE system since 2018, she made her main roster debut in 2019 in the women’s Royal Rumble and has had several dark matches but has primarily been in NXT.

This was pretty bad. Tamina used her significant size advantage throughout the match, nearly finishing Chance with a superkick before pulling her up at two. Chance then got a pinning combination off a counter for the unconvincing win. 

– Trick Williams was walking backstage and talking to Carmelo Hayes on the phone. He walked up on Cedric Alexander and asked where his dressing room was and threw him the keys to his car as he didn’t know who Alexander was.

Williams then ran down Alexander, laughing because Hayes beat Alexander before. Alexander told Williams to send Hayes a message and then slapped him. Williams is so comfortable with his character that he’s a can’t miss…if he can figure it out in the ring.

In a later segment, Williams brought the cameraman into the gym as Alexander was injured and favoring his neck, saying that is what happens when you disrespect him.

Cedric Alexander defeated Trick Williams

As expected, Alexander came out firing with chops and kicks, ready to show Williams who he was following both the disrespect and the backstage attack.

This was a pretty basic match that Alexander was rolling with until Williams hit a pop-up uppercut to get control. He continued to roll with pretty basic offense leading to…the dreaded mid-match rest hold. 

Alexander eventually got back into this, waiting for what felt like 30 minutes for Williams to get into position for a second rope flatliner. 

Then, there was a horrendous sequence where Williams hit a spinning kick and Alexander wasn’t close enough to the ropes upon falling. The ref then was counting but was in the way of Alexander getting his foot to the rope. Alexander attempted and the ref called it like he did…even though the camera was right there and he clearly didn’t. Woof.

Alexander got the win off a Lumbar Check counter to end a match that was not very good. I am wondering if this was designed to be a motivator of some sort to Williams.

WWE Main Event results: Joe Gacy, Zoey Stark in action

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s edition of WWE Main Event was taped at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia before Monday’s Raw and featured the show debuts of both Joe Gacy and Zoey Stark.

Zoey Stark defeated Dana Brooke (5:41)

This was a good match, all things considered. Brooke has really improved in the last few years and she and Stark worked well together here.

Stark’s debut on Main Event is the latest in a long line of NXT call-ups to this show over the last few months. Of all the women’s matches that they have put on involving debutantes, this was one of the better ones.

Stark has been with the company for a little over a year, having been around the indies throughout the 2010s and has some impressive moves in her arsenal, in addition to selling well for opponents.

The highlights here included a second rope superplex that left both selling for some time and a neat little springboard corkscrew move that saw Stark land on Brooke with her back.

In the end, Stark kind of pulled a move out of nowhere to finish it. She used a belly-to-back modified GTS that they’re calling the Z 360 to get the win.

It was good to Brooke put Stark over and will be interesting to find out if we see any more of Stark on main roster television moving forward.

Cedric Alexander defeated Joe Gacy (8:00)

This was a good debut match for Gacy as he and Alexander worked with a real smoothness that you rarely see in a first meeting.

The early going was a little slow for my taste, but after the commercial and in the last few moments, they really hit their stride and did some good, explosive stuff.

Early on, Alexander refused a handshake and Gacy used lots of stomps, kicks and chin locks. He had a snarl on his face when he locked in the rest holds which would lend itself to him being a good heel in the future.

After the break, Alexander sent Gacy outside with a German suplex and then hit a suicide dive. He then used a really impressive flatliner where he sprung off the middle rope to give him momentum as he re-entered the ring.

After Alexander kicked out of a side slam, he then missed the Neutraliser, but managed to counter Gacy’s handsprung clothesline attempt to roll him up and snatch the win.

Final Thoughts:

These were two very watchable matches this week on Main Event which left the fans happy as they waited for Raw to begin. The debuts continue which is good to see, but it would be nice to see some of the more impressive performers – like Stark and Gacy – get rewarded with another run on this show.

WWE Main Event results: Grayson Waller, Alba Fyre in action

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York before Monday’s Raw, featuring the show premieres of both Grayson Waller and Alba Fyre.

Alba Fyre defeated Tamina (5:19)

This wasn’t a very good match, but Fyre looked good in the latter stages and it was good to see her get a debut win.

The former Kay Lee Ray of NXT fame, Fyre got her first taste of main roster television on the show. Other than losses to current NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose, she’s been on quite a streak of wins this year. They gave her an inset promo as she came to the ring, saying that she would scorch anyone who got in her way tonight. I see what they did there.

For some reason, they keep using Tamina as the opponent for these debutants from the women’s division of NXT despite really not being the right person for the role. Her matches are often pretty turgid and this one was no different.

After two long rear chin locks that Fyre fought out of, only to be put back into, there was finally some separation. Things got a little confused and sloppy where it looked like Tamina was supposed to nail her with a clothesline, but Fyre didn’t take it or sell it as such.

In the end, Fyre used kicks to take Tamina off her feet and left her in position for a finisher with a tilt-a-whirl DDT. She then went up top and used a senton bomb to get the win.

Akira Tozawa defeated Grayson Waller (7:15)

This was a solid match that saw a rare win for Tozawa, who really is deserving of more given the performances he puts in each week on this show. Waller did well here on his Main Event debut and first main roster match since an October 2021 205 Live match.

Backstage before the match, Shelton Benjamin approached Tozawa to urge him to get the win tonight in honor of R-Truth. Although they didn’t explicitly reference it, it was Waller who beat Truth three weeks ago on NXT when Truth got injured.

Like Fyre, this was Grayson Waller’s show debut after having been in NXT for around 18 months. At 32, it’s probably time to make an impact for the Sydney, Australia-born NXT star.

Waller has a really nice moveset and moves around the ring with ease. He looked like a bully as he towered over Tozawa, but they chose to play the angle where Tozawa stole the win to make Waller feel disrespected.

After some really neat work between the two, in which the pace ebbed and flowed nicely, Waller came off the second rope with an elbow for two and followed it up with an impressive leg lariat for another near fall.

He then hoisted Tozawa up on his shoulders but Tozawa fought his way out and managed to roll Waller up for a quick count three.

As he celebrated, Waller was questioning the finish with the ref and then turned nasty, attacking Tozawa and leaving him for dead with a power bomb. What made no sense, though, was that Benjamin didn’t come out to make the save after what he had said to Tozawa backstage earlier.

Final Thoughts:

Two matches, two debuts and one good performance, but WWE Main Event continues to be so much the better for the new faces, the continuity and backstage and inset promos each week.

These little changes have made all the difference. Credit to both Waller and Tozawa who did a nice job here, but Tozawa is really due for a main roster run of some kind after more than serving his time here on this show.

WWE Main Event results: JD McDonagh debuts, Asuka in action

Posted on by James Cox

This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, before Monday’s Raw.

Asuka defeated Kiana James (4:16)

There was nothing much to this one as it was kind of odd to see Asuka on Main Event when she’s at the top of the card in the women’s division. But, the match was fine.

As she made her way to the ring, they aired a James inset promo from earlier in the day. She is still talking up her feud with Dana Brooke from the last few weeks and said that people needed to now “invest” in her.

This was Asuka’s third-ever Main Event appearance and second singles outing, but with the win, here she remains undefeated on this show.

The crowd were more into this type of match than usual, but that makes sense given that its Asuka this early into their Monday night viewing. She gave James a fair amount and let her get a couple of covers in before she finished it off.

James used a couple of scoop slams before slapping on a chin lock. Asuka eventually fired up with strikes and kicks and after she avoided a bulldog, James took a kick to the head for the defeat.

Credit to Asuka as she sold the win as though she had been in a battle and carried it off like the professional that she is, but I’m not sure we’ll be seeing her again on Main Event any time soon.

Cedric Alexander defeated JD McDonagh (8:15)

This was a very strong match by Main Event standards with both men putting in a really good showing with a nice storyline to boot.

It was in June when they announced that Jordan Devlin’s name would be changing as he appeared in a vignette on NXT 2.0 promoting his arrival. But under any moniker, this marked his first taste of main roster WWE television and thus, it was quite the boon for him to get such a fantastic opponent.

The story of this one was McDonagh working over Alexander’s left wrist and arm so that he wasn’t able to operate in quite the same way. Alexander continued to sell his arm in differing ways as the match continued with it actually stopping him from using the Neutralizer after the commercial break.

McDonagh used a moonsault off the second rope onto Alexander on the outside, even managing to land most of it on his left arm. What was clear here was just how much like one of his trainers he is in his gait and mannerisms. Those not watching carefully could have mistaken the moonsault for Finn Balor.

They built to a 50/50 finish with both trading strikes in the middle of the ring until Alexander was able to use an enzuigiri to set up for the Michinoku Driver for the win.

Final Thoughts:

Main Event continues to be a playground for new talent, making the show infinitely more interesting than it used to be. This week really cemented the fact that Cedric Alexander is an excellent wrestler, but also showed that JD McDonagh can more than hang with him and thus, a main roster spot would suit him just fine.

WWE Main Event results: Wendy Choo, Xyon Quinn debut

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 Raw and featured two main roster debuts in NXT’s Wendy Choo and Xyon Quinn.

Wendy Choo defeated Tamina (4:19)

Choo won her debut with a roll up to cap off a fairly meager offering from this pair.

As much as Tamina has some real staying power in WWE, she’s not really the ideal person to make a debut against. As you can imagine, this was all about Choo trying to topple Tamina which doesn’t really make for much fun at the best of times.

Choo tried to avoid everything in the early going until Tamina stomped a mudhole in her and slapped on a headlock rest hold.

Choo rallied slightly and at least managed to take Tamina off her feet at one point. Tamina quickly recovered and only lost due to her own folly, missing a running splash to the corner so Choo could roll her up for the win.

After the bell, Tamina begrudgingly shook Choo’s hand.

– Between matches, Shelton Benjamin was backstage speaking to Dana Brooke which allowed them time to mention that Truth was injured on WWE NXT. Brooke seemed to set up a rematch at some point between her and Kiana James as James basically stole a win from her last week.

Xyon Quinn defeated Akira Tozawa (8:00)

This was pretty good and was given time. Unlike the opener, if you’re debuting on this show, Tozawa is the perfect opponent.

Quinn isn’t someone that we are used to seeing much of on WWE television, but has been on NXT Level Up as of late and on some of the live shows. Hailing from Australia and with a good look, he’s someone they could definitely do something with.

They did a fairly typical Tozawa match. He flipped all over the place for Quinn, because he’s a generous and talented performer, but also made sure to get plenty of his own stuff in there.

We went through the commercials with it looking fairly evenly split before Tozawa locked in his octopus submission hold. They teased that it might be over, but Quinn fought out and turned it into a near fall.

In the end, Tozawa missed an enzuigiri because Quinn ducked which allowed him to slam Tozawa to set up for his finisher which is akin to a Superman punch, but is more like a running punch to the face.

There were some nice signs here that Quinn has what it takes. The way that he set up the finish showed some poise and a good sense of in-ring psychology. We’ll see what they do with him.

Final Thoughts:

This was a decent show, all told, but the opener and the main event were really worlds apart in terms of quality. It’s just so refreshing to have Main Event feature backstage segments and running storylines, no matter how insignificant they may seem. It’s also been fun seeing some new faces over the last few months, so long as that may that continue.

NXT’s Wendy Choo, Xyon Quinn work WWE Main Event taping

Posted on by Joseph Currier

This week’s episode of WWE Main Event will see two more NXT wrestlers in action.

Before Monday night’s Raw in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania went on the air, WWE taped two matches for this week’s edition of Main Event. NXT wrestlers were victorious in both matches. Wendy Choo defeated Tamina, while Xyon Quinn defeated Akira Tozawa.

Choo won her match by rolling up Tamina.

This is the first time that either Choo or Quinn has worked Main Event. Quinn previously wrestled in a dark match before a SmackDown episode in July 2021 and lost to Sheamus on SmackDown during the pandemic era in April 2020.

NXT talent have been featured on Main Event in recent weeks. That’s included Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen, Fallon Henley, Carmelo Hayes, Von Wagner, Cameron Grimes, Duke Hudson, and Kiana James wrestling matches on the show.

WWE Main Event premieres on Hulu each Thursday. The episodes are uploaded to Peacock on a two-week delay.

WWE Main Event results: Truth & Benjamin vs. Hudson & Wagner

Posted on by James Cox

This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, before Monday’s Raw.

Kiana James defeated WWE 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke in non-title action (4:19)

This was fine, but had a kind of lame finish. James is hardly being put over with this kind of booking.

They went back and forth early on with James really pulling out all the cheap shots she could. She was pulling hair and doing anything to get one over on Brooke when the ref’s back was turned.

Brooke used a scoop slam and a cartwheel into a splash for a near fall, but it always felt like they were going to give this one to James.

James rolled outside clutching her face, shouting that she was done and had had enough. She grabbed her bag and started to walk away. Then she launched her bag over the ref into the ring which gave her the chance to eye gouge Brooke, roll back inside and snatch the win with a schoolboy pin.

I suppose it was more of a chance for James to show off her heelish character rather than that she is a threat, but given her size and stature, they should be making her look far more dominant.

R-Truth & Shelton Benjamin defeated Von Wagner & Duke Hudson (8:00)

Before the match they recapped what happened between Truth and Benjamin last week. Then, they did a bit with Wagner and Hudson saying that if Truth and Little Jimmy can win, they will put him through college.

Later, Truth was backstage and was talking to Little Jimmy. It’s been a while, but I’m not sure it’s time to bring that skit back. What? I said ‘skit.’

So, the first half of the match was Truth on his own as they teased that Benjamin had left the arena. Hudson and Wagner slowly and methodically beat Truth up in quite a dull match before we went to the commercials.

Luckily with Truth in trouble after the ads, Benjamin hit the ring and was totally pumped. He was jumping up and down banging the turnbuckle to build the tension as Truth crawled across the ring to give him the hot tag.

He secured the ankle lock on Hudson, but Wagner came in to break it up. Benjamin gave both german suplexes and then did a dive over the top rope onto both. They barely caught him which looked like it sucked.

Back in the ring, Benjamin hit Hudson with a superkick which he sold beautifully and Truth came in to hit him with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Then they hit both with individual Paydirts for the win.

Benjamin was absolutely inspired here and totally saved what would otherwise have been a pretty dull affair. We’ll see what they do after Truth’s injury scare on NXT this week.

Final thoughts:

Both matches were OK, but as has been the case for the last few months, this show is so much better for having storylines and not existing in a vacuum. But, it’s worth watching just to Benjamin back to his vintage best.

WWE Main Event results: Von Wagner vs. Cedric Alexander, Kiana James debut

Posted on by Josh Nason

This week’s red-hot WWE Main Event action was taped prior to Raw in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring the main roster debut of NXT’s Kiana James.

WWE 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke defeated Kiana James in a non-title match

Before the match, Brooke did an inset promo saying she feels like she is coming into her own and wants the competition. This was wooden and fairly awful. James, making her main roster debut, got her own promo which was slightly better, albeit full of WWE-speak.

Unlike with Duke Hudson last week, James (the former Xtina Kay) didn’t connect as a heel with the fans despite her mean scowls and heelish tactics. She has a great look and a physical presence, but is still pretty green.

Brooke won with her spinning neckbreaker to end an otherwise average match. She raised James’ hand afterward and got a forearm shiver for her troubles. Also, there was no mention of the 24/7 title being on the line and as an excellent Main Event Twitter recapper pointed out, why didn’t James just pin her for the title after the attack?

– The continuing saga between sad Shelton Benjamin and R-Truth, well, continued. Truth said everyone has problems but justified his own level of crazy getting him matches against John Cena and The Rock. Benjamin sat stone faced staring straight ahead while Truth talked, eventually standing up, staring at Truth and then leaving.

– Later, Von Wagner confronted Truth about why Benjamin left: “because Truth is an idiot.” He threatened him until Cedric Alexander comes in to defend him as Truth slinks away. Why did Truth’s confidence suddenly disappear minutes after Benjamin left? Maybe this will lead to the long-awaited Wagner vs. Truth rematch.

Cedric Alexander defeated Von Wagner by DQ

Wagner’s look is improving with his longer hair and his beard, but the rest of the package is still very meh. In one forgettable spot, he was supposed to go over the top rope off an Alexander duck, but the timing was off and he just had to jump over. 

Again, the excellent @WordsBig80s points out something about a neck crank that makes its way into so many Main Event matches that I will never be able to unsee:

Alexander eventually rallied from Wagner’s mid-match dominance, hitting three big topes to Wagner on the outside which livened the crowd up. Seconds later, the unfazed Wagner attempted to deliver Snake Eyes to Alexander but botched it, followed by boots in the corner. When he failed to heed the referee’s warning to step away, she called for the…DQ. In a Main Event match.

Wagner continued to beat him down and delivered his finisher. Why couldn’t he have just done that, like, 30 seconds earlier and just pinned him?

Stay tuned next week for the latest in the Benjamin/Truth storyline and whether Alexander gets revenge on Wagner.