WWE Main Event 7th August Review

Main Event this week felt like a battle of the rematches. The Shield took on The Usos and Mark Henry two weeks after defeating them on Raw, Curtis Axel and Sin Cara had thei fifth or sixth match since Axel’s name change, and Natalya and Aksana faced off in Divas action. There wasn’t really a lot to care about on the show this week.

Mark Henry & The Usos 

vs. 

The Shield

When these six competed two weeks ago on Raw, they put in a strong effort that continued to build on what had gone on before in the story. Unfortunately, since then a few things have changed. The Usos no longer seem to be in favour with WWE management and their push seemed to come to an end on Raw when they lost clean to The Real Americans. Also on last weeks Raw, the Shield, consisting of United States Champion Dean Ambrose and Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, seemed to return to their place higher up the card in six man tag team action against WWE Champion John Cena alongside Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, whilst the work they had done with Henry was put on hold. Henry’s momentum of strong performances also took a hit in a poor showing against Ryback that seemingly went nowhere. Therefore heading into this match I was a lot less interested about seeing it, than I was the first time it happened.

The bout itself was decent six man tag action, which took a regular tag team match dynamic, with The Shield containing Jey Uso in their corner for the majority of the match, with some solid, if not particularly interesting work. The crowd were really into the match, in Main Event terms anyway, will Uso to make the tag to Mark Henry, which helped me to get into the match a little bit. Once the tag was made to Henry, after some nice work from Jey, the match really began to pick up, with Henry steamrolling through The Shield looking extremely impressive. For a man his size, Henry is extremely quick in the ring when he wants to be, and this quick burst in a six man tag is good role for him to play, for sure.

The ending saw Henry make the tag to Jimmy Uso, who went to the top rope for Superfly Splash. Reigns pulled Henry out of the ring and the brawled outside. After Uso had hit the Splash on Ambrose, Rollins made the save for his team ambushing Uso with a Blackout, allowing Ambrose to get the victory for The Shield. I really enjoyed the ending to this one, with a lot of action to keep an eye, and the crowd genuinely thought The Usos had got the victory, only for it to snatched away from them in seconds. It would seem The Usos are certainly done with The Shield for now, it would have been nice to see them get one more title shot, and their Money in the Bank Kick Off encounter certainly deserved to have a rematch. Hopefully, we’ll see more of The Usos at the top of the tag team division soon.

Later on, backstage, The Shield went on to cut another hand held promo. The majority of the work was done by Dean Ambrose as he put over himself and his stablemates, as well as their achievements over the last nine months in WWE, including their match with Cena, Bryan and Orton on Raw. It was another strong effort from the group, that was almost ruined by some poor camera work at the end, hopefully this means that The Shield are moving higher up the card again following SummerSlam. Hopefully, there will be some kind of definitive ending to the work they’ve been doing with Mark Henry which has been fairly good, but I’m quite sure what match they could go for. Although with Ambrose professing his United States Championship is more important than the WWE Championship, WWE could be setting up for a match between the two for the title at SummerSlam.

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Elsewhere, Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel was in action against Sin Cara. The match wasn’t too dissimilar from the couple they’ve had on Smackdown and Raw in the last couple of months, with Axel dominating most of the contest, with Sin Cara getting in short bursts of highflying action. The match however was overshadowed for the most part, by the commentary team. Paul Heyman joined Josh Matthews and The Miz on commentary, and whilst what was being said was interesting it did not add to the match in the slightest, as Matthews asked Heyman question after question about CM Punk and Brock Lesnar, whilst The Miz went on a tangent about what it is like to be a Paul Heyman guy. Heyman summed it up best when he asked if they should really be talking about the match, at times sounding surprised that Matthews insisted on asking so many questions.

The ending saw Sin Cara attempt a Moonsault, only for Axel to reply with a pair of boots to the face. Axel finished Cara off with a Saito Suplex, followed up with his Hangman’s Facebuster finishing move to get the pinfall victory. It was clear that Axel would be picking up the victory for the outset, and seeing him go over clean again over the out of favour Sin Cara was no real surprise. What is surprising is that Axel hasn’t got a match of his own for SummerSlam. For me the Intercontinental Championship has always been a big part of SummerSlam, and a good match on the show for the title has helped to propel many a career in the past. I do expect to see Axel on the show however, as I’d be surprised if he doesn’t turn up during the CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar bout.

There was also women’s action on the show as Natalya faced off against Aksana. I’ve made it known in the past that I am not a massive fan of Aksana, and there wasn’t a lot here to change my mind. For the most part she was sloppy, whilst in control of Natalya and didn’t really seem to have an idea how to take most of Natalya’s offence. The fact that the match lacked any real story or flow didn’t really help this contest at all. Natalya went on to pick up the submission victory with a Sharpshooter, and it was good to see Natalya get back to winning wrestling matches rather than jumping around with The Great Khali and farting. Hopefully, she’ll get someone better than Aksana to work with soon.

Finally...

What did I learn from Main Event this week?

1. The Usos push is pretty much over.

2. Having Paul Heyman on commentary isn't always a good thing.

3. I'm not sure whether The Miz is a good commentator, or if Josh Matthews makes him look good.

WWE Main Event 17th July 2013 Review

This week saw another highly enjoyable episode of Main Event, with a featured contest that stuck to the formula that has been developed, as well as some storyline progression at the end of the show, helping to build towards a major match at this year’s Summerslam.

Christian 

vs. 

Fandango with Summer Rae

After Fandango’s impressive performance in the World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder match, as well as a competitive contest with Randy Orton on this week’s Raw, it’s been a busy few days for the Ballroom Dancer. Christian has also been busy, taking a number of major bumps in the All Stars Money in the Bank Ladder Match, before defeating Damien Sandow on Raw. Therefore, I was intrigued to see how these two would clash together in the ring, which to my knowledge was their first bout. This also saw continuation of the formula that has been used for Main Event over the last few months, with an experienced main event player, taking on someone making their way up the WWE ranks, it’s concept that seems to be working well allowing both Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow to seemingly end up positioned higher up the card not soon after, it will interesting to see if Fandango is next in line for that kind of treatment.

The match was a good solid contest, which gave both Christian and Fandango spells in control of the action, similar to what we’ve seen on previous episodes of Main Event. Fandango looked impressive throughout, bringing a lot of speed which worked well against Christian, and his delivery was fairly crisp for the majority of the contest. However, the real revelation of this match for me was Summer Rae. Summer has become increasingly involved in Fandango’s matches as of late, becoming more than just a dancer, she distracted Christian a number of times in the match, but it was her facial expressions during this contest that really sold the match to me, showing peril when Fandango was in trouble and joy when he began to take control.

Recently, various commentators in WWE have been describing Christian as a late game player and this was certainly the case during this match, as the match built up well towards the closing moments. There were a number of false finishes, including the classic crossbody reversal from Fandango, who also went onto miss a top rope leg drop. The ending saw Christian attempt a spear only to run straight into a Fandango knee, but as Fandango went for a suplex, Christian caught him in a small package to pick up the pinfall victory. It was a good ending, that allowed Fandango to remain looking fairly strong and possibly left the door open for a return contest further down the line.

Now, will this match help Fandango move up the ranks in WWE anytime soon? If I’m honest probably not. It was decent contest, with some very watchable action, but there could have been a lot more go into it, in terms of psychology that didn’t really factor into the contest. I happen to someone who enjoys the Fandango gimmick, as a heel it works, and the Ballroom Dancer is sound in the ring and manages to make his promos fairly interesting even with the silly voice. However, I can’t really see the Fandango character fitting into the main event scene, he could easily have a lengthy run as Intercontinental Champion, but anything else, might just be beyond him. I’m going to stick my neck on the line here, and say Fandango is the Honky Tonk Man of his generation.

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Elsewhere, former tag team partner Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater faced off for the umpteenth time. Not that I’m complaining Gabriel and Slater always manage to string together an interesting contest, that are quickly paced and full of good action. This was once again the case with the added elements of Slater’s 3MB cohorts Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre being a ringside. The two managed to move quickly between the more serious action and comedy spots like both Gabriel and Slater performing their signature “Woo” taunts, which did slightly remove from the pace off the contest, but when performed convincingly it doesn’t really matter. The match followed a regular pattern for these two, with Slater controlling most of the match, with some high flying spots thrown in from Gabriel, before he eventually mounted his comeback.

It was surprised then when just as Gabriel was about to start his comeback, The Wyatt Family appeared on screen, before making their way down to the ring. With lights coming up on the ring, showing Luke Harper and Eric Rowan, whilst Bray Wyatt sat in his rocking chair on the ramp, Harper and Rowan took out Justin Gabriel, before turning their attention to 3MB, destroying both Mahal and McIntyre. Slater attempting to escape up the entrance ramp but was of course cut off by Bray Wyatt, before Rowan and Harper took him out as well. Wyatt finished off Slater, with a Sister Abigail in the middle of the ring. As Harper & Rowan piled up their victims, Wyatt cut another creepy promo aimed at Kane, which was much calmer and better delivered than the promo he gave on Raw last Monday. Overall, this was a good segment to close the show, and I’m never going to complain about another opportunity to see the Wyatt Family.

There was also a throwaway Divas Tag Team Match, pitting Natalya & Layla against Alicia Fox & Aksana. It wasn’t a particularly bad match, with the best of the action coming when Natalya and Alicia Fox were in the ring against each other, but I really had little reason to buy into it, as the majority of the Divas are shown so little in any segment of any meaning with their character so poorly underdeveloped that it makes it difficult for my mind not to wander onto something a little more interesting during their matches. Aksana is pretty dreadful in the ring as well, she’s been on the main roster a while now and has shown little sign of improvement, with some terrible ring positioning at points, including calling for a time out in a neutral corner. Eventually, Layla and Natalya picked up the victory after Aksana walked into a Roundhouse Kick from Layla. 

Finally...

What have I learnt from this week's Main Event? 

1. Summer Rae is becoming even more important to Fandango's act.

2. The Wyatt Family can turn up anywhere.

3. The Miz and Josh Matthews make for an awkward commentary team.

WWE Main Event 19th June 2013 Review

Main Event this week may not have delivered in the star power that we’ve come to expect from this show since its inception, bar The Shield, but in terms of match quality it definitely delivered.

The Usos & Justin Gabriel vs. The Shield

The Shield brought the star power to this main event contest, against three competitors who have been underutilized by WWE for some time. The Usos seemed to getting a push a few weeks ago with a victory over The Prime Time Players on Raw, but haven’t been seen on the A show since. Justin Gabriel on the other hand, hasn’t competed on Raw since November, as has become something of a main stay on Main Event since partner Tyson Kidd suffered a torn meniscus. Whilst Gabriel might not possess the promo ability to be a top level star in WWE, his in ring ability certainly warrants a place higher up than current.

The match was well worked and built up well throughout the contest, with The Shield controlling the majority of the match. The contest seemed to be used to give Roman Reigns some more time in the ring, as he received a lot more time than usual. Reigns has certainly improved since being around Ambrose and Reigns, and has been used well throughout his time as The Shield’s muscle but certainly will have benefitted from this time. There were a number of comeback attempts from The Usos and Gabriel during the body of the contests, capitalizing on the athletic ability of the face team to create some interesting visuals in the ring that we maybe don’t get to see in regular Shield matches. With the comebacks being quashed

There was an awkward moment with Jimmy attempting to leap over Roman Reigns, which supposedly would have been the hot tag that lead into the finish, but as Reigns caught Jimmy, The Shield member looked to fall over, dropping Jimmy on his head in an incident that could have been quite nasty. Luckily, the two managed to think quickly on their feet and Jimmy hit a quick Super kick which allowed for the tag. The ending was quick and exciting, as well as doing a good job of making The Shield look in danger, despite the better knowledge of the viewer. After both Uso and Ambrose went for a cross body, Justin Gabriel perched in place for the 450 Splash, with The Usos taking out Rollins and Reigns. But with Gabriel distracted by the action, Ambrose knocked him off the top and hit his Headlock Driver finisher for the victory. I enjoyed this finish as it built up well, as well as getting the crowd behind the face team as it looked like they were working towards a victory.

Although this was a good contest, I’m not sure what it did for either team. The Shield have been built up well enough already and didn’t particularly need a victory like this, whilst The Usos and Gabriel may have looked good at points, without an appearance on Raw or Smackdown they aren’t going to reach a large enough audience to be taken seriously. WWE could do with building some more regular teams up well so the Shield have someone to eventually drop the title to, the teams are already there and they have enough talent that if used properly could not only create good match with The Shield but also be considered a reasonable threat.

Best of the rest

There was also an appearance from the newly packaged Antonio Cesaro, of course with Zeb Colter. Colter cut another good pre-match promo, further explaining his new partnership with Cesaro, along with berating Cesaro’s opponent Sin Cara for wearing a mask. Zeb is very good with these pre-match promos and definitely helps to build up heat for Cesaro within the crowd, not that Cesaro isn’t capable of this himself, although, as we saw with Jack Swagger, Cesaro had been so ill-used by WWE it had become difficult for the casual WWE viewer to take him seriously on his own.

The match was another good contest between these two, with Cesaro seeming like the perfect opponent for Sin Cara, who seems to struggle with the majority of WWE’s other performers. Sin Cara allows Cesaro to show off his power extremely well, whilst Cesaro’s large frame makes it look even more impressive when Sin Cara goes high flying. The only problem with Sin Cara working in this kind of role, is that you can’t see any of his face due to the mask, and therefore when he is put in submission holds, it is difficult for him to look in danger without flailing his limbs in a ridiculous fashion. Cesaro picked up the victory with a Neutralizer, after grounding Sin Cara with a rear chin lock. I still find this finish strange and will obviously need to be dropped once Cesaro faces more difficult opponents.

There was also Diva’s action with former Diva’s Champion Kaitlyn taking on Aksana. Unfortunately, this match wasn’t able to build on the progression we’ve seen in the Diva’s division as of late, we simply haven’t seen enough of Aksana on WWE TV to actually care about what she is doing in the ring. Aksana dominated through most of the match, included a strange looking crawl around the ring, which looked awkward not only for the audience but also for Aksana herself, which resulted in weird kick for a two count. Eventually, Kaitlyn managed to reverse a charging Aksana, and picked up the victory with a Spear. WWE Diva’s division may have come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of weeks, but two divas does not a division make.

Finally…

What have we learned from this week’s Main Event? 

1. The Uso's push didn't last very long.

2. Zeb Colter and Antonio Cesaro have the potential to be a very entertaining partnerships. 

3. WWE need to build up more Tag Teams and Divas to help support the divisions. 

Announced for Friday's Smackdown:

Replacing the previously announced Daniel Bryan vs. United States Champion Dean Ambrose.

Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton: