SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT #323, HULU STREAMING TV
DECEMBER 5, 2018
REPORT BY MIKE MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Can Curt Hawkins break a 238-match losing streak?
- Cool finish to a fun six-man tag.
(1) TYLER BREEZE vs. CURT HAWKINS
Breeze entered first, followed by Hawkins. Jojo announced Hawkins’ entrance as follows: “His opponent, with a record of zero wins and 238 losses, Curt Hawkins!” Vic indicated that this was the longest losing streak in the modern era.
Hawkins applied an upright side headlock, but Breeze reversed the hold. Hawkins bounced Breeze off the ropes and Breeze knocked Hawkins to the mat with a shoulder block. Breeze crisscrossed a few times, hopping over the prone Hawkins, until Hawkins got to his feet and landed a drop kick. As Breeze sat on the mat holding his mouth, Hawkins seemed apologetic and offered his hand to help Breeze up. Breeze took his hand and stood up, but immediately front-kicked Hawkins and followed up with a big right hand.
In the corner, Breeze laid in more punches and kicks. Breeze whipped Hawkins to the opposite corner where Hawkins dodged the charging attack of Breeze. Hawkins quickly scooped him up in a body slam position and placed Breeze in the ring corner in the tree of woe position. Hawkins scrambled across the ring and ran in to deliver a low-altitude drop kick to the inverted Breeze before dragging him to mid-ring for a cover and a two-count.
Breeze rolled over to the apron, and when Hawkins approached from the other side of the ropes, Breeze grabbed his wrists and yanked him downward across the rope. Hawkins stumbled backward, and returned to the ropes where Breeze planted an enzuigiri to his face. Back in the ring, Breeze smashed Hawkins’ face into a top turnbuckle, then planted eight kicks into the collapsing Hawkins before being backed out by the referee. Breeze looked around at the fans, who finally reacted to the match by booing his tactics.
Breeze maneuvered Hawkins to the center of the ring and executed a back suplex, followed by another pin and two-count. After the kick out, Breeze immediately mounted Hawkins from behind with a rear chin lock. Hawkins nearly battled out but Breeze quelled his resistance by lifting him again in the back suplex position, but this time placed Hawkins in the corner in the tree of woe. Breeze was looking to return the favor from earlier in the match, but as he ran in, Hawkins dodged the double kick by elevating himself with a sit up maneuver. Breeze bumped hard onto his back. Breeze rolled slowly to the center of the ring as Hawkins slumped down to the mat from where he was hanging in the corner. Vic pointed out that this could be Hawkins’ best chance to snap his 238-match losing streak.
With both wrestlers back on their feet, Hawkins landed four right hands before clothes lining Breeze to the mat two times. Breeze staggered into a corner, and Hawkins charged in and landed a big forearm. Back in the middle, Hawkins scooped Breeze up and landed a (very safe) Michinoku driver for a pin and two-count. As Breeze slowly stirred in the middle of the ring, Hawkins crouched and bounced in the corner, waiting to uncoil and strike. When Breeze finally got to his feet, Hawkins sprinted in and leveled him with a violent lariat that turned Breeze inside out. Hawkins quickly went for a pin, hooking the near leg, but again got a two-count.
Hawkins got to his feet and shouted, “C’mon, Breeze! You’re dead!” His voice was strangely reminiscent of Jeff Bridges, and he even resembles a young version of “the Dude” from The Big Lebowski. As Hawkins approached, Breeze scrambled to the ropes, causing the referee to intervene and push Hawkins away. Breeze used this brief distraction to superkick Hawkins, and then immediately delivered an Unprettier. Breeze covered and got the three-count. Vic lamented, “The losing streak continues!”
WINNER: Tyler Breeze by pinfall.
(Meyers’ Analysis: Not a bad match. There was no high-flying from either wrestler, but the match did feature some high velocity / high impact moves. The booking was nice and simple, using Hawkins‘ losing streak to paint him as the underdog. To accentuate this, Breeze was in full heel-mode – something that isn‘t consistent show-to-show, but it made sense within the confines of this match.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Recap of Dean Ambrose vaccinations promo from Raw
- Recap of Dean Ambrose gas mask promo from Raw, featuring jacket with Fozzie Bear fur trim from Raw
- Replay of subsequent Dean Ambrose brawl with Seth Rollins from Raw
- Recap of Miz TV with Daniel Bryan and A.J. Styles altercation from Smackdown
- Match rundown for upcoming PPV TLC
(2) MOJO RAWLEY & THE ASCENSION vs. ZACK RYDER & THE B-TEAM
As Axel started off against Rawley, Vic said that the combination of Ryder and B-Team are undefeated in six-man tag matches – what a statistic. Rawley aggressively rolled around and juked at Axel. Axel responded by doing “the floss” and extending his tongue from his mouth in a manner unbecoming of a professional athlete. Rawley angrily charged at the corner but Axel dodged and planted rhythmic kicks to Rawley as Dallas chanted “B-Team” from the ring apron. Dallas tagged in and bounced off the ropes toward Rawley, but Rawley stooped low and picked up the incoming Dallas and carried him into enemy territory back-first against the turnbuckle. Rawley drove his shoulder into Dallas’ midsection three times before tagging in Viktor. Within seconds, all six men were in the ring and a chaotic brawl broke out as the show went to commercial.
After the break, order had been restored and Rawley was squaring off against Ryder. Rawley set up for a vertical suplex, but Ryder reversed out and landed a Rude Awakening. A mediocre “B-Team” chant echoed through the arena as both men stirred and scrambled for the simultaneous tags to Axel and Viktor.
Axel got the upper hand with clotheslines to Viktor, and Axel knocked Konnor off the ring apron for good measure. Axel charged at Viktor in the corner, again with his tongue out, and landed a reverse elbow before rolling him to the canvas with a snap mare. Axel then performed the obligatory neck snap as Vic cited Axel’s father, Mr. Perfect. Axel started another “B-Team” chant among the crowd before smashing Viktor’s face to the mat with a neckbreaker variant. Axel pinned Viktor, but Rawley entered the ring and busted up the count at two.
Ryder entered the ring and leaped at Rawley to squash him with the Rough Ryder, but Rawley utilized upper body strength to push Ryder up and harmlessly over his head. Unfortunately for Rawley’s team, Konnor was situated directly behind Rawley, who, as a result of Rawley’s cunning move, absorbed the full impact of the Rough Ryder. Not so harmless, after all.
Dallas knocked the flabbergasted Rawley down from behind, but then Viktor booted Dallas in the gut and threw him out of the ring through the ropes. Dallas reappeared and rolled over Viktor’s back body drop attempt and went for a sunset flip. Viktor blocked the move by quickly dropping to his knees onto Dallas’ chest for a pin, and would’ve had a three-count hadn’t the referee noticed Viktor grabbing the ropes for leverage. Meanwhile, Dallas sprung up from the floor onto the ring apron and boinked Viktor’s hand free from the rope, allowing Dallas to finally follow through with the sunset flip for the three-count and victory.
WINNERS: Zack Ryder and B-Team by pinfall.
(Meyers’ Analysis: Really cool finish to this six-man tag. There‘s little excuse for rest holds in matches like this, but it was still refreshing to see a Main Event match without one. Konnor was technically in the match but was largely uninvolved.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 7.1
FINAL THOUGHTS: Two decent, brief matches. If Breeze is truly a heel, he needs to own it more. It’s interesting to see Main Event’s announce team make an attempt at a storyline with Hawkins and his losing streak, but it’s overly optimistic to think it will go anywhere. The same goes for the undefeated streak of Ryder and B-Team. Main Event would benefit from storytelling straight from its own wrestlers instead of the announce team.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 11/28 WWE Main Event Report: Titus vs. Mojo Rawley, Ascension & Tyler Breeze are a superb odd couple against B-Team & Zack Ryder
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