10/23 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Mojo Rawley breaks the Main Event format with a big rant, Mojo vs. No Way Jose, Natalya vs. Sarah Logan

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
OCTOBER 23, 2019
STREAMED ON HULU
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

REASONS TO WATCH…

Rawley blows up the Main Event format

(1) MOJO RAWLEY vs. NO WAY JOSE

Rawley entered first and took his usual seat on a bottom turnbuckle. Jose’s music kicked in, and in came the conga line. Rawley looked toward the ramp and shook his head indignantly. Rawley then produced a microphone and ordered the music to be stopped. He addressed a member of the entourage: “Do you realize that you are on global television right now, dressed as a cheeseburger? Are you aware of this? That’s exactly why you’re a follower.” He questioned why the group would choose to follow Jose. The crowd began to chant, “Cheese-bur-ger!”

Rawley continued berating the conga line and the fans. He indicated that he had played in the NFL, and earned his MBA at age 21, then accused the crowd of being unable to spell MBA. At last, Jose climbed into the ring to face Rawley, and Rawley called him a failure and pushed him away. Jose nailed Rawley with a forearm, and the match started.

Jose pounded on Rawley in the corner then took him to the mat with a hip toss. Jose landed a slingshot cross body over the top rope to Rawley on the floor, then repeated the maneuver in the ring from the top rope. Jose covered for a two-count.

Rawley escaped a fireman’s carry and leveled Jose with a shoulder tackle. Jose staggered into a corner, allowing Rawley to line up and blast him in the jaw with a running forearm. Jose collapsed to the mat, and Rawley covered for the three-count.

WINNER: Mojo Rawley by pinfall.

-Rawley took the mic and told the conga line they needed a real leader, and ordered them to follow him up the ramp. When none of the entourage took Rawley’s offer, he doubled back and sized up Cheeseburger, then leveled him with a big clothesline. Rawley scooped up Cheeseburger and executed an Alabama Slam against the ringside barrier. Rawley dropped to all fours and choked Cheeseburger while screaming in his face. Rawley went back to the group and yelled at them to dance and to get up the ramp. They finally concurred, but not without trepidation.

(Meyers’s Analysis: This segment was a complete format buster for Main Event. I’ve covered this show for exactly one year and can’t remember a wrestler getting mic time, or this much extracurricular activity. Outside of the format deviation, this was nothing groundbreaking, but it would’ve fit in perfectly on televised Raw. Rawley won very quickly and had extra heel juice.

-Main Event recap session:

• Replay of Miz TV with special guests Bayley & Sasha from Smackdown
• Replay of Street Profits vs. The OC from Raw
• Match rundown for upcoming PPV Crown Jewel
• Replay of Mysterio and Heyman promos from Raw, including Benjamin—Velasquez in-ring altercation

(2) NATALYA vs. SARAH LOGAN

The women exchanged holds to start, but Logan eventually created space and took Natalya down with a shoulder block. Four members of the audience encouraged Logan’s early dominance by howling. Natalya got to her feet and hip tossed Logan to the canvas, then postured to the crowd. Logan seemed amused.

Natalya rolled up Logan for a pin, but Logan kicked out quickly. Natalya rolled back and the two stared at each other from their knees. They got to their feet and Natalya applied an abdominal stretch. Natalya yelled to the crowd, “You like Sarah Logan? I didn’t think so!” Natalya reached down and hooked Logan’s ankle, adding extra leverage to the hold, but Logan soon escaped and reversed the hold. She dropped to the mat and rolled up Natalya who kicked out at two. Natalya ran the ropes and nailed Logan with a basement drop kick and covered again for another two-count.

Logan whipped Natalya downward by her arm, clotheslining her neck-first against the bottom rope. Logan then knocked Natalya off the ring apron with a baseball slide as we cut to commercial.

Back from the break, Logan maintained the upper hand with more heel tactics and an arm bar. Natalya fought out and the women clotheslined one another in the middle of the ring. Both were slow to get up, but Natalya struck first with reverse elbows and a tornado clothesline. Logan managed to climb to the top rope and land a high cross body, but Natalya kicked out of her pin attempt. Natalya escaped out of Logan’s suplex attempt and rolled her up in a small package, but Logan kicked out. Logan rushed to her feet and struck Natalya with a running knee. Natalya dodged Logan’s running attack in the corner, causing Logan to stun herself against the turnbuckles. Natalya dragged her to the center of the ring and applied the Sharpshooter, and Logan tapped immediately.

WINNER: Natalya by submission.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Ahh, Main Event gets back to normal after the standout first segment. Nothing great and nothing bad here.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2

FINAL THOUGHTS: Still shocked from hearing a wrestler with a live mic in segment one. Place your bets now! Next week: Back to form? Or more freewheeling?

CATCH UP… 10/16 WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT: Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan, Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder