SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 25, 2020
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
REASONS TO WATCH…
- Holiday week brings bizarro episode of Main Event
- Ali offers explanation for Retribution’s member names
FULL REVIEW
Tom opened the show by declaring this a “must-see” edition of Main Event as the cameras panned to the ring for an episode of Miz TV, featuring Miz and Morrison. Morrison listed things they were thankful for: Miz winning the dual-branded battle royal, being the best tag team of the 21st century, and Miz holding the Money in the Bank contract. Miz introduced their guests for the evening: Retribution.
Miz and Morrison danced in the ring to Retribution’s entrance music as the faction made its way down the ramp. Ali took the remaining open seat while the other Retribution members stood behind. Ali explained the reasoning for Retribution’s unique names – he grew up being made fun of for his name and how he looked, so he gave Retribution names and masks so they would identify with his struggles.
Ali handed the mic to Reckoning. She said being a good girl got her nowhere, and trying to do what was right was never enough. “You all turned your backs on me, and now I’m turning my back on you. You will get your day of reckoning.”
Mace was next: “Imagine employing someone who looks like me, someone with my background, someone with my accolades, and keeping him in cold storage underneath the WWE Performance Center year after year. Overlooked time and time again. Imagine you give him one opportunity, and just as quickly as it came, you take it away. You tell me, would that not turn any man into a Mace?”
Slapjack took the mic handoff. “Built up. Given hope. Only to be replaced, rejected, and lost. But then I was found and turned into a weapon. A weapon for Retribution.”
T-Bar interrupted Slapjack by grabbing the mic from his hands. “…Retribution against this company, this wasteland, which is filled to the brim with betrayal and deception. And I would know better than anyone because I experienced it firsthand. Retribution will make each and every one of you pay for those sins.”
T-Bar handed the mic back to Ali, who stood from his chair. “So from this day forward, Retribution is not asking, we are demanding to be respected.” During these final words, R-Truth and the Gobbledy Gooker ran down the ramp with no music or introduction. Truth sat in Ali’s chair and said something excitedly to the members of Retribution while the Gooker ran to the ropes and looked confused. Truth dashed back out of the ring and back up the ramp. The Gooker remained, and Ali shoved him for some reason into Miz and Morrison. Morrison tried to defend the Gooker, saying nobody has a weirder name than him and he’s been around for 30 years.
Retribution weren’t having the antics. Mace and T-Bar moved in and destroyed the 200lb bird creature with a double choke slam. Joe said, “I guess we’re cooking the turkey early this year!” Retribution’s music played as the faction posed over the Gooker’s limp body.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Interesting segment, and one-of-a-kind for Main Event. Ali managed to provide as compelling a reason as possible for the bizarre naming convention of his faction members. The problem is that they all have their own grievances against the company already, so why do they need this additional layer of difficulty? The individual comments by Retribution were pretty hokey, as the men all spoke with unnaturally gruff voices. Adding to the hokiness was how the members shoehorned their gimmick names into their promos, except where the extreme stupidity of “Slapjack” and “T-Bar” had no excuse, so best left ignored. There was no sense behind the run-in, apart from providing the one character that Retribution can go over: The Goobledy Gooker.)
-Main Event recap session:
- Replay of Sheamus vs. Riddle from Raw
- Replay of Lashley vs. Lee from Raw
- Replay of Undertaker video tribute package
- Replay of Orton vs. Styles from Raw
(1) JEFF HARDY vs. RICOCHET
Seconds after the bell rang, a guitar strum was heard and Elias was revealed on the stage with his Fender California Redondo. Hardy and Ricochet were momentarily befuddled, but actually shook hands and began wrestling as Elias began performing his song, “Amen (I’m Going In).” Joe laughed and said, “I love when a fight has a soundtrack!”
Ricochet took hardy down with a hurricanrana and a drop kick. He struggled to focus with Elias still playing, but managed to toss Hardy out to ringside. Ricochet missed a high cross body over the top rope to the floor, then caught a double barrel drop kick from Hardy through the ropes. Hardy leveled Ricochet on the floor with a flying clothesline, then stared up the ramp at Elias as we cut to break.
Hardy had Ricochet in a chinlock in the ring after the break. Ricochet battled out but caught a reverse elbow for his trouble, then Hardy covered for two. Hardy hit a basement drop kick to Ricochet’s back, then covered for another two-count. Ricochet hit a roll-up drop kick, and both men were slow to get up. Ricochet took Hardy down with a flying forearm off the ropes. Hardy got up and Ricochet laid in a few punches, then hit a springboard clothesline off the top rope. Ricochet hit the standing shooting star press, then covered for two.
Ricochet set up for the Recoil but Hardy slid to safety, then hit an inverted atomic drop and a mini splash for a two-count cover. Ricochet escaped from a vertical suplex and shoved Hardy into the corner. He ran at Hardy but caught another reverse elbow. Hardy quickly scaled to the top and nailed Ricochet with Whisper in the Wind, but Ricochet kicked out at two. Ricochet got to his feet and reversed out of the Twist of Fate, then used a surprise backslide to pin Hardy for three.
WINNER: Ricochet by pinfall in 7:20.
Hardy walked up the ramp, glaring at Elias as he walked past. Hardy returned moments later with another guitar and smashed it over Elias’s back, finally ending his interminable droning. Hardy’s music played while Elias convulsed on the floor. Ricochet, the match winner, was not shown again.
(Meyers’s Analysis: This segment was a cacophony. Elias played non-stop while the commentators alternated between calling the match and talking about the song being performed. It was hard to watch and listen to, and everybody came out looking like a chump. The wrestlers, in a first-time matchup, weren’t important enough to be the show’s focus. Elias wasn’t important enough to have his performance be the show’s focus. The match winner wasn’t important enough to be shown celebrating a victory. Weirdly fascinating, but not good.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.4
Follow Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.