WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT (7/5): Akira Tozawa vs. J.D. McDonagh, Riddick Moss vs. Apollo Crews

WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
JULY 5, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

(1) AKIRA TOZAWA vs. J.D. MCDONAGH

The men grappled to start, with Tozawa maintaining a long wrist lock. McDonagh elbowed Tozawa in the face to end that exchange, then stomped him in the corner. Tozawa hit a charging McDonagh with two boots to the face, then twirled him to the mat with a hurricanrana. Tozawa laid in a flurry of quick punches, but McDonagh dragged Tozawa to the floor and smashed him back-first into the ring apron. He shoved Tozawa back into the ring and slowed things down. He fired Tozawa into the turnbuckles, then stood over him before stomping on Tozawa’s elbow. McDonagh hit a standard suplex and covered Tozawa for two. He complained to the ref about a slow count. McDonagh lifted Tozawa to his feet, then buried his knee in Tozawa’s ribs. He made back-to-back two-count covers, then applied a bear hug from behind. Tozawa reversed out of a suplex, then hit another hurricanrana. He followed up with a running knee strike, then climbed to the top rope. Tozawa took flight and knocked McDonagh down with a flying reverse elbow before covering for two.

McDonagh rolled up Tozawa for a surprise two-count. Tozawa came back with a spinning kick to the face. Tozawa went to the top rope again, this time going for a flying senton to McDonagh who was still on his back. McDonagh lifted both knees at the last moment, driving them into the back of the falling Tozawa. McDonagh immediately hit Tozawa with Devil Inside, then covered for the victory.

WINNER: JD McDonagh by pinfall in 5:50.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Standard Tozawa Main Event match – brief, quality action.)

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(2) RIDDICK MOSS vs. APOLLO CREWS

Moss opened the match by driving Crews to the mat with a spinebuster. He yelled at the crowd, “I’m a bad man, ain’t I?” He followed up with a spear to Crews in the corner. He jawed at the crowd some more before landing a second spear in the same corner. Crews jumped at Moss for a high cross body, but Moss caught him and tossed him to the mat, then covered Crews for an early two-count.

Moss scooped Crews off his feet and tossed him with a fallaway slam. The men exchanged forearm strikes in the middle of the ring, then Moss leveled Crews with a shoulder block. Crews landed three consecutive strikes, then hit Moss with a drop kick. Crews side stepped another spear in a corner, then splashed Moss in the same corner. Crews uncorked a flurry of strikes there, then clotheslined Moss over the top rope to the floor. Crews, from the apron, knocked Moss off his feet on the floor with a moonsault. We cut to break.

Moss was setting up for a superplex after the break. Crews punched Moss to knock him to the mat, then launched into a successful cross body. Crews covered for two. Crews landed three chops to Moss’s chest, then hit an enzuigiri. Moss came back with a flapjack to Crews. He ran the ropes and leveled Crews with a big clothesline, then covered for two. Moss kept going, taking Crews down with a neckbreaker, then another two-count cover. The crowd chanted, “Let’s go, Apollo!” Moss slowly set up for another neckbreaker, but Crews shoved him off. Crews hit a clothesline, then climbed to the top rope. Moss dodged a frog splash, then slammed Crews to the mat with a pop-up uranage. He covered, but Crews kicked out at two. Crews reversed out of a suplex, then smashed Moss’s jaw with back-to-back knee strikes. Crews then put Moss into the mat with a Samoan drop and remained on top for the three-count.

WINNER: Apollo Crews by pinfall in 7:35.

(Meyers’s Analysis: Good stuff. I like how Crews had to “come from behind” after being demolished by Moss in the opening seconds of the match. The finishing sequence was cool, too – I enjoy a wrestler doubling up a move – a rising knee strikes to the face, in this case – to put an opponent away.)

SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.0

Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42

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