SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MAIN EVENT TV REPORT
OCTOBER 11, 2023
HULU STREAMING TV
REPORT BY MIKE F. MEYERS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Byron Saxton, Wade Barrett
REASONS TO WATCH…
Nikki Cross continues to haunt Wade Barrett
(1) NIKKI CROSS vs. KIANA JAMES
Cross rolled up James right off the bat for a surprise one-count cover. James reversed out of a wrist lock and tossed Cross to the mat. James ran the ropes but was tripped up by Cross, who then applied a side headlock. James fired her off, but Cross knocked James down with a running cross body. Cross ran at James, but James dodged and tossed Cross through the ropes to the floor. James climbed through the ropes, but Cross was waiting and swept her leg, causing James to crash onto the apron. Cross took this moment to drape herself over the announce table and accost poor Wade Barrett, imploring him to “blow me a kiss.” Barrett rolled his chair backward and grabbed Byron as a human shield. “Get her back, Saxton! You know what? I brought bear spray this week, and they took it off me at the airport.”
Cross went for a tornado DDT back in the ring, but James tossed Cross to the mat face-first. She covered Cross for two. James laid in some punishment to Cross in the corner, then shouted angrily at the crowd, which didn’t respond. James hit a sidewalk slam and covered for another two-count. James locked her legs around Cross’s waist from behind and yelled for her to give up. Cross got free and landed some forearm shots, then knocked James down with a shoulder block. Cross hit a low drop kick, dropping James to her knees, then followed up with a second drop kick to James’s face. James escaped from a bulldog attempt, then took Cross down with the 401k. She covered Cross for two. Cross hit a successful tornado DDT, then the Purge neckbreaker. Cross covered for the three-count and victory.
WINNER: Nikki Cross by pinfall in 5:50.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Pretty standard match, once again highlighted by Barrett’s fear of Cross.)
(2) AXIOM vs. AKIRA TOZAWA
The wrestlers engaged in some smooth mat wrestling to open – plenty of reversals and a few quick covers. This section concluded with Tozawa leveling Axiom with a violent forearm strike to the collarbone. Barrett compared it to his move, the Bull Hammer. Tozawa caught an elbow in the corner, then Axiom knocked Tozawa out to ringside with a kick. Axiom hopped up to the top rope for a huge moonsault onto Tozawa on the floor. The crowd got sparked for the first time tonight as we cut to break.
Axiom hit a fisherman’s suplex when we returned to the action. Axiom jumped at Tozawa from the top rope, but Tozawa intercepted his descent with a drop kick to the chest. Tozawa snap mared Axiom to the mat and kicked him in the back. Tozawa hit a quick scoop slam, then a senton, then covered Axiom for two. Tozawa planted Axiom with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then applied a chinlock. Axiom elbowed Tozawa a couple times, causing Tozawa to land a clubbing blow to Axiom’s back. Tozawa chopped Axiom’s chest two times, getting some “Woo!” responses from the crowd. Axiom hit a suplex and a running kick, then covered Tozawa for two. Barrett called it a “penalty kick to the jaw,” referencing Axiom’s soccer experience.
Tozawa dodged a kick and hit a release German suplex. Tozawa slowly climbed to the top rope, but Axiom met him there with a kick. Axiom hit a top-rope Spanish fly, then covered for a believable near fall. Barrett said, “If it’s a Spanish fly by a Spaniard, I think it’s just a fly.” Tozawa hit a spinning kick, knocking Axiom to the mat. Tozawa was still staggered and struggled to go to the top rope again. Axiom charged at him, but this time Tozawa shoved him back to the mat. Tozawa then hit a high-arching senton and covered Axiom for the three-count.
WINNER: Akira Tozawa by pinfall in 8:30.
(Meyers’s Analysis: Good action highlighted by Axiom’s high-flying antics. Definitely flashier than your average Main Event match.)
SHOW SCORE (0-10): 8.2
(Find Mike Meyers on Twitter: @themikeshow42.)
RECOMMENDED NEXT: ROCKET STRAPS: Using Key Metrics to Rank the Top Ten Wrestlers Prioritized By WWE This Week including Knight, Sami, KO, Seth, Drew, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s Impact Wrestling Hit List: Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian in a Killer Impact match, The Rascalz vs. Sami Callihan and Rich Swann for the Impact Tag Titles
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.