Official Main Event Aftermath, Ratings & Review Thread

[Jack-Hammer]

I figured since WWE reportedly intends to have Main Event be a relevant show, unlike Superstars, that it might as well have its own thread like Raw & SmackDown!

WWE Main Event - October 3, 2012

Opening Segment - The show opened with Michael Cole & The Miz in the ring and the two of them spent time putting over & hyping the champion vs. champion match. Things started off with a great video package featuring CM Punk, which I'm guessing was comprised of footage & interviews that will be used on the upcoming CM Punk DVD compilation. It was a well put together package that featured some footage of Punk very early on in his career. They also showed a video package afterward of Sheamus that was also solid. Giving both of them little video packages helps give this sort of a big match feel. The Miz also stayed in commentator mode, which I enjoy, as he's not trying to be the center of attention. He does a good job of also putting over both Punk & Sheamus as true main event level wrestlers. Thumbs Up

1. Sheamus vs. CM Punk in a Champion vs. Champion match - This was a pretty strong match all in all. It wasn't mind bogglingly good or anything, but it was good back & forth match that did a good job of ultimately making both wrestlers look strong. They gave this match a lot of time all in all as it went about 17 or 18 minutes in all. I thought that Punk & Sheamus worked well together and they didn't try to full out balls to the wall here. I think a match in which they leave it all out in the ring could come at some point later down the line. I thought the use of the missing torn off turnbuckle pad was done in a clever way. It's pulled off as Punk tries to escape out of the ring from Sheamus. Sheamus is pulling on him while Punk is holding onto the turnbuckle and the pad just comes off, I'm assuming that it was possibly untied before the match took place. Late in the match, Punk glances at the second turnbuckle and does a good job of selling that he's quickly trying to brainstorm a way to use this to his advantage. The end comes with Sheamus going for the Brogue Kick, but Punk lands a drop toe hold, causing Sheamus to trip and smack head first into the exposed turnbuckle bolt. Punk rolled him up and had grabbed a handful of tights for the win. In the aftermath, Miz & Cole did their best to give the win something of a controversial feel to it, as a means of protecting Sheamus. I thought Miz did a good job, however, of supporting the view point of a champ doing what he has to do in order to win without going over the top as Michael Cole would've done in the past. A good effort all in and a good win for Punk. ***

Backstage Interview - After the match, Josh Matthews shows up in the locker room to talk to Punk about his controversial victory. Paul Heyman interrupts and speaks for Punk. He continues to hype Punk as the best in the world and as the WWE Champion. It was mostly the usual schtick, but Heyman does it well. He doesn't try to go over the top with it nor does he really come off as trying to speak for CM Punk as Punk doesn't need a mouthpiece. He mostly just reinforces with Punk already says without copying what he says word for word. Thumbs Up

2. Santino Marella & Zack Ryder vs. Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel in a WWE Tag Team Championship tournament match - This was a pretty decent match and I came away pretty impressed with Kidd & Gabriel. Even though the match was a little short, they managed to pack in a good amount of action into the gime given. They brought a good deal of high energy offense into the match and both looked crisp inside the ring. I ultimately came away thinking that they should've won the match but Santino & Ryder are the more over team right now. If WWE gets behind Kidd & Gabriel, however, they could be the WWE's version of the Motor City Machine Guns. Santino & Ryder looked good, Ryder especially as he had good chemistry with both Kidd & Gabriel. The end comes with Ryder hitting the Broski Kick just after making the tag to Santino. Ryder then launches himself over the top rope onto Gabriel to take him out of the match. Santino then hits the Cobra on Kidd for the clean win at the 5 minute mark. The Cobra continues to be the lamest finisher in all of wrestling, but Santino's overall sillyness was kept low key here. Santino & Ryder move onto the next round to face the Rhodes Scholars, probably on next week's episode of Raw. **1/4

Final Thoughts - The debut of WWE Main event was, in my opinion, a good solid 1 hour wrestling program. The show already has a much different feel to it than Superstars did and the matches featured on this week's show worked well. Advertising next week's "main event" match for Main Event in advance, which will be Randy Orton vs. Big Show, is a nice & simple touch that I personally hope that WWE will continue doing with this show. I also wish it was something they'd do with Raw. Sheamus vs. Punk was a good match, not mind blowing or anything, but still a good match that made both men look strong. The tag title tournament match was pretty decent as well and while I would've personally rather seen Kidd & Gabriel advance, it's pretty obvious at this time why they didn't. If WWE keeps up this format for the show and doesn't let it sink to be a refuge for the irrelevant undercard as Superstars became, then this can be a really fun show. Use the show to give some guys on the undercard tv exposure sure, but do it in matches that feel like they have meaning like the matches on tonight's show rather than just as a means to fill up air time in a rather meaningless way, again, as was done on Superstars.

Grade: B

 

[smizzy]

I was quite happy with the show. It's a one hour, mid week, wrestling fix and a solid one at that. We got two solid matches, not to mention, main story lines were addressed. Sure, there were some video packages that were irritating, but it's not the main show and they didn't over do it anyway.

 

[kcoe24]

I was really impressed with the show. I had to go with 10 minutes left so i missed the last match but it doesn't sound like anything big happend there anyways. I liked the video packages and the interviews pre and post match it just made it seem like it was a big time fight (which obviously it was with champ vs champ) but i would like to keep that part of the show intact really makes it feel more like a mainevent style match instead of just another match. I also like announcing next weeks match in advanced cause if they didn't it would feel like they just threw the match toghter at the last moment.

Punk vs Sheamus was better than what i was expecting it to be i was expecting them to kind of just tease the match not really show us alot and punk to walk out or get DQ'd.

Little disappointed the main event next week is Randy vs the Big Show cause i haven't loved there matches in the past but i'll definitely be watching and hoping they keep the same format for the future including the video packages.

One last thing finally a theme song that i like for a show.

 

[SaveUsCMPunk]

I didn't get to see it in its' scheduled time due to not having ION, but I did catch it on Youtube this morning. They really need to get it on a better network since I'm sure a lot of people don't receive ION. Why not USA or SyFy? Anyway, it seemed like a decent show. I'd say it was better than most 3 hour Raws this year. (Which tend to drag on and are mostly forgettable, IMO.) With this addition, there's more than enough WWE programming for wrestling fans. They actually should just do away with Superstars since nothing of any significance happens on that show. Apparently, WWE doesn't think much of it either since they still haven't uploaded last week's entire episode onto their Youtube channel.

Another thought: With a name like Main Event, they should try to get Jesse Ventura to do commentary once in a while. After all, he was synonymous with that show and I can't be the only one who thought of Saturday Night's Main Event when I first heard of WWE Main Event.

 

[mattific]

Apparently, WWE doesn't think much of it either since they still haven't uploaded last week's entire episode onto their Youtube channel.

I believe they've put this show on Hulu Plus now and since that's a premium service, they're not putting them on YouTube anymore in full which sucks.

I actually really liked this show. The champion vs champion match had PPV like viginettes for Punk and Sheamus (even though most of Punk's came from his DVD). I liked the opening with the announcers in the middle of the ring and talking about the match rather than them just starting on the table. Announcing the match the week before was a good idea, however if they don't do it one week, they can just do it on RAW the next. I liked commentary, Miz is probably on because of the praise he received for covering Lawler. If they really want to make it seem like a third brand (like apparently they want to), then A, don't use the same colours as RAW and Smackdown and B, have some story behind the matches, I mean why is Show facing Orton and then why interview Show. In my opinion, have Orton challenge Show to a match rather than randomly making it.

I think it has the potential to be good if they don't mess it up.

 

[XXJJ]

Apparently ION is paying the WWE good money for it. Which is why its not going to be treated like Superstars.

ION is not a very popular channel so it wont have big ratings, but it will probably be the highest rated weekly show on ION. Thats why they are paying the WWE for it. I'm expecting some sort of drop off next week because the premier show will bring in more viewers who are curious to see it and the baseball playoffs.

I liked the show it will kind of replace ECW.

 

[kcoe24]

The offical Tv rating has not been released yet but both WWE and ION are pleased with the rating and it was apperntly the 4 highest rated show among males in it's time slot. My guess is this will quickly become the highest rated show on ION mainly because i don't know any other shows that are on ION
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_65720.shtml
for the full ratings breakdown use the link.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - October 17, 2012

Video Packages - These video packages are always extremely well done and they're helping to give each of the main event matches of Main Event a big match vibe. Kofi's video package showed some personal photos & footage of him as a child, as a teenager and just starting out in wrestling before showing some career highlights. After that, Kofi was interviewed by Matt Striker backstage and cut a good promo in my opinion. Kofi called the TIP kick on Miz the "kick heard around the world" as it's generated a good amount of buzz. Kofi took a little jab at Miz when he pointed out that Miz said Kofi needs more memorable moments in his career. Kofi responds that Miz will remember the name of Kofi Kingston whenever he looks in the mirror and sees that bump on his head. The Miz's video package is up next and, again, just extremely well done. It didn't have as much impact as Kofi's because, frankly, we're not used to seeing much emphasis put on Kofi. Thumbs Up

1. The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - This was an excellent match that had just about everything any reasonable person could ask for. Both wrestlers worked extremely hard and delivered a well paced, great back & forth match that had a lot of believable near falls. This match is the best I've seen Miz look all year. He seemed more focused, more aggressive and just smoother. He looked more like The Miz that was WWE Champion 1.5 years ago. Kofi's athleticism against Miz's more ground & pound based offense worked well and they have great chemistry together. Miz tries to go for the SCF several times during the match but Kofi manages to counter each attempt. The end comes shortly after Miz stacks up Kofi for a pin attempt while putting his feet on the ropes for leverage. The ref catches him & argues with him for a bit. Kofi comes up from behind with a schoolboy roll up attempt but Miz rolls through it. Kofi pops up and hits Trouble in Paradise for the clean win at the 22 minute mark. Kofi Kingston is the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. After the match, Matt Striker is in the ring with Kofi and Kofi does a great job of selling his elation at winning the match. He cuts a great, passionate old school babyface promo, dedicating the win to the fans and puts over the lineage of the IC title. Kofi showed a lot of charisma here and I find myself hoping that this is the start of something big for him. ***3/4

The Miz - Josh Matthews is backstage and interviews The Miz. Miz does a great job of selling his emotions here and his facial expressions are priceless. It looks like a combination of rage, frustration, confusion and 100% sadness that looks like he's about to burst into tears. Miz says that Kofi stole the title from him and that he wants his rematch. Nice stuff here from Miz and this feud with Kofi seems to have brought him back into more of his old self here. Thumbs Up

2. Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler - Pretty decent match to close things out. The outcome was clear as day before the bell rang, but that didn't keep either of them from working a good match. They packed a lot of action into the time they were given & Ziggler scores the win about the 4 minute mark with the Zig Zag. After the match, Vickie & Dolph get on the mic & put over Ziggler's ability. Ziggler says that he deserves better than Zack Ryder and puts out an open challenge to anyone back in the locker room. After about a minute, Ryback's music hits and he walks out on the stage to a good pop from the live crowd. He stares Ziggler down to close the show while a close up of Ziggler's face shows him selling uncertainty and nervousness. **

Final Thoughts - Another good episode of Main Event, probably the best of the three in my opinion. The IC title match between Kofi & Miz was treated with every bit as much relevance as Punk vs. Sheamus & Orton vs. Big Show in previous weeks. Kofi & Miz delivered an outstanding IC title match and I was a little surprised to see Kofi get the win here. I figured Miz would win, evening things up for his loss Monday night to Kofi. Since Miz stated he wanted his rematch, I'm guessing we'll see their next bout on the Hell in a Cell ppv. Miz looked better last night than he's looked in a year in my opinion and Kofi is someone that's really taken several big steps forward in the right direction over the past few weeks. Ziggler vs. Ryder was a brief but decent match to close things out. Next week's main event on Main Event is going to be Ryback vs. Dolph Ziggler. We all know that Ziggler is going to lose but this is an opportunity for both guys to look great if they give these two the 20 minute treatment like the other three main event matches have gotten.

Grade: A-

 

[Papa Pillman]

The way that Dolph throws his body around the ring like a crash test dummie made him the perfect oponent to "feed" Ryback for a final showcase before Sunday.

I also thought Miz did a great job of putting Ryback over on commentary.

The only real problem is it didn't do Dolph any favors. I would say that this is further proof that they are setting up Dolph to be merely posturing about cashing in his MITB at HIAC.

 

[The Crock]

I thought it was another pretty good, basic show tonight. The small things are what make this show great and it certainly lived up to that tonight. The video packages leading up to Ryback/Ziggler were fun and they continued the trend of making both men in the main attraction of the night look great. The Ryback/Ziggler match itself was just what I would have expected. It wasn't a great match, but Miz and Cole really managed to do a good job of putting Ryback over on commentary, while Ziggler rag-dolled around the ring for him. It served its purpose; Ryback beat yet another legitimate threat (handily) and gained a bit more momentum heading into Hell in a Cell. For those worried that this hurt Ziggler, I wouldn't worry about it. Ryback's torn though a bunch of guys and he's the most unstoppable force we've seen in years -- Ziggler will be fine. Finally, I thought the Del Rio/Cara match was okay too. Again, nothing great, but it was good enough to keep me entertained and the segment afterward did a nice job of setting up the main event for next week's show.

Three weeks in, I'm still completely interested in Main Event -- so far, so good. WWE is keeping it simple and not trying to do too much with this show. As long as they can keep that up, I'll keep watching.

 

[XXJJ]

Ryback vs Ziggler was like an extended enhancement match. I think it went 8 or 9 minutes. Obviously it wasn't as long as the previous matches because of Ryback. Ziggler was a perfect opponent though. Ryback looked really dominant.

Heyman promo was good. He basically said Ziggler isn't in the same league as Punk. So it doesn't matter what Ryback did to Ziggler. Rough night for Dolph.I would be surprised if he cashes in his mitb contract at HIAC. They got to build him up a little before he becomes champion... right?

Del Rio vs Sin Cara was okay. They did a nice job at the end to promote next week's match.

I'm a fan of the show. I like the format. I like watching an extended tv match and I like how they do interviews just before the match. It just makes that match feel more important. Also, they have a better theme song than Smackdown. They seriously need to get rid of that green day song.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night, for me, was the first real miss for Main Event. With three weeks of killer shows, however, you know that one is going to be a dud now and then.

I was disappointed in Ryback vs. Ziggler. It was a glorified squash match that went about 9 minutes. To me, Ziggler's too good to be wasted in a squash match. What I want is to see Ryback tested. The WWE can't just keep feeding guys to him, even top guys, as if they're nothing and expect people to keep their interest up. They could've put on a real match while still making Ryback look like a beast at the same time.

Del Rio vs. Sin Cara was a pretty solid match though nothing really to get excited about. They work well together and both got in a good amount of offense. Del Rio got the win with the armbar submission. After his crack about the PTPs not being "major league" I was kinda hoping they'd jump him rather than Sin Cara. Orton making the save & RKOing the Players was predictable. Everytime Orton is in the ring, I think it's company policy that he hit an RKO on someone.

The main event for next week's show is Orton, Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Del Rio & the PTPs in a six man tag match. It doesn't sound too exciting but I'm betting it'll be a fun match. I'd rather see the PTPs get a win next week as they're the young team that needs it most of all right now.

All in all, last night's show was a C- for me.

 

[The Tay]

I was disappointed in Ryback vs. Ziggler. It was a glorified squash match that went about 9 minutes. To me, Ziggler's too good to be wasted in a squash match. What I want is to see Ryback tested. The WWE can't just keep feeding guys to him, even top guys, as if they're nothing and expect people to keep their interest up. They could've put on a real match while still making Ryback look like a beast at the same time.

I honestly couldn't agree more.We all know that wwe is trying to build ryback up,and yes he is over with the crowd,and yes he is undefeated,but he's just not ready yet.(though the same was said about sheamus when he first debuted)The wwe wants us to take ryback seriously? Put him in a match longer than 5 minutes(i didn't count dolph ziggler considering he ran to the back) put him up against guys like sheamus,big show,randy orton,see how he does against top main even stars.Then maybe just maybe,he might seem like a threat.

Feed me less,I've had enough >:<

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - October 31, 2012

1. Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio & The Prime Time Players - Really good and energetic tag team match that kept a nice pace all the way through. The times when it was either Mysterio & Cara in there against the PTPs, to me, shows how far the tag team division has come in WWE. These are two very different teams with very different styles and they're able to put on very good tag team wrestling matches. The fans were hot for the match, especially whenever Orton got in there. The match also did a good job of making all the wrestlers look good. For instance, whenever Orton was in there against one of the PTPs, he didn't just run through them like they were a couple of low level punks. The end comes when Orton gets a hot tag and he & Del Rio are in the ring. The action breaks down with Mysterio & Sin Cara able to take the PTPs out of the equation. Mysterio hits the 619 on Del Rio only for Del Rio to walk into an RKO. The babyfaces score the win at the 22 minute mark. Again, I'm glad that the PTPs didn't take the fall here. They already lost to Mysterio & Sin Cara at HIAC so they didn't really need another loss. Since Del Rio already holds some wins over Orton, taking the loss wouldn't hurt him. ***1/4

AJ Scandal Recap - I'm still not really sure how I feel about this angle. It seems a little too soap opera but, at the same time, it's kind of interesting to me. They recapped on the show last night some of what took place on Raw. Cole & JBL announced that Vickie states that she has even more evidence to show on Raw, footage from security cameras on the floor where Cena's & AJ's rooms were. I'm guessing the footage will show Cena going into AJ's room or vice versa. N/A

2. Tyson Kidd vs. Wade Barrett - Even though they had the match going already when coming back from commercial, it was still a pretty solid match with Kidd getting in more offense than I figured he would. Again, a very nice mesh of styles with the agile high flyer against the big brawler. Tyson Kidd made it pretty competitive and got in some good offense against Barrett. The end comes about the 5 minute mark with Barrett hitting the big elbow for the win. He gets on the mic afterward and starts to belittle Sheamus for a bit before Sheamus comes out. They go back & forth a bit, mentioning the rivalries between England & Ireland a little, before Sheamus challenges him to a match. They set the match up nicely and put over the fact that it'll be held in England next week. **1/4

Final Thoughts - Another quality episode of main event that, again, featured strong wrestling content. The show has been consistently entertaining since its debut and I truly do hope that they keep the current format going. Next week's episode featuring Sheamus vs. Barrett should be a great, physical match and the crowd should be pretty hot for it. They'll get a huge amount of time for the match and I'm sure it'll deliver as much as their other matches have on Raw & SmackDown!. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get as many video presentations on the wrestlers this week as I think it does help give the matches a bit more of a big match feel. However, there were so many wrestlers involved in the six man match that I can see why they didn't go that route this week.

Grade: B+

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - November 7, 2012

Wade Barrett Vignette - I enjoy these video presentations that we see on this show. It helps to give these matches an important, marquee feel to them. Even though this vignette was mostly an extended example of the "Barrett Barrage" vids that we saw prior to Barrett's return, it was still done well and Barrett looked like a beast. I was a little disappointed that they skipped doing one for Sheamus but, in all honesty, Sheamus doesn't really need one. The guy's a three time World Champion and has been one of the biggest stars in WWE almost since coming to the Raw roster. Thumbs Up

1. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett - This match was superb in my opinion. These two have put on some damn good matches over the course of the past month or so, but this one was the best. Both men looked like stars and Barrett continues to show why he's going to be and/or ultimately should be a major league player in WWE in the future. The Birmingham crowd was super hot for the match and hung on just about every move they made. Like their other matches, this one was a really physical back & forth clash between two big athletic brawlers. Big Show was on commentary and I thought he did great. Show really put a lot of emotion into his bickering with Michael Cole all while putting himself over as champ. Show's commentary might honestly be the best talking I've ever heard him do. When he lets out the intense side, he really can deliver on a microphone. I was concerned that Show's presence out there would take a way from the match at first but, if anything, it only added a bit more to it. That's especially true when you consider that Show spent almost the entire time putting himself over as champ, putting over Wade Barrett and hyping his Survivor Series match with Sheamus. The end eventually comes for the match about the 23 minute mark when Sheamus manages to hit the Brogue Kick on Barrett for the clean win. It wouldn't have bothered me at all to see Barrett pick up a win but I didn't expect it considering that Sheamus has a WHC coming up. Even though he lost, this was probably Barrett's best showing since his return and his stock can only be headed up. ***3/4

Brad Maddox Recap - As with SD!, they recapped the situation & follow up with Brad Maddox. I like that WWE is treating this like a big deal and it is something of an interesting twist. I still believe that Maddox did a good job in his role on Raw this past Monday. He didn't try to act like a wrestler and seemed a bit nervous but a guy that was getting over his nerves as he was getting going with his rant. I thought it made his promo feel pretty sincere and organic. Seeing him in the ring with Ryback could be interesting. I certainly don't expect Maddox to hand Ryback his first clean win, but I'd say that CM Punk will somehow interfere to help Maddox get a win. NA

2. R-Truth vs. Heath Slater - Pretty decent match from Truth & Slater. It wasn't something I was terribly interested in, but it was a good match for what it was. I'm still on the fence regarding 3MB. It seems so damn goofy sometimes that I find myself kind of liking it. At the same time, I just can't picture this really going anywhere. With a couple of tweaks, I do think it could work. I will say, however, that the three guys are trying their best so I have to respect them for that. The match ends with a DQ after Jinder interferes. They beat Truth down for a bit before posing. **

Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars vignette - This was another well produced vignette that was put together as a way of announcing next week's main event for Main Event. Again, just really well produced and put together. This match is also for the tag titles so this will be the second high profile title match we've gotten on Main Event. This will almost certainly be another great match on the show. Thumbs Up

Final Thoughts - Main Event continues to be an extremely entertaining one hour of wrestling each week. In my opinion, Sheamus vs. Barrett is the strongest of the matches we've seen on the show thus far. Wade Barrett's a stud and I think you have to be a fool not to be able to see it. Just an excellent match that I think would've been a legit four stars if the ending hadn't been predictable. The follow up match with R-Truth against Heath Slater was a decent filler match, nothing hugely special, but it got 3MB some more television time. The announcement of next week's tag title main event was well produced and promises to be another very high quality match.

Grade: A-

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - November 21, 2012

Miz & Ziggler Promo - They opened the show with showing a video montage of these two before they moved into the ring. Miz started out first and Ziggler came out and they put up a terrific back and forth. This was a breakout moment for Ziggler on the mic and this was the best promo Miz has done in a long time. The two of them were taking shots at each other left and right with both of them scoring points. Ziggler points out that Miz keeps harping on the fact that he's main evented WrestleMania and that everyone's tired of hearing about it. Miz brings up some of the situations in which Ziggler has been close to getting over the hump but says that he always chokes, which is why he hasn't cashed in MITB. Ziggler slaps Miz as a prelude to starting the match. Damn good work from both men on the mic. Thumbs Up

1. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler - This match ranks among the top WWE matches we've seen on television this year in my opinion. In my opinion, it was in the same league as the Punk vs. Bryan matches we saw on Raw & SD! early this year. Both men looked like stars throughout the match and this is among the best I've seen of Miz inside the ring. Both guys were crisp and delivered an athletic back & forth encounter that told a great story. There were a lot of believable near falls at various points throughout the match as well. At one point in the match, Ziggler tries to undo the top turnbuckle pad but the ref catches him and wraps the pad back around the turnbuckle. He doesn't tie it tightly, but he wraps it around. The Miz tries to go for the SCF a couple of times, though Ziggler manages to counter. In term. Ziggler goes for the sleeper a few times, only for Miz to get out of it. The end comes when Miz charges Ziggler in the corner, Ziggler moves and Miz slams chest first into the turnbuckle. From the camera angle, it looked like the turnbuckle pad fell off due to Miz hitting it or it fell off just an instant before he slammed into it. Ziggler pops up from behind and hits the Zig Zag for the pin just a bit before the 26 minute mark. Ziggler cut a nice cocky promo at the close of the match to drive home the significance of his win. ****

2. Justin Gabriel vs. Wade Barrett - This match had a near impossible task of following up Miz vs. Ziggler. They only got about 4 minutes to work, but they put on a pretty decent match while it lasted. I'd like to see these two get a good 10-15 minutes to put on a match sometime. They have good chemistry and are able to mesh their different styles really well. Gabriel gets in a good amount of offense but the end is never in doubt. Barrett delivers the Bull Hammer for the win. **1/4

Damien Sandow - Sandow comes out on stage at the close of the show and cuts another solid promo in his style. He puts down the crowd in general before declaring that he'll face the WWE's biggest "delinquent" next week on Main Event: John Cena. I'm sure it'll be a good match but I can't say I'm hugely excited for it. Cena will ultimately just tap Sandow out or put him in the AA. It'd be a nice twist though for Ziggler to provide a distraction or something to cause Cena to lose. Cena would be protected, it'd add another log to the fire for their feud and it'll give Sandow a massive rub. Thumbs Up

Final Thoughts - Generally speaking, Main Event has become the most consistent wrestling program on television in quite a while. Tonight's show was no different and, for me, Miz vs. Ziggler delivered the best match on the show thus far. That's saying quite a bit because there've been some excellent matches featured on the program. Whenever you tune into Main Event, you know you're going to get a strong match with the brief filler match being pretty good as well. I read online that there was supposed to be a third match shown featuring Santino Marella in which Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns interfere and beat Santino down. It wasn't shown though, probably due to time constraints. Miz vs. Ziggler went almost 26 minutes. Personally, I would've rather seen the NXT guys come out and lay Santino out rather than see a recap of the AJ/Cena/Ziggler situation. Other than that, however, last night was another strong show. If you haven't seen Miz vs. Ziggler, I recommend that you do so.

Grade: A-

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

The Tag-Team Division seems to really make it's presence on Main Event. Not that I'm saying that's necessarily a bad thing or what not but last night's Main Event episode showed why Main Event is, at least in my mind, one of the better shows WWE has. That tag-team match with Team Hell No vs. Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag-team championships last night was most likely best tag-team match I've seen for a long time. I know generally the WWE will not book World Title matches on Main Event, to get money by having the titles be fought on PPV's. Not an issue with that honestly. I don't have an issue with the mid-card titles being defended on Main Event. It gives a different approach to the non-story lines that are setup on both RAW and SmackDown. I've got to say, the Main Event show has been impressive. Hope they keep it up.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - January 2, 2013

Opening Segment - I thought they opened the show with a pretty fair segment. In my eyes, Cesaro is improving on the mic and it seems like he's feeling more comfortable. His anti-American character is old school and sometimes uninteresting, but Cesaro is doing his best with what he's been given. The Miz piping in was irritating to me. If they want him to be a color commentator for ME, then just have him stay in that role for that show. WWE is trying to get Miz over as a babyface and are pulling out all the stops. It does seem to be working, though Miz still seems like the same guy, only he's going after different targets. Thumbs In The Middle

1. Antonio Cesaro vs. The Great Khali for the WWE United States Championship - A surprisingly decent match. I was expecting a cross between a train wreck and a shit storm, but this match was honestly pretty alright. Even though Hornswoggle & Natalya were at ringside, they had virtually no involvement in the match. The only thing of significance was Hornswoggle giving Cesaro something of a Banzai Drop outside. Khali's offense was pretty much limited to the big slaps, the big chop, clothelines and body slams. Cesaro worked over Khali's leg for a good portion of the match. Some thought it was boring no doubt but seeing wrestlers use actual wrestling holds, especially apart from a chinlock or headlock, works for me. Khali rallies at the end and goes for the big chop but Cesaro ducks and hits the Very European Uppercut. It stuns Khali and Cesaro springs back off the second rope and hits the uppercut again, this time taking Khali down. Cesaro hooked Khali up for the Neutralizer and successfully hit it. It looked quite impressive, especially as he was literally just lifting Khali's dead weight. Cesaro gets the win a little past the 10 minute mark. A Khali match that wasn't pointless filler and that was pretty entertaining. That's a rarity. **1/4

Cesaro Promo - Cesaro gets on the mic for a bit and does a solid job, referring to The Miz as a "pudgy little chipmunk". Miz gets up and goes on a pro-America rampage in which he calls Cesaro "Euro-trash" before calling American awesome. I think we've seen the beginnings of a feud between these two. A few months back, I read that a feud between them was scheduled for 2013. Thumbs Up

2. Wade Barrett Gauntlet Match - Barrett comes out and cuts a promo about being the new IC champ. He runs Kofi down while hyping the title, claiming that it needed someone with "prestige" to hold it. Kofi did a good job on commentary throughout the entirety he was out there. Barrett boasts that he'll fight in a gauntlet match, but not for the title. Yoshi Tatsu is out first and eats the Bull Hammer elbow about 10 seconds in. Next, out comes JTG and he & Barrett go at it for about 2.5 minutes before he heats the Bull Hammer. Next out comes Justin Gabriel and he gives Barrett a solid, competitive 10 minute match. Gabriel is someone that can be a legit mid-card or tag team star in WWE. He & Barrett worked well together, they're able to mesh their styles well to tell a story. Barrett eventually hits a modified Hot Shot move on the top rope before hitting Gabriel with the Bull Hammer. After a moment, Kofi's music hits and he gets up from commentary and charges the ring. Barrett is off balance and Kofi takes advantage of it and hits him with some of his signature moves before hitting Trouble in Paradise to pick up the win over Barrett. **3/4

Final Thoughts - A better show than I was expecting. Cesaro was able to not only carry Khali through a decent match, but he got the clean win with an impressive looking finisher. I expect WWE has laid the groundwork for a feud between Cesaro & Miz based on their interaction. The gauntlet match with Barrett told a good story and brought a lot of focus onto the IC title. The match he had against Gabriel was very solid and Kofi surprising him by being the next guy to challenge him and getting the surprise win was a nice touch. They used the whole segment to promote their rematch for the IC title on SD! nicely.

Grade: B-

 

[HBsam31]

I was also surprised at how good the match was between Khali and Cesaro was. Cesaro I think is eventually going to be a star in the WWE. There are not many that can carry Khali to a good match. Seeing him put Khali in The neutralizer was an awesome feat of strength as well. I expect bigger things from Cesaro in 2013. I also agree with Jack Hammer that the gaunlet match was good in that it really put some focus on the IC title which is always good in my book. Overall a good show, and I think I will have to check out Main Event more regularly now.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event - January 9, 2013

Pre-Match Videos & Interviews - An overall nice set up leading into the Sheamus vs. Ziggler match. They combined two hype videos into one and while I prefer each guy getting their own, it ultimately did its job. Prior to the match, there was also a brief promo segment featuring Sheamus & Ziggler. Sheamus did much better here than Monday night on Raw. He was still playing the jovial Irish lug a bit here, but it was very much toned down compared to Raw. Ziggler's promo segment was much faster and involved Big E. Langston sort of hijacking things and getting into Josh Matthews' face. Langston is showing more charisma that I gave him credit for initially and that's a good thing. All in all, as I said, a good set up for the match. Thumbs Up

1. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler - This was a fantastic match. We've seen a lot of Sheamus vs. Ziggler matches in the past but I honestly believe that this one was the best. The match was packed with a lot of physical back & forth action and loaded with believable near falls. Throughout the match, Dolph Ziggler again displayed that he sells better than any other wrestler in the business today. Sheamus is a guy that has high impact offense all around but Ziggler sold his biggest moves liked he'd been hit by a Mack truck. Sheamus worked hard too to help Ziggler look like a million bucks as well. What made the match all the better was that Big E. & AJ provided no interference here whatsoever. Not that I mind a little interference here and there, but they definitely got back whatever heat Ziggler may have lost in losing to Cena on Raw. Sheamus & Ziggler both hit a lot of key moves without relying heavily on trying to go for their finishers. The ending sequence comes with Sheamus going for the Brogue Kick but missing. Ziggler pops up and tries to hit the super kick but Sheamus ducks and manages to hit the Brogue Kick on Ziggler with Ziggler rolling out of the ring afterward. The timing on that finishing sequence couldn't have been any sharper. Ziggler barely missed Sheamus with his kick and would've taken his head off if he hadn't. The ref begins counting and Sheamus goes outside to get Ziggler. Big E. stands guard and Sheamus looks at him for a bit before getting back into the ring just before the ref counts to 10. Sheamus picks up the win at the 23 minute mark. ***3/4

2. Wade Barrett vs. Zack Ryder - Strong match from Ryder & Barrett. While I never believed that Barrett was in any real jeopardy of losing, this match was still ultimately much better and longer than I was expecting. The match would've meant more if Ryder meant more but he simply doesn't at this time. Ryder got in a good amount of offense and continues to show that he's someone that can wrestle well in the ring. Ryder looked formidable as he took much of Barrett's biggest shots and kept coming back, including a great looking Winds of Change slam. The end comes with Barrett countering a Rough Ryder attempt before delivering the Bull Hammer. Wade Barrett gets the win at the 11.5 minute mark. **1/2

Final Thoughts - A particularly strong episode of Main Event last night in my opinion. Sheamus & Ziggler delivered what was, in my opinion, the best televised match of 2013 thus far and the best match they've had together. I really don't think it would've hurt Sheamus here to lose though. He's not chasing the WHC at this particular time and a big win here would've benefited Ziggler. Still, a great match. They did a brief recap of Raw in between the matches that was quick & painless. I honestly figured they'd devote the second half of the show and replay nearly all the Punk-Rock confrontation this past Monday. The fact that they didn't was a pleasant surprise. The secondary match of Wade Barrett vs. Zack Ryder was a very solid outing, better than I expected. Next week's episode of Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro has the potential to be another very high quality match. Last night's show was the strongest episode we've seen in a little while. I definitely recommend the Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler match.

Grade: A

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with Jack Hammer that Sheamus/Ziggler was a very strong match, but I really think that Sheamus could have taken the loss here. Outside of Big Show SHeamus hasn't really taken many losses in the last year. A win over Sheamus would have done well for Zigglers momentum. All in all a great match though. I am not a Ryder fan by any means, but his match with Barrett was good, and like Hammer said you never really thought Barrett was in any danger of losing the match. Great Main Event this week and I am glad I made that part of my weekly watching schedule.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm getting kind of tired of all of the Hell No break up tease but I've also been watching way too much WWE lately and I need to pretend for a minute I am a normal human being and let it go.

But the reason I am awakening this death trap of a thread is to express my enthusiam for WWE finally putting Naomi in the ring. I saw a little bit of her work on the Season Estrogen of NXT and was somewhat impressed. Tonight she did more in 2 minutes than I've seen from any other Diva in years. Sure it wasn't a 60 minute iron-person masterpiece but she had some cool moves and did it with a waste of space like Aksana.

My only concern is that WWE has no female even close to her league right now.

 

[The Butcher]

My only concern is that WWE has no female even close to her league right now.

Natalya is around there somewhere, probably.

I'm with you in that Naomi looks great in the ring, though. I was pulling for her during NXT 3 simply because of her athleticism. She isn't much of a talker if I recall; she sort of sounded like a slightly more polished Jacqueline, if I remember correctly. In any case, though, if WWE ever decides to pull the Divas division off of life support, Naomi is a keeper.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Main Event
May 1, 2013
Detroit, Michigan

Backstage Promo - There was a brief backstage promo featuring Antonio Cesaro. This was a more aggressive & serious version of Cesaro than we've seen. Personally, I like it. He had some fire & intensity rather than going on about how superior the Swiss are, and especially none of that damn yodeling. Nothing earth shattering here or anything, but it's something I'd much rather see WWE do with Cesaro. Thumbs Up

1. Kofi Kingston vs. Antonio Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship - This was an awesome match, genuinely one of the best matches of the year in any company whether it be on television or ppv. I thought the both of them did an incredible job here and, in my opinion, showed why they're two of the best in-ring guys on the WWE roster. There were a few spots where it was a little sloppy but there wasn't anything to detract from the match. Cesaro also had several legit great moments in which he displayed his strength. For instance, when he superplexed Kofi off of the apron & into the ring, he pretty much simply muscled him up. Because of the position, Kofi wasn't able to generate a lot of force when pushing up off the apron. Kofi also did a good job of selling Cesaro's offense, as well as selling the "injury" to his knee. Kofi & Cesaro told a really good story and meshed their styles together very well. The end comes with Cesaro setting Kofi up for the Neutralizer. Kofi counters into a back drop but Cesaro flips & lands on his feet before charging Kofi. Kofi moves out of the way and delivers Trouble in Paradise to the back of Cesaro's head and picks up the win at the 24 minute mark. Following the match, Kofi gives a good babyface in-ring interview with Matt Striker in which he praises the birth of his newborn son. The crowd was really behind Kofi and both wrestlers worked their asses off. ****

Cesaro Attacks - As they come back from commercial, Kofi is shown limping backstage with the US title with some backstage crew members telling him that he did a good job & all that. Cesaro comes running up from behind and jumps Kofi, knocking him into equipment. Cesaro pushes/pulls a heavy trunk and sits it on Kofi, especially his leg, and talks some smack to him. He tells him "You don't take from Cesaro, Cesaro takes from you" before reaching down and yanking out one of Kofi's dreadlocks. Again, I liked what I saw here from Cesaro and I hope that this is the direction WWE takes him from now on and leave that yodeling crap back in the 30s with Jimmie Rodgers. Thumbs Up

2. Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater - This was also a strong match for the show. Unlike most of the secondary matches on Main Event, neither of these guys really has a ton of momentum at this point. Neither one is high on the totem pole, so it genuinely felt like it could have been anyone's match. Gabriel spent a good amount of time on offense, which worked out just fine as Slater did a great job of selling it. Slater makes a comeback in the second half of the match by countering a 450 Splash attempt from Gabriel into a power slam off the top rope for a really good near fall. Slater works over Gabriel for a bit before they start going back & forth. The end comes with Gabriel countering a superplex attempt from Slater & pushes him off the ropes, hitting him with the 450 Splash. Gabriel gets the win about the 14 minute mark. ***

Final Thoughts - Tonight's episode was much, much closer to the original format of the show before Vince turned it into a heavy recap show during WrestleMania season. The only recap on the show was on what happened this past Monday with the six man tag team main event & Cena's Achilles issues. The show featured the two strongest matches that it's had in quite a while. The US title match was one of the best matches of the year in my opinion. If you only watch one match this week, it's the one to see. The US title felt like a big deal tonight, something that we haven't seen in months, and it only added to the overall environment. I hope tonight was a turning point for Cesaro as he's simply much more enjoyable as a character when he's this serious, aggressive guy. He displayed that even more so when he attacked Kofi after the match. Can't remember the last time I saw a guy get his dread pulled out of his head. Gabriel vs. Slater was also a really good match. Not nearly as good as the US title match, but certainly more than I was expecting. It was a good night for mid-carders on Main Event tonight as all four guys showed that they can be of great benefit to the company if they're used & treated like a priority.

Grade: A

 

[thatotherguy]

So since no one has done the May 8th edition:

WWE Main Event
May 8th, 2013

Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro: I was really looking forward to this match. I knew Randy was going to win, but I figured Orton and Cesaro would put on a good match together. So, it's fair to say that I was a little disappointed and part of that is almost certainly my high expectations. Throughout most of the match Cesaro worked over bother arms of Orton, and Orton…let's just say he seemed to forget from time to time that his arms were being worked over. I like Orton, but let me give an example. So Orton's been spending the entire match cradling his left arm like it's a baby. Now Cesaro is working over the right arm and Orton's arms just look hurt. Okay, fair enough. Now Orton goes up for a superplex. That should be hard with both arms hurt. I should see the pain on his face as he tries to lift Cesaro. Nope. Orton hits the superplex. He looks hurt. But he sells the impact as being mostly to the back, whereas with two hurt arms, the impact should be seen more with the arms. Cesaro, for his part, just bored me through this match. I can't honestly say I enjoyed watching him, or his offense. I was rooting for Randy, just because I enjoyed the match more when he was in control.

But I'm being far too harsh. This was not a bad match by any stretch of the imagination. I definitely did not live up to my expectations, but it was still a hard hitting match. The psychology was, for the most part good, aside from Randy forgetting his hurt arm(s) from time to time. That superplex I mentioned? Was absolutely sick. Cesaro looked good in defeat. Overall: 2.5/5

Video packages: Boy there were a lot of these. All RAW recaps. All completely unnecessary for me, since I watched RAW.

3MB vs. Justin Gabriel and the Uso's: Big week for the Uso's. That would be their 2nd 6 man tag of the week. Of course, 3MB isn't quite The Shield. Strong 6 man tag, about as fast paced as you'd expect and everyone got a chance to display some of their offense. It actually took a while for Slater to get involved in the match, which is a shame because I kind of enjoy watching him wrestle. And I really enjoy watching him sell. Justin Gabriel's mini-push continues with him hitting the 450 splash for the win. Overall: 3/5

So there you have it. Two pretty good matches worth sticking around for, video packages be damned. Good enough show. It won't stand out in the long run, but it was still good enough.

Final Grade: B-