Welcome to another exciting edition of WWE Main Event! I feel like the word ‘exciting’ might be misleading, but I can confirm that Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd will be wrestling tonight so I’ll stay with that adjective. If their match is anything like last week then we should be in for a real treat.
This edition is broadcast out of Liverpool, U.K. I’m aware of all of the matches ahead of time because it’s pre-taped this week since WWE is on the other side of the Atlantic. I won’t run through them all, but I can confirm that Justin Gabriel will appear. If I were I betting man then I know where my money would be for who I think is winning his match. Michael Cole and Byron Saxton are our announcers. Let’s get to this.
The show begins with a Veteran’s Day tribute video. John Cena’s voice thanks the troops for their service. Michael Cole’s voice then reminds me that it’s Armistice Day in the U.K. as well.
Stardust (w/Goldust) vs. Adam Rose
The Bunny has been a thorn in Adam Rose’s side over the past week and even though Rose has physically turned on him twice already, that hare is still accompanying the Rosebuds to the ring.
The match took a backseat to the Rose/Bunny story and that’s all that the announcers talked about. I remember the shots of the Rosebuds partying more than any actual move in the match.
The win came due to a distraction as expected. But the twist this time around was that Goldust tried to distract Rose. The Bunny got involved and took out Goldust with a spinning kick on the outside. Stardust had his attention on the action outside the ring and was caught off guard as Rose went for the rollup.
Winner by pinfall: Adam Rose
There’s an awesome video package showcasing just how much of a beast Ryback is. WWE has done right by him since his return and he seems to have returned to a top spot in the company.
Alicia Fox vs. Cameron
In a pre-recorded segment, Alicia announced that she’s the newest member of Total Divas. Michael Cole mentions that Paige and her will be joining that cast when the show returns in January. Cameron also had a pre-recorded segment where she told Alicia that she’s going down like a yellow submarine, but not coming back up.
The crowd is incredibly quiet at the beginning of this match. There are a couple of cat calling-style whistles to be heard, but the silence is very noticeable. Cole asks Saxton if Cameron is wearing yellow as a tribute to that Yellow Submarine song that the Beatles did because I guess they can’t think of anything better to talk about. Everything about this match is so incredibly blasé and I feel bad writing that because the girls aren’t wrestling badly. Nothing clicks, though. The ending came via a pretty uneventful rollup by Alicia Fox.
Winner by pinfall: Alicia Fox
Bray Wyatt’s promo from Raw was replayed at this point. He talks about sin and Dean Ambrose’s daddy issues. Ambrose will be in action on Main Event tonight.
As Sami Zayn is making his way to the ring, there’s a video talking about the ECW edition of the Monday Night War show followed by the Kofi Kingston version of the “A New Day” promo. I can’t wait to see what happens with that group.
Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd (w/Natalya)
These two had a solid match last week on Main Event which is highlighted before the match begins. The Liverpool fans greet Sami with an ‘Ole’ chant. Both men begin the match by trading arm-wrenches and headlocks and Tyson seems to get the better of Zayn early. He gloats to the crowd about it.
The two lock up again and Tyson works on his opponent’s arm a little. Zayn makes is way out of it and goes for a cover that doesn’t do anything. Tyson headlocks Zayn back down to the mat and says “Ask Him” to the ref, which is always a nice touch. Zayn quickly spins around Kidd when they get to standing and ends his quick sequence with an arm-drag take down that sends Kidd out of the ring. Kidd composes himself with Natalya by his side.
Kidd tries to get into the ring the normal way but Zayn suplexes him over the ropes and follows it up with an unsuccessful pin attempt. Zayn sends Kidd’s head back and forth into a couple of turnbuckles and the crowd cheers for him briefly. He goes to the top rope but Tyson drop-kicks him to the outside to regain control.
Tyson uses the ring apron to blind the face of Zayn and punches him over and over. Kidd pauses for a moment to request a kiss from his bride, then goes back to punching the vision-impaired Zayn. After a kick to Sami’s head, Tyson goads Natalya into another kiss on the cheek and then hugs her smugly. The look on his face during their moment of affection is gold.
Back from a short break and Kidd is still in control. He viciously steps on Zayn’s fingers and swats at his head while he’s writhing in pain. Tyson snap-mares Zayn and follows it up with a stiff kick to the back.
If people weren’t sold on how amazing Tyson Kidd is at this moment of his career then they need to find the 34 minute mark of this edition of Main Event and listen to what he yells at the ref while squeezing Zayn’s neck with his leg in a submission maneuver…
Tyson: Ask him!
Ref: I’m asking him!
Tyson: Ask him in French!
Tyson Irish Whips Zayn into the corner and Zayn sells it like he took a bullet to the back. Tyson covers Zayn for only a two count. Tyson puts Zayn into a headlock, but Zayn battles back with a series of forearm shots and an eventual dropkick. The crowd feels his comeback.
Zayn makes his way to the top rope for a high-risk move, but Tyson runs up the ropes to counter him. Zayn wins that encounter and shoves him off of the ropes. Sami connects with a cross-body that only gets him a two count when he stays on him for the pin. The crowd is starting to buy into the nearfalls a little.
Natalya looks worried on the outside as Zayn and Tyson get back into it. Tyson sneaks to the outside off of an Irish Whip and Sami goes after him. Tyson quickly moves back into the ring and kicks at Sami as he goes to follow him. While on the outside apron, Tyson kicks Sami in the face. He rolls Sami back into the ring for a pin which only gets him two.
Tyson nails a leg drop to Zayn on the outside apron. He follows it up with a top rope Blockbuster (didn’t I just shout out Buff Bagwell last week?) that only got him a two count. Both Tyson and Natalya looked frustrated by this.
Taunts came from Tyson towards Sami as he was trying to get to his feet. Tyson shoved him into the corner and wailed on him. Sami still seemed to struggle but somehow seemed to connect with a Blue Thunder Bomb out of nowhere. This only gave him a two count in an impressive nearfall. The crowd chanted “This is awesome” as the two composed themselves.
Tyson went for the same series of rollups that got him the win last week but unlike last week, he was caught pulling on Sami’s tights this time. He argued with the ref which allowed Sami to tie up with him from behind. There were a couple of reversals that sent Tyson flying through the ropes and slamming on the ground hard.
Sami tried to pull Tyson back into the ring and to prevent this from happening, Tyson grabbed onto Natalya and gave her a desperation hug. When Sami let go Tyson pulled him by the leg, causing him to fall backward and slam onto his back and head. Tyson came back into the ring for a fisherman-style neckbreaker that sealed the deal for his pin that immediately followed.
Winner by pinfall: Tyson Kidd
Tyson celebrated with his wife in the middle of the ring and the two actually looked happy with each other. Zayn will be fighting Adrian Neville on NXT this Thursday for the NXT Championship. This is a big week for Zayn on the WWE Network.
A video is now played where The Miz honors the troops. It’s for a group called Hire Heroes.
The Big Guy, Ryback, had a big decision on Raw the night before and his segments were highlighted. As a mark for Ryback I have been loving his time back in the spotlight.
Chris Jericho and his Highlight Reel segment will be hosting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on this week’s Smackdown. That should be fun.
Dean Ambrose vs. Justin Gabriel
There’s a replay before this math starts of Bray’s interference in Dean’s Hell in a Cell match to kick off their rivalry. The two will face one-on-one at Survivor Series.
Last week, Gabriel lost to a returning Curtis Axel. This week he gets the opportunity to lose to Dean Ambrose. That’s a slight step up for Justin. The crowd chants “Lets go Ambrose” during this match but it never gets too exciting. Nobody believes Gabriel will win. Ambrose connects with his Dirty Deeds finisher then pins for the win.
Winner by pinfall: Dean Ambrose
Post-match, Deans music stops while he’s in the center of the ring and he has a mic in his hands. He tells Bray that he’s not afraid and that he doesn’t play games. He warns Bray that when people start poking and prodding at him then people start getting their teeth knocked out. The crowd cheered for that. At Survivor Series Dean states he’s going to give Bray a little family counseling. He throws down the mic as the show comes to a close.
Mitch’s Final Thoughts
This episode of Main Event felt very much like last week. Stardust lost the opener, Gabriel showed up to lose, and there was a well above average match between Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd. It’s not a bad formula I guess but there needs to be some more variety. I’m merely giving this show and average grade.
If you missed the show then only the Zayn and Kidd matchup is what you need to check out. It’s a great match and while it’s not a four star match or anything, they deliver.
One gripe I’ll throw out is how a guy holding one half of the Tag Team Championships is being used to put over Adam Rose and his Bunny feud. I don’t mind the Bunny on Main Event but why does a champion need to be in that spot? It tarnishes his credibility in my eyes. Put Justin Gabriel in that spot. If Stardust lost to a top guy like Dean Ambrose, even clean, it wouldn’t really make him look weak. Losing to Adam Rose does.
That about does it for me this week. If you’d like to comment on the show then please do so in the Comment section below. If you’d like to reach out to me personally then find me on Twitter @MitchNickelson or follow my blog at MitchNickelson.com. Take care.
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