Main Event – November 29, 2016: Even The Benches Are Better
Main Event
Date: November 29, 2016
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
I’m not sure what to expect this week as we’re officially taped on Mondays now with Superstars being added to the canceled list. Last week’s show was a lot of fun with a big focus on past moments but I have a feeling this is going to be back to the standard. Thankfully that’s hardly a bad thing so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Sin Cara vs. Bo Dallas
Feeling out process to start with something like a springboard armdrag sending Bo outside for a breather. A running hip attack staggers Cara though and it’s off to a chinlock. Cara comes back with a springboard crossbody and a standing Lionsault for two. The swanton misses though and a Roll of the Dice puts Cara away at 4:32.
Rating: D. So Cara keeps getting pushed on Raw (at least making appearances) while Dallas keeps winning over on Main Event and can’t even get a cameo on Raw? Remember a few weeks ago when he was winning a few matches on the big show? Apparently WWE doesn’t either and just put him on this show for reasons that aren’t clear.
Back to Monday for something that hadn’t happened when this was taped.
We get a sitdown interview with Paul Heyman, who says he and Brock Lesnar screwed up by underestimating Goldberg. After twelve years on the sidelines, Goldberg stepped into the ring and cracked Lesnar’s ribs with a spear. This is now part of Lesnar’s legacy and it’s an embarrassment. The loss makes Lesnar think he has something to prove, which really scares Heyman, who doesn’t know what it’s going to turn Lesnar into. If Goldberg is in the Royal Rumble, so is Brock, which means there will be one conqueror, 28 losers, and one victim.
Also from Raw, we get a montage of Seth Rollins beating up Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns beating Kevin Owens, earning himself a title shot at Roadblock in December.
Darren Young/Curtis Axel vs. Shining Stars
Curtis and Epico get things going before it’s off to Darren for a wristlock. You can hear the nearly stoic silence as Young works a headlock on the mat. An atomic drop sends Epico outside and a double clothesline does the same thing to Primo. Back from a break with Epico finally going for the throat to take over but the threat of a Backlund sends Epico running into a rollup.
Young gets beaten down in the wrong corner with Primo breaking up a comeback attempt. A belly to belly suplex is enough for the hot tag off to Curtis for the house cleaning. Axel suplexes Primo but Epico plays Bobby Heenan for the Ultimate Warrior/Rick Rude finish to put Curtis away at 11:25.
Rating: D+. Just a tag match here as Backlund continues to be the most interesting thing one out of the whole group. There’s a reason these guys are over on Main Event instead of getting time on the main show. Axel has potential but LOSING EVERY SINGLE WEEK isn’t exactly doing him any favors.
One more Raw clip to take us home.
Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks
Charlotte is defending and this is anything goes with falls counting anywhere. Sasha starts fast by knocking the champ outside and scoring with a suicide dive. A double clothesline puts both women down as we take a break. Back with Sasha fighting out of a bodyscissors and kneeing Charlotte in the face.
The double knees in the corner miss though and a big boot knocks Sasha off the apron for two on the floor. Natural Selection on the floor gets the same and the champ is annoyed. The annoyance takes so long that Sasha pulls out a kendo stick and swings away, drawing the ECW chants. Charlotte knocks her down again and grabs the Figure Eight, only to have a stick shot break it up.
They fight towards the announcers’ table where Charlotte moonsaults onto Sasha….or at least a few feet to Sasha’s right, for a near fall. Sasha gets in a Thesz press off the barricade for two more and both of them are down. They head into the crowd and Sasha ties her up in a handrail, setting up the Bank Statement to make Charlotte tap at 16:28.
Rating: B. I’m not sure how many more times I can put this the same way: the match was good, Charlotte missed the big spot, and Sasha gets the title back. She’s held the title twice before with both reigns lasting twenty seven days. It’s really hard to care again when we’ve seen this multiple times and it’s ended in less than a month both times. Still though, good stuff.
Ric Flair comes out, raises Sasha’s hand, and is gone in less than thirty seconds. Banks celebrates to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. Dang it they’ve ruined Main Event. I’m running out of ways to say that Smackdown is the better show but now even their benches are beating Raw. The original wrestling here was horrible but at least Charlotte vs. Sasha was fun to see again. Thanks for taking away some of the fun I was having WWE. I’m sure it was worth it for the sake of Darren Young and Bo Dallas.
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