Main Event – May 24, 2018: What Sorcery Is THIS???
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: May 24, 2018
Location: Times Union Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson
I’m out of ways to say that this show is going to be all about Money in the Bank qualifying matches. Those things have dominated Monday Night Raw and Smackdown for the last few weeks now and it’s burned out a lot of my interest in the upcoming pay per view. It says a lot when the Main Event original content needs to bail us out. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher vs. Lince Dorado/Kalisto
Kendrick uses an early Gallagher distraction to take Kalisto down in the corner to start. A backbreaker keeps Kalisto in trouble and let’s talk about the Cruiserweight Title match. Eh it’s not like this match means anything anyway. Kendrick can’t get the Captain’s Hook so it’s off to Gallagher (no longer in Slytherin green), who is backdropped in a hurry. That’s not enough for a hot tag though as Gallagher runs over and pulls Lince off the apron in time.
Kendrick comes back in for a chinlock but Kalisto fights up with some kicks to the chest. That’s enough for the hot tag to Dorado so things can speed up, including a moonsault press. The Golden Rewind drops Kendrick again and Kalisto dives on Gallagher. Back in and Lince’s hurricanrana to Kendrick doesn’t count as Kendrick isn’t legal. The confusion lets Gallagher headbutt Lince down for the pin at 4:47.
Rating: C-. The heels…won??? I don’t remember the last time that happened in a cruiserweight match on this show, to the point where it was a running joke for a long time. Gallagher and Kendrick are fine for a low level heel team and Lucha House Party is going to be fine, at least until fans grab those noisemakers and bludgeon them half to death.
We get some highlights of the first three Women’s Money in the Bank qualifiers.
From Raw.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dana Brooke vs. Natalya vs. Sarah Logan vs. Liv Morgan
It’s a brawl to start and Morgan gets two off a top rope faceplant to Natalya. Everyone gets in a running shot for two each until the Riott Squad double teams Natalya. Brooke comes back in for the save and breaks up Logan’s cover, only to be sent shoulder first into the post. Natalya is back up with the discus lariat and the Sharpshooter for the win at 4:28.
Rating: D. Another match where they had to rush the whole way, mainly because the first hour was the Roman Reigns Show. Natalya winning was the only pick here, mainly because she’s likely to cash in on her new friend Ronda Rousey and win the title. You know, because that’s how you make Rousey a bigger star: make her a former champion who couldn’t hold the title for five minutes.
From Smackdown.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Sonya Deville
Naomi starts fast with some rollups for two each as we see other qualifiers watching in the back. Sonya gets in some right hands and a shot to the back for two. A spinebuster gives Sonya two more but Naomi comes back with some kicks. They trade enough kicks for a double knockdown, only to have Naomi grab another rollup for the pin at 4:21.
Rating: D+. Naomi is the right call as she’s a bigger star and has the crazy athleticism needed to make something like the ladder match fun. I’m not sure what Sonya did to warrant getting a second chance at getting into the match but at least they got the winner right, which isn’t always the case.
From Raw again.
Here’s Stephanie to emcee the contract signing. Nia comes out first and Stephanie talks about the personal issues between Nia and Bliss. Rousey is out now and asks Stephanie how her arm is feeling. After Stephanie asks Rousey about how it feels to jump over the women that Rousey has called more deserving, we hear about Rousey not being used to wrestling singles matches.
Stephanie continues her monologue, talking about how Rousey might leave WWE if she loses and accusing Nia of being lazy for taking so long to beat Bliss (Way to treat one of your best homegrown stars there Steph.). She talks about the armbar and Nia finally snaps, saying that Rousey can’t get the armbar on her.
Nia is tired of being called lazy and promises to make a name for herself at Money in the Bank. She signs and picks up the title with Rousey signing next. Rousey moves the table to the side and promises to take the title as they do the long handshake. She promises to take the arm too and a staredown ends things. Not bad, especially once Stephanie shut up for a few seconds.
Apollo Crews vs. Mojo Rawley
Mojo powers him down to start as Nigel recaps Rawley’s last year or so. The always good looking dropkick puts Rawley down and a high crossbody gets two. A shot to the back puts Crews on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Rawley grabbing a chinlock for a good while before hitting a running shoulder in the corner. A second attempt hits a raised knee though and Crews starts his comeback to a nice reaction. The Pounce is cut off by an enziguri and a standing moonsault puts Rawley away at 8:34.
Rating: D+. That chinlock didn’t do them any favors, but at the same time it’s annoying to have Rawley win one week and lose the next. If they want to use this show to help people along (ok so that’s not likely the case), they might as well have some continuity to the thing. Rawley is someone they see something in so why is he losing clean like this?
Post match Titus O’Neil comes in to celebrate but Rawley jumps them both. Titus gets sent outside and Crews goes into the post for a big crash. My goodness, an angle on Main Event. What else could we possibly see?
From Smackdown.
Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan
The winner gets Samoa Joe, on commentary here, in a Money in the Bank qualifying match next week. Feeling out process to start until Bryan shoulders him down for two. The moonsault over Jeff into the running clothesline is countered with an atomic drop. Bryan rolls outside and we take a break. Back with stereo crossbodies putting both of them down again.
Its Bryan up first and kicking Jeff to the floor but missing the apron knee. Jeff scores with a running clothesline from the apron but takes too long going up top. The delay allows Bryan to tie him in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick. Jeff blocks a belly to back superplex though and scores with a Whisper in the Wind for two. The Twist of Fate is countered and Bryan kicks away, only to get caught with the Twist.
The Swanton hits knees (with a great bounce off the crash) so Bryan kicks him in the head for two more. Another Twist is countered into a dragon screw legwhip and Bryan slaps on a heel hook for the tap at 11:23. That would be the second time that the US Champion has lost clean in Money in the Bank matches.
Rating: B. Champion losing again aside, this was a fun match with both guys looking like stars who could have gotten the win. Bryan needed the win to get back on track after the Rusev loss, but I’m not sure I can picture him beating Joe next week. Then again I’m not sure I can picture Joe losing to Bryan either, and that makes for a much more interesting match.
And one more time from Smackdown.
Here are AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura o announce the stipulation for Money in the Bank. Nakamura doesn’t understand what a stipulation is but can show us a clip of him defeating Styles last week. He’s been thinking very carefully and wants to dishonor Styles at Money in the Bank. Nakamura picks a pillow fight, which AJ doesn’t think much about. Not that it matters as Nakamura wants to dishonor AJ at Money in the Bank.
The fight is on with AJ blocking the low blow and taking it outside. A chair shot misses as well and Nakamura gets sent into the crowd. AJ tries a springboard off the barricade but gets chaired down, allowing Nakamura to hit Kinshasa. Nakamura makes it a Last Man Standing match. Makes sense given most of their matches.
Overall Rating: D+. They were trying to do something better here but if I heat that MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY song one more time I’m not going to be held responsible for my actions. It’s been done to death for years and now we get to hear it all over again because the calendar says so. This was another run of the mill show, save for that surprising result to the tag match. Just get past the ladder matches already so we can move on though.
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