Main Event – October 4, 2018: You Mean You Don’t Have Anyone Else?
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: October 4, 2018
Location: Key Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson
It’s the final show before Super Show-Down and that means we’re going to be in for a lot of talk about the battle of the old men. Other than that we’ll have the Shield stuff because we need the Shield in our lives, plus whatever Smackdown can scrape together. That gets annoying when you consider that Smackdown has had the far more interesting build. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
No Way Jose vs. Mike Kanellis
Feeling out process to start as they fight over a headlock. After Jose dances a bit too much for Mike’s liking, it’s a hiptoss/neckbreaker to drop Kanellis instead. A splash misses in the corner though and Jose gets sent shoulder first into the post. Kanellis elbows him down and we hit ye olde chinlock. Jose fights up but gets thrown down by the afro and chinlocked again. The second comeback works a bit better with a flapjack, followed by a Regal Roll for two. A DDT gets the same but the pop up right hand misses. Kanellis nails a superkick and hits Cross Rhodes for the pin at 5:19.
Rating: D+. I have no idea how many times these two can fight and I’m getting worried about possibly finding out. Kanellis winning likely doesn’t mean much, but maybe they’re going to give him a bit of a push now that Maria is coming back. I’m not sure why as Kanellis isn’t all that interesting, but if you want Maria to give him the rub then he needs something before she gets there.
From Raw.
Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins
Non-title. Drew sends him into the corner to start and shoves Seth’s face. You don’t do that to Rollins, who takes Drew outside for a suicide dive. Back in and McIntyre kicks him in the ribs and cranks away at an armbar with a hand to the face. Rollins gets sent hard into the corner and we take a break.
Back with Rollins getting two of his own off the Blockbuster and hitting a spring forearm to the back of the head for the same. The reverse Alabama Slam is countered into a victory roll and the Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two more. Super White Noise is countered into the buckle bomb (which is very impressive given McIntyre’s size) but here’s Ziggler for a distraction. The Claymore finishes Rollins at 11:15.
Rating: B-. Good match, bad finish aside. They’re definitely playing up the idea that the Shield is in trouble but I’m starting to get worried about the Ziggler as the weak link. If this leads to McIntyre flattening him then so be it, but it really better not lead to Ziggler getting a face push out of the whole thing.
Post match everyone comes in and it’s a big brawl with Shield being left laying. Strowman and company hit the Shield pose.
From Raw.
Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott
Non-title. The Bellas and the Riott Squad are here as I try to figure out why the Bellas are friends with Rousey. Before the match, the Squad promises to give Ronda her first loss tonight. Rousey wastes no time in flipping Riott over, meaning it’s time for a breather on the floor. Another trip to the floor allows Riott to kick her in the ribs on the way back in and Rousey’s arm gets sent into the post for two.
Ruby fights up and pulls Rousey’s hair to bend her neck around the top rope. That’s rather unpleasant so Riott chokes away on the middle rope instead. Riott sticks with the hair theme by slamming Rousey down by the head and talking some trash. The Riott Kick is countered into a suplex and the over the shoulder powerbomb gets two. Rousey’s spinning Samoan drop sets up the armbar to make Riott tap at 6:52.
Rating: C. Much like the previous two matches, there wasn’t exactly a lot of drama about the finish as Rousey isn’t about to lose her first match here. Riott continues to look more polished in the ring than most, and that’s a good sign for her future. Also, Brie was involved in a match and didn’t seem to main anymore so things are looking up a bit.
From Smackdown.
Here’s Becky Lynch for her surprise before Saturday. Becky talks about how she’s learned you can’t be nice around here without getting stabbed in the back. We get a clip of the history of Lynch and Charlotte, which only makes the fans cheer for her all the more. Becky wants to know where her new action figure or magazine covers are while she has to watch Charlotte get a photo shoot. Becky has a new poster of Super Show-Down, featuring Becky standing over Charlotte and holding up the title. Cue a ticked off Charlotte to spear Becky and put her in the Figure Four over the apron. Becky limps off to end the show.
From Smackdown again.
Here’s Paige to open things up. She talks about how serious everything is between AJ and Joe at the moment and we see a clip of what happened last week as Joe went to AJ’s house. Paige says nothing happened as authorities were called and got there in time (you know, to the middle of nowhere where AJ probably lives). Now that brings us to tonight, where Joe has been charged with trespassing and should be fired, but AJ doesn’t think so. AJ wants to get his hands on Samoa Joe instead and he’s dropping the charges.
The match is on, and here’s a clip from AJ, who is at his house instead of at the show. He’s not in the right frame of mind to perform tonight because this is bigger than WWE. AJ is at his house tonight and is staying there until he knows Joe is on a plane to Australia. He needs to be there because his kids are waking up in the middle of the night, checking their closets for Uncle Joe. This has to end because Joe isn’t leaving the land down under. AJ is going to bury him alive. That sounds like the big blowoff to the feud, but Joe almost has to win at this point. Do you want to treat him like you did Nakamura?
Tyler Breeze vs. Mojo Rawley
Mojo shoves him down without much effort to start and hides in the corner for a not very adequately explored reason. Breeze is right back with some kicks to the ribs and one to the face, followed by a running forearm. Back up and Mojo blasts him with a clothesline and some headbutts as things slow down a lot. A corner shoulder and suplex get two on Breeze but he comes back with an enziguri.
The high crossbody is countered into a gutbuster for two more but Breeze rolls him into a half crab of all things. That’s broken up as well so Breeze hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb attempt. The Pounce cuts Breeze in half for two but the sitout Alabama Slam is escaped, setting up the Beauty Shot for the pin on Rawley at 6:04.
Rating: C-. Better than the opener but still nothing to see. You can only watch these same matches over and over again before they stop being interesting and we passed that point about six months ago. They just need some fresh names around here as it feels like these two have fought half a dozen times now or so. That’s not good, and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
And from Raw to close things out.
Here’s Shawn Michaels for the big closing talk. Shawn says the people are making him feel good to come home again and now he’s thinking about how Super Show-Down’s match is going to be the last time ever. What emotion should he be feeling? It might even be joy because it is time for the final showdown. As cheap as he is, he bought a ticket to come to Australia to see it in person as an innocent bystander.
That was the case until a few weeks ago, when Undertaker made it clear that Shawn had to make a choice. Shawn has the utmost respect for Undertaker, though he’ll pick HHH every single time. For some reason that upset the Undertaker (mainly because HHH almost never beats Undertaker and Shawn should be smarter than that) so now he’s got Kane in his corner. Well if Kane tries anything, it’ll mean some Sweet Chin Music. Cue Kane to appear behind Shawn and drop him with a single right hand….so there goes the gong.
Undertaker appears next to Kane and Shawn looks up at him, only to be picked up for the Tombstone. That gives us the talked about moment of the night: Shawn Michaels’ bald head, which you had to know was coming but my goodness it’s jarring. HHH comes in for the save but gets beaten down as well. Double chokeslams leave Shawn and HHH laying, followed by a Tombstone to HHH. Undertaker and Kane pose on the stage to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. The Raw and Smackdown stuff bail out the weak original stuff again and that’s not the biggest surprise. You can tell they’re trying to make Super Show-Down into something big, but the TV leading up to it hasn’t been the best in the world. They really could use a fresh batch of names around here. Is there really no one else available? Not at all? With all the names they have on this roster? Anyway, nothing to see this week, but it should get you ready for Saturday.
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