Main Event – September 26, 2019: The Nothing Before The Something
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: September 26, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Mickie James
It’s the lamest of lame duck shows as we are less than a week away from everything changing (again). This is one of those rare weeks where both shows are in the same city, which doesn’t have anything to do with what to expect here but it’s not like there is anything else to talk about. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Titus O’Neil/Heath Slater vs. Eric Young/Mojo Rawley
Slater takes Rawley down to start but gets sent into the corner with raw power. A Young distraction lets Rawley blast him in the face though and it’s Young coming in to take over in the corner. That means it’s time for the chinlock from Rawley, which is broken up in short order. Titus comes in to clean house and catches (not really) Young off the middle rope for the Clash of the Titus (or more like a terrible spinebuster) for the pin at 3:54. How do you botch the ONE MOVE THAT YOU HAVE???
Rating: D-. The whole match had one big move with the Clash of the Titus and they managed to screw that up. Titus is someone who has earned all of the respect in the world for his charity work and positive attitude but my goodness he is not that good in the ring. I feel bad for Young (yes really) because he deserves better than what he is getting.
Hell in a Cell rundown as WWE tries to remember that the show exists.
We see the end of the fatal five way with Rey Mysterio becoming #1 contender to the Universal Title.
From Raw.
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman
Non-title. Strowman starts fast by running Rollins over with the referee having to check on him. Rollins gets knocked to the floor in a heap and we take a break. Back with Rollins fighting out of a bearhug and dropkicking the knee. The Pedigree is easily broken up and Rollins bails to the floor.
For once Rollins is smart enough to avoid the charging Strowman by jumping over the barricade, though Strowman is fine enough to throw him down anyway. Back in and Strowman charges into some boots in the corner and then the post for a bonus. Seth wraps the leg around the post and hits a pair of frog splashes for two.
A suicide dive doesn’t knock Strowman down so Rollins hits a second to take him down. For some reason Rollins tries a third and stumbles a bit, allowing Strowman to chokeslam him onto the apron. The running powerslam hits on the floor so Strowman loads up another one in the ring….and there go the lights. They come back on with Strowman in the Fiend’s Mandible Claw for the DQ at 12:30.
Rating: C+. I liked what we got well enough and I’ll take Strowman winning via DQ and getting knocked out over Rollins pinning him again and taking away even more of Strowman’s status. The Fiend interference isn’t shocking but that doesn’t make it a bad idea, as taking out someone like Strowman is a little more impressive for him.
Post match Strowman is out as Rollins cowers in the corner, even screaming a bit as the Fiend crawls to him. Strowman gets up so Fiend claws him down again and glares a lot as the lights go out to end the show with more laughter.
Video on Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens.
Here are Shane McMahon and a bunch of lawyers to deal with Kevin Owens’ lawsuit. Now, Shane can fight this in court and use his resources to ruin Owens’ life. Or Owens can drop the lawsuit and be reinstated, with Shane getting rid of the $100,000 fine as well. Shane offers him a handshake but Owens calls him an idiot.
The idea of the lawsuit makes him sick because Owens wants Shane out of the locker room period. That’s what everyone has wanted for so long: seeing Shane get fired. Owens wants one final match: career vs. career and let’s make it a ladder match. For some reason Shane’s mic is cut off but he says you’re on. No date is given.
Zack Ryder vs. Cesaro
Cesaro is in regular pants again as Ryder fights out of a waistlock early on. The offer of a handshake earns Ryder a kick to the ribs but he’s right back with a flapjack. Cesaro sends him to the apron and then out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ryder fighting out of a chinlock (well duh) so Cesaro drops an elbow to keep him down. That means another broken chinlock but Ryder fights up with a neckbreaker. The Broski Boot gets two but Cesaro uppercuts him out of the air for two more. A few rollups give Ryder a few twos of his own until a thumb to the eye sets up the Neuralizer to give Cesaro the pin at 8:11.
Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse with Ryder working hard to make this work. There wasn’t any doubt about who was going to win because Ryder doesn’t win matches anywhere and Cesaro is only allowed to win nothing matches, but at least he was trying, which is more than some people do around here.
We look at Kofi Kingston accepting Brock Lesnar’s challenge for the FOX debut and getting laid out as a result.
Video on Erick Rowan and Luke Harper’s path of rage.
From Smackdown.
Daniel Bryan vs. Erick Rowan
Bryan goes right for him to start but gets knocked outside for a crossbody. Back in and Rowan hits a spinning kick to the face and we take an early break. We come back with Bryan getting powerbombed into the post and having to dive back inside to beat the count. A dropkick to the leg takes Rowan down though and Bryan wraps the knee around the post few times.
Another dropkick sends the knee into the post but Rowan is fine enough to catch him in something close to a Jackhammer for two. The bearhug works on Bryan’s back and a jackknife gets two more. We take another break and come back again with Bryan reversing a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip for two and sending Bryan outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Bryan posts him instead, setting up the missile dropkick to the back.
It’s full on face mode Bryan as he kicks away to the shoulder and the big one actually connects to the head for once….and one. The Iron Claw is countered into a guillotine choke and then the LeBell Lock draws in Luke Harper for the distraction. Bryan dives onto him as well but Harper pops up, allowing Rowan to pull Bryan over the top with the Iron Claw, but Bryan’s foot gets tied in the rope for one of those accidents you can only get in wrestling. Everyone gets together to get Bryan out of the ropes so another Iron Claw can give Rowan he pin at 17:58.
Rating: C+. Rowan is getting a rather strong push at the moment and that’s something you don’t see very often. Sometimes you just need to do something new and pushing the Bludgeon Brothers as main event monsters is an idea that could go somewhere. I like what we’ve seen so far and the tag match should be pretty good.
Post match Harper and Rowan load up the table but it’s Roman Reigns coming out for the save. The brawl continues with Bryan getting back into it and hitting the running knee on Harper. Reigns spears Rowan down and the good guys stand tall. Bryan seems to have hurt his leg on the running knee (could be due to the rope thing) but slaps Reigns’ hand away as he tries to offer some help. Bryan grabs a mic and issues the challenge for the tag match, presumably for next week. The fans give that quite the YES.
Overall Rating: D+. Yeah there’s no hiding the fact that this week was all about setting up next week and that is fine enough. Next week is all going to be as big as it gets and there is no reason to really try anything as we get close to what matters. The wrestling was the usual fare and as usual, meant nothing here, but as unusual, nothing meant anything here and it’s another Main Event that served little purpose.
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