Main Event – October 31, 2019: The Leftovers’ Leftovers
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Dio Maddin, Byron Saxton, Mickie James
Things have been all over the place around here and that means it’s time to see what they feel the need to recap. That won’t include Crown Jewel, but it should be interesting to see…well very little around here. Crown Jewel is all that matters this week and I wouldn’t expect to see WWE focusing on much else. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Akira Tozawa vs. Shelton Benjamin
You know what? I like it. This isn’t a match that you’re ever going to see anywhere else and while it isn’t going to mean anything in the long run, it’s nice to have something other than the exact same matches week after week. Shelton throws him down to start so Tozawa annoys him with some kicks. A missed charge sends Shelton outside and that means the running flip dive off the apron.
Back in and Shelton gives him a hard slam before unloading with some forearms in the corner. We hit the chinlock for all of a few seconds before Shelton misses a Stinger Splash. Tozawa strikes away and hits a Shining Wizard for two of his own. Shelton is right back up with a big boot into a powerbomb, followed by Paydirt for the pin at 5:45.
Rating: C. Just a step above a squash for Shelton but above all else, it’s so nice to see some fresh faces around here. Maybe it’s because they needed to keep the rest of the talent ready for Crown Jewel, but it’s a great thing to see something different. Ok maybe not great but at least it isn’t Sarah Logan vs. Dana Brooke.
From Smackdown.
Here are Rey Mysterio and Cain Velasquez for a chat. Rey is proud of his son Dominick for trying to fight back and now Rey knows he’s really a Mysterio. As for Brock Lesnar, Rey knows Cain is going to give Lesnar another scar. Lesnar and Paul Heyman need to get out here right now so we can do this face to face.
They pop up on screen instead, saying that Lesnar has more important things to do than go face to face with Velasquez. Brock has been doing something but Heyman won’t say where he has been doing it. Rey still wants them out here right now so Heyman says Rey should guess to whom Brock has been doing something. We pan down to the unconscious Dominick and Lesnar laughs.
Post break, Rey and Cain are checking on Dominick in the trainer’s room. Lesnar comes in with a trashcan to clean house, including an F5 to send Mysterio into the wall and another F5 to drop Cain onto Dominick.
Post break Velasquez shouts about Brock in Spanish and seems to swear vengeance.
From Raw.
It’s time for the King’s Court with Lana and Rusev, the latter of whom is still wearing his wedding ring for the sake of some hope. Lana says she is tired of being harassed by the fans but the truth is that their marriage was all about Rusev wanting sex. Rusev: “Well can you blame me?”
Apparently Rusev is a sex addict who just wanted to impregnate her. That isn’t happening because she won’t be able to get modeling work if she’s pregnant. Oh and Rusev cheated on her, which Lashley told her about. Rusev denies the whole thing so here’s Lashley, with Lana running off. The fight is on with Lashley going into the steps and they head back inside.
Lashley’s spear is cut off with a superkick and Samoan drop, allowing Rusev to take off the wedding ring. He asks Lana if this is what she wants and stuffs the ring in Lashley’s mouth. Lana finds a kendo stick and hits Rusev for no effect so he yells at her, allowing Lashley to hit him low. Kissing ensues to end the show. They’re getting better with Rusev fighting back and he doesn’t look as bad if Lana believed that he was cheating on her, but this feels like a bad daytime talk show closing out the last ten minutes of Raw.
Video on Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury.
Crown Jewel rundown.
Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley/Eric Young
So much for something different. Ryder and Rawley (without the Conga Line from last week) start things off with Ryder grabbing a headlock. Mojo can’t get a suplex as Ryder counters with the neckbreaker and it’s already off to Hawkins. Young comes in and gets backdropped, only to come back with a toss out to the floor.
We take a break and come back with Rawley unloading on Hawkins with right hands. The chinlock goes on but Hawkins jawbreaks his way to freedom and makes the hot tag. A double dropkick through the ropes takes the villains down and Hawkins adds a top rope elbow to both of them as they stand on the floor. Back in and Young hits the Death Valley Driver for two on Hawkins but it’s the Long Island Express (Samoan drop/middle rope flipping neckbreaker) to finish Young at 9:02.
Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly interesting but they were working hard, as Ryder and Hawkins always seem to be doing. For the life of me I don’t get why they pulled the plug on Ryder as he could have been something worthwhile in the midcard, yet he still maintains a certain level of popularity. Maybe it’s the fans just wanting to cheer for someone who is clearly passionate about what he does, but it’s a shame that he had his legs cut off.
From Raw.
Seth Rollins vs. Erick Rowan
Non-title and falls count anywhere. Rollins charges at him to start and gets tossed into the corner for his efforts. A low bridge puts Rowan on the floor, where he is fine enough to send Rollins into the barricade a few times. The big boot gives Rowan two on the floor and they fight into the crowd.
They fight into the concourse with Rollins hitting him with a metal post. That’s fine with Rowan, who Rock Bottoms him through a merchandise table for two as we take a break. Back with Rollins hitting a suicide dive and sending Rowan into the steps. Rowan sends him into the steps as well and hits a splash off the apron for two. The powerbomb into the post gets two more and they head up to the stage.
Rowan clears the announcers’ table but gets caught with the Stomp onto said table for the delayed two. Rollins finds a chair and they fight into the back with Rowan sends him into a pile of pipes. A ladder to the ribs takes Rowan down and the Stomp onto the ladder sets up….the Halftime Heat finish as Rowan has a forklift lowered onto Rowan for the cover and the pin at 15:05.
Rating: C+. Well at least we didn’t get the fork lift camera angle. They did a lot of good things here but at the same time, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Rollins need this much effort to beat someone three days before a title match that he should lose. I mean, he’ll win but he shouldn’t given the circumstances. Rowan’s push seems to be close to ending, though he got in a lot here.
Overall Rating: C. So yeah Shelton vs. Tozawa wasn’t enough to carry this to another level. The show was short and easy but the usual uninspired Main Event fare. At the end of the day, none of this matters with Crown Jewel having taken place and that means this show is even more worthless than usual. Just mix in a few fresh names though and the show feels a little better, which is better than nothing.
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