Main Event – January 14, 2021: Because Reasons

Main Event
Date: January 14, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips

The Road to the Royal Rumble continues and that includes a stop on the show that has descended right back into the least interesting and/or important in WWE. After a few weeks of actually trying something different around here, we are right back to where we have been for years with almost nothing of interest going on. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Angel Garza

Garza takes him down with a leg crank to start but Tozawa quickly reverses into a headlock. Back up and a big headscissors is countered into a reverse sitout powerbomb to plant Tozawa. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and a kick to the ribs gets two. Something like a Bow and Arrow has Tozawa screaming and a right hand puts him down again. The middle rope hurricanrana sets up the Octopus on Garza though, followed by the spinning kick to Garza’s head for two. Tozawa charges once too often though and gets caught in the Wing Clipper for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C-. Completely watchable match between two talented people who have way too much to do. Both of them have all of the charisma in the world and it is a shame to see them stuck on a show like this. Granted it’s a lot better than having them sit on the sidelines, but that doesn’t exactly make it easier to see them not getting an important change.

From Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending. Dawkins shoulders Ziggler down to start and then hits a dropkick for an early two. Ford comes in but gets taken into the corner for the double stomping. That’s too much from Ford, who makes the fiery comeback but Roode kicks the knee out to take him down again. Ford fights up again and hits the big flip dive onto both of them at ringside as we take a break with Ford’s leg in trouble.

Back with Dawkins suplexing Roode for two as Ford can barely stand on the apron. A cheap shot from behind takes Dawkins down though and we hit the front facelock. Ziggler rolls him around a bit until Dawkins fights up and gets in a knockdown shot. Despite Roode pulling Ford off the apron for a bit, the hot tag goes through anyway and Ford gets to clean house on one leg.

Ziggler catches him on top though and it’s a super X Factor for two. Ford hits a superkick for two but it’s back to Roode for two off a fisherman’s suplex. Dawkins gets knocked off the apron and it’s the spinebuster/Zig Zag combination to finish Ford for the pin and the titles at 14:29.

Rating: C+. I can go with the story of someone fighting through an injury and Ford did a great job of building sympathy throughout. At the same time, they had to go with the title change here as the Profits had beaten them so many times already that there was almost no choice but to switch the belts. It’s not like Roode and Ziggler are going to be the next big thing in the division anyway so this is perfectly acceptable.

Long recap of how Adam Pearce became #1 contender.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Slapjack

Mustafa Ali is here with Slapjack, who takes him down by the arm to start. Carrillo flips out of a wristlock into an armdrag into an armbar. A chop in the corner sets up a forearm to the back, followed by a springboard armdrag. The slingshot dropkick through the ropes keeps Slapjack in trouble but he slaps Carrillo out of the air as we take a break. Back with Slapjack’s dropkick getting two as Ali shouts a lot about commentary and the double arm crank goes on. Carrillo fights up and gets to the top for a flying elbow to the back of Slajpack’s face. Slapjack runs him over to take control again but the Snapback finishes at 9:48.

Rating: C-. Just a match here but I’m almost to the point where I can’t remember the last time Retribution lost a match. That’s rather impressive given where they were and I could go for more of them like this. Granted this wasn’t the best match and again qualifies as the dumping ground for talented wrestlers, but I’ll take what I can get.

We look back at Drew McIntyre retaining the WWE Title at Raw Legends but Goldberg came out to set up the Royal Rumble challenge.

Drew McIntyre accepts.

From Raw.

HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH is in street clothes and we have neither a bell nor a referee. They slug it out to start with Orton getting the better of things before heading outside. HHH whips him into the steps and then near the announcers’ table to take over. That means it’s sledgehammer time, but then the lights start going out. HHH pulls back the sledgehammer….which is now on fire. The lights go out and HHH disappears but we’ve got a distorted version of the Firefly Fun House theme. Cue Alexa Bliss in the corner and she throws a huge fireball at Orton’s face. Orton holds his face and screams a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, all this show did was remind me of what is going on with the main shows and those are not memories I like bringing up. The wrestling was nothing of course and the stuff from Smackdown was just there. Granted it wasn’t McIntyre vs. Goldberg but at least they have a few things going for the. You just won’t see them on Raw because reasons.

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