Main Event – March 4, 2021: The Inside Out
Main Event
Date: March 4, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe
We’re in the Bobby Lashley Era now and of course he isn’t going to be showing up on this show. I know they put all of those top stars on the intro but that’s not the point around here. I’m sure we’ll see some low level midcarders and the usual crew around here, because that’s what Main Event is for. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Mansoor vs. Drew Gulak
Gulak headlock takeovers him down to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and Gulak snaps off a German suplex for two and it’s off to the chinlock. Mansoor jawbreaks his way to freedom but gets German suplexed for another near fall. Gulak misses a charge into the corner but Mansoor’s jumping kick to the head is countered into an STF.
That’s broken up by a rope break so Gulak puts him on top, only to get knocked backwards for a spinning high crossbody. Mansoor hammers away and grabs a spinebuster for two. A sleeper doesn’t last long for Mansoor as he is sent to the apron. That means the slingshot neckbreaker can finish Gulak at 5:51.
Rating: C. Mansoor continues to be one of the more consistently entertaining of the low level part of the roster and somehow he is still undefeated. I’m not sure where he is going or if he is just there as a favor to Saudi Arabia, but at least he is entertaining while it is lasting. Now maybe they could do something with him? Same with Gulak?
Rhea Ripley is still coming.
From Smackdown.
Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are in the ring for Bianca Belair’s pick. We see a video on Asuka and another on Sasha Banks and now Belair is ready to make her pick. Well actually she’s ready to talk about making choices….but here is Reginald to interrupt. He wants her to know what a loser she will be if she picks Sasha, who is here to interrupt as well. She tells Reginald to never speak for her and tells Belair that if she wants to make a statement, her choice is clear. Banks is the best, which makes Belair second best. Belair makes the pick and the match is set. At least they didn’t drag it out, but drop Reginald already.
From Smackdown.
Here are Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman to get things going. After a long look at Reigns beating Daniel Bryan and then being attacked by Edge on Sunday night, Reigns says Smackdown needs him. He’s so good at everything that it has to be perfect, but there is one person standing in his way. That’s the guy who jumped him on Sunday and then pointed at the Wrestlemania sign. Edge has a beautiful family and is a father and husband. Reigns respects the comeback and everything Edge is about but he doesn’t want to hurt him.
Cue Daniel Bryan to say that absolutely Sunday was perfect for Reigns. Why wouldn’t it have been? All Reigns had to do was face Bryan just after the Elimination Chamber. That doesn’t sound like a Head of the Table spot to Bryan, who thinks Reigns should have been in the main event slot. Reigns can silence the comparisons, and there have been a lot of them, by defending the title against him at Fastlane, with no conditions. Uso doesn’t want to hear that because Bryan goes to the back of the line. Bryan asks again but Jey jumps him and the trio leaves. Everything here made sense.
From Smackdown.
Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso
If Bryan wins, he gets Reigns for the title at Fastlane. Bryan works on the wrist to start and moonsaults over Jey (with a quick touch to his banged up knee), setting up the running clothesline. A top rope hurricanrana gives Bryan two and Jey is sent outside, where he knocks a dive out of the air. The bad knee is dropped onto the announcers’ table and then sent into the post as we take a break. Back with Uso still working on the knee before hitting a Samoan drop.
The Superfly Splash misses though and Bryan knocks him to the floor, setting up the running knee off the apron. Back in and Bryan comes off the top but bangs up the knee again, allowing Jey to kick it out. The half crab goes on but Bryan slips out and tries the running knee, only to get chop blocked down. A butterfly superplex brings Jey off the top though and the threat of the YES Lock sends him over to the rope. They roll outside to keep up the brawl with Bryan’s knee going into the steps, setting up the double countout at 12:47.
Rating: B-. The ending was a surprise and that’s a good thing. They have a few different ways to go for Fastlane now and the combination of possibilities have me rubbing my chin. I can’t imagine Bryan doesn’t get a straight shot at Reigns, but now they are going to have to go in a different direction to get there, which is not a bad thing.
Post match Bryan gets the YES Lock on Uso but Roman Reigns makes the save. Uso has to save Roman from the YES Lock and it’s a spear to Bryan. The guillotine choke knocks Bryan cold to end the show.
We see a clip from Talking Smack with Paul Heyman setting up a cage match between Bryan and Uso for next week. The promo exchange with Bryan getting inside Heyman’s head over Reigns being scared is quite good.
Ricochet vs. Akira Tozawa
Tozawa flips out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a quick armdrag into the corner. Back up and Tozawa does it again, which has Ricochet frustrated. A hard forearm knocks Tozawa into the corner as Ricochet is not seeming happy here as we take a break. Back with Ricochet hitting a slam and dropping some elbows for two.
The chinlock goes on and a dropkick gives Ricochet two. The next chinlock goes on but Tozawa fights up and heads to the top for a flying headbutt to the chest. They both miss spinning kicks to the head before Ricochet grabs a bridging German suplex for two. Back up and Tozawa hits the spinning kick to the head, only to charge into the Kick Back for the pin at 9:40.
Rating: C+. Now this was a fun one as they did their thing at a fast pace and told a story of Ricochet not being able to keep up with him. I could absolutely go for a heel Ricochet, as it’s not like he has been able to do anything in the last year or so. Nice stuff here and it continues to elude me how there is nothing for these two anywhere on the main shows.
Respect is shown post match.
Long recap of Alexa Bliss tormenting Randy Orton in the main of the Fiend.
From Raw.
Raw World Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley
Miz is defending and here’s Shane McMahon to make it a lumberjack match. The bell rings and Miz tries a belt shot but Lashley pulls it away. With Lashley looking ready to end him, Miz heads to the apron, only to come back in for a shot to the face. That sends Miz bailing to the floor and tries to bribe the lumberjacks but gets tossed back in.
Lashley blasts him with a clothesline and hits the shoulders in the corner before throwing Miz outside again. Retribution won’t help him but the Hurt Business will throw him back inside. A Downward Spiral sets up right hands to Miz’s head and Lashley presses him to the floor. Retribution throws him back in this time and there’s the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock makes Lashley champion at 3:04.
Rating: D. They didn’t have a choice here as it was either going to be here or at Fastlane. Lashley has been ready to be WWE Champion for the better part of twenty years now so finally giving him the title was the right call. You should know where this is going for Fastlane and Wrestlemania, but maybe now the freaking out over Miz winning the title can end.
Post match Lashley beats him down again and celebrates to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This was the inside out version of the show as the original stuff was far better than the stuff from Raw and Smackdown. The talent is there and it seems like we are getting back to the point where the wrestlers know this show doesn’t matter so they are just having fun with it. That makes for some great stuff and hopefully that is the case again going forward, because it makes this show a lot more fun.
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