WWE Main Event
September 4, 2013
Minneapolis, Minnesota
We begin the show with a dance recital! Could this be a continuation of last week’s Fandango/Kofi encounter? Well, out comes Justin Gabriel…
Match #1: Fandango (with Summer Rae) vs. Justin Gabriel
Hard hitting action to start, as Gabriel and Fandango blister each other with forearms and chops. Alex Riley, returning for a second week of commentary, and Josh Matthews review the Raw broadcast, focusing on the Cody Rhodes’ firing and the overall attitude of the locker room. Fandango stalls frequently during the opening minutes when he can’t garner control, until Gabriel flattens him with a tope con hilo (nearly landing on his head) on Fandango’s third escape.
After the break, Fandango whips Gabriel into the corner. This is an interesting matchup in terms of style. Both guys throw subtle twists into their offense, and both rely on a lot of kicking. For example, Fandango jumps a bit during his suplex, making it look more athletic, and Gabriel conjures up images of RVD with some of his kicks. These little embellishments add to the uniqueness of the athletes. Fandango counters with a spinning heel kick after Gabriel unleashed a springboard crossbody and a roundhouse kick of his own. After Gabriel flipped out of a German suplex, Fandango back kicked Gabriel in his head, setting him perfectly for a brutal top rope legdrop.
Winner: Fandango
As a brief aside, viewing this match was quite frustrating. Out of an eleven minute match, the announcers spent about one or two talking about the action and the remainder discussing Raw. It made sense in previous episodes when they were referring to someone in the ring, but it didn’t fit here. I feel like it shortchanges the workers involved, who had a decent showing. Even though the HHH power trip is instrumental in many of the storylines, we will see two video recaps this hour revisiting it. Rehashing it so many times during the course of the show becomes overkill.
And here’s the first video segment, recapping the facgime’s manipulation of the Big Show. Stephanie McMahon is 27 years old, for those keeping track at home. Since, in reality, we’re the same age, I can appreciate her wanting to slow down the aging process.
There’s a close-up on a kid wearing a 1983 White Sox throwback jersey, solely so I can make a Floyd Bannister reference that no one will get. “Winning Ugly” still remains one of my favorite sports catchphrases.
Match #2: R-Truth vs. “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses and the Money in the Bank Winner for the World Heavyweight Championship” Damien Sandow
That’s actually how they introduced Sandow, who’s got his swank leather briefcase. Cute moment in the opening minute, as Truth asks the crowd “What’s up?” As they parrot back, Sandow demands silence. An immediate exchange of pinfall attempts starts off the match, as Matthews and Riley dissect the rationale for HHH targeting Big Show on Raw. Solid point by Riley, suggesting that by neutralizing the locker room leader, HHH can deflate the entire roster.
In the ring, Sandow outsmarts Truth and works a slower, mat-based attack, counteracting the faster pace of the evening’s first match. R-Truth comes back with a knee drop, and the WIGGITY WIGGITY WOO leg drop. Sandow comes back, pushing R-Truth off the top and, eventually, whips him to the floor, with Truth taking a vicious bump. Damien does some type of taunt followed by an elbow drop; does every competitor on the roster have a move like this? For some reason, Sandow attempts a second rope moonsault and lands smack on his forehead. Riley and Matthews snicker, with Alex stating that he learned in developmental never to do a move in front of a live crowd that you haven’t perfected. Great advice that he should have incorporated when thinking about using not one, but two OutKast references in this match. R-Truth hits a scissors kick for two. Sandow attempts his finisher (called the Terminoose by Matthews), but it is reversed into an O’Connor Roll by Truth, who then hits the Lie Detector for the three count. To me, this is a huge upset. Shocking to see the MITB winner lose on Main Event to someone I perceive as lower on the totem pole.
Winner: R-Truth
Second Raw recap of the evening concentrates on the Cody Rhodes dismissal. HHH will be holding a Town Hall Meeting on Smackdown. For some reason, Chris Jericho is in the graphic teasing this.
Match #3: Primetime Players vs. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper (with Bray Wyatt)
It’s unfortunate that this will only be about four minutes, as I was really looking forward to this match. Interesting potential here, as the Primetime Players have really been built up for the last couple weeks, winning matches across multiple programs. As Riley notes how creepy it is for Rowan to wrestle in the mask, O’Neil slaps it off. And, oh my God, we have a Hoss-Off! Rowan and O’Neil going at it like it’s 1988! Harper tags in and is just beating down on O’Neil. O’Neil breaks a chinlock and tags in Young, who utilizes his speed to pop off a suplex. O’Neil pops Rowan with a shoulderblock over the top rope, but Harper hits a huge boot on Young, followed by a vicious discus clothesline for the victory. Like last week’s closer, this match left me wanting to see more between the two opposing teams. The Wyatt Family ends up being portrayed as a big deal, beating a team that defeated several other competitors in recent history.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
After the match, Bray Wyatt comes in like a vulture, delivering his “Sister Abigail” finishing maneuver before posing with his followers.
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