COMMENTATORS: Tom Phillips & Samoa Joe
This week’s Main Event features a rematch from last week’s show as Akira Tozawa once again tries his luck against Angel Garza, while Humberto Carrillo looks to get back on a winning streak as he takes on Drew Gulak and Gulak’s unfortunate new ring gear.
*****
Angel Garza defeated Akira Tozawa via pinfall with the Wing Clipper (5:25)
- I thought I accidentally put last week’s show on until Phillips & Joe mentioned this was supposed to be a rematch, it was a nice brief moment of confusion! Tozawa tried to start off strong this go around but Garza easily outwrestled him, tying up the legs and stomping on his spine and using a cool slingshot reverse suplex en route to victory. Another easy win for Garza, another week of me waiting for Tozawa’s big WWE Championship push to start. I’M NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER HERE, WWE.
Humberto Carrillo defeated Drew Gulak via pinfall with a moonsault (7:04 shown)
- I alluded to it in the opening blurb but Gulak’s new ring gear that makes me so irrationally mad to look at. I hate everything about it. Aesthetics aside though this was actually a pretty damn good match, with Gulak busting out a Hangman’s noose (must have been watching old War Games matches from the 80s) and Carrillo doing a cool back handspring pullup armdrag. Using the show pretty much no one watches to workshop, I can dig it. Gulak started the year off strong for Main Event with a crazy good match against Ricochet so I wasn’t surprised he brought the goods here again; also like the sorta subtle but not really ongoing story of Gulak trying to put all his wrestling know-how together into a winning combination but accidentally sabotaging himself in the process by being in his own head. Or I made that up. Could be either, you don’t know.
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS: Good couple of matches this week on Main Event, I appreciate Gulak taking the TV time and making something of it instead of sleepwalking through a match. Felt like people were workshopping things here and I liked that aspect too.