The women’s division took center stage this week on Main Event, with implications for the Intercontinental title picture and the Queen of the Ring tournament. In the middle was a fast-moving contest featuring four true luchadores in the men’s tag team division.
Questionable Booking?
Jordynne Grace beat Kiana James in the opener, which saw fans cheering both women. Though Grace was the favorite, James received strong applause after a series of shoulder strikes.
Grace flashed some innovative offense, catching a boot from
James and turning it into a release fisherman’s suplex. While on the apron, she straddled James and delivered a series of headbutts. The end came when Grace caught James with a backpack stunner for the win.
The decision to have Grace go over seemed counterproductive, as James is a competitor in this year’s Queen of the Ring tournament. That said, commentary hyped Grace’s win by pointing out that she’s staying ready in case a spot in the tournament opens up.
Here’s a thought: give her James’ spot.
Sorry, Kiana.
The Americano Güey
Rayo and Bravo continued riding a wave of momentum after El Grande Americano defeated Chad Gable at Noche de Los Grandes on Saturday, defeating the LWO.
Though commentary spent most of the match giving Grande and Gable their flowers, they touched on Del Toro coming back from injury. That would explain why Wilde had been flying solo for much of the year.
Del Toro looked sharp as he led the charge, wiping out Los Americanos with a missile dropkick. He and Wilde then hooked up for a pair of stereo suicide dives that kept the masked luchadores on their heels.
As the action returned to the ring, Del Toro went for a top-rope strike but got caught with a Superman punch by Rayo. After tagging in Bravo, the two hit a double headbutt — and that was it.
A less-than-exciting finish to an otherwise fun match, but a win’s a win.
¡Olé!
For the Birds
Once I saw the lineup for this week’s show, I knew immediately who was doing the honors.
Lyra Valkyria defeated Ivy Nile in the featured bout, extending her record against “The Pitbull” to 5-0, including two wins against her this year on Main Event.
But it wasn’t easy for the bird lady, as Nile jumped her before the bell and never let up. As she had done in previous weeks, Nile flashed her power by holding Lyra up for well over 20 seconds before dropping her with a delayed vertical suplex.
Nile went to the well once too often, though, trying for it again later in the bout. Instead, Lyra escaped and scored with Nightwing for the victory.
For Nile, this was her third match in as many weeks on Main Event, entering Thursday’s show on a two-match winning streak. Clearly, those wins were about shining her up for Lyra as she moves on to bigger things, as seen on Raw.
Last Monday, Lyra brushed off her partner, Bayley, to sweet-talk her way into a future title match with new Women’s Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca. Brown-nosing helps, as does winning, so it seems Lyra has her bases covered.
Still, it was a disappointing end for Nile, who at least looked strong throughout. When she goes off, it’s fun to watch, which is why I’d like to see her in a better position.
Alas, it’s looking like she may be settling into the role of gatekeeper. As we’ve seen this year on Main Event, Nile is someone who can help new stars from Evolve and NXT get accustomed to the bright lights of WWE while helping main roster stars stay warm for current and future programs.
The Final Bell
A shade under 30 minutes, Main Event was a fair show elevated by the energy of the overseas audiences. As Euro crowds do, they serenaded Bayley with their “Hey! Bayley” rendition of “Hey! Baby” as she stood in Lyra’s corner against Nile.
Despite a loss, members of the “Nile Pile” will still appreciate Ivy’s performance, though I suggest hitting stop shortly after she hits play on that delayed suplex.
