A charismatic showman and a Thursday night regular took to YouTube as Main Event hit the screen. But it was a simple show of personality from a generally stoic figure that stole the show.
Ricky Saints vs. Axiom (w/ Nathan Frazer in his corner)
- Result: Saints def. Axiom by pinfall following Rochambeau
- Takeaway: Saints is absolutely on the bubble for Money in the Bank.
Saints targeted Axiom’s leg after the Spaniard tweaked his knee early following a dive to the floor. Still, Axiom fired back with some nice offense, including a stiff dropkick to the face. As he loaded up for a Golden Ratio, Saints stopped him with a kick, then quickly hit his finish, the Rochambeau, to score the victory.
This was Saints’ third appearance on Main Event in four weeks. While this wasn’t anything memorable, his character work between moves remains consistently entertaining.
Commentary touched on him having a chip on his shoulder after missing SummerSlam, noting that Saints would be turning his attention to Money in the Bank in his hometown of New Orleans. But just because WWE’s next premium event is in his backyard doesn’t make him a lock for the card.
Saints hasn’t wrestled on SmackDown since the middle of June, which isn’t a good sign. With only a handful of spots available in the Money in the Bank ladder match, his charisma could add some welcome personality to a field that’s bound to consist of high-flyers and risk-takers.
First, he must get back on television and make that appearance count. Otherwise, Saints might be watching MITB at home like the rest of us.
Ivy Nile vs. PJ Vasa
- Result: Nile def. Vasa by pinfall following a spinning ura nage
- Takeaway: To quote a dog, “Ruff.”
If you’ve never seen Vasa before, the LFG and Evolve star looks like she could fit right into The Bloodline. Some of her mannerisms and expressions even evoke memories of the late Umaga.
Unfortunately, this is a match I’d rather forget.
Vasa looked solid early, using her size advantage to toss Nile around before jawing at both her opponent and the crowd. It was promising character work for someone with just over 50 matches.
But things soon fell apart in the closing stretch.
Vasa attempted to catch Nile for a tilt-a-whirl that was supposed to transition into a DDT. Instead, Vasa went down before Nile could hook the move, forcing an awkward camera cut to hide the miscue. They immediately tried the spot again, but it was only slightly cleaner.
Later, Nile went for her spinning ura nage, but they fell forward instead. Nile went back to it a fifth time, this time making the move look convincing enough to score the pin.
By the end, Nile looked completely exhausted, as if she had just finished a shift at a rock quarry. As she headed to the back, Vasa continued talking trash, and Nile fired right back.
If WWE sees Vasa as a long-term project, don’t be surprised if these two meet again on this program.
A final note: Nile worked as a babyface in this match. During her entrance, she even stopped to give a young fan a high-five after avoiding contact with everyone else.
The Creed Brothers vs. Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno
- Result: The Creeds win by pin following a double sit-out spinebuster
- Takeaway: Sad Julius turns frown upside down.
I’ll admit, I paused the show before this match because I wasn’t looking forward to it. For whatever reason, Julius Creed has looked like someone who didn’t want to be there this year, making the Creed Brothers far less enjoyable to watch.
Then something changed.
Julius came out fired up, hyping up Brutus and barking into the camera on the way to the ring. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but my first thought was, HEY — he’s actually showing some personality.
Then, when they got in the ring, Julius leaped over Brutus and hit a double biceps shot.
Incredible.
In the closing moments, Moreno showed out with a nice springboard dropkick before wiping out both Creeds with a springboard dive to the floor. But when he went up top again, Julius cut him off with a superplex. The Creeds followed with a double sit-out spinebuster to pick up the win.
The Final Bell
I’ve remarked several times that Julius looks sad, to the point that it’s distracting. When we last saw the Creeds on the July 23 episode of Main Event, I said Julius “showed up looking like that disgruntled coworker who clocks in, skips the small talk, and gets straight to work.”
I don’t know what happened between then and now, but this was easily my favorite Creed Brothers match in quite a while. I had a smile on my face when Main Event ended, as I genuinely felt happy for the guy. Julius may not be a natural showman, but he tried, making him the star of this week’s show.
