WWE Main Event - October 17, 2012
by Scrooge McSuck
- Last week on WWE Main Event, the Big Show continued his path of dominance, getting a clean victory over the Viper, Randy Orton. Also, Kofi Kingston won a squash match, and challenged the Miz to a match for the Intercontinental Championship.
- Taped on October 16th, 2012, from Memphis, TN, home of the King. Michael Cole is joined this week by JBL, due to the Miz preparing to defend the Intercontinental strap later in the broadcast. I don't know if it's just me, but JBL is looking really old, but I guess it's been a good 5-6 years since I really paid attention, so maybe I'm just bleh.
- Last Week on Monday night Raw, Kofi Kingston KO'ed the Miz with Trouble in Paradise... legit. I'm pretty sure there's a concussion scare from that, and who knows how it will effect tonights match, JBL informs us the Miz has medical clearance to compete tonight.
- Video montage, highlighting Kofi Kingston. We get a bunch of photos of Kofi growing up, talking about his family wanting to live the american dream. He talks about watching WWF Superstars when he was a kid, and inspiring him to become a professional wrestler. Highlights of Kofi's explosive offense and unmatched smiling. I'm pretty sure there isn't a Kofi DVD out there, so maybe the production crew is putting a lot of effort into these videos on the Main Event. We throw things to Josh Mathews, who is standing by with the challenger. He's confident he will walk away tonight the new Intercontinental Champion. Very good promo, straight and to the point. Miz called him a novelty act, and he's taken offense to it.
- The Miz interrupts the JBL/Michael Cole chatter, ready to compete, so I guess we're going to pass on the hype video that usually follows. The Miz gloats that the kick he took would knock a Superstar out for months, maybe forever, but he's already back in action, less than "48 hours" later, because he's Superman. Miz continues cutting an ego-stroking promo, which is something he is quite good at doing. I guess an in-ring pre-match promo is more effective from him than a hype video, since he can get himself over just talking about himself... Or he just throws it to a video montage of himself. Miz really was pretty awful when he started in WWE, personality wise and wrestling ablity, too. Somehow, he evolved into a pretty decent worker, and got over as a WWE performer rather than "annoying reality show guy." I don't love the guy or anything, but he really did work hard to improve as something more than a novelty act, himself.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
The Miz © vs. Kofi Kingston:
It's the title match that's been one week in the making! Will we see a title change hands in the very first title defense on WWE Main Event? In a nice touch, even the IC Title Match gets the post-entrances introduction treatment. Lockup into the corner, and we get a bit of a shoving match. Miz with a boot to the midsection, and a side headlock takeover. Kofi tries for the head scissors, but Miz shuffles around the canvas to avoid it. Kofi eventually counters with an armbar, but Miz hooks the ropes to force a break. Miz with a go-behind waistlock and takedown, followed by a front facelock. Kofi slips free and hooks the arm. Miz escapes with elbows, and puts Kofi down with a shoulder block. Lockup, Kofi grabs a side headlock, and comes off the ropes with a pair of shoulder tackles of his own. Criss-cross, Kingston with a monkey flip, followed by a clothesline, sending Miz to the floor. Kofi comes off the ropes, and follows with a no-hands somersault plancha. Back in the ring, Kofi springs in with a big forearm, and covers for two. Kofi with a headlock, and a whip to the ropes follows with Miz laying him out with an axehandle. Miz with a seated chinlock, but Kofi is quick to his feet and breaks with a jaw buster. Miz charges, and Kofi surprises him with a roll up for two. We get a series of pinfall reversals for near falls. They fight over a back slide. Trouble in Paradise attempt, but Miz rolls to the floor as we take a break.
Back from commercials, and Kofi is putting the boots to Miz in the corner. He mounts Miz with punching, but it's countered with a powerbomb for a two count. Miz comes off the ropes with a running knee lift for another two count. Miz measures up again, and jumps into the corner with a clothesline. He heads to the top rope, and connects with a double axehandle smash for another two count. Miz sits down across the back of Kofi, and slaps on another chinlock. Kofi with elbows to the midsection, but Miz breaks the momentum with a back suplex for a two count, then goes back to the chinlock. Kofi with another comeback attempt, and this time the back suplex is countered. Kofi with a slam, but a splash meets the knees. Miz roughs Kofi up against the ropes, but a criss-cross goes Kofi's way, landing on top with the body press. Kofi with chops across the chest, followed by a dropkick. Kofi leaps into the corner and to the top rope, but Miz quickly shoves him off, causing Kofi to come crashing down into the security wall.
We return from commercial break #2, and the Miz has a chinlock applied. Kofi with knees to the midsection, then Miz returns the favor. He bounces off the ropes, and lands a kick to the face of Kofi. He does it a couple more times, then covers for a two count. Kofi counters another attempt, and school boys Miz for a two count. Miz misses a charge to the corner, and somehow crotches himself across the middle turnbuckle. Kofi with an inverted atomic drop, and Miz responds with a roundhouse right across the back of the head. They slug it out, with Kofi gaining the upperhand. Whip to the ropes, Kofi hooks the top, then back drops Miz to the floor. Kofi misses a baseball slide. Miz tries to whip Kofi into the steps, but Kofi somersaults over them, and comes running back with a leaping clothesline off the steps. OK, that was an awesome sequence. Back in the ring, Kofi covers for a two count. Miz shoves Kofi back into the corner, but misses another charge. Kofi to the top rope, and a high body press... is reversed for two! Miz catches Kofi coming with an elbow, then throws him into the ropes, but Kofi bounces off and hits another jumping forearm. Boom drop connects. Kofi signals for Trouble in Paradise, but Miz ducks. Roll up, with a handful of tights, but only for two. They fight over something until they go in the corner. Kingston with the SOS, but Miz gets the foot on the ropes at two! Miz rolls to the floor and grabs his belt to take a walk, but Kofi meets him with a plancha. Back in the ring, Miz quickly kicks the legs of Kofi and plants him with a DDT for two! Miz measures Kofi up, but the Skull Crusher is countered. Kofi shoves Miz to the corner, but eats boot on a charge attempt. Roll up, with feet on the ropes, but the referee sees it! Miz argues the lack of a count, until Kofi rolls him up. and hits Trouble in Paradise. Three count, new Champion, at 15:34! Oh my God, that was a Fantastic match. If I still used the star-rating scale, this was easily a 4-star match. I have not been this into a match in a long time. Just great wrestling from start to finish, with a string of great near falls, the attempt at using cheap finish tactics and not following through with them, and giving us a clean finish to a match that was given more than 20-minutes of television time. This is how you make a championship seem important.
- Post-match, Matt Striker gets a word from Kofi Kingston, NEW Intercontinental Champion, about his accomplishment. He seems happy about it, and puts over the Championship as if it means something. Kofi says you can have fun and still be a winner. Not exactly the Rocky speech, but it gets the job done. Backstage, Mathews gets words from the FORMER Intercontinental Champion, looking upset about the loss. He seems upset about it, comparing it to like losing a lung or a kidney. He wants his title back. Naturally. Forgiveness please, but I don't think I can keep my interest after peaking for the last 10-minutes.
We have 7-minutes left. What can we cram in?
Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vicki Guerrero):
At least Ziggler will win this time. He's Mr. Money in the Bank, and hasn't won a meaningful match in months. Ryder with arm drags. Ziggler catches him coming with an elbow, grabs a headlock, and comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle. Criss-cross, and Ryder takes him down with a one-man flap jack. Charge to the corner, Ziggler meets him with a boot to the face. Ziggler with a jumping elbow and an arrogant cover for a one count. He grabs a headlock, as we're reminded Ziggler plans on cashing in MITB at Hell In A Cell. Ziggler with a dropkick, but some more arrogance allows Ryder to take him down with a clothesline. Pretty nice looking one, too. Ryder with knees to the face, followed by a missile dropkick. Ziggler rolls into the corner, allowing Ryder to hit the Broski Boot. Cover, for two. For a second I was worried. Ziggler drops Ryder across the turnbuckle, and that reverse jumping neckbreaker finishes it at 2:50. Ziggler wins! Ziggler wins! Ziggler wins! Ziggler talks about not wanting to face losers like Ryder anymore, and offers a challenge for next week's Main Event, because that's what he is: The Main Event. Ryback interrupts... so Ryback will completely squash Ziggler on next week's Main Event? OK...Final Thoughts: If you're not watching WWE Main Event yet, I am very disappointed. We're delivered a third straight solid show, with the best free television match I've seen since reviving my interest in WWE. The standard formula of the show treats WWE like a real sport, rather than the comedy act that half of Monday Night Raw is. We establish a big match, give it time, and treat it afterwards like winning and losing really matters. Next week might break the streak of great matches featured on Main Event, but after going three for three, I'm going to allow this without breaking my spirit.
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