WWE Main Event Review - August 12, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Aliyah def. Dakota Kai

Unsurprisingly, Aliyah came out to crickets, but then again, so did everyone else on this edition of Main Event for the most part. Kai got a bit of a better reaction (and I would hope so considering this was taped in Orlando, the home of NXT), but not as loud for someone who has been a notable name in NXT for a few years now and will be contending for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver 36 next weekend. With that being said, why the hell would you job out the number one contender so close to TakeOver? I know hardly anyone watches Main Event (and Vince McMahon probably couldn't care less), but it was still a puzzling decision, especially considering she lost to Aliyah of all people. Speaking of Aliyah, I maintain that she has barely improved in the many years she spent in WWE's developmental system and has no business being on the main roster, assuming she's actually been called up and won't get released in the next round of cuts. Kai made parts of this match passable, but some spots from Aliyah were just abysmal. I'm sorry but she is not good. Her winning killed me a little on the inside, along with Kai acting like a generic babyface when she been a vicious heel on NXT as of late.

Odyssey Jones def. Austin Theory

Jones arguably received the quietest reaction of everyone on this show when he came out yet he got the most over with the audience by the end. As I've said in my reviews of NXT, he has plenty of potential but is inexperienced. In time, he can be a breakout star (no pun intended seeing as how he's headed to the finals of the NXT Breakout Tournament), but now is not that time. He and Theory had a quality contest with Theory's offense looking crisp, Theory selling well for Jones, and both guys impressing. I enjoyed this and the crowd seemed to as well once they warmed up to them.

Overall Show

This was similar to the episode we got back in June featuring Karrion Kross and Bronson Reed in that it essentially served as an NXT showcase. Unfortunately, Kross went on to lose his undefeated streak his first night on Raw mere weeks later while Reed has since been released, so I don't think the fact that any of these people appeared on this program is necessarily a positive sign. Aliyah is reportedly already a member of the Raw roster, but you would never know it seeing as how she has yet to show up on Raw. Kai could be called up after TakeOver (or before if WWE gets their way), but I think it's too soon for Theory to be going back to the main roster and way too soon for Jones to be called up, who only just debuted on NXT and is still green. This was a unique edition of Main Event given the fresh faces that were a part of it and I thought Jones vs. Theory was the better bout of the two.

SEE MORE: Main Event Reviews