WWE Main Event Review - May 17, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Titus O'Neil and Jack Swagger def. The Social Outcasts

Following a two week absence, Heath Slater returned to ringside during this match. I don't know why he was gone to begin with, but I assume he was granted some time off. This was a pretty formulaic tag team match, but the crowd was engaged and enjoyed the action, so that was a pleasant surprise. For what it's worth, I don't expect O'Neil and Swagger to be a regular tandem going forward. I think it was more of a case of WWE needing opponents for The Social Outcasts, so they paired two singles guys together.


Apollo Crews def. Viktor

Viktor's new face paint looks badass, but that's about the only thing he has going for him at the moment. Meanwhile, Crews continues to smile a lot and win matches. Personally, I'm invested in his character and want to see him succeed, but I don't know if the same can be said for the masses. The pre-match promos from both men added to the bout a bit, but Crews needs real direction if he's going to fulfill his full potential on the main roster. Toiling away on Main Event and WWE Superstars will merely see him tread water for the foreseeable future.

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Alberto Del Rio def. Zack Ryder

I really like how Ryder has embraced this so-called "New Era" and appears to be motivated by it. Sure, he's been with the company for close to a decade, but he's been more relevant in the past few months than he has been in five years. Although this looked like a squash match on paper, it was much more than that as Ryder and Del Rio produced a quality contest. I didn't expect him to beat the former four-time world champion, but I was glad he looked credible in defeat and was on the verge of victory a few times.


​Overall Show

The first two matches were nothing special, though they were at least bearable and not offensively bad in any way. The main event between Del Rio and Ryder was actually the most entertaining matchup on the show. I don't know if it's worth seeking out, but it's a treat if you tune in to this episode. Sometimes the show builds toward the pending pay-per-view, but that wasn't the case with this edition of Main Event, so there isn't a need to watch it.