WWE Main Event Review - May 23, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

TJP def. Gran Metalik

How sad is it that this was the final match in last year's Cruiserweight Classic tournament and the rematch was held on Main Event of all places? Their initial encounter was one of the best bouts of 2016, and this was merely a watered down version of it. Don't get me wrong, this was a good matchup, yet far from the classic they produced a year ago, which is basically the biggest problem with WWE's Cruiserweight division in a nutshell: they won't let these talented athletes showcase their skills to their fullest ability.

Heath Slater and Rhyno def. Curt Hawkins and Curtis Axel

Hasn't Axel been a babyface for the last seven or eight months? The lack of explanation as to why he teamed with Hawkins here bothered me, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering it's only Main Event. The match itself was fun while it lasted because although they haven't been regulars on WWE TV in a long while, Slater and Rhyno are still over with the audience. Once again, Rhyno used the spinebuster as a finisher, and although it's a believable finish, I'm not sure why he hasn't been using his signature Gore as of late.

Overall Show

All things considered, this was an above-average edition of Main Event. Although I took issue with TJP vs. Metalik not being remotely close to as great as their CWC match and Axel oddly returning to his roots as a heel for one week (?), both bouts were fresh and well-wrestled, and most importantly, the live crowd didn't sit on their hands for them, and that's always a plus. Feel free to skip over the Raw recaps if you wish, but the matches themselves are solid enough that they are worth checking out. On a side note, new announcer Vic Joseph did a decent job, and I'm sure he will only improve over time.