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Hey all! Apologies for the late redux for this week’s Main Event, but here it is, so let’s get right into it. Better late than never, right? It’d be rude not to!
The thing about Main Event is that despite it being an irrelevant show for the weekly WWE programming, the women tend to have some of their best work showcased here. Though we rarely see Match of the Year candidates, Main Event has some hidden gems that are worthy of being on RAW and SmackDown – and this battle isn’t the anomaly.
Our one match of the night consists of the rowdy Brit, Paige, facing off against the self absorbed and fairly charismatic Summer Rae.
Paige begins by clapping in an attempt to get the crowd on her side and manages to take the lead after slapping Rae on the backside and throwing her to the ropes in an attempt to trip her over. Summer dodges the latter half of the maneuver however, by rolling over Paige at the last second. The match then consists of Summer dominating for a bit, including an impressive hit that knocks Paige outside of the ring for a short while.
The match then switches gears as Paige forces in a few knee smashes to keep her opponent down. And, despite the few reversals Rae throws in, the former Divas champion manages to get the blonde in the RamPaige for the win.
Thoughts: Going into this match I expected the typical formula that these two tend to offer. On Summer’s side of things I thought we would be getting some good offense, funny in-character moments and then an inevitable loss. And on Paige’s side of things I expected some semi decent kicks, slow movement and some unenthusiastic shouting towards the crowd. Thankfully, this isn’t entirely true.
Summer managed to really get the crowd behind her as a heel by yelling at them, showing ignorance towards their comments at some points, and gloating comically at her short lived momentum over Paige. This is the kind of Summer that I wish we could see more of. Instead of the valet that awkwardly stands on the outside as her male counterpart attempts to get over with the crowd, seeing Rae actually work on her own is far more interesting. She clearly is able to get the crowd to believe in her as a heel as almost immediately we see her being booed and already the center of attention. Not only that but she manages to strongly remain in this role throughout the duration of the match, whilst also providing comic relief and allowing the audience to stand behind her opponent. Summer is a great worker and this short but productive match proves so. She can work the crowd, make the TV audience laugh, and simultaneously allow her opponent to gather support.
And whilst I almost never compliment Paige, I have to give it to her here. She does a great job throughout the entirety of the match. Though it’s a similar moveset to the one that we’re used to seeing, she makes it work. It doesn’t feel repetitive and everything feels like it has a place. We aren’t seeing Paige randomly scream just because she can, we see her scream because it gives her momentum and feels like the perfect moment. The Brit also works the crowd wonderfully by clapping to get some support and even banging the ground to build up a louder atmosphere in the arena. She wonderfully sells all of Summer’s moves, especially the one that knocks her to the outside, and most definitely allows Rae to look like a strong performer (even if she does end up taking the loss). Although this will never be the first match that comes to mind when discussing her career, this is definitely a really great one to watch back. Paige does a great job, and, as of recent, it’s probably one of her best.
Paige and Summer both do a fantastic job by working the crowd and bouncing off of one another’s moves coherently. This is a solid bout and should definitely be revisited in the near future. And whilst Summer’s losing streak is somewhat frustrating, at least we get a good match out of it.
How did you find this match? Do you think both women did a solid job? Let us know your views in the comments below!
