Roxanne Perez showed just how good she is at being bad in a strong episode of Main Event on Thursday that started with a banger followed by a solid match in the middle that may have highlighted the wrong star.
Friday, Meet Thursday
If I had to describe Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace with a single GIF, it would be Smokey and Craig from the 1995 film Friday: “DAAAAAAAMN!”
Filmed last Friday before SmackDown in Bologna, Italy, the fans were firmly behind Italian-Japanese star Giulia, whose stiff offense included a nasty one-footed dropkick, a double underhook suplex off the top rope, and a stomp to the back of the head.
Grace gave as much as she got, catching Giulia on a hurricanrana attempt. Holding her in position for a tombstone piledriver, Grace fell back, tossing the former Women’s United States Champion hard to the mat. Later, she lawn-darted Giulia into the corner with a snake eyes.
But in the end, it was Giulia who prevailed after a knee to the face and a Northern Lights bomb.
Despite coming to WWE with much fanfare, Giulia hasn’t impressed me much. Here, though, she looked great in an impressive showing ahead of her feud with Kiana James, whom she recently had a falling out with.
For Grace, this was a disappointment. Last week, the announce team hyped her as someone staying ready if a potential spot in the Queen of the Ring opened up. This week, she was fodder for Giulia.
Them’s the breaks, I guess.
Rayo Hits Pause on DVD
Of all the matches on this show, Dorian Van Dux vs. Rayo Americano was the one I was looking forward to the most. I thought this would be more of an infomercial for DVD, an exciting wrestler from Belgium, regardless of the outcome.
This was a homecoming of sorts for DVD, who cut his teeth on the European scene before making an impression in Evolve and NXT. Filmed before Raw in France, he received a sizable ovation, with many fans holding signs in support of the rising star.
As announcer Vic Joseph describes him, DVD moves like a cruiserweight but hits like a heavyweight. His offense validated that disclaimer, which included a running hurricanrana and a rotating back suplex out of the corner.
In the home stretch, DVD got insane height on a shooting star press — too bad he landed in an empty pool. Rayo moved out of the way, then hit a pump handle flatliner to score the pin in what was mostly a showcase for the established Americano.
So Bad, So Good
Now, this is how you heel!
Roxanne Perez stole the show in the featured bout, defeating Maxxine Dupri after a series of dirty tactics, including jumping her before the bell and a whole lot of outside interference from Raquel Rodriguez.
At one point, Perez embarrassed Dupri by giving her an unwanted high-five while she had Dupri trapped in an armbar. Near the end, Dupri got distracted by Perez’s Judgment Day partner while climbing to the top rope. Fed up, Dupri changed targets and flattened Rodriguez with a body press to the floor.
Dupri continued to surge, trapping Perez in an ankle lock. Perez tried to get away, tugging on the ring apron, but Dupri pulled her away. As referee Jessika Carr removed the apron skirt from the ring, Perez clawed at Dupri’s eyes, then followed with Pop Rox for the win.
Was this a great match in the classical, five-star sense?
Instead, it was great because it showed how nasty and underhanded Perez could be. It’s the kind of match that shows who the character is, which can do more to get a wrestler over than a 15-minute struggle slowed by commercial breaks.
Rodriguez was also excellent, doing everything a heel’s corner person is supposed to do.
The Final Bell
Following an average episode the week before, Main Event returned with a vengeance. The opener had me hooked from start to finish, and the main event was everything you’d want in a match meant to spotlight a heel.
The only letdown was Dorian Van Dux vs. Rayo, a match hampered by my own expectations. I’m high on DVD and would love to see him against Ilja Dragunov, another compact killer. For those who want to see what I see, I suggest checking out DVD’s work against EK Prosper and Sean Legacy on NXT.
Following Raw, which featured a great match between Penta and Rey Mysterio that was interrupted by commercial breaks, my appetite for uninterrupted action was more than satisfied on Thursday night.
