World Championship Wrestling presents Main Event:
Date: 9/21/1996
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Billy Kidman defeated JL
2.) Dave Taylor defeated Bobby Eaton
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Kidman arm drags JL to kickoff the match. JL takes Kidman down with a fireman’s carry, but doesn’t followup. Kidman shoulder blocks JL, but JL head scissors Kidman to the mat. Kidman hits a springboard crossbody and arm drags JL to keep arm control. JL forearms Kidman in the corner a few times. Kidman dumps JL to the apron, but JL shoulder rams Kidman and hits a crossbody off the top for a two count. JL plants Kidman with a sit down powerbomb for a two count. JL rams Kidman into the corner and delivers a few chops. JL misses a splash in the corner and Kidman hits a back suplex. Kidman bulldogs JL out of the corner and delivers a slam. Kidman goes to the top rope hitting the Shooting Star Press for the win. (*1/2. They weren’t given a lot of time to shine or anything, but it was a fine short match between these two. I was actually surprised that Kidman won here, but JL isn’t doing much of anything and Kidman getting a win once in a while will make his other appearances a little more relevant.)
2.) Taylor attacks Eaton before the bell, but Eaton responds with a right hand to deck Taylor to the mat. Taylor regains control with a few strikes to the back and an uppercut in the corner. Taylor chokes Eaton over the middle rope. Eaton drops Taylor with another right hand. Eaton rams Taylor into the corner face first and manages a two count. Taylor takes Eaton down to the mat and keeps leg control. Taylor uses the ropes for leverage, but the referee doesn’t see him use it. Taylor continues with stomps and an uppercut to drop Eaton to the mat. Taylor chokes Eaton over the middle rope in the corner. Eaton regains control with a strike and gouges Taylor’s eyes. Eaton chokes Taylor over the middle rope and delivers another right hand to send Taylor to the floor. Eaton checks on Jeeves, but is sent into the ring post by Taylor. Taylor hits a fallaway slam and uses the ropes for leverage to win the match. (*. I know that Eaton doesn’t have much steam, but I still wasn’t expecting Taylor to prevail here. It’s a mostly clean finish as the feet on the ropes weren’t even highlighted.)
Final Thoughts:
The feature matches weren’t exciting in terms of action, but I liked that Kidman and Taylor won their matches as they weren’t expected by me. The show mostly highlights what is happening on Nitro, so the show is filled with compelling highlights, as well.
Thanks for reading.