205 Live – May 22, 2018: Brian Kendrick Is A Real Fan

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: May 22, 2018
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re back stateside now and that means we need to get ready for next week’s title match with Cedric Alexander defending against Buddy Murphy. Tonight though we’ll be seeing a battle of the strikers as Hideo Itami faces Akira Tozawa in a battle over their issues during tag team matches of late. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Itami vs. Tozawa with Itami saying he didn’t like their time together. Why did Itami need a partner in the first place?

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Gran Metalik

Before the match, Gulak says he’s taking down another member of Lucha House Party. They can flip and dive all they want but if they step to him, they’ll tap out. Hang on though as here are Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher for commentary. Kendrick even has some drawings for the other commentators in this FIVE MAN BOOTH. Egads is that necessary?

They trade chops to the chest to start and a dropkick puts Gulak down on the floor. Back in and a middle rope springboard dropkick gets two but Gulak crotches him on top. The Tree of Woe stomping is on with Metalik in trouble. It’s off to a neck crank with Gulak’s leg behind Metalik’s neck and pulling on the leg and arm (kind of hard to describe) before going to a regular armbar.

Gallagher thinks Lucha House Party is strange because they wear masks and Watson has no response. He also loved “Grand Metallica’s first album but thought they went too commercial after that.” Kendrick: “Ciclope and Puss in Boots are also very good.” You know he’s a fan if he can get in a Ciclope reference. Metalik gets sent to the apron and jumps over a charging Gulak but lands on the ropes for a perfectly timed Asai moonsault to drop Gulak as he hits the floor.

Back in and Gulak turns him inside out with a clothesline for two. Some chops put Gulak down in the corner so Metalik walks the ropes for a half Coast to Coast and a near fall. That’s not quite as impressive when you have someone like Killian Dain doing the full Coast to Coast in NXT. Then again that’s making you wonder why this division exists and that’s just going to make your head cave in. The Gulock makes Metalik tap at 8:13.

Rating: C+. Gulak is getting better and better every week but they need to go somewhere with him other than just having him run through people week after week. The win over Metalik is the only way they could have gone here and I could see a six man coming in the next few weeks, but Gulak should be in the title hunt instead of messing with these guys.

Video on Buddy Murphy.

TJP vs. Christopher Guy

Guy is in yellow trunks, blue kneepads and red boots for a very bright look. TJP takes him down with a drop toehold and stops for some dabbing. A snap of the arm has Guy writhing in pain as TJP smirks down at the pain. Rolling suplexes into the slingshot hilo have Guy in more trouble but he escapes the Detonation Kick. Not that it matters as TJP takes him down by the leg into a curb stomp, followed by the Detonation Kick for the pin at 2:31.

Post match TJP says he’s the best in the world and carried this division on his back. He wants better competition.

Earlier today, Cedric Alexander sat down to talk about the title match. He’s used to the pressure and is ready to defend in front of his friends and family. There’s a lot of great talent around here but Cedric is above all of them, including Murphy.

Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami

Before the match, Tozawa says he didn’t like Itami either. If Itami wasn’t happy with him as a partner, he really won’t like him as an opponent. They kick each other in the face at the bell and stop for some Tozawa grunting/shouting. A chop exchange means more shouting with Tozawa getting the better of it (both halves actually). We’re already in the chinlock as there are even more empty seats here than in the run of the mill 205 Live taping.

Back up and Itami is done playing around, meaning it’s time to kick Tozawa really hard. Demands of respect don’t get Itami as far but a neckbreaker gets him one. Itami takes him outside for a kick to the chest for two back inside and we hit a chinlock (just evening the score you see). Itami: “RESPECT ME!” Dude get a new line. It hasn’t worked in the last year. Another kick to the ribs has Tozawa in a lot more trouble and a DDT gets two.

Back to the chinlock as the announcers want Itami to switch gears. I wouldn’t mind if he switched offense. Tozawa fights back so Itami bails to the floor, only to take a running flip dive from the apron. Nigel: “You see what Tozawa is doing. No rear chinlocks from him!” Save for the one he used before that is. Back in and the tornado neck snap sets up Itami’s top rope clothesline for two more.

Tozawa kicks him in the head and goes up top but gets crotched. That means a top rope Falcon Arrow for two on Tozawa, who almost looks surprised that he kicked out. Itami gets sent outside for a suicide dive but the top rope backsplash misses (Nigel: “X marks the spot and Tozawa landed at Z!”.). Some running dropkicks set up the cravate into the knee to the face to end Tozawa at 15:17.

Rating: B. That’s one of the best Itami matches in WWE as the violence and kicking are better for him than trying to be a good guy who can’t talk. Tozawa is still good for the high flying and crowd support, though I miss him running around and firing everyone. Itami is starting to put it together, but stop with the RESPECT stuff. It didn’t work in NXT and it’s not working here.

Overall Rating: B-. They’re doing a better job here of making people outside of the title picture more important but it still has a long way to go. The lack of people in the seats is a really bad sign and not something that is going to be solved overnight. 205 Live has that bad reputation and it’s not getting any better being left to die at the end of a taping with so many fans already leaving. Good show here, but the big problems are still glaring.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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