205 Live – April 23, 2019: The Future Is Not Now
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: April 23, 2019
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph, David Otunga
Things aren’t in the best place around here at the moment with some of the biggest stars in the show (both currently an in its history) moving up to the main roster in last week’s Superstar Shakeup. That means it’s time to build things up again but the materials might not be there this time around. Maybe tonight will prove me wrong. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Drew Gulak, behind his podium, welcomes us to the show and tells us about how confusing things are in 205 Live at the moment, with Ariya Daivari and Oney Lorcan facing off for the #1 contendership. Not that it matters as he’ll be the champion one day anyway. As for tonight though, Gulak has to deal with his former student Humberto Carrillo.
Opening sequence.
Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo
No Jack Gallagher with Gulak after their incident last week. We even get an Instagram video from Gallagher, who is missing tonight due to getting stitches in his mustache. He headbutted Gulak last week because Gulak has never done anything for him while using Gallagher to further his own goals. After we hear about how handsome Carrillo is, Gulak takes him to the mat with a headlock takeover.
A rollup gives Gulak two and it’s already time for the mockery. Carrillo gets two of his own off a crucifix and it’s Gulak looking all flustered. They head outside with Carrillo climbing up the post and standing on top, telling Gulak to come up. Gulak tells him to come down but eventually climbs in. Carrillo runs him over and grabs a chinlock, which you don’t often see from a face. That’s released and Gulak breaks up a springboard to take over.
The leglock goes on to take away the flying ability so Carrillo slaps him in the face. Gulak goes to his own chinlock before switching into a modified surfboard. That’s a little too much though so it’s back to the chinlock. Carrillo gets up again and hits a handspring elbow, followed by a great looking spinning high crossbody for two.
A missile dropkick is good for the same and they slug it out until Gulak knocks him down again. The ankle lock has Carrillo in trouble but the good foot gets Carrillo out of trouble. With nothing else working, Gulak tries a superplex (Vic: “That’s not on the ground!”) but gets powerbombed down. Carrillo’s Aztec Press (handstand into a springboard moonsault) gets the pin at 15:08.
Rating: B. That’s the best thing that could have happened as Carrillo has been needing a big win for a long time now. He’s one of the better prospects around but there is only so much he can get out of dealing with Gulak and Gallagher, who are pretty much the rite of passage on this show. Good battle of styles here, which isn’t a big surprise.
Oney Lorcan likes the idea of Ariya Daivari being a hard hitter.
Daivari says he’s a different man since he got his head on straight. He’s coming for the title and beating Lorcan to get there.
Drake Maverick doesn’t like Maria Kanellis interfering last week. Brian Kendrick comes in to say the same because Maria cost Akira Tozawa a win. Mike Kanellis tells him to leave, which Kendrick willingly does. Kendrick: “I was just a distraction anyway.” Tozawa jumps Mike from behind until referees break it up.
Ariya Daivari vs. Oney Lorcan
#1 contenders match so here’s Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese to watch. Daivari starts fast and tries the hammerlock lariat but gets sent outside off the counter. Back in and Daivari drives him into the ropes and we actually get a clean break for a change. Oney goes with a headlock to grind Daivari down and some rollups get two.
They fall out to the floor in a heap with Lorcan getting the worse of it, meaning Daivari can send him into the corner a few times. Some chops just fire Lorcan up so Daivari grabs a reverse DDT to take him down. Back up and Lorcan misses a charge to fall out to the floor so Daivari rips at the face. Just to complete the boring formula, Daivari slaps on a Million Dollar Dream to take Lorcan down.
Lorcan goes Bret Hart by climbing the ropes and flipping back for two, followed by a suplex for the same. A dropkick puts Daivari on the floor and an uppercut knocks him out of the air (great visual). The running Blockbuster gets two but Daivari is right back with a superkick into another Million Dollar Dream.
Lorcan powers up again and nails a running uppercut. The super half and half suplex is broken up but Daivari misses his frog splash. Another superkick connects for Daivari though and the second frog splash works just fine. The hammerlock lariat gives Daivari the title shot at 15:10.
Rating: B-. It was a good, hard hitting match with Lorcan doing everything he could, but there’s only so much you can do against someone as uninspiring as Daivari. His new demeanor is an upgrade but he’s still one of the least interesting people on the roster. I know they’ve lost a lot of talent lately, but there has to be a better option than this.
Post match Daivari turns down a handshake with Nese and says he wants the Cruiserweight Title. Nese says try to take it and poses to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. The wresting was good, but we’re building towards Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese for the Cruiserweight Title. I can’t get my head around that one and I can’t help but shake my head over what we’re going to have to watch coming up. The wrestling will be good because both guys have gotten better. The problem is I have no reason to care about either of these two and they come off like the bottom of the barrel of a show that is already at the bottom of the WWE ladder. It’s going to be fine, but the build is going to be the least inspiring that I can remember in a long time.
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