205 Live – December 27, 2019 (Best Of 2019 Part 2): The Ending Says It All
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: December 27, 2019
Hosts: Aiden English, Tom Phillips
It’s another Best Of 2019 show this week and really, that’s the best thing that can happen to this show. Well outside of just giving up on it and moving the whole thing over to NXT, but since that doesn’t seem to be an option, I’ll take anything I can get out of it at this point. There is a lot of good stuff to pull from in the year so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
The hosts welcome us to the show and throw us into the first match, which is #4 on the countdown.
4. July 16.
Jack Gallagher vs. Chad Gable
Rematch from over a month ago where Gable won via countout (and maybe by accident). After a handshake, Gable takes him to the mat to start but Gallagher is right back up with a wristlock. An early chinlock doesn’t do much for Gable as Gallagher gets up again and spins back into the second wristlock early on. More spins keep Gable confused and some nitwitted fans call this boring.
We get the headlock takeover into the headscissors sequence a few times until Gallagher snaps off a good armdrag to make Gable’s eyebrows go up. Gallagher is right back on the arm but Gable jumps for an armdrag of his own into an armbar to put Gallagher down for a change. Another armbar from Gallagher is reversed with a British Bulldog deadlift and Gallagher bounces hard off the mat. One heck of a belly to belly gives Gable two more and it’s time to start in on Gallagher’s knee.
A hard dragon screw legwhip sets up a standing leglock and Gallagher is in trouble. His leg is fine enough for a dropkick and a rather British sneer. The delayed vertical suplex gets two on Gable and Gallagher busts out a Kimura of all things. Gable gets out so Gallagher sends him outside for a whip into the barricade. The suicide dive doesn’t work on Gable for some reason as Gallagher bounces off of him and gets suplexed on the floor, just like last time.
Gable doesn’t want it that way and throws Gallagher back inside, where it’s a small package to give Gallagher two. Gallagher is right back in trouble with an ankle lock into a grapevine (BUT THEY MADE JASON JORDAN KURT ANGLE’S SON BECAUSE IT WAS FUNNY!) but he manages a rope. The rolling Liger kick stuns Gallagher, who bounces back with a headbutt for two and they’re both down.
They slug it out with Gallagher getting the better of it (ignore the camera catching the tarped off side of the arena) but charging into a sitout Dominator for two more. Gable’s moonsault hits raised feet and Gallagher’s running corner dropkick gets two as Gable gets a foot on the rope. Gable goes up but Gallagher, with a big bruise on his upper thigh, tries a belly to back superplex. That’s reversed into a crossbody to crush Gallagher and it’s Rolling Chaos Theory to finish Gallagher at 16:10.
Rating: B+. Good grief HOW DID THEY NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WHAT GABLE??? The guy is in great shape, has more charisma than he knows what to do with and is an Olympic wrestler. Oh but WWE could make a joke about Angle’s taste in women so they went with that instead of something that makes sense. This was an outstanding match as they beat each other up with counter after counter and had the fans digging everything going on. This was a great match and Gable needs to be on the main roster right now (and getting pushed for a change). Gallagher was his usual awesome self too and the result was awesome.
Post match Gable lets Gallagher have the ring for a bow to end the show.
3. July 30
Drake Maverick vs. Mike Kanellis
Unsanctioned. Drake comes out to the 205 Live theme instead of his own song. Mike jumps him from behind during the entrances and Drake gets sent into the set. More whips send Drake into the barricade and Mike puts a sign in his face for a bonus. Since the bell hasn’t rung yet, Mike thinks that’s enough for a forfeit. Drake gets in and says ring the bell so Mike kicks him into the corner.
Mike shouts about following Drake’s rules for too long before sending him outside again. Another whip into the barricade takes Maverick down again and Mike does it a few more times for good measure. Drake gets sent face first onto the announcers’ table as Mike shouts about 205 being his brand. For a bonus, Drake gets put into a chair and superkicked out of it so Mike can be alone in the ring. A single right hand drops Maverick back inside and a huge clothesline….gets no cover as Kanellis takes Maverick’s belt off.
The whipping is on, followed by a sleeper to bring Maverick back to life (that hold has the worst success rate) and he sends a charging Kanellis to the floor. Another charge lets Kanellis catch Maverick though and it’s a swing into the barricade. Mike still won’t finish it though as he would rather go over and grab the Maria wanted posters off the announcers’ table. One of those goes into Maverick’s mouth but that fires Maverick up again. Maverick slugs and stomps away, setting up a running basement dropkick in the corner.
Now it’s Maverick whipping him with the belt and the suicide dive connects. A DDT onto the announcers’ table drops Kanellis again but the elbow drop from the barricade only hits table. Back in and Mike loads up his swinging neckbreaker but puts Drake on top instead. The super Razor’s Edge is countered into a super hurricanrana, setting up a Dudley Dog for the pin at 12:49.
Rating: C+. I wasn’t sure what to think of this one but the more I think about it, the more I like it. They weren’t hiding what was going to happen in the end but it was entertaining on the way there. Maverick shouldn’t be wrestling all the time because he’s small even by 205 Live standards, but using him sparingly is fine as he has a ton of charisma and can go well in the ring. It told a nice story, as Kanellis’ career continues to die more and more.
2. November 1
Lio Rush vs. Raul Mendoza
Non-title. Rush headlocks him down to start and the cockiness is on full display. A kick to the head misses and Tom refers to Raul as Luis Mendoza in a Mighty Ducks reference. What is with commentary being so off on Friday? English was a disaster on Smackdown and now this. Are they that worried about the Saudi situation?
Rush snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and follows with a suicide dive to shot off. Back in and Rush shouts at the crowd and the silence is nearly deafening. It’s too early for the Final Hour though and Mendoza hits an enziguri to catch him on top. A suplex into a swinging neckbreaker gets two and a running dropkick is good for the same. We hit the chinlock as the fans start cheering for English.
Back up and Raul hits a hard clothesline for two more but Rush grabs a jawbreaker. That just earns him a running boot to the face to give Raul another two but Rush is smart enough to roll to the apron as Raul goes up top. They slug it out on the apron with the fans finally getting into something.
Rush knocks him to the floor though and hits the bottom rope moonsault, only to bang up the ribs even more. Back in and Rush hits some forearms, followed by a series of strikes for a near fall. Raul gets in a dropkick for two but Rush rolls into a half crab of all things. The rope is grabbed but Raul’s knee is done, allowing Rush to hit the springboard Stunner and the Final Hour for the pin at 14:36.
Rating: C+. Another technically fine match in front of a crowd that absolutely does not care. Rush is someone who can do a lot of things in the ring but his calling really seems to be as a loudmouthed guy hype man. It’s a lot more memorable than someone else with suicide dives and frog splashes. 205 Live is full of them and while Rush is impressive, it isn’t like he’s one of a kind.
1. December 11 (NXT)
Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush
Rush is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, as we certainly should for something like this. Rush jumps him before the bell though and it’s a brawl to start until Garza spears the champ through the ropes. A tackle into the steps has Garza down but he drops Rush face first onto the apron to take over. Garza can’t TAKE OFF HIS PANTS though as Rush tackles him down and starts the rapid movements. He gets caught in the corner though and a superkick gives Garza two more.
Garza sends him outside though and we take a break. Back with Rush getting in a shot to the face to put Garza on the floor as well. That means a moonsault to the floor as the pace slows a bit. A slingshot reverse suplex is reversed into a crossbody for two on Garza but he catches Rush with an enziguri on top. That means the super Spanish Fly for a very close two, followed by an exchange of superkicks for the double knockdown.
It’s Rush up first with a Wing Clipper of his own for a near fall of his own but Garza puts him in an electric chair. For some reason Garza drops him onto the ropes so Rush bounces right back with the Stunner. The Final Hour connects but Garza crawls to the floor…..AND RUSH TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS! Another Final Hour to the floor only hits knees though and the Wing Clipper gives Garza….two. In a smart move, Garza grabs the underhook again and pulls back for the tap and the title at 15:17.
Rating: B. This was an intense, back and forth match with Rush trying as hard as he could but ultimately being beaten by the better man. That being said though, it isn’t exactly an interesting feud and while Garza has been impressive, he just feels like the next guy to hold the title. It’s way better than whatever they would do on 205 Live, but the title still doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than filling in time on these now double length shows.
The hosts wrap things up.
Overall Rating: B. And thus ends another year of 205 Live with…a show I don’t think I liked as much as last week’s. I’m not so sure that this was another of the four best matches of the year, though the last one was rather good. It’s a fine show, but there is no hiding the fact that the best 205 Live match of the year didn’t take place on 205 Live. I’d hardly call that a good sign for the future, though this show has been all kinds of resilient, at least at staying alive. It’s not much to go on but around here, you take what you can get.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Recent Comments