205 Live – January 24, 2020: You’re Sticking Me With Him???
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: January 24, 2020
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Jon Quasto, Aiden English
What is there left to say about this show at this point? The show has turned the clock all the way back to the beginning when there is almost nothing going on and a bunch of people just having random matches for no particular reason. That’s a horrible shame given what this show can be but if WWE doesn’t want to try, there isn’t much that can be done. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Ariya Daivari vs. Tyler Breeze
Yeah, because THIS needed a rematch. Breeze snaps off a dropkick to start and hammers away in the corner, possibly trying to let out some frustration at being stuck with Daivari. They head outside for a few seconds with Daivari taking over and hammering away back inside. Another dropkick puts Daivari in the corner but he’s right back with a kick to the face. A neckbreaker across the middle rope gives Daivari two and the chinlock stays on Breeze’s neck.
Breeze breaks out of that in a hurry and sends him outside so Daivari comes right back in with a bunch of right hands. A neck stretch/pull slows Breeze down again but he’s back up for stereo crossbodies. Breeze kicks away and hits a lariat for two, followed by a catapult into the corner. The Supermodel kick gets two and the Unprettier is the same with Daivari getting his foot on the rope. The Beauty Shot misses but so does the hammerlock lariat, allowing Breeze to counter a sunset flip into a cradle for the pin at 9:24.
Rating: C-. The wrestling was decent enough but it was a boring rematch of a match that wasn’t very good in the first place, featuring one of the least interesting people in WWE today. For some reason they keep putting him out here while a bunch of people are sitting on the sidelines. When someone is making you long for Mike Kanellis, you can tell something is bad.
Post break, Daivari gets to the back and Brian Kendrick offers some friendship. We’re really doing this again???
Brian Kendrick vs. Danny Burch
Fallout from Kendrick hitting him low a few weeks back. Burch starts fast by knocking Kendrick around, setting up a Thesz press with right hands (must be a bald guy in black trunks thing). Kendrick gets knocked outside so Burch sends him head first into the steps a few times. A Russian legsweep into the post rocks Burch though and Kendrick grabs the Captain’s Hook back inside.
Burch reaches a rope so Kendrick slaps it on again. This time it’s broken up so Burch uppercuts away, setting up a middle rope dropkick for two. Burch’s headbutt to the chest gets two so Kendrick rakes the eyes. Sliced Bread #2 is broken up and Burch hits another clothesline as Daivari is back. The distraction lets Kendrick grab a rollup and hold Daivari’s hands for the pin at 8:04.
Rating: D+. Daivari. Again. Somehow they actually see something in him??? DAIVARI??? I don’t get it and I don’t want to get it, with Kendrick being better but not a lot better by any stretch. This is a great example of what is killing the show from a wrestling standpoint and while there are other problems, nothing is going to get better while this is one of the top storylines.
Lio Rush vs. Tony Nese
They talk trash to start until Nese runs him over with a shoulder. That’s brought back with an enziguri but Nese is right back with the left hands to the face. It’s way too early for the 450 though and Rush rolls to the apron. Nese is sent outside for the hard suicide dive but he sends Rush at the steps, with Rush diving over them with ease.
Back in and Nese kicks him in the head for two and there’s a hard whip into the corner. A dropkick gives Nese two and we hit the bodyscissors. Rush fights up and slips out of a pumphandle slam, setting up the rapid fire strikes to the face. The springboard Stunner gives Rush two but Nese kicks him down again.
The Lionsault misses so Nese hits the pumphandle powerslam for two more. Rush strikes away again and kicks Nese off the top, only to have the Final Hour broken up again. Both guys go up top and punch each other to the floor for the big crash. Nese throws him over the announcers’ table though and that’s enough to win by countout at 11:32.
Rating: C. It was better than some of the matches we’ve been seeing around here lately and a lot of that is due to Rush’s athleticism. It’s weird that he was so good as the annoying hype man for Bobby Lashley and now he’s getting rather awesome as the simple hero. It’s working well so roll with it, though having him lose by countout here wasn’t the most thrilling way to wrap up a bad show.
Overall Rating: D. I’m not sure what you want me to say here. This show has gone from something interesting and entertaining to little more than a place to put cruiserweights with nothing else to do. The wrestling was nothing you need to see and the idea of watching Daivari and Kendrick as the new big bads, especially after Daivari has lost to Breeze two weeks in a row, makes me sad about what we could have around here compared to what we’re getting.
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