205 Live – September 3, 2021: The Extended Edition

205 Live
Date: September 3, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

I’ve all but given up trying to figure out what to expect from this show, but this time around we actually know what is coming. This week’s show was taped last week and WWE actually gave us a preview last week. No it doesn’t mean anything, but it is kind of nice to have for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

Cora Jade vs. Amari Miller

You don’t see women in action very often around here. Jade sits down on a skateboard and rides down to the ring for a unique entrance. Miller grabs a wristlock to start but gets headlocked over as they start technical. Back up and they fight over a test of strength until Miller flips her over with a judo toss. Jade misses a running knee in the corner and gets caught with a Backstabber.

A kick to the face gives Miller two and it’s off to an armbar with a knee in the ribs. That’s broken up and they trade forearms with Jade getting the better of things to take over. A Gory Stretch spun into a knee to the face sets up a running knee to Miller’s face for two. Miller isn’t having this though and grabs a cravate so she can drive Jade’s face into the knee for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C-. It was completely fine, but again the important thing here is mixing things up. You can get a lot out of mixing things up like this and it was nice to have something fresh. 205 Live can get so stale so bringing in some of the women (or just unused NXT wrestlers) can mix things up a bit. Both of them worked well enough and I liked it fairly well.

Josh Briggs vs. Joe Gacy

Rematch from a few weeks back where Briggs beat Gacy. They shove each other around to start with neither getting much of an advantage. Gacy drives him into the corner and hammers away but Briggs is right back with an elbow to the face. A side slam into a splash gives Briggs two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Gacy headbutts his way out of trouble but gets knocked hard outside. Gacy gets tossed back in and this time he runs Briggs over with a shoulder. Some hard clotheslines against the ropes set up a Crossface to put Briggs in real trouble for a change. That’s broken up though and Briggs nails a running big boot for two. Back up and Gacy hits the handspring lariat for the fast pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. This was more like it as you had two hosses beating each other up for a good while. Briggs has been around a few times as of late and it has been nice to see him getting to beat people up. Gacy can do his thing as well and it makes sense to have him even the series. This is likely setting up a rubber match, which should work out well.

Xyon Quinn vs. Andre Chase

I guess this is the extended edition. Quinn recently upset Boa on NXT so he has some momentum. Chase has to spin out of a wristlock to start but gets run over with a big shoulder. The rag dolling is on and Chase’s armdrag is blocked with ease. Quinn misses a charge into the corner though and Chase grabs a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Chase goes with a Hennig necksnap for two instead. We hit the neck cranking for a bit until Quinn fights up and snaps off a Samoan drop. A torture rack neckbreaker finishes Chase at 4:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash but it was never in doubt. Quinn is pretty close to a beast and I could go for seeing more of him in the future. It’s a good sign that his win over Boa wasn’t treated as just a fluke, so hopefully he gets to do something else. I’m sure Vince will approve of someone with that kind of a look so we might be seeing him again sooner rather than later.

Overall Rating: C+. This is what I’ve been wanting to see from 205 Live, as it felt like an NXT showcase rather than just putting a bunch of people out there because they’re on the roster. 205 Live has needed to be more like this for a long time as this is a lot more useful than just running two cruiserweight matches. The cruiserweights can be on the show, but there is no need to have it be entirely built around them. This was better, and it gives me some hope. Throw in the 29 minute run time and it’s even better.

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