205 Live – January 21, 2022: The Assembly Line Business

205 Live
Date: January 21, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We are almost up to the Royal Rumble and that is not likely to mean much around here. Aside from the fact that NXT does not tend to get a ton of representation in the Royal Rumble matches, it is hard to imagine anyone on this show getting s chance in the match. Maybe this week can be more of a full show, as last week’s was cut a little short. Let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Henley is back and now she likes to dance. Legend powers her way out of an early waistlock to start so Henley goes after the arm. That earns her a hard shot to the face and something like a claw sends Henley into the corner. A belly to belly sets up a posing cover, followed by the chinlock to keep Henley in trouble. Legend sends her flying with a standing fall away slam but Henley is back up with a crossbody. That’s enough for Legend, who grabs her over the back torture rack to finish Henley at 4:27.

Rating: D+. I don’t know if Legend is supposed to be NXT’s answer to Jade Cargill, but she is making Jade look better by comparison. She is one of those wrestlers who can barely do anything, though this was a bit of an improvement over her previous effort. Legend still isn’t very good and I don’t know what the point is in bragging about her WNBA experience while changing her name, but at least it wasn’t that Sarray match. Henley has some charisma to her and once she gets the chance, she could become a bit of a thing around here.

Draco Anthony vs. Javier Bernal

This is Bernal’s debut and he grabs a headlock to start. That works so well that he does it again and then takes Anthony over. Anthony breaks it up with a belly to back suplex and we hit a seated armbar/chinlock. Bernal fights up again and hits some uppercuts, only to walk into a Rough Ryder to give Anthony the pin at 4:13..

Rating: C-. Another basic match here between some very inexperienced (at least around here) wrestlers. This is what I was picturing when I thought about a developmental show and that isn’t exactly a good thing. It’s far from a terrible match, but you can tell that these guys have a very limited playbook.

Here are Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward for a chat. It’s time to add some hardware to their trophy case, because they’re going to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They’ll start against the Grizzled Young Veterans and tonight’s preview is a TEACHABLE MOMENT! Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to say Chase can’t teach them anything.

Bodhi Hayward vs. James Drake

Andre Chase and Zack Gibson are here too. Drake grabs a headlock to start but Hayward is back with a slam. Three straight splashes (ala the up downs exercise in football warmups) get two on Drake, who reverses a suplex into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Hayward hits some running shoulders to the knee but a Gibson distraction lets Drake kick him in the face for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Best match of the show, as the crowd being into it helped carry things. Sometimes that’s better than having higher quality action and that was the case here. Hayward has some potential and Drake is an established (and grizzled/young) veteran so this worked out pretty ok. Chase has gotten the fans to care about this stupid deal and that is a lot more than most people can say in NXT at the moment.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped a tiny bit but this was the same bunch of problems this show always has: short, unappealing matches between people just trying to get in the ring. That isn’t how you develop a wrestler in the normal world but WWE is in the assembly line business more than the developmental business. Get these wrestlers in, give them something that distinguishes them in the slightest way possible and move them along. No wonder this show is so dull.

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