IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: August 20, 2019
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Aiden English

This is a special show as the whole evening is dedicated to one match. In this case that would be a ten man elimination tag, which has been built up all week on WWE.com. That’s a good thing though as the general lack of effort being put into the show doesn’t do it any favors, so having something like this is a good idea for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

Captain Drew Gulak goes over his picks and talks about how he isn’t worried tonight.

Captain Oney Lorcan doesn’t have any of his partners’ attributes but he knows how to fight. Gulak’s days as champion are numbered. Aren’t they always though? It might be a big number but it’s still a big number.

Opening sequence.

Team Gulak vs. Team Lorcan

Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza

Oney Lorcan, Isaiah Scott, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo

Garza and Carrillo are cousins. It’s a big staredown to start with Gulak sending his teammates into the others for a fight with the ring being cleared early on. Gallagher brings in matching umbrellas for four stereo Mary Poppins Drops. We finally settle down for the opening bell with Gulak having to escape Lorcan’s half and half suplex attempt. Scott comes in to work on Gulak’s arm but it’s quickly off to Garza (Nigel: “The most beautiful man in the world!”) to face Carrillo with the latter flipping around to take over.

Hang on though as it’s time for GARZA TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! Garza suckers him in with a handshake and it’s time to stomp away in the villainous corner. Gulak and Kanellis take turns stomping on Carrillo with Gulak slapping on a chinlock which doesn’t last too long. Carrillo is back up and brings in Tozawa to start cleaning house. After a flip dive from the apron puts Gulak down, Tozawa puts Kanellis in the Iron Octopus. Kanellis slips out though and sends Tozawa into Gallagher, setting up the spinning neckbreaker to get rid of Tozawa at 6:09. Gallagher is in immediately with the headbutt to get rid of Kanellis at 6:25.

Gallagher and Nese grapple on the mat for a bit until Gallagher starts hammering away in the corner. Daivari pulls Gallagher down by the arm though, sending Nese into a bit of a rant about how he doesn’t need the help. Gallagher puts Nese on the floor but Daivari’s low bridge breaks up a suicide dive (and nearly breaks an umbrella). The crash lets Nese hit the sunset driver to get rid of Gallagher at 8:39.

Scott comes in for an anklescissors on Nese and an Austin Aries middle rope elbow to Nese’s seated back. A cartwheel splash of all things gets two but Nese pulls him over to the corner for the tag off to Garza. The camel clutch goes on and we cut to the back where Tozawa and Gallagher are arguing with Brian Kendrick saying he didn’t do anything last week. Kendrick and Gallagher will fight next week.

Back to full screen with Nese holding Scott in a bodyscissors as they’re finding a smart way to set up next week while having one match. Scott is back up and backdrops Nese to the floor but Garza pulls the ring skirt and sends him into the steps. They have a lot of time here so it makes sense to keep Scott in trouble for a long time.

It’s back to Gulak for more arm cranking, followed by Garza’s abdominal stretch. You would think villains would get the hint at some point but, again, Scott escapes and hits a superkick. Nese comes in and sends him hard into the corner….right next to Lorcan. The running knee hits Scott in the corner but the legal Lorcan comes in for a failed half and half attempt. Nese and Lorcan chop it out as they are known to do but Lorcan slips out of the sunset driver. The half and half suplex finishes Nese at 18:30 and we’re tied at three each (Lorcan/Carrillo/Scott vs. Gulak/Daivari/Garza).

Lorcan wants Gulak but gets Garza instead, meaning it’s back to Carrillo (Nigel: “The lesser Garza.”) instead. Carrillo kicks him down and hits a fast standing moonsault for two and it’s already back to Scott for stereo basement superkicks (Nigel: “NO! NO! NOT TO THE FACE!!!”). Scott’s running jump kick to the back of the head rocks Garza and it’s the Alberto double stomp to Daivari in the corner. Scott’s top rope stomp gets two on Garza with Gulak diving in for a save. Scott and Gulak take turns pulling on each other’s hair with Scott going throat first onto the top rope. The Cyclone Crash eliminates Scott at 21:59.

The remaining five stare each other down but Daivari throws Garza at Carrillo to get is down to one on one. Carrillo gets cheap shotted into the corner and it’s Daivari grabbing a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on and we go split screen to hear the Lucha House Party talk about pudding and Kalisto facing Daivari next week. Back to full screen and Daivari blasts Carrillo with a clothesline for two. Gulak’s chinlock is broken up with an armdrag and it’s a pair of stereo crossbodies with Garza for a double knockdown.

The hot tag finally brings in Lorcan (though it’s not “well over thirty minutes into the match” as Vic would have you believe) for a double running Blockbuster on Daivari and Garza, followed by the running flip dive to take out Gulak. Everyone winds up on the floor and Gulak chairs Lorcan in the ribs for the DQ at 29:23.

Gulak gets in another shot to Lorcan’s back against the post and then does it again in the ring. As Gulak poses in the ring, we go split screen for an NXT commercial. Back with Garza crotching Carrillo on top for two and not being able to believe the kickout. Carrillo and Garza slug it out from their knees until Carrillo gets up for the springboard spinning headbutt.

Lorcan is fine enough to come back in and chop away at Daivari and hit the running elbows in the corner. One too many charges lets Daivari get up a superkick but the top rope splash misses. The hammerlock lariat is countered into a rollup to get rid of Daivari at 32:59, leaving us with Lorcan/Carrillo vs. Garza. Carrillo is back in with a springboard spinning kick to the face for two on Garza. Things slow down for another slugout until Garza dropkicks him out of the air for his own two. A basement dropkick gets two more on Carrillo but Garza misses his moonsault. The Aztec Press finishes Garza for the final pin at 37:05.

Rating: B. This was very long and was given the time to go where it needed to, which is exactly the point. What mattered here was pushing Carrillo as another potential challenger to Gulak, who can only get so much out of another match with Lorcan. Couple that with the fresh blood of Scott and Garza (who may or may not be sticking around) and this was a rather efficient match/show.

Overall Rating: B+. This is what could help 205 Live get some attention as the wrestling has been good but there is only so much you can do by watching the same shows over and over. Mixing things up like this a little bit is a great way to change up the show and they even set up some stuff for next week. It’s a good show with the one big match being solid for a very long stretch. Well thought out show here with everything working all together.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: August 13, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Aiden English

We’ll wrap up the major (work with me here) shows from Toronto with this one as there isn’t much Summerslam fallout to deal with. That tends to be the case when you only have one match at the pay per view and that’s what happened this weekend. What matters now is setting things up for Clash of Champions, though I have no idea who is next for Gulak. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the title match, which ended when Gulak got in a cheap shot to the threat. Therefore, it’s a rematch tonight.

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Akira Tozawa

Fallout from last week’s #1 contenders match and Tozawa has Brian Kendrick with him. Feeling out process to start with Gallagher taking him to the mat but getting reversed into a headscissors. Back up and Gallagher slides between the legs and trips Tozawa down before starting in on the hand. Tozawa is fine enough to reverse into the Iron Octopus, which of course is quickly broken up because British people know how to get out of submissions.

Things get a bit more aggressive with Gallagher catapulting him into the post for a change of pace, leaving Tozawa down on the floor for nine. Back in and we pause for the referee to check on a cut, though Tozawa is fine enough to hit a Shining Wizard. It’s too early for the top rope backsplash though and Gallagher slaps on a Gory Special. As usual, the hold only lasts so long until Tozawa sends him outside. That means the suicide dive, setting up a missile dropkick to give Tozawa two.

Gallagher can’t elbow his way out of a fireman’s carry so it’s something like an F5 for two more. Back up and Gallagher hits a rare standing dropkick before it’s off to an inverted Gory Stretch. That’s not enough for Gallagher, who drives Tozawa ribs first into the corner, but a superplex attempt is thrown down. Now the top rope backsplash can connect for the pin at 8:46, even though Gallagher’s foot was on the rope for a second.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine midcard match here but they never went to the next level that they’re capable of reaching. Gallagher is at his best when he does all of his crazy submissions and Tozawa shines with his charisma (usually including yelling). It was fine, but I was expecting more.

Replays show that Brian Kendrick slapping the mat might have knocked Gallagher’s foot off the rope (it’s intentionally unclear).

Oney Lorcan, sporting a sore throat, promises that he isn’t done with Drew Gulak and promises to win the title tonight.

Humberto Carrillo/Kalisto/Lince Dorado vs. Singh Brothers/Ariya Daivari

Carrillo is replacing Gran Metalik, who was attacked off camera in the back. Notice Nigel dancing to the Singhs’ entrance on the way to the ring in a funny bit. Humberto armbars Daivari to start and then does the same to Sunil for a bonus. Kalisto comes in for the same thing as Nigel speculates about Metalik having gotten some bad tequila. Lince adds a splash, looks at Carrillo, and tags Kalisto in instead. That means Kalisto can climb onto Lince’s shoulders for a splash but a Samir distraction lets Sunil break up a springboard. It’s back to Daivari for two off a backbreaker and the chinlock goes on.

The dancing is on (Nigel: “Those hips move with a lubricated grace!”) and so is the waistlock to keep Kalisto in trouble. A few kicks to the head almost let Kalisto get over for the hot tag but Dorado is pulled to the floor. Carrillo is there though and everything breaks down with the Salida Del Sol planting Daivari. The double dives from Dorado and Carrillo take the villains down and Daivari walks out. That leaves Carrillo to hit a missile dropkick and the Aztec press to Sunil, but Dorado tags himself in for the shooting star press and the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C-. I’m curious to see where this Lucha House Party split could be going and that’s not something that has been the case for a long time with the trio. They have something here but more importantly it gives Carrillo something to do. He’s been floating from one nothing story the next since he debuted so hopefully this goes somewhere. As a bonus, Daivari is far less annoying in this role so it’s a step up from a step down.

Gulak promises to keep the title on his battlefield. The only constant in this world is change and he is the law.

Tony Nese lost last week and he needs to start from scratch.

Cruiserweight Title: Oney Lorcan vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is defending and Lorcan is holding his throat. Lorcan goes right after him to start so the champ takes an early breather on the floor. Back in and the half and half connects (with Gulak landing on the top of his head) to send Gulak outside again, this time for a big dive from Lorcan.

A super half and half is broken up with Lorcan falling outside, allowing Gulak to send him throat first into the announcers’ table to take over. Lorcan dives back in at nine, earning himself some springboard stomps. The neck crank goes on before switching into a chinlock, which makes sense for a change. A middle rope clothesline gives Gulak two and helps show how much he’s changed. Imagine him doing that a year or even six months ago.

Lorcan fights back up and hits the running Blockbuster into a hard clothesline for two as things swing a bit. Gulak manages a slam for two but the Cyclone Crash is broken up. Instead Gulak hits his own hard clothesline for two more before taking Lorcan up top. That’s broken up and Gulak gets crotched, allowing Lorcan to hit the super half and half for the major crash.

Gulak manages a foot on the rope after the slow crawl over and Lorcan’s stunned face is pretty great. The angry Lorcan chops away, followed by a bunch of slaps to the face. Lorcan can’t get an O’Connor roll though and gets caught in the Gulock, eventually passing out at 15:31.

Rating: B+. These two beat the fire out of each other as Lorcan becomes the next person who can have a good match against anyone of any size but is around here because he’s not that big. The ending helped save some of his face too so it’s not like he got crushed here. I’m not sure who else Gulak can face, but the bigger question is what Lorcan can do next.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot but they’re setting up some stuff for the future, which is one of the best things you can do on a weekly show. It’s still a perfectly watchable show and gives me a bit more hope that things are turning around in WWE. The fact that they are getting somewhere with their smaller shows might mean that the bigger shows can as well, which has to be an improvement after the nightmare summer. Just keep it going though, which is far from a guarantee.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

205 Live
Date: August 6, 2019
Location: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Aiden English

It’s time to set up a last minute challenger to the Cruiserweight Title for Sunday at Summerslam. That likely means a big multiman match because that’s how things go around here, whether it makes sense or not. It does fit with the chaotic nature, though it’s pretty clear who is going to be getting the shot. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick opens us up and talks about how personal last week was. He hopes that is the only time he has to get in the ring because he didn’t like going there. Mike Kanellis can still compete in the cruiserweight division and Drake will call things fairly. As for tonight: we need a new #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

Lince Dorado vs. Humberto Carrillo

Gran Metalik is here with Lince, who mentioned that he wasn’t too impressed by Carrillo last week so we even have a bit of a setup. Feeling out process to start with Lince going after the arm, allowing Carrillo to flip his way out. Carrillo works on his own wristlock so Lince headscissors him down for a break. They both miss dropkicks and things reset a bit. Carrillo knocks him to the floor but Dorado blocks the dive with a kick to the head. Dorado hits a springboard dive, setting up a springboard splash for two back inside. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Dorado cranks on both arms.

Back up and Carrillo tries his comeback but the springboard armdrag is pulled down to the mat. They trade basement dropkicks and it’s time for a breather. It’s Carrillo up first with a standing moonsault mostly connecting for two. Dorado kicks him out of the corner and heads up top for a heck of a high crossbody for two of his own. The Golden Rewind is blocked so Dorado settles for an over the shoulder gutbuster instead.

A top rope Fameasser over the middle rope keeps Carrillo in trouble but Dorado misses the top rope splash. Carrillo kicks him in the head for two and frustration is setting in. They go up top at the same time with Dorado being knocked back a few steps onto the ropes. Carrillo hits a heck of a dropkick to knock him to the floor but Dorado is fine enough to send him hard into the barricade. Carrillo almost gets back in but is pulled down onto the apron for the double countout at 11:55. It looked like Carrillo beat the count and the fans don’t seem convinced.

Rating: B-. That ending hurt things a good bit as the match was two guys trading high spots and shots to the head for a long time. Lince was playing a subtle heel here, which is a way they haven’t gone with any of the House Party. I can’t imagine they turn the team but it’s cool to see them having some different shades for a change.

Post match an annoyed Carrillo takes out both Lince and Metalik.

Tony Nese planned to get his Cruiserweight Title back last month but things didn’t go as he planned. He’ll get it back at Summerslam instead because he doesn’t know where he is in this division if he loses.

We look back at the ending to the opener.

Ariya Daivari talks to Dorado in the back. Everyone is talking about Carrillo when everyone should be talking about Dorado. Lince could be the breakout star of Lucha House Party, just like Seth Rollins in the Shield. All Lince has to do is lose the dead weight, but Lince doesn’t buy it. Daivari says he’ll win the title at Summerslam and maybe Dorado, without the House Party, can get the first shot. Metalik comes in and doesn’t seem pleased, though Dorado might be a bit intrigued.

Kalisto vs. Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Jack Gallagher vs. Akira Tozawa

One fall to a finish with the winner getting the title shot against Drew Gulak on Sunday. Kalisto promises to win, Nese says it’s his birthday, Gallagher says he’s prepared for tonight and Sunday, Daivari doesn’t say anything, Lorcan says he knows Gulak and Tozawa, with Brian Kendrick by his side, promises to teach Gulak what it’s like to lose the title at Summerslam. Daivari walks out to start so Tozawa hits a suicide dive to take him down on the floor.

Back in and everyone gets in some shots on Daivari, who goes up top and….completely misses a splash to no one in particular. Everyone pairs off with Gallagher and Daivari fighting on the floor and Tozawa superkicking Kalisto. Nese punches Tozawa and ducks a clothesline with a nipup. Kalisto is right back up with a cartwheel off the middle rope into an armdrag, only to have Nese throw him into the corner. Lorcan and Nese chop it out in the ring but Lorcan dives onto the pile on the floor instead.

Nese’s Fosbury Flop takes down a bunch of people as well but Gallagher tops it with the Mary Poppins Drop onto everyone but Kalisto. That means one more dive but the other five catch Kalisto and throw him over the announcers’ table. Back in and Lorcan uppercuts Daivari out of the air, followed by the Blockbuster for two.

We get the big quadruple submission with Daivari breaking it up and annoying the fans. Kalisto’s springboard crossbody takes Daivari down and the hurricanrana driver gets two. Nese superkicks Lorcan and hits the sunset driver but Tozawa makes the save. Gallagher goes nuts on Nese and the headbutt is good for two. Kalisto catches Nese on top and knocks him into the Tree of Woe, only to have Nese sit up and set up a modified Tower of Doom to send Kalisto and Gallagher down at the same time.

Daivari’s top rope splash gets two on Tozawa to leave everyone down. Daivari and Lorcan chop it out to renew their old issues but everyone else is back up for the parade of secondary finishes. Nese’s running knee smashes Gallagher in the face but Lorcan’s half and half suplex is good for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B. This was exactly as advertised with everyone going nuts and hitting one spot after another. Lorcan was the pretty obvious winner of the whole thing but it’s cool to see him have a good match to get there. The other bonus about a match like this is you can set up some other matches for the future, which this probably will. Good match with the right result.

Post match Lorcan celebrates until Gulak comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah this was great as the one hour shows continue their roll around the wrestling world. This show in particular works well when they don’t mess around and keep the storyline stuff to a minimum. They were going with nothing but the action and a little angle advancement with Dorado. I know I’ve been saying this a lot lately but it’s such an easy show to watch and that makes the show so much more enjoyable. The title match might not have much time to be built up but it’s been all but set for weeks so it could be a lot worse. Another rather good show this week, which has become the norm.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 30, 2019
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s an interesting change of pace this week with General Manager Drake Maverick fighting Mike Kanellis for the sake of his wife’s honor. The fact that Mike’s wife is the only champion in the whole thing is just confusing. Other than that, we’re still in need of a #1 contender and I’m not sure if they have time to set up anything worthwhile. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Maverick vs. Kanellis, which has been going on since the spring. Mike’s wife Maria is demanding that he be a man and tonight, Mike is fighting to appease her as well. Why are the wives the most interesting part of this whole thing when they’re not even wrestlers? Anyway Mike finally pushed him too far and Drake is standing up for himself and his wife.

Brian Kendrick/Akira Tozawa vs. Singh Brothers

This is over a stolen Bollywood trophy, which is now awarded to the commentary team. Sunil starts fast and stomps Tozawa down in the corner but he strikes away and smiles, with the mouthpiece offering a nice bonus visual. Kendrick comes in for two off of Tozawa’s backsplash and it’s off to the armbar. A running enziguri/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Sunil but Samir breaks up a suicide headbutt attempt.

The dancing begins and now let’s talk about Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus because the match is that uninteresting. Tozawa fights out of a chinlock but gets hit in the ribs to put him right back down. The chinlock goes on again, only to have Tozawa fight up again. This time it’s an enziguri to Samir and the hot tag brings in Kendrick. A dropkick gives Kendrick two so it’s time to grab the award. Sunil hits Samir by mistake though and it’s Sliced Bread #2 into the top rope backsplash to give Tozawa the pin at 5:49.

Rating: D+. The Singh Brothers continue to be a one note act who overstay their welcome in a hurry. They’re fine in the ring but the dancing has been old for a long time now and they’re not likely to win a major match anytime soon. Hopefully they go away for a bit, or at least until they have someone else to face.

We get the last part of the Humberto Carrillo interview, this time talking about wanting to win the Cruiserweight Title and how awesome the 205 Live roster really is.

Lucha House Party is split on Carrillo, with Lince Dorado thinking a real luchador should wear a mask. Imagine Nigel and Vic’s response should that be the case.

Lince Dorado vs. Ariya Daivari

They trade wristlocks to start with Daivari mocking the LUCHA chants early on. Some early near fall attempts go nowhere but Daivari bails to the floor to avoid the Golden Rewind. That means a delayed dive from Dorado, followed by a springboard splash for two back inside. A running hurricanrana into a dropkick gives Dorado two but Daivari sends him outside in a big crash. The chinlock doesn’t last long back inside and Dorado makes it worse by blocking the Iconoclasm.

Daivari settles for a rather nice snap DDT for two but since he’s a bit of a cocky heel, he spends too much time mocking the Jerry Lawler middle rope punch. Dorado gets a boot up and Daivari heads outside, meaning it’s a slingshot dive. Back in and Dorado tries a very far dive, which is superkicked out of the air for two. The Billion Real Dream (eh good for a chuckle) is countered into a victory roll for two so Daivari hits a Rock Bottom for two of his own. Dorado is right back up and kicks Daivari in the head, setting up a spinning rollup into a jackknife pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. This was a spotfest match and that made it one of the more entertaining things that they could have done. Then again I’ll always take Daivari’s boringness going away for another week so the upset was a good little bonus. It’s not like pushing Dorado as a singles guy is the worst idea so just see what they can do here.

Drew Gulak wants a challenger at Summerslam and if Mike Kanellis wins tonight, maybe he gets the title shot. Otherwise, Drew is back where he started and that doesn’t work. Whoever faces him at Summerslam is in for pain and punishment.

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.

Overall Rating: C. This was a storyline heavy show but it didn’t have the Cruiserweight Title stuff, which is on a much bigger time crunch. I’d assume that we’re going to get Oney Lorcan winning a big multi man match next week, but it would have been nice to set that up earlier. Either way, the show wasn’t that bad, but they need to set up the title match already, even if it isn’t likely to mean anything.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 23, 2019
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on Summerslam and that means we need a new #1 contender. They haven’t named a new #1 contender yet but that tends to be a better idea around here. Things are better when we have a bunch of matches taking place instead of focusing on one, which is the case tonight. This time around Isaiah Scott (Shane Strickland) is coming up, presumably for one night only, to face Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Mike Kanellis driving Drake Maverick to violence last week with an insult of Maverick’s wife. That’s all well and good, but having Maverick play two different characters on the different shows makes it a bit harder to buy. Maverick is willing to give Kanellis a title shot, but he has to win a match first. As you might have guessed, that match is against Maverick.

Maverick says his actions as General Manager last week were uncalled for but as a man, they were very appropriate. Next week, they won’t be competing because they are going to fight. Just to make sure it’s as violent as possible, the match is unsanctioned.

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Humberto Carrillo/Raul Mendoza

Lince Dorado is the odd Lucha out here. During his entrance, we get a video on Mendoza in a smart move. Mendoza and Kalisto start things off with Kalisto spinning out of an early wristlock attempt. Both guys spin out of a tilt-a-whirl attempt before they both block armdrags. Kalisto’s rope walk into an anklescissors doesn’t work and it’s an early stalemate.

Kalisto goes with a multiple springboard wristdrag and of course Mendoza is right on his feet again. Metalik and Carrillo come in with the former grabbing a headlock so Carrillo flips him away for a breather. The House Party starts in on the arm with a kick to the shoulder, followed by a quickly broken chinlock. That’s fine with Kalisto, who grabs a second one because the first one didn’t take.

Carrillo fights up again and gets kicked in the face, freaking English out all over again. That doesn’t last long though as it’s back to Mendoza for the Lucha Bros’ wheelbarrow splash and a near fall on Kalisto. Mendoza grabs an armbar on Kalisto but hands it back to Carrillo before getting too far with it. Come on man you have to put in more effort than that. Kalisto is fine enough to hit a kick to the head and it’s back to Metalik for the kicks to the head.

The running clothesline into the rope walk dropkick gets two but Carrillo’s awesome springboard spinning crossbody gives him a breather. Mendoza and Kalisto come in with Mendoza hitting a heck of a dropkick, followed by a better rope walk dropkick. Everything breaks down and Kalisto hits his handspring kick to the head, only to get dropkicked by Mendoza again. Metalik and Carrillo start trading the kicks to the head until they head to the corner with Metalik snapping off a super hurricanrana for two more. Mendoza dives onto Kalisto but Metalik’s moonsault hits raised boots. Carrillo is right back up with the Aztec Press to finish Metalik at 12:16.

Rating: B-. There’s something so fun about watching luchadors fly around like this and Carrillo is one of the smoothest guys around. He and Mendoza work very well together and the Lucha House Party have the star power. It was fast paced and entertaining, which is pretty much exactly what they were going for.

The Singh Brothers want Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick next week.

Video on Isaiah Swerve Scott, with Swerve meaning confidence. This guy really is awesome and he’ll be a star in no time.

We look back at last week’s great Chad Gable vs. Jack Gallagher match with Gable winning and showing respect after the match.

Oney Lorcan vs. Tony Isner

Lorcan wastes no time in hammering away in the corner, including some running elbows. The half and half suplex finishes Isner at 1:08. Short and sweet.

Drew Gulak isn’t surprised that no one from 205 Live wanted to face him, which is why Scott is here from NXT. Gulak trained Scott and knows everything about him. Tonight, Scott taps out.

Drew Gulak vs. Isaiah Scott

Non-title. Gulak dropkicks him at the bell and grabs a very early headlock. Scott breaks away without any trouble and it’s already into a standoff. A shove puts Scott on the floor and Gulak tells him to bring it. Back in and Scott grabs a wristlock before rolling away to put in some frustration. The dropkick sends Gulak outside and the confidence is flowing from Scott.

A cartwheel moonsault catches Gulak on the way back in and it’s back to the mat for the grappling. Scott punches him in the face for two and drops a knee to the chest for the same. They head outside with Gulak whipping him into the barricade as the anger begins again. A running Razor’s Edge into the post (egads) gets two on Scott as I try to imagine how long someone would have been out for had Razor Ramon used that. Back in and Gulak starts in on the leg before going aerial with a middle rope clothesline.

Scott hits his own clothesline for two and the running kick to the back of the head gets two. Gulak is right back with the Gulock, sending Scott’s foot underneath the rope for the break. Back up and Scott sends him outside for a stomp to the chest, followed by the top rope stomp for two. A tilt-a-whirl slam into an armbar has Gulak in trouble until he bends the fingers back for the break. Another crank on the bad hand sets up the Cyclone Crash to finish Scott at 14:07.

Rating: B. Yeah if they manage to screw Scott up, I have no idea what to tell them. Scott looks like as natural of a talent as you can find and there is almost no way that they could mess him up. He has the look, the charisma and the natural talent, all while the fans are behind him. What more could you ask for someone?

Overall Rating: B+. These shows are on a roll lately and having Scott in there is one of the better ideas they’ve had in a long time. This week’s show was about the guest stars and they made the show feel fresh for the week. You can all but pencil in Lorcan for the title shot, but that might change in the next two weeks before we get to the show. There is almost a guaranteed title shot at Summerslam and they might want to set something up sooner or later.

Results

Raul Mendoza/Humberto Carrillo b. Lucha House Party – Aztec Press to Metalik

Oney Lorcan b. Tony Isner – Half and half suplex

Drew Gulak b. Isaiah Scott – Cyclone Crash

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 16, 2019
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Extreme Rules has come and gone and that means Drew Gulak is still the Cruiserweight Champion, having defeated Tony Nese to retain the title. That means we need to pick up the pace before we get to Summerslam in less than four weeks. Gulak needs a fresh challenger and we might be on our way to finding one. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Gulak vs. Nese from Sunday.

Gulak says Tony dared to doubt him but now there is no doubt. His name is Drew Gulak and welcome to his 205 Live.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Samir Singh

The Singhs want to give Tozawa the Bollywood Award for Best Comeback. Singh stomps him down into the corner to start and there are the swiveling hips. Tozawa stomps right back but a drop toehold sends him face first into the buckle. The chinlock goes on rather early but Tozawa is up in a hurry with a fireman’s carry for a unique counter. Tozawa kicks him to the floor and cannonballs off the apron to drop Singh again. Back in and Sunil tries a distraction, only to have Tozawa catch Samir running in and grab a sunset flip for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: D+. How much can you really get out of a Singh Brothers singles match? They’re only somewhat entertaining as a team so keeping it short here was the right call. Tozawa has more than enough charisma to carry this but there needs to be some more in ring work to help back it up. At least it was short, which is never a positive sign.

Post match the Brothers jump Tozawa but Brian Kendrick makes the save. Tozawa takes the Bollywood Award with him.

We get part two of the Humberto Carrillo interview, this time talking about his first year in WWE. There have been a lot of changes in the last year and one of his early goals was to keep the lucha libre tradition. Now he wants the Cruiserweight Title. Another short piece that doesn’t add much but it’s nice to see him get some spotlight out of the ring.

Mike Kanellis vs. Jackson James

Mike is on his own here as Maria is watching in the back. A boot to the face drops James at the bell and there’s a spinebuster to follow it up. Mike hits a pair of hard clotheslines and the swinging neckbreaker faceplant finishes James at 1:40. Just a squash.

Post match Mike stomps away even more and says Drake Maverick can keep bringing the fines because this isn’t changing. Drake comes out and says Mike needs to take a look in the mirror because Mike is the one responsible for his place here. Does he think he’s more deserving of a spot than the people who have built this brand?

Mike brings up Drake embarrassing himself in the hotel room with his wife and all the time that Drake has spent chasing the 24/7 Title in his underwear. Drake needs to go home and beg his wife for forgiveness because he’s not acting like a real man. A real man wouldn’t let Mike call their wife a filthy….and there’s a right hand to Mike’s face and a dropkick to send him to the floor. Mike smiles as he leaves. What I learned the most from this: Mike’s voice is rather similar to CM Punk’s.

We look back at last week’s wild Ariya Daivari vs. Oney Lorcan match with Lorcan superplexing him through some tables for the win.

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.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event was awesome and the Maverick vs. Kanellis angle was good enough to make up for the first match being pretty weak. As usual, this is the kind of show that works well when they go with simple angles and a big main event (very Ring of Honorish) and they went with the sweet formula here. Check out that main event though as it’s one of the better matches the show has ever had.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

205 Live
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the final show before the Cruiserweight Title match between Drew Gulak and Tony Nese so expect the hard sell towards the title match in a big way tonight. Other than that we have a General Manager who is busy trying to escape the mob chasing after him for the 24/7 Title while trying to spend time with his new bride. Wrestling is a weird place. Let’s get to it.

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

Oney Lorcan, in his stoic voice, talks about tonight’s main event against Ariya Daivari being anything goes. He can use whatever he want….and here’s Daivari to jump him from behind. Drake Maverick and some referees break it up.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick vs. Sunil Singh

Earlier today, the Singhs tried to give Kendrick a lifetime achievement Bollywood award but yelled about wanting a match instead. During the entrances, Nigel throws out that Drake has immunity from defending the 24/7 Title during the show, so at least that’s covered. Singh tries to dance to start so Kendrick punches him in the face and does his own dance. A Sumir distraction works well though as Kendrick gets sent knees first into the steps. Sunil: “YOU SHOULD DANCE WITH US!”

Sunil dances on his own and throws in a hip swivel as he’s running through his playbook in a hurry. We get an old Steve Austin camera motion, with Aiden dubbing them the Bollywood Blondes. The backbreaker sets up a missed middle rope elbow and Kendrick nails a leg lariat. Sliced Bread is broken up so Kendrick settles for the Captain’s Hook and the tap at 5:05.

Rating: D+. The match could have been worse but the problem here is the Singh Brothers. They don’t come off as a threat and they’re certainly not imposing. The Bollywood and Boscars deals are fine, but they’re more of a nuisance than anything else, which can get old in a hurry. Given that they’ve been featured every week for a long time now, it’s not going to get much better.

Post match the double beatdown is on until Akira Tozawa runs in for the save.

We get part one (of three) of a biography on Humberto Carrillo. He talks about watching wrestling growing up and his family supporting his decision to become a wrestler. They didn’t give us much here so hopefully the next two parts are an improvement.

Jack Gallagher vs. Devin Justin

After a polite handshake, Jack takes him to the mat and starts in on the hand. A fireman’s carry hot shot sets up the armbar with Gallagher bending Justin’s arms behind him and laying down on them for a painful visual. Gallagher gets creative by tying him into a knot around the ropes for a running dropkick (rather heelish), followed by a delayed suplex. Hold on though as here’s Mike Kanellis to start throwing things around as he rants about Drake ruining his life. Now he’s going to ruin the show by throwing stuff everywhere. Fans: “WHO’S YOUR DADDY???” Security gets rid of him and it’s the headbutt to finish Justin at 3:34.

Rating: C-. The angle was what mattered here, though the differences in what Mike does on here and what he does on Raw are striking. This came off as the same whiny Kanellis that has been around for months while the Raw version is at least entertaining. At least we got to see some of Jack’s rather cool offense here, with that knot always looking awesome.

Drake comes up to Mike in the back and apologizes for not being around as of late. He’s been neglecting everyone, including his wife, and Mike understands what it’s like to have trouble at home. Mike doesn’t buy it because Drake caused all of Mike’s problems. Therefore, Mike should ruin the show to even things up. Drake understands but is going to fine Mike for his actions. Mike goes into a rant about having a second baby on the way but says he’ll do something next week that will get him an even bigger fine.

Oney Lorcan vs. Ariya Daivari

Anything goes. Lorcan charges up the ramp and the fight is on in a hurry. They get inside for the opening bell with Lorcan throwing him right back to the floor. It’s already time to throw some chairs inside as Lorcan wants to get violent in a hurry. Some running elbows in the corner have Daivari in trouble but he sends Lorcan over the top to get a breather. Daivari throws in a chain and pulls out a trashcan, with the delay letting Lorcan get in a suplex on the floor.

Let’s bring in a ladder, just to crank this one into high gear sooner. First though, the chain is pulled across Lorcan’s face, with Nigel saying it’s going to be hard to make it look worse. The ladder is set up in the corner with Lorcan sending Daivari into it for the crash. A suplex into the ladder is blocked so Lorcan settles for a hiptoss into the ladder instead. The half and half suplex onto a chair is countered into a reverse DDT, allowing Daivari to grab the chain again.

As Nigel talks about the Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine dog collar match, Daivari whips Lorcan into the corner with the chain around the neck. A camel clutch with Lorcan’s head inside the chair offers a rather good looking visual with Daivari ripping at the face to make it worse. With the hold not working, Daivari sits him in the chair and punches away but gets caught with a drop toehold into the chair for a double knockdown.

The running Blockbuster puts Daivari on the floor and a fired up Lorcan hits the running dive off the apron. The fans ask for and receive tables (stop indulging them) but it takes too long, allowing Daivari to hit a superkick. Lorcan rolls outside again but this time he pelts a trashcan at Daivari to knock him out of the air.

It’s time for six more chairs (dude, overkill) with Lorcan setting up for of them in front of the steps. Actually make that six and there is no way this is going to end well. Daivari uses the long breather to get in a shot of his own and a backdrop sends Lorcan off the steps and through all the chairs. Back in and Daivari starts setting up the table but goes for the ladder instead, drawing a YOU ARE STUPID chant.

The Persian Lion splash off the ladder gives Daivari two and you can hear Nigel losing his mind over the kickout. It’s time for another table but that one breaks as Daivari sets it up. That means another table with Daivari stacking it next to the previous one. Another splash takes too long though and Lorcan superplexes him through both tables for the pin at 20:56.

Rating: B. The time helped a lot here as it felt like they were able to beat on each other as much as they wanted to. Some of the spots took some time to set up but I’m rather happy that the match ended with a big spot rather than the finisher hitting out of nowhere. Good match, and Lorcan should get a title shot as a result.

We wrap it up with a long video on Nese vs. Gulak, which hasn’t been mentioned up to this point. They were friends for a long time until Gulak realized that he was that much better than Nese. Tony talks about Gulak always being in it for himself but Gulak says Nese only cares about his abs. Nese showed he could get it done by beating Gulak in the #1 contenders tournament and going on to win the title. That made Gulak train even harder because he knew he was alone. It was enough for him to win the title at Stomping Grounds, but now he has to face Nese one on one. Good video, but the feud doesn’t have legs.

Overall Rating: C+. It helps a lot when your good main event is over 40% of your show. The rest of this one wasn’t great, but a lot of that is due to the amount of focus that the main event received. At the same time though, the rest of the show just isn’t that interesting, mainly due to how low level everything else seems. That has been a problem around here for a long time and I don’t see it getting better very soon.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 2, 2019
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Aiden English

We have a new #1 contender with Tony Nese earning the right to face Drew Gulak for the title at Extreme Rules. That could make for an entertaining match, but what isn’t around here? 205 Live has turned into one of the best shows WWE puts out every week and it’s a shame that fewer people don’t see it. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back where Nese is giving Jack Gallagher and Oney Lorcan a pep talk before tonight’s six man tag. Gallagher is ready to team with Nese and the serious Lorcan wants to give Ariya Daivari some stitches.

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Singh Brothers

Tornado tag with Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado for the House Party. It’s a dance/pose off to start before the House Party punch them out to the floor. The Singhs get chopped a lot until it’s Metalik kicking away at Sunil back inside. Dorado comes back in and throws Metalik onto Sunil for two as Sumir comes back in for a save. That’s fine with Dorado, who hits a springboard moonsault for two of his own.

Something like a reverse hart Attack gets two on Sumir but Sunil crotches Dorado to break up the rope walk elbow. A double suplex gets two and a spinwheel kick sets up some hip swiveling. Some kicks keep Metalik down and, of course, that means it’s time for dancing, because that’s what the Singh Brothers do. A top rope Demolition Decapitator (Nigel: “BUENOS NOCHES!!!”) gets two as Dorado seems to have fallen into a hole somewhere.

As Metalik gets sent outside, Dorado FINALLY comes back in to break up some more hip swiveling. A high crossbody gets two with Sunil making a save of his own. The Golden Rewind puts Sumir down but the luchadors get double superkicked out of the air. Sunil brings in the Boscar trophy, which is taken away by Kalisto. The Metalik Driver sets up the rope walk DDT/a shooting star press for the stereo pins at 10:52.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but this did a lot to expose the Singh Brothers as little more than a one note act. They did very little other than their dancing and that’s not enough to carry a ten minute match. The Bollywood Boys deal is fine, but come up with a better way to present that during the matches.

Video on Humberto Carrillo.

Mike Kanellis doesn’t want to talk about his loss on Raw. He and Maria aren’t speaking at the moment because last night should have been the greatest moment of his life but she called him a disappointment. Mike is disappointed, but in Drake Maverick. It’s all his fault and Drake is sitting on a beach with his wife when Mike should be celebrating great news with the Cruiserweight Title. Maverick is going to pay.

Jack Gallagher/Oney Lorcan/Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari/Drew Gulak/Mike Kanellis

Nese and Gulak start things off but Mike is brought in with no contact. Gallagher comes in as well and they finally lock up over a minute in. Mike works on the arm and shoulders Gallagher down, only to have Gallagher tie himself in a ball on the mat. With that perplexing Mike, it’s off to Lorcan for some hard chops in the corner. Mike wants more chops and hits a clothesline, allowing the tag to Daivari. Some right hands set up a double suplex to give Gulak two as the villains start taking their turns.

Lorcan finally gets away and makes the tag to Nese so the pace can pick up. Nese’s springboard moonsault is broken up with a shove onto Lorcan, Gallagher and Daivari so the villains can take over again. Back in and Gulak grabs an armbar on Nese and it’s off to Daivari to pummel Nese some more. Nese small packages Kanellis for two, earning himself a hard clothesline to take him right back down.

A running corner clothesline sets up a superkick into an assisted Iconoclasm for two on Nese, which FINALLY draws in Gallagher to break up the triple team. With Gallagher on the apron again, Nese gets in a sitout powerslam and the hot tag brings in Lorcan. The running Blockbuster gets two on Daivari and Gallagher’s falling headbutt gets the same. Lorcan hits the big flip dive onto everyone but Daivari dives onto Lorcan plus everyone.

Nese follows suit and of course it’s Gallagher busting out the umbrella for the Mary Poppins Drop. Back in and a top rope headbutt gives Gallagher two on Daivari. Lorcan and Daivari fight to the back, leaving Gallagher to headbutt Gulak. Nese misses the 450 and Kanellis comes in for the two count (Nigel: “FOR THE LOVE OF MARIA!!!”). Nese is right back up with the sunset driver for the pin at 18:11.

Rating: C+. There was a lot of action in here and it was nice to see a match get this kind of time. Kanellis failing again is going to wind up being an interesting story, if nothing else just because Maria can yell at him in a very entertaining way. Now just get to some hot matches down the line and everything will go well.

Post match Gulak lays out Nese as Lorcan and Daivari are fighting on the ramp. The three fights go over the announcers’ table and Kanellis is sent into the steps to end the show with the violence rolling.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great show and the main event was only pretty good instead of awesome but I’ll take a pair of watchable matches any day. 205 Live has some weird stretches where the shows aren’t as interesting when the title match is set because it takes over a lot of the show. What we got here covered a lot of that with the six man tag, but Nese vs. Gulak isn’t the most thrilling title match in the world. Skippable show this week, albeit with a good ending. Oh and where is Chad Gable? Is he coming back?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 25, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Things have changed again with Drew Gulak becoming the new Cruiserweight Champion in a bit of a surprise. What matters most is that he FINALLY won the title after coming up short for months. Now we need a new #1 contender as Extreme Rules is only a few weeks away. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Gulak winning the title at Stomping Grounds in a triple threat match over champion Tony Nese and Akira Tozawa.

Gulak says you will have to call him champion. Tonight, Nese and Tozawa can fight to become #1 contender. Short and to the point here, which fits Gulak’s new persona.

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Mike Kanellis

Feeling out process to start with Gallagher cranking on both arms but Mike reverses into one of his own and takes him to the mat. That’s fine with Gallagher, who flips back and rotates his feet like he’s riding a bicycle for a series of kicks to Mike’s face. Back up and Gallagher does his handstand in the corner but a Maria distraction lets Mike post him. That’s only good for an eight count so Mike hammers away to let out some frustration.

One heck of a clothesline gets two but Gallagher starts the comeback. He dives into the raised boots though and a Samoan driver gives Mike two. The superkick sets up a rollup with a handful of trunks for two, meaning it’s time to argue with the referee. That’s enough for Gallagher to hit the headbutt for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: D+. They’re trying something with Kanellis but there’s no way around the fact that he’s just not that interesting. His work is average, his talking is fine at best and there’’s nothing to him that makes me want to watch him. I’m not sure why WWE re-signed him, as I can’t imagine how much of an impact he could make in AEW.

Post match Mike tells Maria that this was a mistake and he’s done before walking out through the crowd.

Nese says Drew didn’t beat him for the title so tonight he’s becoming #1 contender and getting his title back.

Tozawa, getting the WHAT treatment from the crowd, says he had a chance to win the title on Sunday and won’t let it slip out of his grasp again.

Drake Maverick calls Mike Kanellis and yells at his voicemail about Mike’s unprofessionalism.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Rob Rollenbeck

Rob goes for a wristlock to start but Carrillo shows him how it’s really done. A whip into the corner lets Carrillo backflip away for some applause, followed by a kick to the face. The high angle springboard armdrag sets up a missile dropkick to put Rob down again. The Aztec press completes the squash at 2:35.

We look back at Ariya Daivari attacking Oney Lorcan last week after getting disqualified in their match.

Lucha House Party is getting their rematch with the Singh Brothers in a tornado tag.

Tony Nese vs. Akira Tozawa

The winner gets Gulak for the title at Extreme Rules. Nese flips out of a wristlock to start and kicks Tozawa in the ribs for an early one. Back up and a hurricanrana sends Nese outside and Tozawa hits a heck of a cannonball off the apron. Tozawa heads up top so Nese rolls forward and kicks him in the head for two as things get back to even. The bodyscissors goes on to keep Tozawa in some trouble and a waistlock doesn’t really change anything.

Back up and Tozawa kicks him in the face, followed by something close to an F5. That sends Nese outside and now the suicide headbutt can connect. A missile dropkick gives Tozawa two and it’s the Iron Octopus to have Nese in real trouble. That’s reversed into a tilt-a-whirl slam, with Tozawa nearly landing on his head. A spinwheel kick sets up the springboard moonsault but Tozawa gets to the floor. That’s fine with Nese, who hits the running flip dive and the springboard moonsault for two back inside.

They chop it out until Tozawa heads up top, where Nese hits him in the face again. Tozawa is fine enough to hit a Canadian Destroyer for two but the top rope backsplash misses. Nese German suplexes him into the corner for two but the running Nese misses as well. Some kind of spinning sunset flip doesn’t work for Tozawa though as Nese catches him in an over the back piledriver for the pin and the title shot at 14:10.

Rating: B-. Another good match in a series of solid main events of late. This was the right ending because there isn’t likely to be much interest in Tozawa getting another title shot after he lost the fall at Stomping Grounds. Nese makes sense and has become a rather solid worker in the last few months, so this is the right call.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a step below what they’ve been doing as of late but I still liked it well enough. 205 Live is still a good show and it offers such a nice breather after everything that Raw and Smackdown puts fans through earlier in the week. What we had here was fine and Nese vs. Gulak is usually an entertaining match. Fine enough show, but not a great one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 18, 2019
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips, Aiden English

Last week’s show ended in some controversy with a double pin in a four way #1 contenders match. Akira Tozawa and Drew Gulak pinned each other at the same time, meaning we need to come up with something to set up Sunday’s Cruiserweight Title match. I’m not sure what they’re going to do, but it’s likely going to be one of two options. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick’s opening gets right to the point: Tony Nese will defend against both Tozawa and Gulak. Tonight’s show gets a preview as well.

Opening sequence.

Singh Brothers vs. Lucha House Party

It’s Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado for the House Party here. Dorado and Sunil start things off with Lince flipping over him but missing a moonsault press. For some reason we go to a weird camera angle from behind the announcers as it’s Metalik coming in for an assisted bulldog. The Brothers head outside and the House Party backflips into the middle of the ring. Nigel: “I know how to win a match! I’ll do a flip in the ring!”

Back in and a Russian legsweep/superkick combination gets two with Metalik making the save. The Golden Rewind gets Dorado out of trouble and it’s back to Metalik so the pace can pick up. An assisted dropkick puts the Singhs on the floor for the big dive. Back in and the shooting star gets two on Sunil, but Sumir gets serious by DESTROYING PENELOPE. Metalik is so upset that he gets rolled up for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. It’s amazing how much better things are when a team is presented as someone who can do something. The Singh Brothers were nothing but goons on Raw and Smackdown but here they can actually win a match or two and it’s not impossible to believe. It’s taking people who had little value and turning them into something on the right stage. We’ll get more of this in the future and there’s nothing wrong with that as it’s a fine enough feud.

Noam Dar is having some me time as his injuries heal up. He’ll come back, assuming Drake Maverick has fixed things around 205 Live. Brian Kendrick comes in and mentions that they’re in California. Actually make that Spain, where Dar insists that they are. Kendrick says Dar is right but he has to go catch a private jet to California for his match….in like two minutes.

Brian Kendrick vs. Russ Taylor

Taylor won’t shake hands and even forearms him in the jaw, earning himself a yell into the corner. Kendrick hammers away and hits a running forearm. A dropkick sets up Sliced Bread to complete the squash at 2:24.

We look back at Chad Gable debuting last week and beating Jack Gallagher via (what seems to be a botched) countout.

Gallagher thinks he and Gable have unfinished business when Mike and Maria Kanellis come in. They mock Gallagher for not being able to get back in the ring and want some better treatment IF they stick around 205 Live. People like Gallagher are dead weight and need to get out of the way. Gallagher issues a challenge for next week and it seems to be on.

Ariya Daivari vs. Oney Lorcan

Fallout from last week when Daivari cost Lorcan (who looks like he’s in Hulk Hogan tribute gear here, even with an American flag on his trunks) the #1 contenders match. Daivari turns his back on Lorcan to start and gets knocked into the corner as Lorcan is ticked off (never tick off a guy named Oney). That’s enough for Daivari as he tries to bail into the crowd but gets thrown back in, meaning it’s time for another attempt to run.

Back in again and Lorcan hammers away but it’s too early for the half and half. A superkick gives Daivari a breather and it’s a super DDT on the arm as Daivari is finally able to get his shirt off. The armbar goes on, followed by a ram into the buckle. Daivari does it again and stomps away, though he does make sure to slip in a SHUT UP to the fans.

It’s back to the armbar for a bit, followed by the Million Dollar Dream to keep Lorcan in trouble. Lorcan gets up and sends him into the corner for the break but a shot to the arm cuts him off. An Iconoclasm plants Lorcan again but the frog splash misses. Lorcan uses the running elbows in the corner and the running Blockbuster gets two. They slug it out with Lorcan getting the better of it until a superkick gives Daivari a breather. The half and half drops Daivari on his head but Daivari bails to the floor. Lorcan hits a flip dive but Daivari hits him with a chair for the DQ at 10:46.

Rating: C+. The arm stuff could have been trimmed a bit but these two have chemistry together and I liked it more than I expected to. Daivari isn’t a bad heel when he stops doing the same promos and character stuff every single time. Lorcan has a lot of energy to him and that makes him feel like a bigger deal than you would usually expect from him.

Post match Daivari destroys him on the announcers’ table and sends him into the stage set. The hammerlock lariat connects to leave Lorcan laying.

Tony Nese (oh yeah he has a title match on Sunday) talks about how far he’s come and now he’s ready to defend against both Tozawa and Gulak. He doesn’t care about the odds, as he never has before.

Akira Tozawa says he’s tenacious and knows he has to beat two men. He’ll be a two time Cruiserweight Champion.

Drew Gulak says terror waits patiently instead of sleeping. He spent too long trying to make this place better but the only thing that matters is a better Gulak. You can call him cold and vicious, but after Stomping Grounds, you can call him champion. This felt completely tacked on at the end of the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t as good as they’ve done before but what we got worked well enough. The show felt like it came and went a bit faster than usual here and that worked well in a way. Maybe they needed to get out faster or something (the camera angles would suggest that it was before the arena was empty) but the show felt a little rushed, but not in the worst way.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6