IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 31, 2018
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s time to get back to the title picture as we have a big time #1 contenders match this week. This time around it’s Mustafa Ali facing Tony Nese to find out who will be challenging Buddy Murphy at some point in the future, and for once it could go either way. Nese is on a roll but Ali is the heart and soul of this show. That makes things a bit more interesting for a change so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s falls count anywhere match which set up tonight’s #1 contenders match. Also tonight: Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher.

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick

Fallout from last month when Drew Gulak (on commentary here) and Gallagher kicked Kendrick off their team. Gallagher slaps him in the face to start and bails to the floor, only to get caught with a baseball slide. Well what was he expecting standing in front of the apron like that? Back in and Gallagher gets two off a snap suplex and grabs the double arm crank with a knee in Kendrick’s back like a true British villain. A backbreaker gets two and Percy questions what Gulak will do when Gallagher no longer serves his purpose.

Kendrick tells Gallagher to bring it so Gallagher misses a charge in the corner. That means a leg lariat and a tiger suplex into the Captain’s Hook. Gallagher gets a boot in the ropes for the save and grabs a choke of his own, sending Kendrick to the ropes as well. Back up and Kendrick hits a superkick, drawing Gulak off commentary. That brings in Akira Tozawa (tag match ahoy) to take him out, leaving Kendrick to hit Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C-. This feels more about setting up a tag match for later on and that’s fine. I was a little skeptical about this feud but at least they’re doing something with it instead of just going through the motions. I’m hoping it’s not mainly a way to push Kendrick, who hasn’t really done much for me and should be helping move people up more than anything else.

Cedric Alexander isn’t happy with not being in the #1 contenders match but Drake Maverick tells him that he’ll get a title math when Drake says he’s ready. Though disappointed, Cedric goes with it.

Gran Metalik vs. ???

I think you get the idea here. Metalik backflips past the bald jobber and hits a reverse Sling Blade. The rope walk elbow completes the squash at 1:05.

Post match Metalik poses but TJP runs in and steals his mask.

Buddy Murphy says that since we’re in the UK next week, he should annihilate Mark Andrews. He’s not worried about Tony Nese becoming #1 contender.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

#1 contenders match and Ali has almost everything taped up. Nese, being smart, kicks him straight in the bad ribs and takes over early. Ali is fine enough to dropkick him off the apron but the dive is countered into a fall away slam onto the ramp. The bad ribs are dropped onto the barricade and Ali is in a lot of trouble. Nese puts a knee into the ribs for two and stomps away some more as you can’t fault him for his strategy. Ali’s tornado DDT is countered with a shot to the ribs and a northern lights suplex to cut him off in a hurry. The bodyscissors goes on again, followed by a spinning kick to the ribs to put Ali in even more trouble. Ali manages to pull him off the middle rope for a breather and gets two off a sitout powerbomb. The rolling X Factor sends Nese to the floor and Ali is crazy enough to use the running flip dive, which of course bangs up his ribs even worse. A high crossbody gives Ali a delayed two and he superkicks Nese on both sides of the head for two more. Nese kicks him off the top but Ali runs to the corner for the tornado DDT and another delayed near fall. Ali gets caught on top for the Dean Malenko super gutbuster and Nese’s frustration gets even worse when Ali kicks out again. The bandages on the ribs are ripped off but Ali grabs a jackknife rollup for the very fast pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. It’s not as good as Ali’s usual stuff but 205 Live has done something that the regular shows can almost never do: make a character that I want to see win. Ali is one of the best characters WWE has done in a very long time and I want to see him pull off the title win. They need to do that at some point and I hope it’s not all the way at Wrestlemania. This was another good match, and while I’m surprised Nese didn’t get the win, I’m glad Ali did.

Post match Nese goes after Ali again but Cedric runs in for the save. Cedric throws Ali’s arm around his neck in what looked a lot like the setup for the Lumbar Check but it’s just for support. Very nice fake out there. Anyway Buddy Murphy comes out and stands next to Nese so look for the tag match in a few weeks.

Overall Rating: C+. This show set up a bunch of stuff for the future, though it seems to be more tag matches than anything else. The stories are starting to get better and having some fresh blood with Mike and Maria helps out a lot. As long as they actually get to do something with those people, everything will be fine. Ali is carrying this show a long way, and that’s what matters most. Good show here, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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 28, 2018
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re still on the way towards….whenever the next Cruiserweight Title match is going to be as Drew Gulak seems ready to get another shot at Cedric Alexander. Last week’s main event saw Lucha House Party defeat Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese, but we could still get a thing or two more out of the feud, especially since Kalisto got involved at the end. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick gives us the recap/preview.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa

Before the match, Kendrick and Brian Gallagher rip on Toronto a bit for being a secondary Commonwealth city. In addition to that, Tozawa doesn’t know his place and needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. Tonight, Tozawa is taking the beating that he deserves. Kendrick bails to the floor to start so Tozawa dives onto both he and Gallagher. Back in and the hard kick to the chest sets up the screaming backsplash as Kendrick is in big trouble early on. Gallagher offers a distraction though and Kendrick knocks Tozawa out to the floor.

They head back inside with Kendrick nailing a butterfly suplex and slapping on a chinlock. The Captain’s Hook doesn’t work and Tozawa snaps off a hurricanrana. It’s too early for the top rope backsplash so Tozawa goes with the suicide headbutt instead. Back in and the extra aggressive Tozawa wraps the leg around the post before a Saito suplex knocks Kendrick silly. Three straight corner dropkicks to the knee set up a missile dropkick and the top rope backsplash finishes Kendrick at 6:15.

Rating: C-. This was just a step below a squash win for Tozawa, who needed something like this to get him back to normal after the losses to Lio Rush. Kendrick is fine for someone to put Tozawa over as he’s going to stay relevant due to his past success. In other words, a perfectly fine bit of booking.

We look back at Buddy Murphy costing Kalisto a match against Buddy Murphy. Last week, Kalisto made up for it by costing Murphy the fall in the tornado tag.

Murphy and Nese are ready to get rid of Kalisto and the Lucha House Party.

Hideo Itami vs. Michael Blaise

Before the match, Itami talks about feeling bad over Mustafa Ali. He should have hurt Ali even worse a few weeks ago. Itami hammers away in the corner as Vic name drops Hulk Hogan being at his debut press conference. Some kicks put Blaise down and some shots to the back have him in even more trouble. A Falcon Arrow gets two as Itami pulls him up. That GTS thing gets the same but Itami would rather hit the running corner dropkicks. Before he can hit the third, here’s Ali to interrupt. That’s enough for Itami, who bails into the crowd for the no contest at 3:50ish because countouts don’t exist when they’re not scripted.

Rating: D. Just a squash with an angle finish here and there’s nothing wrong with that. Itami still needs more than RESPECT ME and maybe some different gear would help. He’s a very small, skinny guy and that doesn’t exactly make him intimidating. They’re still looking for the right formula for him and I’m not sure how much longer that search can go on.

We recap Drew Gulak wanting a rematch with Cedric Alexander but running off when Alexander showed up.

Alexander says Gulak was a hypocrite last week but next week, he’ll be waiting in the middle of the ring for Gulak to come finish things.

Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto

Tony Nese, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik are at ringside. Murphy wastes no time in throwing Kalisto down and the fans are behind him here. Back up and Kalisto does the pose but makes the mistake of trying a test of strength. Of course he’s powered down with ease so it’s time for some nipups. Kalisto finally gets smart by walking the ropes, setting up a hurricanrana to take Murphy down for the first time. Nese blocks a dive though and the noisemakers are already out.

The rescheduled dive takes the two of them out instead so everyone tries to come inside. The distraction lets Murphy hit Kalisto in the back to take over as things settle back down. Back in and another hurricanrana is countered so Kalisto tries a suicide dive….which is caught and reversed into a suplex. Well ok then. Another skirmish on the floor gets the House Party ejected while Nese is allowed to stay.

Murphy takes him back inside but misses a kick to the back. Kalisto slaps on a sleeper but Murphy powers out again, this time hitting Kalisto in the face for two. Nese tries a grab of the ankle and that’s enough to get him tossed as well. Things settle down and it’s Kalisto hitting a springboard seated senton and kicking away, followed by the reverse hurricanrana. The hurricanrana driver has both guys down and the referee has a quick chat with them. Murphy blocks the Salida Del Sol but gets his head kicked off to give Kalisto two.

They head to the apron and Kalisto gets launched hard into the announcers’ table for the loud crash. Murphy would rather send him into the barricade over and over than go for a pin but he’s smart enough to break the count. Kalisto tries a springboard (minus the spring) off the barricade, only to get kneed out of the air.

Now Murphy is willing to take the countout but Kalisto taunts him right back out. A monkey flip puts Murphy in the timekeeper’s area for nine but Kalisto catches him with another hurricanrana driver for another two. Murphy hits a helicopter bomb for two and we have a rare 205 chant. Murphy’s Law is reversed but Murphy knees him in the head again, followed by Murphy’s Law for the pin at 16:45.

Rating: B. They could have had a better match had it not been for all the shenanigans with the seconds but what we did get was quite good. Murphy continues to be someone way too good for this show, though the same thing is true of Kalisto. But they don’t weigh enough (allegedly in Murphy’s case) so they’re stuck here instead. Such is life in WWE, though the match was rather awesome.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event saved what was a pretty much otherwise lame show and there’s nothing wrong with that. Gulak and Alexander not being around isn’t the best idea in the world as the show is little more than a good standalone night, but you can only do those shows so often if the series is supposed to mean something. Good main event, but they’ve done better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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 31, 2018
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

For the first time in the better part of a year, we actually have a pay per view match to build towards. Last week Drew Gulak became #1 contender by winning a four way match, earning himself a shot against Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Other than that we have Lio Rush vs. Akira Tozawa in a pretty nice feud. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the four way, which was quite good.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start with Nese shoving him around but not stopping to count the abs. You can tell he’s serious here. A hard running elbow drops Kalisto again and Nese sends him hard into the corner. After mocking the lucha dance (as everyone does), Nese whips him again even harder, this time tying Kalisto in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs.

We hit the waistlock for a long time until Kalisto rolls out and kicks him in the face, followed by a good looking springboard crossbody. Nese trips him up but tweaks his knee coming off the top. He’s still strong enough for a buckle bomb but the kickout frustrates him even more. The delay lets Kalisto grab a very quick Salida Del Sol for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. Nese is a good character but his offense doesn’t exactly inspire me. There’s only so much you can get out of having Nese work on the waist the entire time and that’s about as far as we got here. Buddy Murphy being there will definitely help in the eventual tag match so there’s hope for the feud. If nothing else though, Nigel going full heel on commentary here was a nice change of pace as something like that can enhance a show in a hurry.

Post match Murphy comes out to block Kalisto from leaving and gorilla presses him until Lince Dorado comes out for a save. A double superkick drops Murphy.

Earlier today we had the contract signing for the Cruiserweight Title shot. Drew is ready to sign first but has something to say. Cedric knows this is going to take some time and signs first to save some time. Gulak talks about how Cedric is undefeated this year but that doesn’t mean anything yet. Where was Cedric when the title wasn’t on the line? It was people like Gulak who built the show up while Cedric wrestles whenever he wants to. Cedric will be known as the Brock Lesnar of 205 Live and his reign ends at Summerslam. Gulak signs and leaves.

Lio Rush vs. Ricky Martinez

Before the match, Rush says fans aren’t happy with him for not giving Akira Tozawa a rematch. The problem is that he’s a hot commodity and everyone wants a piece of his time. That’s why he’s found a new opponent who is much more worthy of his time. Rush thinks this guy could put up a better fight than Tozawa so let’s see what he has. Martinez gets in a kick to the head in the corner but Rush flips up and hits two kicks of his own. There’s the suicide dive (ala Tozawa) and a rolling kick to the head. The frog splash (the Final Hour) puts Martinez away at 1:11.

Post match Tozawa chases Rush off. This will continue and that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander

Non-title and Cedric has a taped up thumb. Feeling out process to start with Alexander nipping out of a headscissors, sending Kendrick backing into the corner. Kendrick’s headlock works a bit better until Cedric snaps off a good looking armdrag. A chop brings Kendrick to his knees as they’re still in pretty slow motion early on. Cue Gulak for a distraction, allowing Kendrick to roll underneath the ring.

The sneaking around lets Kendrick send him into the steps and it’s time to choke on the ropes as Gulak joins in on commentary. An armbar keeps Cedric down but he pops back up for some forearms. The springboard clothesline is broken up though and Alexander takes a nasty fall onto the ropes. Those always worry me a bit but he’s fine enough to send Kendrick outside. The big flip dive to the floor drops Kendrick and Alexander is down next to him. Gulak: “What a bonehead.”

Alexander gets two off the springboard clothesline but he can’t hit the Lumbar Check. He can however hit the Neuralizer to send Kendrick out to the apron. Back in and Kendrick grabs a quick Captain’s Hook but Cedric makes the rope, much to Gulak’s chagrin. Another Hook is countered into a Michinoku Driver and Alexander can’t follow up. Kendrick superkicks him and tries Sliced Bread, but Cedric pulls him into the Lumbar Check (with a great sell job) to finish Kendrick at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This match did something that is almost impossible to pull off: having a match that has no drama turn into something rather entertaining. Cedric isn’t going to lose in a non-title match just before Summerslam but Kendrick helped turn this into a fun match. Piling up wins before Summerslam is going to make the likely title change mean more and Gulak seems primed to take the belt away. Much better than it should have been here.

Post match Gulak gets on the apron for a distraction, allowing Jack Gallagher to come in for a shot to the face. Gulak: “Cedric my boy! What happened to you?” Drake Maverick comes in and threatens to take Gulak’s title match away if anything else happens. Gulak and company back off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They’ve figured out the right balance around here and I’m sure none of that has anything to do with the title becoming a more active part of the show. They’ve found a good structure to the show and that’s exactly what they needed to do. If they can keep this going for a few more weeks and months, they might just have a good show on their hands.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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 26, 2018
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s another big show this week with the in-ring debut of Lio Rush, but also what should be the final blowoff between Lucha House Party and Drew Gulak/Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher. Both of these are interesting stories, but Rush debuting could be a big deal. He certainly has talent, but this is the only place in WWE where he has any real chance of making it work. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews tonight’s card, even down to the match order, which you don’t see very often.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Tony Nese

Nese has Buddy Murphy with him. Tozawa doesn’t care to that Nese screams about being the Premiere Athlete and chops him down, followed by some stomps in the corner. Back up and Nese fires off some kicks, only to have Tozawa show him how to really throw some kicks. Nese bails to the floor and catches a diving Tozawa, sending him face first into the apron to really take over. Back in and a springboard moonsault gives Nese two but Tozawa is right back up with a Shining Wizard.

That’s enough to put Nese on the floor for the suicide dive and it’s time for the top rope backsplash. It’s a bit too early for that though as Nese breaks it up with a gutbuster, only to charge into raised boots in the corner. The backsplash is broken up again, this time with an uppercut that knocks Tozawa’s mouthpiece out in a great visual. A gordbuster gets Tozawa out of trouble again though and now the backsplash is good for the pin on Nese at 7:35.

Rating: C-. Tozawa is one of those guys who has been around the midcard/upper midcard of the show for a long time not but outside of that six day Cruiserweight Title reign last year, he hasn’t exactly done anything significant. It’s fine to keep him strong like this but it feels like he’s on a treadmill, just like so many others on this show. Like Nese for example.

We look at last week’s triple threat match.

Cedric Alexander comes in to see Drake Maverick and wants to know when his next title defense is going to be. Maverick says he’ll let him know but that’s not good enough for Cedric. He thinks it should be Hideo Itami (makes sense) but Maverick says he won’t reward bad behavior. Cedric pleads Itami’s case because he wants that notch on his belt. It will be considered.

Lio Rush vs. Dewey James

Rush is very cocky and has to take off his jewelry before we’re ready to go. After taking twenty seconds to take off his bracelet, Rush, does runs the ropes, only to keep stopping on a dime to avoid James. Some quick strikes put Dewey on the floor and a rolling kick to the head has him in more trouble back inside. Rush checks his non-existent watch and finishes with the Final Hour (Low Down) at 1:50. Impressive debut and exactly how it should have been.

Post match Rush says he’s the future (as everyone seems to be) and he does things that people in the back only dream of doing. He’s the man of the hour, and it’s Rush Hour.

Cedric is confident that he can handle Itami and wants the challenge. Itami comes in and a fight almost breaks out but Maverick and referees are right there for the save.

Next week: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy in a No DQ match.

Lucha House Party vs. Drew Gulak/Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick

Elimination rules. The luchadors waste no time in diving onto the other three and we officially start with Metalik moonsaulting past Gallagher. Kalisto gets tossed into the air for a splash on Gallagher and the springboard elbow gets two, with Kendrick (still in his jacket) making the save. Gulak breaks up the rope walk and Gallagher headbutts Metalik out of the air for the first elimination at 1:16. Well that was fast.

Lince comes in and kicks Kendrick in the head but gets backdropped off the top for his efforts. Things slow down with Gulak coming back in as Nigel actually offers some strategy and analysis, which I forgot existed around here. Gulak goes even more harsh by pulling off Lince’s mask, sending him bailing to the floor to put it back on. We settle back down to Kendrick kneeing Dorado in the chest and driving a knuckle into the arm. Dorado isn’t done yet though as he handsprings into a kick to Gallagher’s head and scores with the Golden Rewind on Kendrick for the elimination at 6:41.

That’s not enough to get Dorado out of trouble though as Gallagher and Gulak take turns working on Dorado’s arm to keep him down. Gallagher grabs a very painful looking arm hold but Gulak gets caught with a spinwheel kick. There’s no hot tag though as Kendrick is back to pull Kalisto off the apron, leaving Gulak to Gulock Dorado for the tap at 10:00.

That leaves Kalisto vs. Gallagher/Gulak so Kalisto starts fast with the hurricanrana driver for two on Gulak. A few shots to the knees have Kalisto in trouble but he sends Gulak to the apron. Using him as a springboard, Kalisto grabs the Salida Del Sol for the pin on Gallagher at 13:40. Kalisto keeps things going with a flip dive over the top to take Gulak down again and a springboard high crossbody gets two. The Salida Del Sol is broken up with a rip of the mask and the Gulock ends Kalisto at 16:32.

Rating: C+. The match was fine but it really didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already know. The Lucha House Party is better as a team but Gulak is better than any of the individual members and has firmly established himself as the awesome submission expert. That’s been established for weeks now and there’s nothing left for these six to do together. Move on.

Post match Gulak rips the mask off of Penelope the pinata and throws it into the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The ending brings about another problem: Alexander is still a boring champion and has Itami and Gulak coming after him, but given how slow this place is about giving title shots, it could be a LONG time before either of them take the title from him. With Cedric as the top guy, there’s nowhere for this show to go (along with all of its other problems that is) and things need to change. The problem is that could take a very, very long time. What we have here is fine, but there’s a very low ceiling to how far they can go.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: May 29, 2018
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s championship night as Buddy Murphy gets the Cruiserweight Title shot which was set up before Wrestlemania. You know, because there’s so much other stuff going on around here. Champion Cedric Alexander is in his home state and that could be one heck of a horrible sign for both he and his title reign. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Murphy attacking Alexander two nights after Cedric won the title, but a variety of things have prevented the match from taking place until now. Murphy talks about needing to make a statement because no one was ever going to do it for him. That statement was attacking Alexander after Wrestlemania and now it’s time for the big title showdown. This is a heck of a build up video for a match that only had me moderately interested.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher vs. Kalisto/Lince Dorado

Drew Gulak is on commentary again and has pamphlets called “Lucha And You”, offering all his insights on lucha libre and its problems. Kendrick shoulders Dorado down to start as Gulak lists off his issues with Lucha House Party (Gulak: “They wear fuzzy costumes.”). An elevated splash gives Kalisto two on Kendrick but Gallagher gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over on Dorado. Back up and it’s already off to Kalisto to speed things up, although without waking the fans up that much. Gallagher dives over for a blind tag so Kendrick gets in a cheap shot.

That lets him mock the Lucha dance, making it very clear that they’re the villains here. A faceplant gives Gallagher two as Gulak goes over the history of lucha libre. We hit the chinlock and Gulak goes nuts over the lucha noisemakers. As usual, I agree with Gulak as those things are really annoying. Kalisto gets away and brings in Dorado for a high crossbody. The Golden Rewind drops Kendrick to the floor and there’s a suicide dive to make it worse. Gulak gets up and crotches Dorado before the shooting star though, setting up Kendrick’s Captain’s Hook for the tap at 7:10.

Rating: C-. You remember all those times that some combination of these teams and Akira Tozawa/Hideo Itami have fought? Well this is the most recent version. Just nothing memorable here and you can hear the fans being even less interested than usual. Gulak is getting somewhere but these guys have had the same matches so many times that any interest is long gone.

We look back at Hideo Itami beating Akira Tozawa last week.

Tony Nese and Mustafa Ali are split on who will win tonight.

Drake Maverick has no opinion on who wins the title match. They’re treating this like a big deal. He’s also not happy that TJP is complaining about not being in the title picture.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy

Cedric is defending and we get Big Match Intros. With those going on, it’s very clear that 205 Live should never have a wide camera shot as the empty seats get worse and worse every time. They fight over a wristlock to start with Murphy powering him down but Alexander flips forward to his feet and a standoff. Both try headscissors and both land on their feet and it’s another standoff. A dropkick puts Murphy down for one and Cedric isn’t sure what to make of it.

There’s a kick to the head to put Murphy on the floor, followed by a dropkick through the apron to knock him over the announcers’ table. Alexander takes a little too much time though and gets dropped hard onto the same table, banging up his back to give Murphy a target. Back in and the hard whip into the corner makes things worse for the champ. We hit the chinlock with a knee in the back for a few seconds before Cedric pops up with a hard forearm to the face.

A springboard is kicked out of the air though and Murphy gets two. Some running knees to the back keep Cedric down but he pops up with a superkick for the double knockdown. Cedric wins the slugout and kicks him outside for a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the springboard clothesline gets two but Murphy knocks him to the floor for a big dive of his own. To be fair Cedric’s was hands free so it was a lot more impressive. One heck of a Falcon Arrow gets two and Cedric is STUNNED on the kickout.

Murphy catches a charge with a raised boot and a running suplex gives him two more. With nothing else working, Murphy takes him outside but gets caught with a running Downward Spiral onto the apron for a double knockdown. As expected they both do the big slide back inside at nine and it’s time to slug it out again. One heck of a knee to the face gives Murphy two but he can’t hit Murphy’s Law. Another knee to the head gets another two but Cedric is back with a pair of Neuralizers and the Lumbar Check for the pin at 20:07.

Rating: B+. This had the time and felt like the big match that they were shooting for. Cedric was in the fight of his title reign here against someone bigger, stronger and maybe more athletic but he was able to go as far down as he needed to in order to pull it off. The ending was Cedric going to a deeper level than ever to finally unload on Murphy enough for the pin. Really good match here and the best they could have done.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event taking up nearly half of the show and being that good is all you could ask for and it was a very entertaining fifty minutes. In theory this should be setting up either Mustafa Ali or Drew Gulak as the next challenger but it wouldn’t shock me to see Murphy get another shot after coming that close. Besides, it’s not like clean wins mean anything around here most of the time. Very strong show though and that’s a rarity too often.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: May 8, 2018
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Percy Watson, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

You can really feel things getting back into a lull around here and that’s not a good thing to have happen so soon after Wrestlemania. It seems that every week features a tag match that doesn’t change anything about the story they’re telling. There’s nothing for them to do long term but there’s not enough depth to set up an official division. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the three matches scheduled for tonight, which works well in setting things up but doesn’t exactly have me wanting to see the show.

Opening sequence.

The announcers talk about the big fight feel in the air. Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali is not a big fight.

Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado vs. Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher

Speaking of tag matches that seem to be on a treadmill. Hang on though as Drew Gulak comes out for commentary. Dorado headscissors Gallagher down as Gulak calls Lince “Lindsay Dorito”. Jack tries to handstand up but gets spanked right back down. A pinfall reversal sequence has Gulak annoyed because he finds it silly. Metalik comes bouncing in for a dropkick to the face, which Gulak refers to as wasting time. Kendrick gets sent outside for a big flip dive but Gallagher offers a distraction so Brian can get in an enziguri.

It’s off to Gallagher for an arm crank as Kalisto plays with the noisemaker at ringside. Some kicks to the face get Metalik out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Dorado to clean house. Gulak is NOT pleased with the high flying, including the Golden Rewind for two. Gallagher’s dropkick sets up the Sliced Bread #2 for two on Dorado as Metalik makes the save. Stereo suicide dives take out the bad guys and the shooting star gives Lince the pin on Gallagher at 7:49. Gulak: “Let him try that on me.”

Rating: D+. Like I said earlier: you can only do these same matches so many times before they stop meaning anything. There wasn’t anything special about this one but it feels like something I’ve seen over and over again. It’s not a bad match or anything, but it’s just doing the same matches time after time with no one actually getting anywhere. Change that or stop doing the matches.

Mustafa Ali was standing on some train tracks saying the path leads straight to Buddy Murphy. Buddy is built for show but Ali is built for go. He wants the Cruiserweight Title. These out of arena promos are a really good idea.

Murphy gives Tony Nese a pep talk and Nese wishes him luck. Tony leaves and Murphy says he hopes Cedric Alexander is watching tonight.

Tony Nese vs. Keith Clayball

Nese throws him into the corner to start as Nigel says he’s heard a lot about Clayball. Vic: “OH YOU HAVE???” Clayball is tied in the Tree of Woe for a bunch of kicks, including the crunches kicks. A hard elbow runs Clayball over again and an even harder forearm on the floor rocks him again. Back in and the running knee in the corner grazes Clayball’s forearm (Missing his head by a good six inches with the announcers saying it barely touched him. Terrible camera work there as the camera should have stayed in its regular position but switched to a side shot instead, showing how it was designed to miss.) for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: D. Well that ending was horrible looking (totally on the cameras and not the wrestlers) but this was just a boring squash with Nese getting back on the winning side before he gets to put someone else over. A match like this is a good idea but there’s not much you can do here, which is why keeping it so short is the right move.

Video on Hideo Itami, whose attitude is changing. Thank goodness, but it’s about three years too late.

Cedric is with Drake Maverick, who says the UK stars will be here next week when the show is in London.

Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali

They circle each other to start and Ali’s chop doesn’t have much effect. Murphy muscles him into the corner and tries a powerbomb, only to get hurricanranaed out to the floor. The baseball slide dropkick sends Murphy into the announcers’ table but a suplex on the floor cuts Ali off in a hurry.

Back in and a high backdrop has Ali in more trouble as Cedric is watching backstage. In a bit of a mind game, Murphy loads up a running kick to the back but stops for a chinlock instead. Back up and they both try a high crossbody for a double knockdown. It’s Ali up first with a dropkick and running forearm but the rolling X Factor is cut off with a sleeper for a smart counter. Ali reverses into a sleeper of his own but Murphy gets smart again, this time cannonballing himself, and Ali, into the corner for the break.

A tornado DDT plans Murphy again for two so he hits a DDT of his own for the save. This trading big spots is starting to work for me. That’s enough for Murphy, who powerbombs Ali three times in a row for a near knockout. Ali says don’t stop it though so Murphy tries another powerbomb, which is reversed into a big X Factor for two more.

With nothing else working, Ali takes him to the top but gets shoved to the floor, backflipping onto his feet because of course he does. Murphy dives into a superkick for two but the 450 onto the arm, which he used to beat Murphy in the tournament, misses. That bangs up Ali’s own arm and Murphy is right on it, only to be elbowed in the face. Ali is sent HARD into the post and Murphy’s Law is good for the pin at 15:46.

Rating: B. They need to get the title on one of these two ASAP as Alexander just doesn’t have the charisma to match either of them. Murphy is getting better and better every time and you can pencil Ali in for a good match almost every time. The match was more entertaining stuff, and if they cut off about two minutes, this would have been even better. Solid main event though.

Overall Rating: C+. We’re right back where we were before the tournament started: one good match a week and almost nothing else on the rest of the show worth mentioning. The tag stuff is nothing they haven’t done before and Nese is a midcarder at best. It’s the lack of stories aside from the title match that keeps holding them down and I’m not sure why WWE doesn’t get that. As a bonus, you can only see the same people rotated in and out for so long before it stops having any meaning. We passed that point about a year ago. I’m not sure how to fix this show, but it’s back to not being worth your time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: December 5, 2017
Location: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in a weird place with this show as the big #1 contenders match is coming up on Raw, making this show all the less important. On top of that, Enzo Amore is out of the country this week and has put Drew Gulak in charge. I’m sure nothing bad will come of this whatsoever. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Gulak becoming the second entrant in the #1 contender match by winning a four way last night on Raw.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Gulak to open things up by asking how we are all doing. His mentor has appointed him as the leader of the Zo Train but this Monday, Drew is going to become the new #1 contender and face Enzo to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. It’s PowerPoint time but Cedric Alexander comes out to cut him off for their match. Hang on a second though, as Drew is using his new authority to delegate matches. Therefore, Cedric will be facing someone else tonight. Someone who has been S-O-F-T as of late.

Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar

Gulak sits in on commentary. Dar cranks on a headlock to start but Cedric nips up and scores with a good looking dropkick. He stops to glare at Gulak though, allowing Dar to kick out at two. Dar gets sent outside where Gulak points out an incoming dive, allowing Gulak to kick Cedric down to take over.

Back in and Dar works on the arm until he realizes that isn’t getting him anywhere. Instead he kicks Cedric in the face, only to be kicked away. The springboard clothesline gets two but another kick cuts Cedric down. Dar goes up but Gulak freaks out, saying they talked about this. He comes back down and walks into the Neuralizer, followed by the Lumbar Check for the pin at 5:44.

Rating: D+. Nothing special here, aside from Gulak getting to show off some more of his entertaining personality. Dar is still one of the least interesting performers on the roster and Enzo looking down on him isn’t doing him much good. I have no idea why Swann is in the title picture instead of Cedric but I’d bet on WWE not paying much attention.

205 Live is running some house shows next month.

Swann, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa are fired up for the tour. Ali switches over to Gulak, who made him miss Enzo. The interviewer comes up to ask Swann about Gulak being in charge of the Zo Train. Swann doesn’t mind though as he’s going to go out and stay classy San Diego.

Brian Kendrick vs. Gran Metalik

Kendrick has Jack Gallagher with him. Earlier today, the two of them talked about being glad Kalisto is gone tonight. Metalik grabs an early springboard wristdrag to start and Kendrick needs a breather. Back up and Metalik runs the ropes into a middle rope dropkick, followed by a dive onto Gallagher. A springboard missile dropkick takes Kendrick down again but Metalik heads into the crowd.

With a running start, Metalik drives over the barricade for a hurricanrana to keep Kendrick in trouble. Gallagher grabs Metalik’s leg though and Brian gets in a few shots to take over. Back in and we hit the choke on the ropes but it’s too early for Sliced Bread. Instead it’s a knee to the face and the Captain’s Hook to give Kendrick the win at 5:48.

Rating: C+. This was a tale of two halves with Metalik dominating the early part but getting completely destroyed in the end. I’m still a fan of Metalik but it’s pretty clear that he’s only going to be there to put others over. It was more entertaining than I was expecting, even if Kendrick vs. Kalisto is little more than a way to get Kalisto back on track.

We look back at Nia Jax having a thing for Enzo.

Gulak yells at the Zo Train, again comparing the team to the Justice League. The thing is Ariya Daivari is Wonder Woman: a fierce warrior with a great sense of fashion.

Hideo Itami is still coming. We get some tweets from some members of the roster, who are excited to have him around.

Tony Nese vs. Rich Swann

Gulak is in Nese’s corner so Swann brings Cedric with him. Nese wastes no time in kicking Swann down into the corner and then sweeping the leg to put him on the floor. That’s fine with Swann who pops up for a middle rope flip dive to take Nese down as well. Back in and Nese takes over again, this time slapping on a bodyscissors.

The situp kicks to the ribs keep Swann in trouble but Nese misses a Lionsault. He’s fine enough for a sitout pumphandle powerslam though and Swann is right back in trouble. Said trouble only lasts a few seconds though as Swann is right back up with a spinning kick to the head, followed by the Phoenix splash for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C-. Another rather dull match to end a rather dull show. Swann winning was obvious and it’s not a good sign when Gulak being upset at not wanting to upset Enzo was the most entertaining part. You could have had any member of the team out there and it wouldn’t have changed a thing, which isn’t the best sign in the world.

Post match Gulak calls in the Zo Train but the villains take forever just standing there, allowing Tozawa and Ali to come in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This is a tricky one to grade as it was built around Drew Gulak, who was rather entertaining. The problem is the show itself didn’t work, mainly because none of this matters. We’re building towards Swann vs. Gulak for the title shot but with that match already set up and Enzo not here, none of this really matters. It made the show feel like a waste of time, which is what happens when you focus so much of your storytelling on one idea. The wrestling was really lackluster though and it made for a dull night, which isn’t a good sign when things need to be picking up.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re back stateside now and as luck would have it, today is Kalisto’s birthday. I’m thinking that means cake and of course you know what that means. In this case it’s also the go home show for Survivor Series, meaning we’ll be getting what is hopefully the final build between Kalisto and Enzo Amore. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto says he’s going to celebrate his birthday by beating down Drew Gulak before he wins the Cruiserweight Title back on Sunday.

Gulak and Amore are next to a massive birthday cake with Enzo talking about the Zo Train ending if he loses the title. Tonight, he needs Drew to make this a better 205 Live.

The announcers preview the show as the opening stall continues.

Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Tornado rules with Cedric as the hometown boy, meaning there’s quite the chant to start things off. It’s a brawl to start before all four head outside with Swann being sent into the barricade. That’s fine with Cedric who pops Kendrick in the jaw to take over again. Gallagher hits a heck of a dropkick to knock Cedric over the announcers’ table leaving Swann to get beaten down in the ring.

The villains take turns knocking them off the apron until Alexander finally gets in a dropkick on Kendrick. One heck of an elbow to the jaw staggers Gallagher for a great visual and a Spanish Fly gives Cedric two. Kendrick comes back in to take Cedric down and the Captain’s Hook goes on. Swann’s save attempt is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but he’s still able to catch Cedric’s tap attempt.

Cedric has to break up a double submission on Swann, basically guaranteeing the end of the match. Sliced Bread #2 gets two on Cedric but it’s Swann coming back in with some superkicks. Kendrick crotches him on top though and a double super hiptoss drops Rich for a rather close two. It’s Cedric right back in with the springboard clothesline but Gallagher breaks up the Lumbar Check by dropkicking the knee out. Swann superkicks the heck out of Gallagher and hits a diving tornado DDT onto the floor. Back in and the Lumbar Check puts Kendrick away at 10:55.

Rating: B. These guys had a heck of a match here and that’s exactly what it needed to be, especially in what should blow off the feud. They’ve been feuding for way too long now and needed a gimmick match to really wrap things up. It’s a good match though and one of the better things this show has had in a long time.

Ariya Daivari comes out and says this might be the last episode of the Zo Show. The show isn’t being canceled or anything (Are we sure about that?) but it might as well be if Kalisto wins the title on Sunday. Mustafa Ali comes out and doesn’t think much of Daivari sucking up to Enzo so much, but maybe it has to do with all the cake. On top of that though, Daivari looks stupid.

Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali starts fast with a superkick and steals Daivari’s jacket before hitting a high crossbody for two. The springboard is broken up though and Ali crashes out to the floor. Back in and Daivari gets two off a clothesline, followed by a chinlock. I’ll take this time to do anything else as my interest is rapidly draining.

Since it’s just a chinlock, it’s a spinebuster for two on Ali as we’re firmly in the lack of charisma period that Daivari constantly has going on. Ali fights back up and scores with a dropkick, only to get caught in a reverse DDT. The frog splash gets two but Ali is right back up with a super hurricanrana. Since this is an Ali match, that sets up the 054 for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: D+. The wrestling was fine but egads how many times can we watch these two have the same match? Ali is better in the ring but if you’ve seen one of his matches, you’ve seen all of them. Daivari on the other hand is a charisma vacuum who drives any interest he could possibly have out of the matches. Watchable match but better suited for the insomnia cure than anything else.

Akira Tozawa comes in to wish Kalisto a happy birthday and good luck.

Kalisto vs. Drew Gulak

There are balloons and cake at ringside so you know the ending from here. Before the match, Enzo says Kalisto is going to get a beating for a birthday gift. Since it’s Enzo, that takes a few minutes to actually say. Gulak slams Kalisto down to start but gets caught in a quick headscissors. They head outside with Enzo running his mouth (shocking) to allow Gulak some cheap shots.

Back in and we hit the neck crank, meaning it’s time for the fans to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY. A slam sends Kalisto into the ropes and we’ve got a bad knee. They tease going into the cake before Drew wisely goes back to the knees with a surfboard. Kalisto rolls away into the hurricanrana driver, followed by a suicide dive. Enzo kicks the knee out though and Drew belts out some Happy Birthday. The dragon sleeper takes too long though and it’s the Salida Del Sol to give Kalisto the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. This was all you could have expected it to be and Kalisto winning was the only possible ending. Gulak is fine as a lackey for Enzo, though I’m not sure how much longer we can keep going with this stuff. The match was acceptable enough and Kalisto getting a win hopefully means he wins the title on Sunday (though it won’t).

Post match Enzo goes after Kalisto but has to kick Gulak in the head. Enzo bails but Kalisto chases him down and sends him into the cake (the one in the back, as opposed to the one in the arena) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Aside from the opener, this was a completely run of the mill show here as we’re getting ready to finally wrap up Enzo vs. Kalisto, meaning it’s finally time to get someone fresh challenging for the title. The show is still watchable but there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before. The cake stuff was fine, though completely standard stuff for a not very interesting title match on Sunday.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: October 31, 2017
Location: Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another night of cruiserweights, which really could go anywhere. We’re also on a rare holiday show, which should mean some Halloween style shenanigans. Of course that’s not how things work in WWE world, where they had the Halloween style match on Monday instead of Tuesday. As in the Tuesday that was HALLOWEEN. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Drew Gulak’s dreams of a Drewtopia being derailed by Akira Tozawa. This didn’t sit well with Drew, who attacked Tozawa, including hitting him in the throat with the NO CHANTS sign. We also look at Gulak defeating Gran Metalik and Tozawa saving Metalik from a knee injury.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak comes out for a match and asks where his ghouls are. We’re still not ready though, because Drew has some ideas for a better Halloween in the form of a POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! First up, no candy, as it gives us fat children. Second, no trick or treating because it sounds like chanting, which doesn’t need to exist. Slide #3 gets cut off though and it’s time for a match.

Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa wastes no time in kicking Gulak in the face, followed by another one to the chest for good measure. Some stomps in the corner look to set up a dive to the floor but Gulak moves before Tozawa can jump. Back in and Tozawa headfakes him into a right hand to the face. A charge only hits boot though and Gulak slowly stomps away.

It’s off to something like a camel clutch with a neck crank until some kicks get Tozawa out of trouble. Tozawa loads up the top rope dive but Gulak rolls outside, meaning it’s a suicide dive for two instead. The injured throat flares up though and Tozawa can’t capitalize. A shot to the throat gives Drew a near fall but a kick to the head puts him down again. Now the top rope backsplash gives Tozawa the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C. I can’t imagine this is the last match between the two, even though Tozawa won completely clean. Gulak has something with this gimmick but he needs a few more wins to go with the idea. There’s a long list of talent on the show but for some reason they’re not used as jobbers all that often. Try that for a change and maybe you’ll get some results.

We recap Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher telling Cedric Alexander to drop Rich Swann before they drop him for Cedric.

Swann and Cedric are ready for whatever Kendrick and Gallagher have for them. If they want a clown, that’s what Swann will give them. Swann has a clown nose and this can’t end well.

Mustafa Ali talks about Trick or Treating. It’s Halloween you see.

We look at Kalisto easily defeating Gulak last night, only to get beaten down by Enzo Amore.

Kalisto gets another Cruiserweight Title shot at Survivor Series.

Brian Kendrick vs. Rich Swann

And yes, Swann and Alexander are clowns, with Swann having a full on clown suit, the Doink music and a Doink Titantron video. How do I know this is going to be a long match? Swann dances a lot before easily taking Kendrick down and making him slap himself in the back of his head.

We get a big clown wig (to go with the big clown gloves, which are bigger than Swann’s head) but Kendrick knocks it off Swann’s head. A poke to the eye (How did it fit in with gloves that big?) has Kendrick in trouble as the fans don’t seem pleased. Kendrick finally manages to send him outside so Gallagher can get in some cheap shots. Back in and Kendrick gets two off a suplex as the crowd is rapidly dying.

Swann fights back with some clotheslines and a super hurricanrana for two. With the fans chanting what sounds like something about the Joker, Kendrick grabs a reverse suplex for two of his own. A butterfly superplex of all things gives Kendrick two more but the kickout barely gets a murmur from the crowd. That’s enough for Swann who scores with a dive, followed by a spinning kick to the head. The Phoenix Splash ends Kendrick at 9:33.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough but egads the crowd dying like that wasn’t a good sign. To be fair though, can you blame them? When Swann comes out like a clown, thereby completely leaving out the most popular part of his character, how are they supposed to react? Good match, but bad idea in general.

Gran Metalik is ready to win the main event.

Mustafa Ali vs. Gran Metalik vs. Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese

One fall to a finish with a bunch of Halloween decorations around the ring, much like Monday’s tag match. Before the match, Daivari sucks up to Enzo (not here) and runs down Norfolk. Ali counters by offering everyone candy, which Metalik raises his mask to eat. Nese slaps the candy out of Ali’s hands (makes sense) and we’re ready to go. Metalik launches Ali into a dropkick to put Nese down so the good guys go at it, making sure to not run over the pumpkins on the apron.

A handspring armdrag is reversed and it’s an early standoff for some applause. The villains return though and it’s time to head to the floor for some weaponry. Back in and Ali chucks a pumpkin at Nese’s face (McGuinness: “It’s complex carbs. He’s ok with that.”) before trying to force a piece of candy into Nese’s mouth. Daivari comes back in with a spinebuster for two on Ali as Metalik makes the save.

With Ali down, Daivari heads outside and throws some candy out of a bowl but finds a Gran Metalik mask. Daivari puts it on and does some flips, earning some slaps from Ali. The villains get together with a candy corn kendo stick and tie Ali in the Tree of Woe. Instead of the situp kicks though, Nese uses pumpkins like medicine balls and throws them at Ali’s ribs. Ok that was pretty clever.

Metalik’s save is knocked out of the air by a stick shot and an angry Daivari pours candy over Ali. The expected heel miscommunication sees both guys go down so it’s Metalik hitting a reverse powerbomb for two on Ali. A quick Tower of Doom puts Ali down, allowing Daivari to hit the frog splash for a very near fall. For some reason Daivari brings in a table, only to be laid on it in short order.

Nese blasts Metalik with the stick and pulls out a black bag. He pours the bag onto the table and finds….candy corn instead of tacks. Funny bit there. Metalik is ready with a sunset bomb through the table but Daivari breaks up the cover. Ali is right back with a pumpkin to Daivari’s face, followed by a guillotine legdrop (with a broom of course) for the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. For a completely goofy match, this was perfectly acceptable and even a lot of fun at times. They were working hard and that’s about all you can ask for in this kind of situation. Ali is someone they’ve protected for a few months on here and while he’s not going to get anywhere, he’s getting something out of it, which is more than most people can say.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a throwaway show but it was certainly entertaining. It’s about an hour with three good to quite good matches that don’t really mean anything but at least they made them quite fun. If nothing else it was nice to have a show without Enzo dominating everything, which is the case far more often than not anymore. Good show here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: September 19, 2017
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for No Mercy and its one cruiserweight match. As usual it’s for the Cruiserweight Title and as usual it’s Neville defending the title. This time it’s against Enzo Amore and they’ll be going face to face tonight. Other than that we have the fallout from Jack Gallagher turning heel to join Brian Kendrick last week. Let’s get to it.

We look at Enzo’s debut and rise to the top of 205 Live, despite the fans starting to sour on him at least a little bit. This also includes Braun Strowman attacking him last night and leaving Neville to pick the bones.

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick tries an early boot but gets elbowed in the face to start, followed by a baseball slide for good measure. Back in and the springboard clothesline misses so Kendrick knees him in the face for two. A butterfly suplex sets up a chinlock on Cedric for a bit, followed by a Japanese armdrag to send him into the corner again. That means a straitjacket hold but Cedric fights up again and hits the springboard clothesline. Kendrick is right back up with a kick to the ribs and Sliced Bread #2, only to have Cedric reverse into a rollup for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C-. Not bad here and Cedric winning was the right call. Cedric continues to be one of the best stars around here and a nice addition to any show. Kendrick and Gallagher could be a good heel tandem but Gulak seems to be the star instead of Kendrick, which isn’t the biggest surprise in the world.

Post match Kendrick runs his mouth, allowing Gallagher to run in for the double beatdown.

Post break, Gallagher says he saw the scars on his face after his loss to Kendrick and realized he would rather be a winner than a joke.

Here’s Drew Gulak, with new music (thank goodness) to complain about his time in fashion jail last week. Breezango will be hearing from his attorney, which happens to be him. That brings him to last week, where he was interrupted while explaining his vision for a better 205 Live. After comparing himself to Galileo (another genius whose brilliant theory was held down), we continue the PowerPoint presentation! Slide #6 (of 277): no cell phones! Cue Akira Tozawa to cut him off again though and it’s time for a match.

Noam Dar vs. Akira Tozawa

Gulak is on commentary and ripping on Titus O’Neil. Tozawa starts fast with the backsplash but Dar kicks the legs out and starts working on the leg (Gulak: “NOW he has a reason to scream!”). Tozawa fights up without too much effort and sends Gulak outside for a suicide dive. A running European uppercut gives Dar two but an enziguri puts him right back down. The top rope backsplash puts Dar away at 4:01.

Rating: D+. Too short to mean much here but it advanced the feud well enough and it’s not like Dar means anything in the first place. Tozawa is still one of the top stars on the roster and can be used to make someone like Gulak, who hasn’t had the most success. At least he has a character now and that could go somewhere if they use it properly.

We recap Rich Swann defeating TJP last week.

TJP congratulates Swann for the win last week and says they have great chemistry together. Swann agrees but thinks they’ll get a bit too intense. He already has Lince Dorado tonight anyway, which TJP understands.

Rich Swann vs. Lince Dorado

And never mind as Dorado is laid out in the back. Swann goes to see what’s up and gets taken out by TJP. He even rips out part of Swann’s hair and drops him over the barricade.

Here’s Neville for the big closing talk. He talks about this Sunday’s card, which will include some big matches and one comedy match as he destroys Enzo Amore once and for all. Enzo thinks he’s ready to step up to his world and it’s time for Neville to knock him down. Cue Enzo with a taped up shoulder but Neville cuts him off, accusing Enzo of “spelling like a chicken”.

Enzo thinks Neville is jealous, which Neville finds funny when he’s better in every conceivable way. That’s true actually, but Enzo is twice the superstar that Neville will ever be. The fans aren’t sure what to think of that so Enzo rants about all of his merchandise and hanging out with celebrities.

Neville is a big fish in a small pond and Enzo is the shark that’s invaded the water. Neville doesn’t care about any of that because Enzo just can’t fight. Enzo says that’s true and kicks Neville low to end the show. So to recap, Enzo says he can’t wrestle and doesn’t really care about winning things because it’s all about making money and hanging with celebrities. And he’s the good guy in this whole thing?

Overall Rating: D+. Not a great show this week but it sets up some stuff for the future. Above all else, there are multiple stories going on at the moment and it makes for some good stuff. I’m worried about Enzo winning the title as all signs seem to point to it, though I’m really not sure if they’ll go through with it. I know it sounded great on paper for the last several months but sweet goodness it’s not doing much for me in reality. This wasn’t the best show but it laid some much needed ground work, which is much more important.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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