205 Live
Date: June 6, 2017
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s actually time for a new challenger this week. Neville retained his Cruiserweight Title at Extreme Rules and that means Austin Aries is finally in his rear view mirror. Now it’s time for TJP to get his shot in exchange for all the help he’s given Neville over the last few months. Neville didn’t take kindly to his claim at a shot and attacked him in advance. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at TJP helping Neville with Aries and then being attacked anyway. It didn’t feel like a face turn though, making tonight more heel vs. heel.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Noam Dar for a match, though he doesn’t have Alicia Fox with him. Well so much for this one being interesting. As a VERY loud fan keeps asking about Fox’s whereabouts, Dar talks about Cedric Alexander losing Fox to him, the better man. Fox is at home recovering but she wants Cedric to move on already. Cedric cuts him off and we’re ready to go.

Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric goes after the arm to start so Dar goes to the ropes, screaming in faux agony. Dar’s headlock works a bit better until Alexander pops up and dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Cedric gets kicked off the middle rope before it’s time to work on the arm. A kick to the chest doesn’t work as well though and Alexander kicks him in the face.

That just earns Cedric another kick to the leg and things slow down again. An awkward looking rollup gives Dar two and another kick to the face gives him the same. You might notice a pattern in Dar’s offense here and that’s not a good thing. Alexander charges into a boot but is still able to reverse the running kick into the Lumbar Check for the pin on Dar at 7:07.

Rating: C. Dar continues to be one of the most annoying talkers (in a good way) and weaker in-ring performers on the brand. He’s just not interesting to watch in the ring and that’s going to catch up with him. I can’t get interested in someone who does a bunch of running kicks to the chest and works on armbars for the rest of the match. He’s good on the mic but at some point, the bell has to ring.

Cedric says they’re done.

Video on TJP winning the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic.

TJP says Neville has a TJP problem.

Mustafa Ali vs. Louie Valle

Ali grabs the wristlock to start but gets his throat snapped across the top rope. A hard ax handle to the chest gives Valle two and Louie stomps away in the corner. Ali comes right back with a kick to the head and the rolling neckbreaker but cue Drew Gulak with a siren before the inverted 450. Drew: “SAFE AND SOUND! FEET ON THE GROUND!” Not that it matters as Ali reverses a cradle into the pin at 3:34.

Rating: D+. This was just a way to give Ali some momentum back and continue his feud with Gulak. I’m not sure where they’re going to wrap things up but I’d have Ali join him for a bit. At some point just having Gulak on his own doesn’t work and he’s going to need some followers. I know I say that every week but it’s still a problem that needs to be fixed.

Gulak keeps talking on his bullhorn until Ali hits a running flip dive to take him down.

Video on Rich Swann’s rise to the Crusierweight Title and eventual partnership with Sasha Banks.

Swann is speaking Japanese with Akira Tozawa when Titus O’Neil comes in and asks to speak to Tozawa alone. Titus wants to spread his Brand international and says Tozawa should talk to his best friend Apollo Crews about the opportunity. As usual, Tozawa seems confused but that might be due to Titus imitating his barking/shouting/grunting thing.

Neville isn’t worried about TJP because TJP was just a means to an end.

Cruiserweight Title: TJP vs. Neville

TJP is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Neville takes him straight into the corner and slaps TJP’s head a bit. That earns him a front flip and some head slapping of his own so Neville grabs a headlock to slow the pace a bit. TJP wristlocks him down into an armbar They take turns flipping out of holds until TJP grabs something like a Sharpshooter/Figure Four hybrid, which sends Neville right to the ropes.

A Tarantula keeps Neville in trouble but he pulls TJP to the floor and stops to glare at the announcers. TJP is in big trouble back inside and a missile dropkick makes things even worse. The champ gets too cocky though and a backdrop sends him outside for a corkscrew dive and a big crash.

There’s the slingshot dropkick into the double chickenwing gutbuster for a close two and the shock sets in on the kickout. Neville misses a knee so TJP kicks it out, only to charge into a superkick. The Phoenix splash misses as well and the kneebar goes on but Neville rolls into the Rings of Saturn to retain at 14:07.

Rating: B. This was better than I thought it would be as TJP set up the leg as well as he could have. They’re really pushing the idea that Neville is clearing out the division, which is going to make whoever takes the title all the bigger deal. It’s almost hard to believe that he’s only held the title for five months. Let him do his thing and then move up to the main roster, like he should have been all along.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot and helped this show as more of a stand alone episode rather than something that moved the main story forward. Neville needs a new challenger, which he can get in the next few weeks. In theory that would have been Tozawa but he’s getting to deal with Titus O’Neil for reasons of general nonsense. Not a bad show this week but it’s nothing you need to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: May 30, 2017
Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and that means the very final push towards what is hopefully the last Neville vs. Austin Aries match. That’s not all though as we also have a guest star in the form of Sasha Banks. I’m sure that has nothing to do with how poor the viewership has been for this show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Aries vs. Neville while they change the ropes. You know, to make sure we know the difference between the 205 Live cruiserweight show and the 205 Live knitting show that airs on local access in western Maine.

Opening sequence.

Here are Noam Dar and Alicia Fox with the former saying this is the closest people in Atlanta will ever get to true love. Alicia: “You complete me.” Dar: “That’s right fluffy button.” They don’t like Rich Swann and Alicia Fox, who interrupt in a hurry. The two of them have a lot in common too, such as dancing, fashion, and getting revenge on the people in front of them. The ladies insult each others’ hair and of course that means it’s on.

Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann

Swann chops away to start and Dar bails to the floor, only to eat a dropkick back inside. Dar scores with a penalty kick so Fox screeches quite loudly. We hit the arm crank with Banks looking very out of place as a cheerleader for a cruiserweight act. Swann’s arm is bent around the top rope and a running forearm to the chest is good for two. That’s enough for some posing though and the ladies are looking either nervous or elated.

Rich grabs a belly to back suplex and a good looking hurricanrana brings Dar off the middle rope. Sasha hits the cheerleading again and Swann gets two off a small package. He misses an enziguri though and gets caught in an ankle lock, which is quickly rolled out to the floor. Fox gets in a trip so the brawl is on (with Fox losing some hair), allowing Dar to hit his running knee to the face for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C-. Dar is a good heel but his in-ring abilities aren’t the best. The arm work makes sense to start but when he follows it up with an ankle lock and a running knee, it doesn’t really seem to make much difference. I’m still not sure why Banks is here other than star power, but she’s really not fitting.

Cedric Alexander doesn’t have time to care about Dar and Fox because he has to make up for lost time with his WWE dreams.

Cedric Alexander vs. Corey Hollis

Cedric flips around to start and gets in a dropkick to put Corey in the corner. Hollis elbows him in the jaw and grabs a double arm choke. That goes nowhere as Hollis charges into a knee, followed by a Tajiri handspring into an enziguri. The springboard clothesline sets up the Lumbar Check to put Corey away at 2:41.

Video on Akira Tozawa.

Quick recap of Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali, which is mat wrestling vs. high flying.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

Gulak comes out with his NO FLY ZONE sign so Ali hits a running flip dive to take him and the sign down. Drew says ring the bell (though he doesn’t seem to know where he is) so Ali sends him outside for a running knee off the apron. They chop it out on the floor with Gulak’s few shots having very little effect. Back in and Gulak sends him outside with Ali landing on his knee. Drew stomps away and asks if Mustafa wants to fight the message. We hit a seated abdominal stretch for a bit before Ali fights up with some clotheslines. Ali heads up top for a high crossbody but Drew rolls through for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. That’s the second time in a row where Mustafa has tried high flying on Gulak but gotten caught in a quick pin. Hopefully this leads to Ali accepting Drew’s teachings and joining him, which could set up a mini stable in the future. Gulak needs some followers and Ali would be a good place to start.

In the back, Drew says that was a victory for the way a lot of people want 205 to go in the future.

Here’s Austin Aries for the hard sell to end the show. After a quick plug for his upcoming book, Aries talks about the tap heard round the world. Neville has been saying no one is at his level but then he tapped out. We see the end of the tag match with Neville tapping, followed by a separate clip of just the tap. Aries goes over their history together but here’s Neville to say that was nothing more than a fluke. Cue TJP from behind and another double beatdown is on. Aries gets caught in the Rings of Saturn to end the show with no Jack Gallagher making the save.

Overall Rating: C. This show was perfectly acceptable and that’s about as good as I can go with it. Neville vs. Aries ran out of steam over a month ago and yet another beatdown segment isn’t enough to make it interesting again. There are several people ready to move into the title picture and hopefully they get the chance after Sunday. Good enough show but nothing you need to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: May 23, 2017
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re getting closer to Extreme Rules and that means we’re setting up another Austin Aries vs. Neville match. That would be the third match on pay per view between the two, which suggests to me that they really need to build up some fresh stars. Maybe that can be Cedric Alexander, who returns tonight. On top of that we also have a street fight between Brian Kendrick and Akira Tozawa to finally blow off their feud. Let’s get to it.

Brian Kendrick talks about how great Tozawa is and now he’s come here. Kendrick took it upon himself to take Tozawa under his wing but Tozawa disrespected him. That meant it was time to learn a lesson, and another lesson, and another lesson. Then Tozawa thought he could teach Kendrick something because he hasn’t learned anything yet. Now things between them need to end and Brian can think of no better way than in a street fight. Good talk from Kendrick here as he kept it simple and laid everything out there while conveying emotion at the same time.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the street fight.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

I wrote Daivari’s name down as soon as Swann’s music hit because…..well who else would you have as a heel jobber on this show? I mean, they’re also fighting over Swann causing Daivari to ruin his $1,500 shirt last week but I only remember that thanks to the nifty video package. After some yelling from Daivari, Swann sends him outside for a baseball slide.

They both head outside this time with Swann being sent into the LED ring skirt. Back in and we hit an armbar, followed by a Codebreaker to the same arm. It’s off to a cobra clutch for a good while until Swann fights up with the good arm. The big spinning kick to the head gives Swann two, followed by the Phoenix Splash for the pin at 6:31.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as it was just a step above a squash. Swann is in a weird place as he’s one of the better stars on the roster and could pretty easily hang with Aries and Neville but for some reason he hasn’t been near the title, at least not for the long term, in months. Then again it wouldn’t be hard to throw him in there pretty easily, which is always a good thing.

Post match Noam Dar comes out to shove Swann off the top for a big crash to the floor.

We look back at the history between Aries and Neville.

Neville and Aries (eating a banana of course) join us via satellite for an interview. Graves asks is Neville sees this as the biggest challenge of his career and Neville is instantly annoyed at such a suggestion. Aries doesn’t like Neville saying that he’s beaten him twice and brings up the cheating. Neville calls that slander but Aries says it’s just truth. Not that it mattes as Aries has a bunch of submissions ready, capped off by the Last Chancery to take the title that belongs to him. Neville says bring it. Really good segment here and it’s nice to have something that doesn’t break down into a physical brawl.

Cedric Alexander vs. Johnny Boone

Not to be confused with the former WCW referee. A big elbow to the face sends Boone outside and he looks a bit shaken. Boone comes back in and eats the springboard clothesline, followed by the Lumbar Check for the pin at 1:33. That’s how you bring a star back.

We look back at Drew Gulak and Tony Nese attacking Mustafa Ali last week.

Gulak gives us something like a campaign commercial, talking about how horrible it is when cruiserweights ruin the division’s good name for the sake of drawing applause. Join him in his campaign for a better 205 Live.

Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa

Street fight and Kendrick starts with his jacket still on. Brian tries for an early weapon but gets taken down by a suicide dive instead. A hiptoss onto the announcers’ table is good for two back inside and Kendrick is in a lot of trouble early on. The right hand sends Kendrick to the apron but he low bridges Tozawa to the floor for a big crash.

A table is pulled out but they slug it out instead of setting it up. Tozawa’s dive is broken up with a thrown jacket and Kendrick suplexes him on the floor for good measure. It’s time to get creative as Kendrick wraps duct tape around Tozawa’s mouth before putting on the Captain’s Hook. Thankfully Tozawa only uses the ropes to climb to his feet and the hold isn’t broken.

Sliced Bread is broken up as Brian is sent outside, leading to a fight on the stage. Kendrick gets the better of it and tapes Tozawa to the post for a whipping with the belt. Now it’s table time, prompting Phillips to say Kendrick made a name for himself in the Attitude Era. Given that he debuted in 1999 and didn’t really get anywhere aside from various indies until 2002, I don’t think that’s quite right.

Anyway Tozawa frees himself somehow and whips Kendrick IN THE FACE with the belt. That doesn’t do him much good though as he jumps into the Captain’s Hook. The escape sends them both outside again with Tozawa firing off kicks and snapping off a Saito suplex for a painful sounding thud. Kendrick goes face first into the steps so Tozawa can put him on the table for a HUGE top rope senton backsplash. Brian is completely done so Tozawa throws him inside for the pin at 14:32.

Rating: B+. So often in these matches, it feels like they’re just wrestlers doing spots that you would see in a fight. This time, it felt like we were watching a fight between two people who used wrestling moves, which is a major upgrade. I had a lot of fun with this and Tozawa hitting the huge spot at the end to finish the match and feud looked definitive instead of something to set up another match down the line. This should set up Tozawa to fight for the title and I have no idea why that wouldn’t be the case.

Kendrick is helped out as Tozawa celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event is easily enough to carry the show and having Tozawa finish the feud against Kendrick makes things even better. Things are looking up around here but Aries vs. Neville needs to wrap up so we can move to a fresh direction in the title scene. I like the show almost every week but they need to do something to draw in some viewers and make fans care, because this show apparently is a bomb in the Network viewership. Granted that’s not surprising but that doesn’t make things any better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: February 28, 2017
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul Minnesota
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, Austin Aries

We’re five days away from Fastlane and Neville defending the Cruiserweight Title against Jack Gallagher. There’s really not much else going on though and that’s not a good thing. This show needs some more stories to really get going but at least we have a great champion on top. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Jack Gallagher vs. Neville. This feud needs to end in a hurry as it feels like little more than filler, which to be fair, it is.

Gallagher is ready for Neville’s Fastlane address and thinks he’ll be brooding about the title reign and say that his reign will never end. We’ll see about that on Sunday.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Lince Dorado

Before we get going, someone brings Alicia Fox a bouquet of flowers, much to Dar’s annoyance. Dar tries to take him to the mat but Dorado speeds things up and hits a Lionsault press for two. As Dar takes him to the mat and works on the arm, Alicia is actually eating the flowers. We hit a chinlock as Rich Swann is watching in the back. Now the fans want flowers as Dorado gets in a hurricanrana and a belly to belly suplex. Dorado springboards into a Stunner for two but misses a dive off the top. One heck of a kick to the head gives Dar the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C-. This was fine as a way to push a midcard angle (good idea) and the flowers thing could likely set up Dar’s next feud. I’m not sure how interesting that’s going to be as there’s a good chance Fox is going to leave him anyway. Of course Fox eats flowers so it might not be the most easy to predict person in the world.

Post match Dar says he sent the flowers but I sense a ruse.

Austin Aries is in the ring to interview Akira Tozawa. Regarding turning down Brian Kendrick’s offer of being a mentor, Tozawa wants to be his own man. We get a look back at Kendrick’s “lessons” and Tozawa wants to fight right now. This is followed by a series of weird noises, which Graves calls a war cry.

Cue Kendrick (with some buggy eyes) to say he has a plan and no desire to fight. What makes Tozawa think that Kendrick is already willing to get in the ring with him? Who does Tozawa think he is? Tozawa starts to talk but Kendrick tells him to learn English first, like these Minnesotans need to do. This feud started off as nothing with someone I really don’t care about but I’m actually getting into it. Well done.

Tony Nese/Drew Gulak/Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali/TJ Perkins/Cedric Alexander

Nese slams Mustafa to start but it’s off to Cedric for a bit better luck. The good guys start working on the arm with TJ bending it back like a slot machine (thanks for the analogy Mauro). Nese gets pulled down into a cross armbreaker and it’s a stream of people being sent outside so the good guys can load up their dives. TJ gets pulled outside for a beating and we settle down to Daivari (from nearby Minneapolis) grabbing a neckbreaker. It’s off to Gulak for a Gory Stretch before Daivari adds one heck of a clothesline.

TJ finally gets out and makes the hot tag to Ali but Gulak grabs him in a torture rack for a slam. Everything breaks down and everyone but Ali and Gulak wind up on the floor. Mustafa hits the inverted 450 for two as Ariya puts the boot on the ropes. Nese comes back in for the German suplex into the corner but can’t follow up. The Detonation Kick rocks Daivari, only to have Gulak crotch Perkins on the top. Nese adds the running knee in the corner for the pin on Perkins at 10:16.

Rating: C+. So Nese is on the good list again? We can push him again now? This was fun but a bit too sloppy for my taste. These guys don’t really have anything going on right now and are now more like flashbacks to the original cruiserweight division on Raw, which really isn’t a good thing. They could go for some more mic time to give us a reason to care about them too.

Austin Aries video.

Here’s Neville for an extended chat. Neville takes credit for all the good things on 205 Live but the fans are completely ungrateful. The fans would rather cheer for a sideshow act like Gallagher. They’re the reason for his upcoming destruction on Sunday and there’s nothing that can stop that.

Cue Gallagher to say this sounds like a meltdown. He offers Neville some tea and biscuits so you know what the fans are going to be chanting now. Neville says this is his ring but Gallagher thinks it belongs to the people. That means it’s time for Neville to leave so the fight is on. The headbutt and some dropkicks both in and out of the ring send Neville into the crowd to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: C+. I really like Gallagher but he’s just not on this level yet. It’s pretty clear that Aries is getting the Wrestlemania title shot (or at least he certainly should) and that makes for some rather dull shows leading up to the announcement. Neville is a great champion and a win over Aries would look great but it’s not easy to watch Gallagher, who is very talented, have no chance in the upcoming match. The rest of the show was fine but the only other interesting story is Kendrick vs. Tozawa. An extra story is a good step though and things could be getting better, albeit somewhat slowly.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Main Event
Date: February 23, 2017
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, R-Truth

I’m not even sure what to expect from this show anymore as it really could be anything from week to week. That’s not exactly a good thing either as the show can be an entertaining hour but at the same time it can be something so uninteresting that I don’t know how I survive every week. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Sin Cara vs. Bo Dallas

Bo takes him down to start and poses a lot, as you would expect him to do. A clothesline sets up a chinlock before Bo hammers away in the corner. That earns him a monkey flip as Cara starts his comeback, including a headstand into a headscissors out of the corner. Dallas gets sent outside for a running Swanton off the apron but he rolls through a high crossbody and grabs the tights for the pin on Cara at 4:53.

Rating: D. It’s going to be one of those weeks isn’t it? I really don’t know why Dallas isn’t on the main roster. You really can’t do something with that grin and the extra aggression that he’s been showing from time to time? It’s not like the main roster is flush with jobbers to the stars so throw him on there and let us have something fresh for a change.

We open with a long recap of the Festival of Friendship and Kevin Owens turning on Chris Jericho. Sweet popcorn baked into a pie that was an amazing segment.

Owens is sitting in the ring in the dark in a chair to get things going. When he was growing up, if anyone had told him he would be defending the World Title against Goldberg in the main event of a pay per view, he would have thought you were crazy. Of course he’d be in the main event of a pay per view, but against Goldberg? The Goldberg chants start up and Owens thinks that’s exactly what he wanted to hear.

That’s the chant that makes Goldberg think he’s invincible as they head into their match at Fastlane. At the pay per view, all Owens has to do is outlast and outsmart Goldberg because the longer a Goldberg match goes, the weaker and weaker he gets. Owens is the master of outsmarting opponents and no one knows how to play the game like him.

Goldberg can say Owens is next all he wants but as far as Owens is concerned, Goldberg is nothing. As for what happened last week with Jericho….Owens drops the mic and walks out. This is the Owens that we’ve been waiting to see on the main roster for a long time and that’s nothing but good as we head into the final stretch to Wrestlemania. Owens was great here and that’s awesome to see.

Our second Raw moment.

Cole is in the back for a sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. We get straight to the point with Goldberg but Heyman cuts Cole off and says Lesnar isn’t interested in questions like this one. Heyman says Lesnar isn’t interested in hearing about Goldberg winning the title so Lesnar scares Cole away and stares straight into the camera.

Paul talks about Owens attacking Jericho last week because Lesnar disagrees with Owens being the most violent champion in years. Lesnar isn’t interested in hearing about Owens but Heyman talks about Kevin’s greatness anyway. A lot of people want to see Owens pull it off but Lesnar disagrees because if Owens loses, it’s Goldberg vs. Lesnar for the title. That’s just one more thing for Lesnar to conquer at Wrestlemania and that’s what he wants to do.

Diamond Dallas Page Hall of Fame announcement.

TJ Perkins/Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar/Tony Nese

Nese throws TJ around to start so Perkins grabs a headlock instead. With that not working, a jumping spinning kick to the face puts Nese into the corner, followed by the Detonation Kick to send him outside. Back from a break with Perkins snapping Noam’s arm back but some heel double teaming takes over. Perkins fights out of a waistlock and hits a gutbuster to set up the hot tag to Cedric. Everything breaks down and a Lumbar Check ends Dar at 9:37.

Rating: C-. Still not good but at least there was some better action. You’re still only going to get so much out of these random cruiserweight tags though and that’s rather tiresome. I know Dar and Alexander were feuding a few weeks back but that hasn’t really been the case recently. I need more than just a random tag match to keep my attention and I’m not getting that here.

We’ll wrap it up here.

Braun Strowman vs. Big Show

And yes, this really is the main event. Show grabs a wristlock to start but Braun rolls around and nips up to escape. Now that’s going to get him noticed. Show shoves him down but gets punched in the jaw and dropped for his efforts. Strowman charges into a choke but easily reverses into a DDT for two. A clothesline drops Show for two and it’s all Strowman so far.

Show reverses a suplex into one of his own and grabs the chokeslam for two. The powerslam doesn’t work so Show puts him on top for the superplex. Strowman escapes that but dives into the KO Punch for two. Show loads up the Vader Bomb, only to have Strowman get up for the powerslam (doesn’t look great) for two of his own. Not that it matters as Braun hits another powerslam for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C. Right here is a great example of a match that doesn’t need to be good to get the point across. Much like last week, this was about Strowman showing that he’s the new star instead of the old guard like Show or Mark Henry. It’s a very simple idea but they’re telling the right story, which is all you can ask for.

Post match Reigns comes out and gets in a few Superman Punches but Strowman hits the powerslam to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was one of the weeks where the original stuff wasn’t enough to carry the show, despite the fact that the Raw replays were much better. I still don’t get why they can’t throw in a bigger name for all of a match, even if they’re appearing on the main show that week. I know there’s a point to this show but they could at least try.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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

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205 Live
Date: February 7, 2017
Location: Key Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Austin Aries, Corey Graves

It’s time to find out who is next to challenge King Neville, whose original challenger Rich Swann has gone down with an ankle/foot injury. Therefore tonight we’ll be having a five man elimination match to crown a new #1 contender. That has some potential and could make for a good main event so let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the five participants in tonight’s main event with each one getting to say about what you would expect them to say.

Opening sequence.

We open with some breaking news: Tony Nese is injured and out of the match so we have a qualifying match for a replacement.

Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali

The winner is added to the main event. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to hit much early on. Then again that’s something you often see in a cruiserweight match. A spinning heel kick gives Ali two and it’s time to head outside since the inside stuff wasn’t exactly thrilling. Daivari drives him hard into the barricade for an eight count before it’s off to the chinlock back inside. Ali gets planted with a spinebuster but avoids the frog splash, allowing him to grab a neckbreaker for two. A quick tornado DDT sets up the inverted 450 to give Ali the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be and Ali going forward is interesting as he’s a face replacing a heel in the big main event. Daivari continues to be one of the least interesting characters I’ve seen in a very long time so Ali, who is only moderately more interesting, is definitely the right call.

Gran Metalik arrives next week.

Lince Dorado vs. Brian Kendrick

Before the match, Kendrick talks about how he’s the gatekeeper of the division and wants to crush dreams (now I can go with this one). That doesn’t include Akira Tozawa though because there’s potential there. Dorado starts fast and sends Kendrick outside for an Asai moonsault. Back in and Kendrick scores with a leg lariat to take over, only to get caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Dorado speeds things up with a high crossbody and the handspring Stunner for two. At attempt at the mask doesn’t deter Dorado but the shooting star….kind of grazes Kendrick’s knees, setting up the Captain’s Hook for the submission at 4:40.

Rating: D+. I still don’t get the appeal of Dorado aside from having a standard luchador running around. His matches aren’t bad but I’d like a little more than generic flips and dives. At least he isn’t pushed as anything special and Kendrick gets to set up some stuff going forward.

Post match Kendrick calls Tozawa out but gets Tajiri and the mist to the eyes instead.

Neville isn’t worried about any of his potential opponents. The disdain in his eyes make this speech even better.

Jack Gallagher vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar vs. TJ Perkins

Elimination rules here and the lights flicker for a bit at the start. Dar gets surrounded early on and Cedric clotheslines him out to the floor. The other four pair off with Ali and Perkins getting the better of it. Jack runs Dar over on the outside and Cedric sunset flips Perkins for two. That leaves Dar and Cedric to slug it out in the ring with Noam getting the better of it but getting dropkicked outside by Gallagher.

Ali gets LAUNCHED over the top with a backdrop and everyone goes down. That means it’s time for William III and the Mary Poppins Drop (thank you Austin Aries) takes everyone down. Dar takes out Jack’s knee back inside but the Lumbar Check gets rid of Dar at 5:18. A snappy looking C4 gets two on Ali but Perkins catches Cedric on the top. Dar crotches Cedric for good measure and the Detonation Kick gives Perkins the elimination at 7:44.

Perkins gets caught in an electric chair from Gallagher, followed by a high crossbody from Ali for two. Ali’s neckbreaker drops Gallagher but the inverted 450 misses this time. Perkins slaps on a cross armbreaker and Ali taps at 9:43. That leaves us with Gallagher vs. Perkins for the title shot and TJ goes straight for the already injured knee.

The kneebar goes on but Jack holds on and gets all the way to the ropes for the break. Jack doesn’t need his knee for the corner headstand and one heck of a headbutt gets two. Both guys are down and it’s another headbutt into the corner dropkick (a bit of a stretch with the bad knee) to give Gallagher the pin and the title shot at 13:57.

Rating: B. This is becoming the standard for the main event on this show and that’s a good thing with a still relatively new show. Gallagher was the right call as he’s not likely to be more than just a one off challenger until the big Wrestlemania title match, whatever that’s going to be. I had a lot more fun with this than I was expecting and it did everything it needed to do.

Neville comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. We’re firmly to the point where this is one of the more entertaining shows all week as they’ve figured out the formula almost to the letter. Just have some entertaining matches and advance the big story in the end. They keep things going for about fifty minutes a week, meaning the show doesn’t overstay its welcome. That’s often how things are best in wrestling and it works very well here too. Good show, but that’s the standard anymore.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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I really need to stop forgetting to post this show.

205 Live
Date: January 24, 2017
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Austin Aries, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and 205 Live actually has a contribution to the card. This Sunday it’s Neville challenging Rich Swann for the Cruiserweight Title and tonight we’ll get to see Neville vs. Cedric Alexander in what has the potential to be a rather entertaining match. Let’s get to it.

We open with a clip of last night’s brawl between Neville and Swann.

Neville says last night was his fault because he made the mistake of underestimating Swann. Maybe he showed him a bit too much mercy but he won’t make that mistake again. He’s looking forward to beating Cedric up to prove that this is his show.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview tonight’s main event.

TJ Perkins vs. Tony Nese

Nese takes him down to the mat with a waistlock to start but a hurricanrana gives TJ two. An Octopus Hold doesn’t get TJ very far so Nese elbows him in the jaw and grabs a chinlock. Back up and TJ’s guillotine is easily muscled over into a suplex as Nese keeps showing off a good balance of power and speed. A middle rope springboard moonsault gets two on Perkins and it’s time to crank on both of his arms.

Nese gets two more off a gutbuster as this match is showing more psychology than you would expect in a cruiserweight match. Graves even gets to point out that Nese is catching a breather while holding TJ in a bodyscissors. It’s like the guy knows what he’s talking about or something. Perkins comes back with a kick to the face and a middle rope hurricanrana before the Detonation Kick sends Tony outside. Back in and Tony hits a hard clothesline, only to get cradled for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here and it’s amazing how much better Nese is when he doesn’t have Gulak there sucking all of the charisma out of the matches. Perkins could still be a player around the title division but I don’t know how much Nese is going to be able to do if Neville gets the title on Sunday.

Nese suplexes TJ into the corner post match to knock Perkins silly, followed by a running knee to the head. That sounds rematchish.

Akira Tozawa debuts next week.

Perkins is being helped out.

Sheamus talks about winning the 2012 Royal Rumble.

Brian Kendrick vs. Tripp Bradshaw

Before the match, Kendrick promises to crush Bradshaw’s dreams because the world is a cold and harsh place. Aries wants to know if Bradshaw is any relation to Justin Hawk (JBL’s first WWE gimmick) as Brian pounds him into the corner to start. Tripp’s neck is snapped across the top rope and a big boot makes things even worse. The Captain’s Hook is enough to make Bradshaw tap at 2:04.

Swann tells Alexander to wait for Neville to make a mistake but make sure to save a piece for the Rumble.

Cedric Alexander vs. Neville

Feeling out process to start with Neville grabbing a hiptoss and telling Cedric to get out of his ring. The fans get behind Neville as he slips out of a wristlock and cranks on an armbar. Back up and Cedric dropkicks him out to the floor for a breather. The fans chant for CM Punk out of general annoyance.

A HARD kick to the face puts Neville back outside as this is more offense than anyone has been able to score on him. Cedric takes his sweet time though and gets whipped hard into the barricade. Neville turns the pace way down and starts slowly hammering away, followed by a snap suplex and running forearm for two.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Cedric fights back up and dropkicks Neville to the floor again. There’s a BIG flip dive which Mauro describes as ostentatious. Aries: “It must be great. It has my name in it!” Back in and the springboard clothesline is only good for two. Neville tries to speed things up again but runs into a Spanish Fly (flipping downward spiral).

The Lumbar Check is broken up though and it’s a deadlift German suplex for an even closer two on Cedric. Neville puts him on top for the superplex but gets reversed into a sunset bomb….which Neville flips out of because he can. The look on Cedric’s face is perfect so he comes back with an enziguri. Cue Noam Dar for a distraction and the Rings of Saturn makes Alexander tap at 13:25.

Rating: B+. Now that worked. The idea of Neville being better than anyone else around the show is a great story but what makes it even better is to have someone get this close and almost have Neville beaten to lose the match at the very last minute. I liked the match a lot better than I was expecting to and it’s one of the better 205 Live matches to date.

Post match Dar goes after Cedric but Neville wants to beat on Alexander alone. Rich Swann comes in for the save and it’s a big pull apart brawl (after several attempts) to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Awesome show here as they packed all this stuff into less than fifty minutes. I don’t know if it’s just following the NXT formula to the letter or what else they’re doing right but dang this was one heck of a show. They’re getting the idea down to near perfection and adding in some more talent like Tozawa is only going to make things better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: January 31, 2017
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Austin Aries, Corey Graves

It’s the Neville Era and that means the new champion needs a challenger to go after the title. In theory that’s going to be Rich Swann in a rematch but there’s also Cedric Alexander who almost had Neville beaten until some interference cost him the match. This could go multiple ways and that makes for an interesting show. Let’s get to it.

Long recap of Neville’s rise to the top of the division.

Opening sequence.

Tony Nese vs. Lince Dorado

The cocky Nese takes him into the corner to start and throws Lince down for good measure. A hurricanrana sends Nese into the corner as well and a high crossbody gets two on Tony. That’s enough for Nese who just starts blasting Lince in the face with hard shots, followed by a gutbuster to set up a bodyscissors. That makes sense for him as Nese has the power advantage so hitting Dorado really hard is the right call. Dorado fights back up with the handspring Stunner for two and a good looking dropkick draws an Okada reference from Mauro. Nese shoves him off the top though and the running knee is good for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. This is how you build someone up: let them pick up win after win and treat them as above the rest of the talent. It makes the crowd feel they’re important and that’s often going to work better than having some lame angle or a generic promo, especially when Nese isn’t the best talker.

Nese goes after Dorado even more but TJ Perkins makes the save. See? Build Nese up and give him a feud against an established name. Works perfectly.

We look at Swann and Neville brawling last night on Raw, which saw Swann hurt his ankle.

Swann is in a walking boot but Neville comes in and kicks him down anyway. Now that’s a heel.

Gran Metalik is coming. He was on the NXT house show I took in last month and he looked great.

Akira Tozawa vs. Aaron Solow

Brian Kendrick comes out for commentary and Solow is probably best known as Bayley’s real life boyfriend. Feeling out process to start as it seems Tozawa is replacing the injured Tajiri as Kendrick’s new rival. A dropkick and backsplash give Tozawa two and Solow is knocked out to the floor. After the suicide dive knocks Aaron silly, the snap German suplex gives Tozawa the pin at 3:03.

Rating: D+. Good debut here as Solow gets beaten down like the jobber that he is and Tozawa gets to look awesome. There’s only so much you can do in a three minute match and that’s all it needed to be. Tozawa could be a modern day Tajiri with some of those strikes, but that German suplex looked even better.

Post match Aries interviews Tozawa, who doesn’t speak English.

Noam Dar and Alicia Fox come in to see Neville before their tag match tonight. Dar isn’t worried about Jack Gallagher tonight but Neville doesn’t want to hear about it. Oh and keep the love life baggage in the back. He leaves before Alicia can freak out.

Neville/Noam Dar vs. Jack Gallagher/Cedric Alexander

Gallagher is substituting for the injured Swann. Only Dar and Gallagher shake hands and it’s Jack vs. Neville to get things going. Neville grabs a headlock but Jack does his handstand walk to escape, which doesn’t sit well with the champ. The much stronger Neville starts in on the arm with Jack doing his spinning reversal.

That earns him a forearm to the face as Neville doesn’t have time for the fanciness. Dar comes in and gets caught in a bulldog headlock takeover out of the corner. It’s off to Cedric to stay on the arm with Gallagher putting on a hold that only a British wrestler could pull off. Neville gets tired of these shenanigans and forearms the heck out of Gallagher from the apron. An even harder dropkick to the back of the head makes things even worse.

We hit the chinlock but Dar makes a blind tag and tries to steal his own cover. That’s just not cool with the champ so Dar lightens things up a bit by working on the arm. Neville comes back in but Dar tags himself in a second time as you can almost feel the beating coming for him. Gallagher’s headbutt gives him two on Dar with Neville having to run in for the save. Dar crawls over for the tag and Neville bails, as he certainly should do. It’s back to Alexander for the handspring enziguri followed by the Lumbar Check for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: B-. Good, solid main event tag here with Gallagher selling quite well and Neville doing exactly what he should have done. One of the most annoying things that happens in wrestling is when the wrestlers stop doing what their character would do for the sake of a nothing tag. Neville has no allegiance to Dar and Noam ticked him off. This makes sense and I can always go for that.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helps this one quite a bit with the new character and solid psychology being more than enough to make up for a not great opener. The show is rapidly developing its own continuity and feel, which is rather impressive after just ten episodes. Neville really is the king right now and that’s going a long way to help this show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: January 17, 2017
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Austin Aries

It’s a good sign that we’re already having a major gimmick match on the show but more importantly it’s something that fits the storyline. Well ok to be fair the really important thing is the fact that Jack Gallagher will be gracing us with his presence and moving on from Ariya Daivari. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Gallagher vs. Daivari, which has involved knee attacks and accusations of being a scoundrel. Tonight it’s an I Forfeit match because a gentleman would never “quit”. How uncouth.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat about the upcoming title match and the I Forfeit match. It feels like they’re stalling.

Drew Gulak vs. Cedric Alexander

Alicia Fox follows Cedric out and he doesn’t seem happy about it. Fox freaks out when Cedric tells her to leave so here’s Noam Dar to calm her down. Alicia: “HE’S BEING MEAN!” She calls Cedric a rookie in her book and demands Dar do something about him. Dar isn’t sure so Fox calls herself hot chocolate.

For some reason that’s enough to make Dar go in and help Gulak stomp Alexander but he fights them both off. Cedric dives on Dar but Gulak chop blocks him as we’re still waiting on the opening bell (and for Fox to be quiet). Fox and Dar leave and Cedric can barely stand up on the bad knee.

As you might expect, Cedric says ring the bell and we’re off in a hurry. Drew goes right for the leg and Cedric’s dropkick attempt makes things even worse. A dragon screw legwhip shows that Gulak is smarter than the average boring cruiserweight. Cedric actually manages a hurricanrana out of the corner and Gulak is backdropped out to the floor. Back in and Gulak charges into an elbow, allowing Cedric to hit a split legged moonsault of all things for two. The leg is way too banged up for the Lumbar Check so Gulak takes out the good leg. A bridging belly to back suplex puts Cedric away at 5:47.

Rating: C. I liked this more than I expected to and it continues the Fox/Alexander story with Dar in there on the side to keep things interesting. Gulak really needs a gimmick of some sort as he’s just so boring in everything he does aside from some submission holds. Speaking of which, didn’t he have a wicked dragon sleeper? What happened to that?

Dar tells Fox that was for her so she slaps him very hard. Noam seems to like it.

We get a long and very well put together video on Swann vs. Neville, including a look at their mentor/mentee relationship in Japan. It’s nice to see that match treated as a big deal and since it’s not going to happen on Raw, the build works well here.

Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese

Before the match, Nese says he doesn’t need to worry about Ali because he’s not normal. There’s a rather forced handshake to start with Ali having to grab the hand. Ali works the arm to start before snapping off a hurricanrana. A quick bicep curl (Aries: “Nothing like flexing your twelve inch pythons.”) sets up a spinwheel kick but Nese crotches him on the top and gets two off a gutbuster.

We hit a bodyscissors to stay on Ali’s ribs, only to have him avoid a springboard Lionsault. A jumping neckbreaker gets two for Mustafa and a tornado DDT gets the same. Nese gets tired of playing nice though and German suplexes him into the corner. One heck of a running knee is enough for the pin on Ali at 6:00.

Rating: C. Nese being built up as a midcard heel is a good idea but I was starting to get into Ali with his “my race doesn’t define me” character. If Nese is built up like this going forward, he’s going to be fine against Swann if Rich keeps the title against Neville, though that would be one heck of a questionable decision.

Tajiri and Brian Kendrick have continued their feud on Twitter.

Akira Tozawa is coming.

Jack Gallagher vs. Ariya Daivari

I Forfeit match and Jack is coming to the ring with his trusty umbrella William. Gallagher takes him to the mat and starts a surfboard but switches up to a double stomp to crush the knees. It’s umbrella time but Daivari breaks it over his knee. A side slam sends Jack spine first into the apron but that’s not enough for the magic words.

Jack is driven back first into the barricade and Daivari DEMANDS the forfeit because no one cares about him. Back in and Daivari rips at Jack’s face but realizes that bending the bad back around the post is a bit better idea. Aries suggests ripping off the mustache. Not a bad idea actually but not exactly a gentlemanly action. With nothing else working, Daivari grabs his scarf and ties Jack’s wrists behind his back.

As you might expect, that’s not a problem for Gallagher as he headbutts Daivari in the chest and climbs over the scarf to escape. With Ariya down, Gallagher pulls out a second umbrella because any good gentleman has a spare handy. They head up to the stage with Gallagher being sent into the screen but he manages a catapult into the same screen. That’s not enough to make him give up either so they head back to ringside.

Gallagher actually goes over to commentary and recommends that Graves and company move. Daivari is launched over the table and a running dropkick against the barricade allows Jack to grab William #3. Gallagher offers Daivari a chance to forfeit before the real thrashing begins. Daivari says ok but gets in a shot to the throat. We hit the cobra clutch but Gallagher grabs William #3 to break out. A good shot with William sets up a crossface chickenwing with William tied in Ariya’s arms for the forfeit at 14:19.

Rating: B-. I know I say this every week but there’s a great story here if you replace Daivari with, I don’t know, a dead goldfish to upgrade the charisma and interest. He’s just a warm body out there doing heelish things while never once seeming intimidating. Give Gallagher a proper bully to work off and it’s a thousand times better. As it is, it’s just a solid performance from Gallagher who is playing way beneath his skill level here.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was fine but really nothing worth seeing. The big gimmick match at the end helped but the show was much more there than anything else. It says a lot when the champion being gone feels like a big deal and that’s what happened here. Swann and Neville make this show feel important and without them the show is just fine instead of really interesting TV.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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

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205 Live
Date: January 10, 2017
Location: Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, Austin Aries

With less than three weeks before the Royal Rumble, it’s pretty clear that we’re getting Neville vs. Rich Swann for the title at the pay per view. All we’re waiting on now is the official announcement and there’s a good chance that it’s going to be set up here. We’ve also got the ongoing issues of Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar over Alicia Fox. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Dar vs. Alexander with Cedric coming this close to blaming Fox for his losses and Dar being all creepy as he tries to steal her.

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar

It’s amazing how much good a story can help out a match like this. Well that and Alicia Fox being on camera too. Before the match, Dar says the kiss from Alicia last night didn’t deter him and he’ll have her soon enough. Feeling out process to start with both guys being a bit tentative until Cedric just punches him in the jaw.

Noam isn’t sure what to do so they head outside with Cedric firing off some chops. An elbow to the face makes Alicia very happy but Dar is smart enough to kick Alexander in the chest while he tries a Tajiri handspring. Dar works on the arm due to all the strikes he’s had to deal with so far. A cross arm choke keeps Cedric in trouble before Noam splashes the arm.

We hit another armbar for a bit until a hard elbow drops Dar. Cedric tries to go up but springboards into a Fujiwara armbar (on the wrong arm but nice try). The arm is crushed under the steps until Alicia gets in Dar’s way, allowing Cedric to hit one heck of a baseball slide. Now the springboard clothesline works a bit better and Cedric kicks him in the face for good measure. Alexander goes up top for a moonsault but Fox pulls Dar out of the way. As Alicia looks very confused, Dar knees Cedric in the face for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. Well that was odd but in a good way. They’ve gotten me to the point where I want to see what’s going to happen with the story and I really didn’t expect that. Fox could be awesome as the woman who switches sides by turning on Alexander but I’m not sure if that’s where they’re going. That makes the story just a bit better, which is a surprising touch.

Fox slaps Dar and leaves with Cedric as she still looks confused.

Akira Tozawa is coming soon. That’s a good thing.

Brian Kendrick vs. Sean Maluta

Kendrick is annoyed at Tajiri for spraying the mist last week and promises to take it out on Maluta. Sean actually grabs some rollups for two and a basement dropkick puts Kendrick on the floor to set up a flip dive. Back in and Maluta is sent into the buckle so Kendrick can grab a cobra clutch. That doesn’t last long and Maluta gets in a reverse DDT but misses Rolling Thunder. A gordbuster and Shining Wizard give Maluta two more but his frog splash (because it’s always a frog splash, 450 or shooting star) hits knees. The Captain’s Hook makes Maluta tap at 4:43.

Rating: C+. Maluta continues to be someone with a lot of potential which hopefully he’ll get to build on someday. The idea of Kendrick being all cocky and almost losing because of it was the right call. Then again the idea of Kendrick in general tends to completely deflate me as he’s just not that interesting but such is life in WWE.

Alexander yells at Fox and breaks up with her. Fox gets all whiny and freaks out because no one breaks up with her. This is some combination of bad and amazing but I’m not sure which is better.

Here’s Jack Gallagher for his parley with Ariya Daivari. Gallagher lays down his umbrella (named William) and offers Daivari some tea or biscuits but Daivari wants to get to the point. Jack thinks his honor has been besmirched and asks for negotiations to begin. Daivari thinks Gallagher wants to surrender because people like Jack are always going to lose. Gallagher: “Pardon?”

Apparently Gallagher is fine with these negotiations not being peaceful so they agree to an I Forfeit match to wrap up their feud once and for all. Daivari signs but throws William, meaning the jacket comes off. Gallagher: “I hope the Queen isn’t watching.” The brawl is on until the referees come out to break it up.

Rich Swann vs. Tony Nese

Non-title. They start fast for a change with Swann flipping over Nese and dropkicking him out to the floor. Nese shows some intelligence by dropping Swann ribs first across the barricade to take over. A bodyscissors sets up a gutbuster for two and Nese squeezes the ribs again. Rich gets up and pops him in the face a few times before a hurricanrana gets two. Nese sticks to the game plan though with a legsweep and stomp to the ribs. Swann grabs a tiger bomb for two and the spinning kick to the head ends Nese at 7:32.

Rating: C. Swann needed a clean win like this and that’s a good sign going into the title match against Neville, which is all but guaranteed at this point. Nese is a good choice for a dragon to be slayed and that’s what we got here. It’s still not a good sign for his title reign when Neville is this hot as a heel but it’s been nice while it lasted.

Post match Neville comes out to challenge Swann, who insults Neville’s ears in response. Neville says he’s not getting in the ring with Swann unless it’s a Cruiserweight Title shot. Swann is fine with that and says name the time and place. That would be the Royal Rumble so Swann says it’s on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The important thing about this show is the idea of actually setting something up for the future. It’s not just a bunch of random matches anymore as they’re advancing stories and making things a little more interesting than the old six man tags that dominated the early episodes. I’m not dreading the show anymore and I’m starting to look forward to seeing where some of this stuff goes, which is a very positive sign.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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