205 Live
Date: November 28, 2017
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The show is in a weird place for the next few weeks at the moment as they’re setting up a new #1 contender but it’s going to take a little while to get there. We have one member of the #1 contenders match but since the matches are taking place on Raw, there’s only so much need for this show to even exist right now. Let’s get to it.

Of note: I was in the arena for this show so it’s my second time seeing it.

The opening recap looks at last night’s fatal four way with Rich Swann qualifying for the #1 contenders match in two weeks.

Opening sequence.

The announcers thank us for watching 205 Live for one year now. Sweet goodness how low does the viewership have to be for us to not thank us?

Here are Enzo Amore and Noam Dar for an opening chat. Enzo’s mic doesn’t seem to work on the way to the ring so he waits until he gets inside to talk about having the Zo Train getting to the top of the cruiserweight Mount Rushmore. Last week the Zo Train got a little derailed because someone thought we were playing Mario Kart and slipped on a banana peel. That would be Dar, who needs to TOTALLY redeem himself tonight.

Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar

Before the match, Swann says he hasn’t been Cruiserweight Champion in about a year (closer to ten months actually) but he’s getting closer every day. Not much to say there Swann. Dar hits the floor at the bell (must be a Kevin Owens fan) before heading back in to crank on a wristlock. That’s reversed into another wristlock, sending Dar back outside.

Swann isn’t waiting this time and takes Dar out with a flip dive from the apron, much to Enzo’s chagrin. Swann’s Rolling Thunder gets two but an Enzo distraction lets Dar get in a kick to the knee. A clothesline to the back of the head gives Dar two but he keeps holding his knee. Enzo: “What are you, Big Cass? GET THE JOB DONE!” Back up and Swann kicks him in the head, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: D+. Dar continues to do nothing for me and Swann winning here was hardly a surprise. The problem here is the continuing story of the Zo Train: how much difference does it make to have Swann win here? Enzo will just talk a lot and the wins will be traded over and over until no one but Enzo and the eventual #1 contender gets anywhere.

Enzo threatens to fire Dar if he keeps screwing up.

Kalisto is ready to start his comeback against Jack Gallagher.

Kalisto vs. Jack Gallagher

Brian Kendrick is in Gallagher’s corner. Gallagher works on the arm to start but is quickly taken down into a wristlock. They fight over the same hold until Kalisto realizes that’s not the best idea against Gallagher. Instead he fires off the kicks, only to have a Kendrick distraction let Jack take over again.

There’s a knee to the gut to cut Kalisto off again and Gallagher stays on the ribs like an evil Englishman should. We hit the cross arm choke with Gallagher bending him back onto the knees. That goes nowhere so Kalisto hits his rolling kick to the head, followed by the springboard seated senton. A quick Salida Del Sol drops Gallagher but Kendrick comes in for the DQ at 6:23.

Rating: C. Kalisto vs. Kendrick/Gallagher could be fun, though I’m not sure how many times you can trot the two of them out there for pretty much the same feud. At least Kalisto is entertaining and fast paced enough to keep up the entertainment, which should make for a nice dynamic. He’ll need a partner though, which hopefully means more Gran Metalik.

Hideo Itami is coming.

Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali are watching the Itami video in the back and say they’re worried about those strikes. It turns into a discussion of who will be facing Swann but everything is cool.

Mustafa Ali/Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak/Tony Nese

These four will be in the other four way on Monday. Before the match, Gulak praises Nese’s physique and says Enzo has dubbed them Team Power Point. See, Nese has power and Gulak always gets straight to the point. Drew thinks the Zo Train is like the Justice League with Enzo acting as their Superman. As a bonus though, Drew has a POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! I never would have believed it but he’s got something with that bit. As usual, entrance music cuts him off and we’re ready to go.

Drew gets annoyed at the POWERPOINT chants, allowing Cedric to get the better of a wristlock. It’s off to Nese vs. Ali for some more wristlockery, which has been really common tonight. Nese gets armdragged into an armbar but Cedric goes over to yell at Gulak, meaning he’s not there for a tag. The tag works a few seconds later but Cedric walks into one of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard.

Throw in a running elbow to the jaw and Alexander is in some quick trouble. Back in and Nese hits the ab crunch kicks to the ribs. Gulak grabs something like half an STF before switching to a regular chinlock. Cedric makes the expected escape and the hot tag brings in Ali for the comeback. The rolling X Factor gets two and a Doomsday Device with a high crossbody instead of a clothesline is good for the same. Face miscommunication sends Cedric outside though and Nese gets a rollup for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C-. This was a lifeless match and it was clearly just there to help set up Monday’s match. That’s not the most thrilling thing in the world and the time didn’t make things any better. Gulak is getting more entertaining now that he’s found his personality niche but the story still isn’t much.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, the wrestling is passable for the most part but the storytelling is just dreadful for the most part. Everything is setting up the title shot against Enzo but why should I believe that would be anything more than Enzo cheating to retain the title all over again? At least there’s something else now in the form of Kalisto vs. Gallagher, which is a necessary update.

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: June 13, 2017
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

It seems that we have a new challenger to Neville’s Cruiserweight Title as the champ called out Akira Tozawa last night on Monday Night Raw. Hopefully that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing a lot of Titus O’Neil as a bonus because he’s been hitched to Tozawa for reasons unclear. We should also be hearing something about Austin Aries’ future. Let’s get to it.

Tozawa is getting ready in the back when Titus comes in to say he’s gotten Tozawa a main event match against TJP tonight. Akira tries to say something about the Titus Brand but Titus cuts him off and says Tozawa signing would mean, in song, that it’s raining yen. Tozawa really doesn’t seem impressed and I can’t say I’m surprised.

Opening sequence.

The announcers (with Joseph being welcomed to the team) preview the show.

Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari

Cedric flips out of a wristlock to start and the threat of a kick to the head sends Daivari running away. Back in and Daivari drives Cedric back first into the corner but he comes right back with a good looking dropkick for two. Cedric’s springboard clothesline is broken up and we hit the neck chinlock. One heck of a jumping knee to the head gets two on Cedric and it’s off to the chinlock again. Cedric fights up and hits the handspring enziguri for two, followed by the springboard clothesline. Hang on though as here’s Noam Dar with Alicia Fox on his phone. Cedric kicks him down and grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 6:53.

Rating: C+. That might have been the least interesting and worst run-ins I can remember in a very long time. Alexander keeps beating Dar and making him look like a goon so why is he still doing this stuff? The Fox stuff is about as annoying as it can be (in a good way) but what is the point in this story continuing when Alexander has won all the matches and showdowns while saying it’s over? I really don’t get this one.

Post match Cedric grabs the phone and ignores Fox before hanging up on her.

Here’s Austin Aries for his first comments after losing to Neville again. He was thinking this would be a bit of a different kind of moment but he’s out here without his Cruiserweight Title. While he’s ready to keep going, WWE thinks he needs to be medically cleared and he has to take some time off.

This brings out Tony Nese to say to say Aries needs to get out of the ring before he starts fading into the past. Aries brings up making Nese tap out recently, which means violence is teased. This brings out Jack Gallagher (Where has he been?) to say this is a city about having fun. If Nese thinks he’s Aries’ replacement, that makes him the biggest joke of all. Nese swings so Gallagher takes him apart with the umbrella.

TJP runs into Rich Swann, who thinks the fans were starting to believe in him again but that changed in a hurry. Swann wants the old TJP back.

Video on Mustafa Ali but it’s cut off by Drew Gulak, who doesn’t think Ali has the fans’ best interests in mind. On the other hand, Gulak only cares about making fans happy, albeit in a safe way. They square off next week.

Gallagher vs. Nese next week as well.

TJP vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa shouts a lot and grabs a headlock. A kick to the chest and the screaming backsplash give Tozawa two as Titus O’Neil is watching in the back. TJP finally gets in a dropkick to knock Tozwa out of the air but his arm is a big banged up. He’s fine enough to work on a neck crank with an arm trap as things slow down a bit.

Back up and Tozawa hits a nice springboard forearm into a nipup, making him like Shawn Michaels with worse hair. For some reason this brings up a CM PUNK chant until TJP puts on a something like a standing Indian Deathlock. That’s switched over to a butterfly lock until Tozawa comes back up with a hurricanrana. TJP bails to the floor and eats a suicide dive for little reaction.

Back in and Tozawa gets crotched on top, setting up the double chickenwing gutbuster for two. They slug it out with Tozawa getting the better of it, only to have TJP grab a quick kneebar. Tozawa grabs the rope so TJP kicks his mouthpiece out. Not that it matters as Tozawa comes right back up with a Saito suplex and the top rope backsplash for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This took a bit to get going but the last few minutes were quite good. TJP’s kick to the face looked awesome, as did Tozawa speeding things up into the Saito suplex. This was the kind of win that Tozawa needed to follow up on the Kendrick feud. Now if only he can ditch Titus, he would be firmly in line for a Cruiserweight Title shot.

Post match Titus is singing It’s Raining Yen in the back when Neville comes up. Neville really doesn’t care about any of this because Tozawa isn’t ready for the Neville level. Titus says Tozawa is the future to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here as they’re setting up a fresh challenge for the title, along with giving us an update on Aries. I still don’t get the point in having Alexander vs. Dar continuing but maybe they’re setting up something in the future. This might not have been the best show on its own but it helped set stuff up for the future, which is also very important.

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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