205 Live
Date: December 31, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the very final WWE show of the year and since I’m not sure there really is a Best Of for the new 205 Live, we’re getting a regular show. Normally I would say there won’t be much of an audience for this given the time and date, but would it be that much different than the regular show? Let’s get to it.

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

Edris Enofe vs. Guru Raaj

Enofe flips out of a wristlock to start as we hear about Raaj missing a long time due to an injury. Raaj takes hm down by the arm but Enofe is back up with a standing hurricanrana. A nice fisherman’s suplex gets two on Raaj but he is right back with a monkey flip for the save. Enofe hits a middle rope elbow to the face for two more before planting Raaj with a spinebuster. A shooting star press, with Enofe taking his time in completing the rotation, finishes Raaj at 4:54.

Rating: C. It’s good to get Enofe a win and the shooting star, while scary, did look rather athletic. They were definitely looking like people fresh out of the Performance Center with the very basic offense, but now 205 Live is the next step in a WWE wrestler’s development. That should tell you a lot about some of WWE’s problems these days.

Amari Miller vs. Nikkita Lyons

Miller’s parents are in the crowd and this is Lyons’ debut. We hear about Lyons surviving as she grew up and her striking experience as she fights out of a wristlock to start. Lyons takes her down and we hit an early chinlock. A kick to the chest drops Miller and we hit the chinlock again. Miller is back up again with a gator roll into a spinning kick to the face. Something like a snapmare sends Lyons face first into Miller’s knee to give Miller the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what it says that I was relieved Miller didn’t lose in front of her parents, but that’s how WWE has conditioned me to think. Miller is someone with potential to become something one day, but that might not have been enough to overcome the powers of crushing someone’s spirit. Lyons looked decent as well, though you can only get so much out of a three minute match with two chinlocks.

Dante Chen vs. Draco Anthony

You might remember Chen as the guy whose one profile detail is being from Singapore. They go with the grappling to start and exchange some wristlocks. Chen takes over with some armdrags into an armbar but Anthony is back up with a dropkick. Anthony counters a dive with a t-bone suplex for two and it’s time to crank on Chen’s arms. That’s broken up as well and Chen hits some forearms to the face, followed by a pump kick. A vertical suplex version of Angel’s Wing Clipper (Dante’s Inferno according to Nigel) finishes Anthony at 5:29.

Rating: C. Another short and to the point match here, but egads they need SOMETHING else for Chen if they want him to become a player. His entire deal is “I’m from Singapore”. That might appeal to people from Singapore, but outside oft that, he isn’t the most thrilling participant. Anthony is someone who should feel like a bigger deal and just doesn’t, though losing to Chen isn’t helping things.

Overall Rating: C-. This show has already lost the little structure that it had when things changed over and now it is even worse. It’s rather sad seeing these people get their three minutes a week, because that is hardly going to do anything for developing their skills, but since WWE has changed everything all over again, this is about as good as it can be at the moment, no matter what.

Results
Edris Enofe b. Guru Raaj – Shooting star press
Amari Miller b. Nikkita Lyons – Faceplant onto the knee
Dante Chen b. Draco Anthony – Dante’s Inferno

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: December 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on the end of the year and that means New Year’s Evil is on the way soon. That means we will be seeing Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title. The match seemed to be set up last week and now we should be ready for the showdown pretty soon. Oh and AJ Styles is here too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. He knows that the title means that people are coming for you and that includes Bron Breakker. Last week he laid Breakker out and now it is time for Breakker to come out here and do something about it. Cue Breakker, but Ciampa cuts him off, saying Breakker is getting another shot when most people never get one.

At Halloween Havoc, Ciampa showed the flaws in Breakker, who is not ready to be a champion around here. He won’t be like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor or Tommaso Ciampa. All it took was one mistake for Breakker to lose, so now he knows what is coming at New Year’s Evil. Then he’ll win the title and take it home to his family, where everyone can bark about how happy they are. Ciampa slaps him in the face and gets lifted in the air, only to be sat back down. Breakker says the blood is in the water and the shark is coming for him.

Grayson Waller says he has no respect towards AJ Styles, but he’s hanging on like Johnny Gargano. Styles has been around for years and has money, so get a hair cut! His hair looks the same as Waller’s mom’s!

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai start their street fight backstage. Gonzalez doesn’t like Kai trying to jump her from behind so they throw each other into various things. Kai’s ribs are crushed with a big piece of metal grating and Gonzalez hits her with a bunch of things. An anvil case doesn’t work though and Kai gets in some trashcan shots. With Gonzalez down, Kai sets up a table but takes too much time and gets taken down by a metal cart. They fight out into the parking lot and we take a break. Back with the fight at ringside and the bell has officially rung.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai

Street fight and we start with Kai taking the top of the announcers’ table to the face. Kai gets in a shot of her own though and it’s time for a table, because we can’t go through a fight without one. They get inside, where Kai is dropped onto a chair. A charge is reversed into a powerbomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana to the floor. Kai puts Gonzalez in a trashcan and double stomps her from the apron for the big crash. Gonzalez is fine enough to hit a powerbomb onto the steps, with the fans wanting one more. Instead they head back inside with Gonzalez powerbombing her onto the trashcan for the pin at 5:44 shown.

Rating: B-. This is a tricky one as the match itself wasn’t much, but the whole thing went for the better part of fifteen minutes. They beat each other up rather well, though I’m a good bit burned out on these fights and brawls. The story calls for it well enough, but we just had a No Holds Barred match last week. Space these things out a bit.

Post match, Gonzalez calls out Mandy Rose for her title match right now.

After a break, Tony D’Angelo talks about taking Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. He’ll see Dunne tonight.

Back in the ring, Gonzalez is still calling out Rose but gets Cora Jade instead. Jade wants to face Rose too but that isn’t going to happen with the title on the line. Gonzalez is ready to take Jade out for the title match if she has to, but Rose pops up on screen. She’ll put the title on the line in a triple threat at New Year’s Evil, but for now, enjoy your beating. Cue Toxic Attraction to lay out Gonzalez and Jade, with Gonzalez being sent through the table in the corner.

Joe Gacy and Harland want to apologize for nearly killing Brian Kendrick last week. They can’t apologize though, because Kendrick triggered Harland by calling him a freak.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t scared of the Creed Brothers, no matter how many awesome training videos they post.

Persia Pirotta tells Indi Hartwell that their match has been canceled. Grayson Waller comes in to mock them and say he isn’t worried about AJ Styles being here tonight. He already got rid of Johnny Gargano.

Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gibson jumps over Julius to start and gets dropped into an armdrag. It’s off to Brutus, who gets slammed onto Gibson to keep him in trouble. Back up and Gibson is sent into the corner, where Drake breaks off the impact. That means Brutus can get caught in the wrong corner so the Veterans can take turns getting in some cheap shots to take over. Brutus gets kicked in the back and knocked outside, setting up the backbreaker/elbow to the chest combination.

Hold on though as here is Jacket Time with their own announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jacket offering Japanese commentary as Drake chinlocks Brutus. That’s broken up and Brutus gets over to Julius for the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and everyone heads outside. They try to put each other through Jacket Time’s table but a big brawl breaks out for the no contest at 10:41.

Rating: C-. They were having a match but there was too much stuff going on and it all seems to be setting up a big multi team match soon. Maybe they can even make it a ladder match, as we haven’t had one in a few weeks. Anyway, you can only do so much with a match focusing on extra commentary and then a big messy finish, which was certainly the problem here.

Post match the brawl continues, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs joining in.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for Dexter Lumis, who pops up on a screen to scare them.

Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are working on rehabbing Stark’s knee. Legado del Fantasma comes in but the women aren’t scared.

Trick Williams vs. Dexter Lumis

Carmelo Hayes is here and Roderick Strong is watching from the balcony too. Lumis isn’t playing this time and takes Williams down to hammer away at the head. The neck crank goes on but Williams fights up, only to get caught in the ring skirt. Lumis hits a superkick as Strong brawls Hayes to the back. The distraction lets Hayes get in a few slams and a chinlock to keep Lumis down. Lumis fights up and hits a Russian legsweep, setting up the jumping legdrop. Williams grabs his shoe but gets taken into the Silence to give Lumis the win at 5:37.

Rating: C-. This is a feud that just keeps going with Lumis continuing to not be the most inspiring guy in the world. Hayes and Williams haven’t been able to do much to him but Hayes is more worried about Strong anyway. Another match that wasn’t too bad, but the story isn’t interesting enough to make up for the just ok action.

Post match here is Grayson Waller to chair Lumis down but we cut to AJ Styles arriving.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Back in the ring, Grayson Waller promises to say you’re welcome when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cue AJ Styles, who isn’t all that impressed. Styles has heard about the things Waller has been doing but doesn’t think much of him. Waller thinks AJ is here because he lost his meal ticket and needs something to make up for it.

AJ laughs it off and talks about how much Waller rips him off, even down to the gloves. There is talent in NXT, but the jury is still out on Waller, who would rather look good than be a star. Waller says he has gotten a Hall of Famer down here so AJ is ready to fight. Waller has had a good few weeks, but try having a good twenty years. Waller teases fighting but walks away instead, saying Omos can beat up Styles first.

Diamond Mine issues the challenge: Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong, title for title.

We recap Riddle as MSK’s shaman.

Riddle gives MSK Randy Orton hats and wants them to challenge Imperium next week, with him in their corner. They they all get hit by cars. MSK wakes up and it was all a dream, but they still have their hats. Then Riddle gets off a bus and they’re still calling out Imperium next week.

Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe

Robert Stone comes out to watch as Wagner cleans house to start. Enofe gets punched down but comes back with a sunset flip for the upset pin at 57 seconds.

Post match Wagner destroys Enofe.

Imperium is ready for MSK.

Xyon Quin is still following Legado del Fantasma.

NXT has been doing stuff with children’s charities.

Io Shirai vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez powers her into the corner to start and gets a takedown, followed by a hard spinebuster. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Shirai fights up and kicks Lopez down. There’s a missile dropkick to send Lopez into the corner for the running knees. The moonsault is broken up to put them both down but here is Xyon Quin to go after Legado del Fantasma. He pulls out some mistletoe and gets on the apron, which gets Lopez’s attention. Santos Escobar breaks that up though, allowing Shirai to knock Lopez down and hit the moonsault for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. The Quin/Lopez deal continues and I’m not sure where it is going. That’s a good feeling to have and it is one of the few occasions where it applies around here. Shirai didn’t quite struggle here, but she isn’t quite the ace that she used to be. At least she won here though and we have something for Lopez going forward.

Carmelo Hayes is in for the title vs. title match.

Brian Kendrick says he’s coming back to the ring to face Harland next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Dunne takes him down early but misses the stomp to the arm. Back up and they run the ropes until D’Angelo grabs something like a release t-bone suplex, with Dunne landing HARD on his head. Another suplex drops Dunne again but he escapes a third one to knock D’Angelo outside.

We take a break and come back with D’Angelo stomping away even more. Dunne grabs the hand to set up a triangle but gets suplexes down again. Dunne is suplexed into the corner but manages to avoid a charge. Some running shots to the face give Dunne two and it’s time to slug it out.

A big kick to the head gives Dunne two but the X Plex is countered into a Falcon Arrow. With that not working, D’Angelo grabs his crowbar but gets pulled down into an armbar. Dunne is sent into the corner for the counter and loads up the fisherman’s neckbreaker, only to have Dunne go for the fingers. The Bitter End finishes D’Angelo at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Those suplexes are going to be the memorable part here as D’Angelo needs to work on not dropping people on their heads. They were terrifying and there is no need to have Dunne bouncing onto his head like that, and certainly not multiple times. I’m also glad that Dunne won, as the youth movement can only get you so far and D’Angelo beating Dunne would have been too much to take.

Post match D’Angelo jumps Dunne again and breaks his hand with the crowbar to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was a bit better this week and Grayson Waller wasn’t quite as all over the show as he was before. They also beefed up the New Year’s Evil card and the show is looking good. It helps a lot to have a show to build towards and New Year’s Evil fills the role. There are still a lot of bad or just dumb things around here but at least the top of the card is starting to come together. Just fix some of those problems and this show jumps up in a hurry, but I wouldn’t bet on those happening anytime soon.

Results
Raquel Gonzalez b. Dakota Kai – Powerbomb onto a trashcan
Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Creed Brothers went to a no contest when both teams brawled with Jacket Time
Dexter Lumis b. Trick Williams – Silence
Edris Enofe b. Von Wagner – Sunset flip
Io Shirai b. Elektra Lopez – Moonsault
Pete Dunne b. Tony D’Angelo – Bitter End

 

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

NXT
Date: December 14, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s another new era as Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly are both gone, at least for the time being. That means we might be in for some new names, but ultimately that might not be the best thing. Some of the new generation has done well, but there are more than a few who haven’t been the most thrilling. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Grayson Waller attacking Johnny Gargano to end last week’s show.

Waller arrives and gets booed by a bunch of fans, so he films a bit of the reaction.

We recap Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson. Grimes has beaten Hudson in poker and a match, including cutting off some of Hudson’s hair. Tonight is the final fight, no holds barred.

Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes

No holds barred so Grimes busts out the weapons before the bell. Hudson still has the blond wig, as held down by the headgear. The brawl starts on the floor, with Grimes getting in a few shots early on. Hudson has to fix the hair while fighting back, but Grimes slips out of a Razor’s Edge attempt on the floor. Back in and a chair is set up, with Hudson managing a Rock Bottom onto the edge (that was nasty) for two.

We take a break and come back with Grimes diving over a poker table to hit a high crossbody for another near fall. Hudson catches him on top though and counters the Cave In into a powerbomb through the poker table. The cover takes awhile because the shoulders aren’t on the mat though and Grimes is up at two. The frustrated Hudson goes outside to grab the electric hair clippers but gets kicked in the face. Grimes hits the Cave In through a chair for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C+. I’m glad they got to the point with this as the feud was more or less done once Grimes cut Hudson’s hair. Grimes has done everything he can to Hudson at this point so let them both move on. It’s good to see Grimes pick up another feud and hopefully he gets to move on to a higher level.

Post match, Grimes de-wigs Hudson to reveal the bald head.

Cora Jade is medically cleared but here is Dakota Kai to say that this is what “she” does. Maybe “they” can get together and win the Dusty Cup! Jade is ready to beat Kai tonight instead. I’m not sure who Kai meant but it almost sounded like the interviewer.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are getting to go to a country concert with Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. The band isn’t actually mentioned, but the culture clash seems to be a bit of an issue. Carter and Catanzaro wind up dancing with each other.

Here is Grayson Waller for his big talk after attacking Johnny Gargano. Waller is very proud of what happened last week and we see some footage from his own phone of the chaos, including Vic Joseph looking rather annoyed. After he took out Gargano, he spent some time partying with the biggest celebrities in the world. What did the people here do? Spend the weekend yelling about him online!

We see some tweets, including from Wade Barrett, who calls Waller a “POS”, but Barrett might like him anyway. Waller doesn’t care what Barrett thinks because it isn’t 2010. He does find it interesting that Vic Joseph got so mad but didn’t do anything, which has Joseph looking mad. Waller says the only thing he needs to bet on is himself to wrap it up. This was pretty generic at best and I’m not sure if Waller has the level of heat NXT thinks/hopes he does.

We recap Riddle being revealed as MSK’s Shaman.

It’s time for Lashing Out with Lash Legend, with Jacket Time as this week’s guests. We pause for Mei Ying to walk by with her pillow until Legend can talk about how nice the two of them dress. Legend asks about the Grizzled Young Veterans so Ikemen Jiro goes into a rant about the Veterans, albeit with subtitles. That’s all the time we have, making this the least annoying edition yet, mainly because Legend barely talked. As usual though, these segments feel more like the comic relief stuff (especially Ying) and they are such a detour from everything else.

Amari Miller vs. Ivy Nile

Nile throws her down to start and then chokes away in the corner. Miller comes back with some rollups for two each and hits a dropkick. A spinwheel kick misses though and Nile spinebusters her down. The neck crank finishes Miller at 3:40.

Rating: C-. Miller continues to be someone they see something in and that is not a bad thing. She has a great smile and a lot of charisma so if she can back it up with the rest, she’ll be fine. Nile seems like she has all of the basic tools, but she is going to need to show she can do things in some longer matches.

Xyon Quinn knows how Elektra Lopez plays now so the game is continuing. Quinn leaves so here is Robert Stone to say it’s time for him to be taken seriously. Now it’s Von Wagner coming in to say if people has a problem, come say it to his face. Who knew he was an Alex Riley fan?

Riddle has a magic sack and pulls out presents for MSK: a baseball bat, a traffic cone and the John Cena spinner US Title belt. Riddle says these things are holding them down, so it’s time to learn to let it go and become the best again. Then Riddle pulls out a scooter, which is the key to clearing your mind.

Harland vs. Guru Raaj

Joe Gacy (with a peppier song about being yours) is here with Harland. Raaj is sent face first into the mat to start and some elbows to the face keep him in trouble. A belly to back slam finishes Raaj at 1:06.

Post match, Harland beats Raaj up again but Gacy calms him down so they can leave.

LA Knight arrives in his nice car and says he doesn’t want to hear about Grayson Waller after he hit one cool move (with help) at WarGames. It’s not Knight’s fault that some fine woman was feeling him last week and he’ll smack Waller around when he sees him.

Security is trying to get rid of Harland, so he throws Brian Kendrick (an agent) down the steps.

Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade

Mandy Rose is on commentary. They fight the corner to start, with Jade’s bad shoulder being sent into the buckle. Kai works on the armbar but misses the running boot in the corner, as Rose tries to figure out why Jade rides a skateboard (Rose: “This isn’t a park.”). A Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Kai two, followed by a swinging reverse DDT for the same. Back up and Jade grabs a very quick rollup for the pin at 6:28, leaving Rose stunned at the luck.

Rating: C-. This was mainly a squash until Jade survived in the end, which is rarely a good way to go. I’m not sure how far Jade is going to go around here but she does have some charisma to back it up. That being said, she might need more than being able to hold her shoulder to make something like this work long term.

Post match Kai lays Jade out again but Raquel Gonzalez runs in for the save. Cue Toxic Attraction for the distraction though, allowing Mandy to take Jade down by the arm again.

Tiffany Stratton tells Grayson Waller her daddy thinks he’s a bad person. Io Shirai comes up and yells at Waller a lot. Waller thinks Shirai likes him.

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are fighting in the back.

Andre Chase vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo drives him into the corner to start and sends Chase face first into the corner. Chase might go to the eyes to escape and swears by his student section that he didn’t cheat. A neckbreaker gets two on D’Angelo and a Russian legsweep gets the same. We hit the chinlock, but D’Angelo fights up and sends him into the corner for the break. Chase’s sweater is pulled over his head for some shots to the ribs, setting up the fisherman’s neckbreaker to give D’Angelo the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. These are two of the gimmickiest wrestlers on the show right now and it felt like something out of a low level indy promotion. D’Angelo is still as over the top as you can get and Chase is….I’m really not sure what he is actually. He has some talent, but where is he supposed to go with this beyond the NXT midcard?

Post match, D’Angelo declares himself as the head of the class but here is Pete Dunne to interrupt. D’Angelo doesn’t think much of Dunne and goes after him, only to get his fingers snapped.

Grayson Waller comes into the locker room, where Bron Breakker tells him to get out. Others agree, so Waller says real stars have their own locker room anyway.

Brian Kendrick is being checked on and is in a neck brace.

Boa vs. Edris Enofe

Boa knocks him down to start and grabs a quick cobra clutch to keep Enofe in trouble. Some knees to the ribs set up a butterfly suplex for two. Boa grabs the chinlock but Enofe fights up and hits a dropkick. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Boa but he grabs the Tongan Death Grip. Enofe is stunned and it’s a spinning kick to the head to give Boa the pin at 3:03.

Rating: D+. I’m still not sure what they see in Boa, but I don’t think it’s the greatest idea to have him beat a bunch of people with interesting vignettes (like he did to Draco Anthony a few weeks ago on 205 Live). The matches aren’t even that good (save for that awesome kick to the head) but the Boa train continues for some reason. At least stop having him beat people before they get the chance to establish themselves.

Raquel Gonzalez has to finish this with Dakota Kai and wants a street fight.

Grayson Waller steals LA Knight’s car, having taken Knight out. There was someone in the car with him but it wasn’t clear who.

Jacket Time vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Kushida takes Drake down to start so Gibson is right there for a pep talk. The advice doesn’t work as Kushida takes him down and twist the arm around. Kushida finally gets knocked down so the double teaming can begin. That lasts all of a few seconds until Kushida strikes his way to freedom and brings in Jiro.

House is cleaned as everything breaks down, including the Hoverboard Lock to Gibson. That’s reversed into a suplex for two but Kushida fights out of Ticket To Ride. Cue the Creed Brothers, whose distraction allows Jacket Time to hit stereo dives. A Swanton/reverse DDT combination finishes Drake at 6:24.

Rating: C. This was much more of a formula tag match and that is a good idea for both of them. That being said, the tag division is pretty terrible right now and I’m not sure I can see it getting that much better. Above all else, the Veterans have gone from a team who could have been a big deal to whatever they are now, while Jacket Time feels like a gimmick that probably doesn’t have much of a shelf life as anything more than comedy.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes run into Roderick Strong and don’t think much of him. Then they find a scary drawing from Dexter Lumis and panic a bit.

Cora Jade and Brian Kendrick have both been injured and could be out for awhile.

Bron Breakker vs. Roderick Strong

Non-title. Strong takes him down to start as Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are watching from the balcony. Breakker muscles Strong up to start into a suplex, setting up a nip up to show off. They head outside with Strong dropping him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Breakker fighting out of a front facelock but getting caught with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Breakker isn’t having that and comes back with a powerslam, followed by the big running shoulders. Strong knocks him against the ropes though and hits the running forearms. The Angle Slam gets two and it’s a top rope superplex into a tiger bomb for two more on Breakker. That’s too far for Breakker, who counters a charge into something like a powerbomb. The gorilla press powerslam finishes for Breakker at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing they should be doing with Breakker: putting him in the ring with a talented veteran who can show him a lot more of the ropes. Breakker has all of the star potential in the world, but he is desperately in need of experience. Having him out there for ten minutes with someone like Strong, who can walk him through a match, is a good idea and the kind of thing he should be doing three nights a week on the house show circuit. Strong’s Cruiserweight Title continues to mean nothing, but it’s not like it has had any value in the better part of ever.

Post match, Tommaso Ciampa comes in and gives Breakker the Willow’s Bell to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a weird show as it had some up and down action, but also some all over the place character stuff. The wrestling was better than not for most of the show, but some of the matches felt like they should have been held in front of coaches at the Performance Center rather than on national TV. It doesn’t help when a lot of these people are flat out not ready for this level but are here anyway because NXT can’t have house shows anymore. There are good wrestlers here, but some of them are glorified coaches/on the job trainers and it shows badly.

Then there is the character stuff, which is the Grayson Waller portion of the show. Waller was ALL OVER this show and I’m not sure what to think of that. On one hand, it is really nice to have an overarching story rather than a bunch of things that just happen. Almost everyone had some kind of an opinion on Waller and it made things more interesting as a result. That being said, it’s still Grayson Waller, who is about as generic of a cocky heel as you can get right now. I’ll take what I can get, but not by much.

Overall, the show feels like it is going in a bunch of directions at once, with a lot of people being shoved into spots they aren’t ready to be in yet. You can tell which wrestlers are veterans and which are long term projects, but it doesn’t make a difference when they’re on the same show. This is what happens when you completely gut your roster, because there is not enough talent on this show to fill two hours of prime time. It’s really jarring to go from a full roster to this in such a hurry, but that’s what NXT is now, and I guess it’s what WWE wants. I don’t know why, but it’s going to be a long road from here on out.

Results
Cameron Grimes b. Duke Hudson – Cave In through a chair
Ivy Nile b. Amari Miller – Neck crank
Harland b. Guru Raaj – Belly to back slam
Cora Jade b. Dakota Kai – Rollup
Tony D’Angelo b. Andre Chase – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Boa b. Edris Enofe – Spinning kick to the head
Jacket Time b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Swanton Bomb/reverse DDT combination to Drake
Bron Breakker b. Roderick Strong – Gorilla press powerslam

 

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

205 Live
Date: November 19, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series, which has nothing to do with anything going on with this show. Instead, we’ll be getting more of the NXT B lineup, plus a battle of the midcarders. That doesn’t sound too bad, so maybe they can make it work out well enough again. Let’s get to it.

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

Malik Blade vs. Edris Enofe

This is Enofe’s debut. They go technical to start with Blade snapmaring him down for an early two, sending us into a standoff. Enofe rolls him up for two and that’s good for another standoff as they seem to respect each other. An exchange of rollups give them two each and it’s another standoff. Blade goes more traditional with a headlock on the mat but Enofe gives him a headlock takeover of his own. Back up and Blade hits a dropkick for one and the armbar goes on. Some armdrags have Enofe down again and a missile dropkick sets up…a missed frog splash. Enofe hits a spinebuster and a standing moonsault for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C-. So that’s the first we’ve seen of Enofe and he’s an athletic guy with a good look. Really that’s about all there is to say about him, as he’s someone who feels like a prospect they signed, taught a basic match and then threw him out there. Certainly not bad, but he feels like a bunch of modern NXT wrestlers and that’s not a great sign.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Amari Miller

Stratton, debuting as well, is billed as Daddy’s Little Rich Girl and the Buff Barbie Doll. Before the match, she lets us know how beautiful she is, meaning she is the opposite of all of us. Miller grabs a headlock to start and grinds away but Stratton, a gymnast, flips up without much trouble. Back up and Miller hits a spinwheel kick, with Nigel saying Miller is inspired by “WWE Legend Alicia Fox.” I’ll let that one sink in for a minute as Miller tries a rollup, only to be countered into a sunset flip, with Stratton bridging up for more leverage and the pin at 3:21.

Rating: D+. Stratton is a new name and much like Tony D’Angelo, feels straight out of central casting. She’s the kind of person you would see in roughly 573 mediocre high school movies. What else are you expecting from someone who wears pink, brought a bag to the ring, and bragged about how good looking she is? It’s just such a basic idea and that is going to give her a pretty firm ceiling, but WWE has decided she’s worth a look and that’s all that matters.

Video on Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter, the same one which aired on NXT.

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Carter and Catanzaro do have an energetic entrance. Yulisa and Carter roll around for a bit as commentary tries to figure out what kind of music Carter and Catanzaro like. Catanzaro comes in to take Yulisa down but it’s right back to Carter to kick her out of the corner. We’ll try Catanzaro again and she gets to flip Feroz around a bit, setting up a double kick to the face.

Feroz manages to get in a shot to Carter’s arm though and twists her down for a crash. A cross armbreaker doesn’t do much for Yulisa so she goes with a gutwrench suplex for two instead. Carter fights up and it’s back to Catanzaro in a hurry. A fall away slam gives Feroz two but Carter gets the blind tag, setting up the neckbreaker/450 (KC Squared) to finish Feroz at 7:42.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above a long squash for Carter and Catanzaro, which is what it should have been. Carter and Catanzaro seem to be rising up the ranks fairly quickly in NXT and it would be nice to see how far they can go. Feroz and Leon were fine in their roles here, though it wasn’t exactly a great match.

Overall Rating: D+. Over the last few months, NXT feels like it has lost its soul. Anything energetic, fun, engaging or anything else has been completely stripped away and you’re left with very basic wrestling, almost giving it a low level independent feeling. That’s what I got here too, with wrestlers that don’t seem to have much potential (Carter and Catanzaro have more than anyone and even then it’s not great) and characters who are either non-existent or one note. NXT, and 205 Live as a result, is rapidly becoming a wasteland and this show made it seem like that is exactly what WWE wants.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.