IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Percy Watson

It’s grudge match night around here as we have a triple threat match between Buddy Murphy, Mustafa Ali and Hideo Itami. Two weeks ago Itami attacked both men during their match and now they want to take him apart. That should make for a fun match and barring anything ridiculous, should set up Itami as the next challenger to Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps Itami’s attack and how we got to tonight’s triple threat.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Lince Dorado

So I guess we’re not done with this feud. Jack Gallagher is in England for the UK Championship Tournament so it’s just Brian Kendrick in Gulak’s corner. The Gulak pinata is back and it’s now called Penelope. They fight over arm control to start and there are a low of people disguised as empty seats. Gulak takes him to the mat with a test of strength but Dorado fights up into a sunset flip for two. A middle rope anklescissors sets up a moonsault press for another near fall as Gulak can’t get anything going early on.

Frustrated by being flipped around over and over, Gulak hits him in the face to take over but a rollup sends Dorado through the ropes in a crash. Back in and Gulak goes for the mask, yelling at the referee that he wants to see who it is. As usual that’s too far for a luchador so he’s right back up with some dropkicks. The Golden Rewind gets two but Kendrick offers a distraction so the Gulock can get the submission at 8:02.

Rating: C. They’ve done a good job of setting Gulak as a monster around here and that’s one of the best things that can be done. It’s also interesting that the Lucha House Party can win on their own but seemingly has no chance against Gulak. It makes him look that much more impressive, which is all that matters in the entire feud. In other words the team is good but Gulak is better, meaning everyone wins.

Drake Maverick tells the referee to be careful in the main event tonight when Itami comes in. He wants respect but Maverick tells him that it works both ways.

Here’s TJP, with a mic, for a match. He’s not happy with Maverick because he’s not getting to be in the main event every week. Instead, he’s out here with some guy who doesn’t even get to mention his name. After some more insults, the guy punches TJP in the face, earning himself a kneebar for a rather hard sell job. No match of course.

Lio Rush has officially been signed and will debut next week.

Next week: Gulak/Gallagher/Kendrick vs. Lucha House Party in an elimination match.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy vs. Hideo Itami

They all circle to start until Murphy and Ali glare Itami to the floor. It’s Murphy going out after him so Ali hits a big flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Murphy starts punching them both to take over with raw size and power. Ali is back up to send Murphy outside but Itami cuts off the dive with a knee to the ribs. That’s enough to set up an early chinlock, meaning Itami can demand more RESPECT.

Itami lets it go and kicks Murphy off the apron before kicking Ali in the back so he won’t feel left out. It’s Murphy coming back in though and that means a kick to his back as well. Murphy kicks Itami right back and they trade them again, followed by some head to head growling. Itami gets the better of it and does the RESPECT ME thing again, because that’s half of his character. Ali comes back in and gets his head taken off with a clothesline, followed by a German suplex for two.

Murphy sends Ali into Itami, knocking him off the apron and setting up a sleeper on Ali. In other words, we’re firmly in the two in, one out formula that dominates these matches. With that going nowhere Itami comes in with a sleeper on Murphy, which is broken up in short order. Ali tries the rolling X Factor on Murphy but gets thrown into the air, only to come down with the X Factor on Itami instead (cool spot). A tornado DDT gets two on Murphy and everyone is down due to head trauma/exhaustion.

Ali is up first but the 054 is broken up with a hard crotching. They tease the Tower of Doom but (thankfully) go with Murphy kicking Ali in the face and then loading Itami up for a powerbomb, which is spun down into a DDT for two more. Ali gets up first and superkicks Murphy down but dives into Itami’s kick to the face for another triple knockdown.

Murphy powerbombs Itami but gets kicked down on top of him, setting up a 450 onto both of them at once. Ali can only get two on Itami with Murphy making a save. That’s enough for Murphy and Ali to head outside with Ali hitting a C4 off the announcers’ table for the really painful landing. Back in and a hesitation dropkick gives Itami two on Ali, so it’s time to pull off a turnbuckle pad. Another running dropkick into the exposed buckle is finally enough for Itami to pin Ali at 15:53.

Rating: B+. This was much, much better than I was expecting with all three working very hard to put on a heck of a performance. They played up the idea of Ali as the heart, Murphy as the muscle and Itami as the ruthless one who will hit you so hard that you can’t get up. The match was a lot of fun and had all three looking great. Itami needs to be the next challenger, especially after getting a win like this one.

Overall Rating: B. As tired as I am of seeing Gulak N Pals vs. Lucha House Party, that main event was great and TJP is getting better and better every week. They’ve got some stuff going on here but it’s becoming more and more clear that Alexander needs to lose the title in a hurry. He’s just not the charismatic star of the show, which leaves him on pretty equal footing with everyone else. That needs to be fixed, and then things might be able to start picking up. I mean, they won’t because it’s 205 Live, but at least it’s a possibility.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 12, 2018
Location: Fed Ex Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Things took a sharp turn around here last week with Hideo Itami interrupting Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy. That’s the first time Itami has hinted at going after the Cruiserweight Title, which would be a bit surprising at this point given how uneventful his time in WWE has been so far. At some point he needs to do something with all of his potential and if this is the best they have for him, so be it. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Itami interfering in last week’s main event. If nothing else it’s an excuse to see that awesome DDT right before the finish.

An angry Drake Maverick says Itami is banned from tonight’s show.

Opening sequence.

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

Lucha House Party has a pinata with Gulak’s face on it. In the back, the villains say they just don’t like high flying so they’ve teamed up to combat it. Kalisto and Gallagher start things off with Gallagher easily taking him to the mat with a waistlock. With a nice wrestling exhibition going on, the announcers debate Watson’s mispronunciation. Dorado and Kendrick come in with the former walking over his back and sticking his tongue out at Kendrick.

Kalisto is back in and climbs onto Dorado’s shoulders for a splash, followed by Metalik’s rope walk splash. A dropkick keeps Kendrick in trouble and it’s one sided in the first few minute. It’s off to Gulak and a hurricanrana sends him to the floor, allowing Dorado to climb onto the ropes and flip dive onto everyone at once. Back in and Gulak just powers Kalisto into the corner so Kendrick can make a blind and pull Kalisto off the ropes for a nasty crash. How dastardly of him.

A suplex sets up a tag to Gulak and it’s time for a cross arm choke. Kalisto fights up but Kendrick distracts the referee, meaning there’s no referee to see the tag. Kendrick comes in legally this time and kicks Kalisto in the face to keep him in trouble. It’s back to Gulak for a half crab Liontamer with an arm trap to show off the submission skills. Kalisto kicks his way to freedom and scores with a middle rope tornado DDT, allowing the hot tag to Metalik.

The middle rope dropkick puts Kendrick down and Dorado comes in again to hurricanrana Gulak, followed by a stepover spinwheel kick to the face ala Rob Van Dam. Everything breaks down and it’s time for a parade of shots to the face. The double Golden Rewind stagger Gulak and Gallagher, leaving Metalik and Kalisto to hit stereo springboard flip dives onto the two of them. That leaves Dorado on his own and Kendrick slaps on the Captain’s Hook but gets rolled up for the pin (with tights, as Gulak had tried earlier) to pin Kendrick at 15:15.

Rating: B. It’s no classic but it feels like the blowoff of the feud and didn’t have Gulak take the fall, which keeps the important one strong. I’m still not sure if the House Party is going to mean anything long term as it’s not like they have anyone to feud with outside of makeshift teams. Still though, they’re fine enough to throw out there in singles and tag matches for some fun high flying.

Itami promises to get his hands on Murphy and Ali.

Speaking of Murphy, he wants Itami but Maverick says no. Ali has asked as well

Ali is ready to get back up against Tony Nese tonight.

Akira Tozawa vs. Steve Irby

Irby has a good look and trunks that say King of the Moonsault. Tozawa smacks away at him but gets kicked in the face to slow him down. That earns him a Shining Wizard and another kick to the face. Some shouting sets up the top rope backsplash for the pin on Irby at 2:26.

Video on the very cocky Lio Rush, who wants to know how you can have two Cruiserweight Title tournaments with out the greatest cruiserweight in the world.

Nese is warming up and says he’s ready to make a statement.

TJP might become a heavyweight and move up to the main roster. Maybe then Maverick will know that he was the big one that got away.

Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese

Buddy Murphy is in Nese’s corner. Therefore, here’s Cedric Alexander to even things out. Nese hammers away with left hands in the corner to start but hang on because we need to pose. I mean it’s really all he’s got so he does kind of have to do it. A kick to the head puts Nese on the floor where Murphy offers a distraction, allowing Nese to forearm Ali down.

Looking to keep things simple, Nese picks him up and throws him back first into the post. Back in and the bodyscissors goes on to keep Ali’s ribs in trouble. He avoids the running knee in the corner though and the rolling X Factor gets two. Nese is right back with strikes of his own though and a double clothesline puts them both down.

Back up and Nese hits another clothesline, followed by a pumphandle driver for another near fall. Ali shoves him off the top though and it’s Cedric and Murphy getting in a fight on the floor. They fight up the ramp, leaving Nese to buckle bomb Ali for two more. The running knee misses though and one heck of a tornado DDT plants Nese again. The 054 gives Ali the pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. I liked the match, but it felt like some of the middle of the match was missing and was turned into the finish. In other words, it felt like the last part went on long but there wasn’t much of the middle part to build us up there. Either way, Ali continues to be a nearly guaranteed good match and that needs to lead somewhere for him somewhere down the line.

Post match Ali says he wants a triple threat next week with himself vs. Murphy vs. Itami. Backstage, Maverick makes the match.

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here but it really does amaze me how completely inconsequential this show has become. They followed up on Itami’s angle last week but it still wasn’t the biggest thing in the world. They’re doing a logical move story progression though and that’s a fine way to go about things. Just find a way to make this feel even remotely important and it would be that much better.

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

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

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

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

205 Live
Date: June 5, 2018
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

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

Drake Maverick narrates a recap of last week’s title match and previews tonight’s show.

Opening sequence.

Lince Dorado vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick has Drew Gulak with him but no Jack Gallagher. It’s an aggressive start for Kendrick who takes him into the corner and hammers away to start but gets kicked out to the floor. The lucha noisemakers don’t distract Kendrick very well as he sidesteps a baseball slide and hits one of his own to take over again.

Back in and a side slam gets two as Drew reads the history of lucha libre from his Lucha and You brochure. Kendrick stomps and chokes in the corner as Gulak admits that he was trained in lucha libre, which shows him how terrible it is. We hit the chinlock until Dorado is back up with a spinwheel kick. A high crossbody gets two and a suicide dive takes Kendrick down again. Gulak yells at Dorado but he’s right back in with the Golden Rewind for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C-. I’d assume this is setting up some big showdown between Gulak and Lucha House Party but hasn’t he beaten all of them already? Dorado is the weakest of the trio and he was perfectly watchable here. It’s a good idea to let him win here as it helps build him up later on when Gulak gets another win over him.

Post match Gulak runs in and beats Dorado down until Lucha House Party runs him off.

Clips of last week’s title match. Fair enough, as it was awesome.

Mustafa Ali, who is looking more jacked than usual, is ready to beat Buddy Murphy tonight and get back into the title hunt. He’s got the heart of a champion.

TJP vs. Bryan Keith

Keith is in what would be described as a cowboy outfit without the hat. TJP takes him down and grabs a mic to compliment Keith’s boots and mispronounce the town. He keeps talking as he stomps on Keith, asking for better competition. Some threats to go to Raw or Smackdown set up a modified Sharpshooter with TJP threatening to go there soon before cranking back for the tap at 2:12. Very entertaining squash with a different twist on the idea.

A very cocky Lio Rush is coming soon. Really it’s not like he was going to work anywhere else but on 205 Live but that’s not the best thing in the world after his big controversy down in NXT.

Next week: Lucha House Party vs. Gulak/Gallagher/Kendrick. Makes the most sense.

Tony Nese speaks for Buddy Murphy for some reason, saying that Murphy will beat Alexander next time. Murphy says you can’t stop the unstoppable.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy goes straight with the power by driving Mustafa into the corner and no selling some chops. A dropkick works a bit better for Ali and there’s a big corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Murphy catches him on top so it’s a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster onto the turnbuckle for a big crash and a near fall.

Ali spins around him into a crucifix for two anyway but Murphy is right back with some backbreakers. An inverted hurricanrana (and a good one) gets Ali out of trouble and a superkick has Murphy tied up in the ropes. Ali gets two off a splash but bangs up his own ribs in the process. Murphy is smart enough to strike away at the ribs, only to charge into a boot in the corner.

The rolling X Factor is broken up and it’s time to head to the apron. This time it’s Murphy messing up and running knee first into the post to give Murphy a target of his own. The fans deem this awesome and it’s out to the floor again, this time with Murphy being sent up to the apron, only to jump back down with an INSANE tornado DDT to the floor. With Murphy trying to remember what planet he’s on, here’s Hideo Itami to break up the 054 for the DQ at 12:12.

Rating: B. It’s not as good as Murphy’s match from last week but it was still a good effort with that tornado DDT looking outstanding. Sometimes that one big spot is all you need but here you got a heck of a match to surround it. Neither of them taking a fall is the right ending and it can help set up Itami as the next challenger down the line. Good, hard hitting main event here.

Itami lays Ali out again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another completely acceptable but not great show here, which is a lot better than things used to be around here. It also helps that we’re getting a really strong match on every show and some of the stories are starting to come together. They still need the ace of the show and Cedric isn’t going to be that guy, but I don’t think anyone else they have at the moment is either. Still though, solid effort this week.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tony Nese vs. Keith Clayball

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

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

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

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

Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: April 24, 2018
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re three days away from the Greatest Royal Rumble and we still don’t have a #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title. That’s why we’re having a gauntlet match tonight with five men facing off for the right to face Cedric Alexander in Saudi Arabia. There’s a good chance this is going to be the entire show so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video explains the gauntlet match and introduces the competitors, all of whom get in a quick statement.

Opening sequence.

Gauntlet Match

Mustafa Ali and TJP start things off. TJP takes him up to the ropes and gets in some dabbing, earning himself a crank on the arm. The armbar goes on and there’s not much TJP can do early on. They hit the pinfall reversal sequence for some not very near falls until Ali dropkicks him in the back of the head. A kick to the head sends TJP outside and we’ll take a little breather.

With the breathing out of the way, TJP gets in a few shots to the head to take over back inside. We go split screen to hear Cedric Alexander say he’ll defend the title in Saudi Arabia and then make his own statement against Buddy Murphy. Back to full screen with Ali fighting out of a double arm crank but getting dropped with a Russian legsweep. TJP grabs Naomi’s reverse Rings of Saturn hold for a few seconds before Ali chops the heck out of him.

Ali gets in a kick to the head and the rolling X Factor (with TJP’s face not hitting the mat) gets two. The double chickenwing gutbuster is reversed into a rollup for two on TJP but he shoves Ali off the top. A missile dropkick to the knee (cool) sets up the kneebar, sending Ali bailing to the ropes. Back up and a tornado DDT on one leg drops TJP, setting up the 054 to send Ali on 9:53.

Drew Gulak is in third and you should be able to see the tap out from here. Ali is limping around and Gulak couldn’t be happier. A quick rollup gets two on Gulak but he slams the knee into the ropes to really take over. Ali does manages a drop toehold on the floor for a break, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Gulak rolls through into a leglock but Ali kicks him away in short order.

After an inset promo for Friday’s show, we come back to Gulak cranking on the knee even more. Ali tries a hurricanrana but gets pulled into a half crab. That’s reversed as well and an enziguri puts Gulak down again. There’s a kick to the head (and a shot of several empty seats in the lower arena) but Gulak is right back with the half crab. He even cranks back on the arm for a bonus but lets go, this time allowing Ali to make the ropes AGAIN. Ali likes the ropes so much that Gulak sets him on top of them, only to have Ali pull Gulak into a half crab in the ropes.

For some reason Ali decides that it’s a good idea to try a high crossbody to the floor, furthering the damage to the knee. Gulak chop blocks him down but Ali is right back with the tornado DDT. The 054 takes too long though, allowing Gulak to shove him off the top and into the steps. Ali is DONE so Gulak throws him back inside for the Gulock and the elimination at 22:41 total.

Tony Nese is in fourth and doesn’t even waste time counting his abs, meaning you know he’s serious. Nese pounds away and drags Gulak away from the ropes to keep up the stomping. Gulak gets knocked outside and sent into the barricade, followed by a toss over the announcers’ table.

They head inside again with Nese running him over and Nese yells at Gulak for saying they’re on different levels. There’s the running knee in the corner but Nese looks at the corner instead of covering. Nese lowers the knee pad but takes too much time, allowing Gulak to grab the Gulock for the tap at 30:34. That’s about it for Nese meaning anything as he got caught in a clean submission after beating the heck out of Gulak for a good while. Nese is crushed as Kalisto comes in last.

Gulak is chilling on the announcers’ table as Kalisto stands in the ring doing the LUCHA dance. Nigel isn’t exactly thrilled with this strategy and the stalling keeps going for well over another minute. Gulak finally gets in and is promptly dropkicked back to the floor. This time Kalisto follows so he can LUCHA dance right in front of him. Back up and Gulak sidesteps a suicide dive to send Kalisto hard into the barricade.

Rating: B. I can go for this idea of having one match through the entirety of a show. It makes things feel more important and like a big deal, which is what you want for something like this. On top of that, the falls took about ten minutes each, which fits a lot better. Kalisto vs. Alexander should be fun and that’s all the match needs to be as Cedric can get a big win.

Lucha House Party celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. What else can I really say when the show is literally one match long? They did a good job with making Kalisto into a quick title contender, which makes sense given that he’s the most decorated name on the roster. That being said, the show is starting to lose steam after the tournament. There’s a good chance that the place is going to turn into a show that you can skip most weeks, which isn’t a good sign for the future. Good stuff this week, but I’m worried about where things are going.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: April 10, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

It’s the final show of Wrestlemania Weekend and that means things are starting to run out of steam. There’s not much left to say at the moment, but Cedric Alexander is the new Cruiserweight Champion as the title isn’t vacant for the first time in over two months. Buddy Murphy is waiting in the wings though so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the (freezing) upper deck, opposite the hard camera.

We open with a recap of Alexander defeating Mustafa Ali to become the new champion in a pretty good, though not great, tournament final.

Opening sequence.

Percy Watson is here as Nigel McGuinness is out for two weeks. The word PERMANENT is used. Egads why?

Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa

Kalisto wants to set the stage for next week’s tornado tag and Tozawa wants Lucha House Party FIRED. The fans, at least the ones still there, seem to favor Tozawa as there’s really no heel here. Tozawa works on the wristlock to start as the announcers talk about how awesome it is to have this be one on one with no seconds. Kalisto handwalks away and moonsaults into a headscissors to really put Tozawa in trouble.

Back up and Tozawa shouts a lot, which is rather customary for him. A big kick to the head misses but so does Kalisto’s rolling kick. Tozawa goes with the stiff shot to the head and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. The screaming backsplash gets two and it’s off to a chinlock. They’re not exactly burning the mat up so far. Kalisto finally avoids a charge in the corner and hits that head kick as things speed up a bit.

The hurricanrana driver gets two and another kick to the head staggers Tozawa on top. One heck of a super Spanish Fly (becoming VERY popular in WWE these days) gets two on Tozawa and it’s time for the slugout. Tozawa misses a charge in the corner and gets shouldered in the ribs, setting up the big running kick to the chest.

Kalisto seems to have him stunned but charges into a monkey flip with Tozawa sending him knee first into the corner. The top rope backsplash hits knees but Kalisto is too banged up to capitalize. What a horrible development. We hit the pinfall reversal sequence until Kalisto grabs the Salida Del Sol for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B. Nice match here with a nice story being told as Kalisto tried to go strike for strike with Tozawa, only to mess up his knee in the process. When that wasn’t working he shifted to his bread and butter with the speed and won without much trouble. That Salida Del Sol is an awesome finisher and never stops looking great. Good stuff here and I’m kind of interested in seeing where this group feud goes.

Mark Andrews is getting ready to face Drew Gulak when Tony Nese comes in. Tony talks about how he and Gulak used to be friends but Drew isn’t the same man anymore. He wants Andrews to go take care of Gulak for good.

Drew Gulak vs. Mark Andrews

Gulak, in a rather small robe, says he was thinking about needing to offer the people an explanation. That should mean a POWERPOINT PRESENTATION but it’s not the time for that. This isn’t Microsoft Office aficionado Drew Gulak. This is the best submission wrestler on 205 Live and he will make you tap. Some armdrags annoy Gulak to start and he bails to the floor in short order.

Back in and the threat of the Gulock has Andrews scurrying away but coming right back with a bulldog. A hurricanrana on the apron is countered though and Gulak sends him hard into the post to start in on Andrews’ neck. That means a cravate and then a chinlock as Gulak picks Andrews apart with relative ease. Andrews fights up with a jumping enziguri for a breather, followed by a 619 to the ribs.

The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two but a HARD clothesline to the back of the head gives Gulak two. The fans are completely distracted by something behind the announcers’ table (I never could figure it out but it was something about a fan falling asleep. Andrews hits the Stundog Millionaire as the fans are asking HOW WAS YOUR NAP. Gulak sends him into the corner and the Gulock is good for the tap at 10:28.

Rating: C+. The storytelling continues here as Gulak is the cold and calculating villain waiting to find a mistake while Andrews is making things up as he goes. It makes sense that it would make Gulak (who hates flips and dives and non-scientific wrestling) angry so having him crank on Andrews that hard was the right ending.

Post match Gulak puts the hold back on but here’s Tony Nese for the save and a big beatdown. We have a face turn, which is the first thing about this show that makes it feel special.

Drake Maverick is skeptical of having a pair of guys on his roster. I was hoping for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens but it’s Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick, the latter of whom is back from injury. They’ll be teaming again and Hideo Itami injuring Kendrick is water under the bridge. Uh, yay for Kendrick being back?

Here’s Maverick for Alexander’s big celebration. Drake talks about sitting ringside when Cedric won the title (Drake: “I was sitting there, John Cena was sitting right over there.”) and how proud it made him. This brings out Cedric to the YOU DESERVE IT chants. Two years ago the fans chanting PLEASE SIGN CEDRIC and then this Sunday his friends and family saw him win the Cruiserweight Title.

Cedric thanks the fans but here’s Ali to cut him off. Ali congratulates him for winning the title as his friend, but also wants to remind Cedric that he’s in the line of competitors. Cedric doesn’t seem to mind and we get a hug. Cue Buddy Murphy’s music with Buddy coming from underneath the ring to botch Murphy’s Law (not at all surprising as tricky as that move is to pull off) at first before planting Alexander. Maverick is livid and yells at Murphy to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The show’s hot streak continues but I couldn’t help wondering where the big moment was. After Raw and Smackdown had debuts, big matches and surprises, this could have been any given week of 205 Live. Now I can appreciate that in a sense as they’ve got a good thing going, but this was quite the low key (I don’t want to say downer because the show was good) way to end the week. Hopefully the momentum keeps going, because this show has become a lot more fun to watch.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

This might be the match that interests me the most.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

Actually, this might be the match that has grabbed my interest more than anything else. They’ve turned this match into something that I actually want to see and I never would have guessed that would be possible. Either guy could pull this off and it’s going to be fun to see which way they wind up going to crown a new champion.

Really though, I think they have to go with Alexander. He’s come up short too many times before to have him lose yet again. Let Alexander FINALLY get the title and move on from there. I don’t want Ali to turn heel, even if both guys have been teasing turning in recent weeks. There’s no need to turn either here though as you can wait for that for later. For now though, Alexander needs to win and we can move on from there.

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: March 20, 2018
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to find out who else is going to Wrestlemania tonight as Mustafa Ali and Drew Gulak meet in the second semifinal match of the Cruiserweight Title tournament. The winner gets to meed Cedric Alexander for the title in New Orleans, meaning the pressure should be high. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show in case you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Alexander winning last week and previews tonight’s match.

Opening sequence.

Hideo Itami vs. Lince Dorado

Fallout from Itami being a little too aggressive against Dorado’s buddy Gran Metalik last week. Itami wastes no time in taking Dorado into the corner for some hard shots to the mask. Dorado sends him outside and that means Itami needs to slow down a bit. Back in and a hurricanrana into a dropkick has Itami in trouble and Dorado stays at it with a quick dive.

Itami sends him back first into the apron to take over again though and a hard slap makes things even worse. That’s enough to wake Dorado up and he scores with a spinwheel kick to the face. The handspring is telegraphed though and Itami takes him down with a clothesline for two instead. Dorado kicks him in the jaw and it’s out to the floor again. This time though, Gran Metalik shoves Itami into the apron and that’s a DQ at 6:15.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine while it lasted but this is setting up something down the line instead of being a blowoff or conclusion here. Itami is better as a heel and the last few weeks have been an improvement over his very lackluster run so far. They’re getting something here with the tag feud and a third man to help Itami and Tozawa would make things more interesting.

Video on Drew Gulak, who really does want to change things for the better around here. Drake Maverick called him a goof and that was enough to snap Gulak back to reality. He’s been hyper aggressive in the tournament and that makes him all the more dangerous.

Cedric Alexander says last week was great but it means nothing if he doesn’t win the Cruiserweight Championship. Very true and sound logic.

TJP doesn’t care if Cedric Alexander, Santa Claus or Kermit the Frog wins at Wrestlemania. He’s next in line for a title shot.

TJP vs. Kenneth Johnson

Johnson was in the Cruiserweight Classic. TJP takes him down twice in short order and there’s a jumping back elbow to the jaw. A belly to back suplex sets up the slingshot hilo as we’re firmly in squash territory here. Johnson gets in a running Cannonball to a standing TJP but the knee gets taken out in short order. The Detonation Kick into the kneebar makes Johnson tap at 2:41. Just a squash.

TJP takes his sweet time in letting go.

Mustafa Ali wants to use his status as a force for change. When you hear the name Mustafa Ali, the knee jerk reaction is to boo him but that’s not the case with someone like him.

Drake Maverick is ticked off over the DQ finish earlier. We’re almost to the end of the tournament and the new champion needs challengers. Therefore, next week it’s Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. TJP vs. Buddy Murphy and the winner will get a Cruiserweight Title shot. Drake: “There you go. Just turned a positive into a negative. That’s what I do.”

Cruiserweight Title Tournament Semifinals: Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

The empty seats opposite the camera are horribly noticeable. Gulak’s wristlock doesn’t get him very far as Ali reverses into one of his own to take over. An exchange of shoulders goes nowhere as Nigel defines a bully. Drew grabs a flapjack followed by a chinlock for a bit, only to have Ali come back with a dropkick. A hard clothesline to the back of the head gives Gulak two and a spinning electric chair gets the same.

With the wrestling not working, Drew stomps away at the head as the aggression coming out for the first time. Ali slaps away and hits a great sounding spinwheel kick to the jaw. The rolling X-Factor gets two and Ali stomps him out to the floor, showing him some aggression of his own. It seems to get to Ali though and his moral conundrum allows Gulak to send him into the buckle. That screwed over Roddy Piper in 1992 and it did the same to Ali.

Drew can’t get the dragon sleeper so Ali slaps on a Koji Clutch of all things. With the hold broken, Drew bails to the floor, setting up a big flip dive with Ali landing on Drew’s shoulder in a crash. The 054 is broken up as Ali is sent to the floor, with his FACE landing on the apron. Thankfully without bleeding, Ali gets up and avoids a charge to send Gulak over the announcers’ table. A big dive drops Gulak again and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table.

Ali takes too much time though and gets backdropped off the table for a crash. Drew breaks the count though and sends Ali HARD into the post (one of the nastiest looking postings I’ve ever seen), followed by a toss into the timekeeper’s area. Of course that’s only good for a nine because the trope of diving back in before ten is strong in this company. Back in and Ali manages a tornado DDT to counter the dragon sleeper and the 054 sends Ali to Wrestlemania at 15:11.

Rating: B. The ending was a bit sudden here and Gulak’s aggression being gone took away a lot of the good things this match could do. That being said, they’ve got something with Ali going a step further each time to become champion as he loses a little bit more of what got him here in the first place. I really hope it’s not setting up a heel turn, but there’s a story there. Good match, but not as good as some of the tournament matches.

Post match Ali says WE are going to Wrestlemania (I hope I can find something to wear). It doesn’t matter what your name is, where you’re from or what color your skin is. All that matters is what’s in your heart.

Overall Rating: B+. They have something very, very special with this tournament final and I have no idea who wins the thing. That’s one of the hardest things to pull off in wrestling and they’ve done it to perfection here. The rest of the show was completely fine, but this was all about setting up the finals and they did it perfectly. I’m very impressed.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: March 6, 2018
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’ll set up the other half of the semifinals tonight and get the tournament down to four possible champions. The problem with that is where we go from here, but there’s always the chance of making things work better after Wrestlemania. If the matches this week are as good as last week, everything will be fine. Let’s get to it.

Need a recap?  Here’s last week’s show.

We open with the now traditional recap of last week’s matches, which is still a really good idea.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak says he doesn’t have a PowerPoint because he’s been too focused to open Microsoft Office. Dude get Libre Office.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Drew Gulak vs. Mark Andrews

Andrews’ music is still downright snappy. They’re a bit tentative to start until Gulak’s chop in the corner pops Andrews’ eyes open. Gulak takes him down by the wrist so Mark springboards up for the break. A basement dropkick gives Mark one as they speed things up in short bursts. Andrews’ Code Red is broken up and Gulak forearms him in the jaw.

Drew actually hits a gorilla press of all things before going back to the arm. A variety of armbars set up a keylock but Andrews fights up with an enziguri. They head outside with Mark hitting a moonsault off the announcers’ table as Mark starts putting something together. Back in and a slingshot Mysterio sitout bulldog keeps Drew in trouble. Again: technician vs. speed is a formula that’s always going to work and it’s just fine here. Gulak counters a kick to the chest with an electric chair for two and Andrews is cut off again.

Back up and Mark just unloads in the corner, followed by a hurricanrana out to the floor. Mark’s moonsault out to the floor drops Drew again and panic begins setting in. Gulak grabs him BY THE BEARD (dude too far) and clotheslines Mark out of the air with a hard shot. The Stundog Millionaire out of nowhere drops Gulak but the shooting star hits knees. The dragon sleeper makes Mark tap at 12:10.

Rating: B. Drew continues to look like a killer but this wasn’t quite as aggressive as last week. Andrews fighting from underneath the whole time was a good idea and he plays the underdog quite well. Gulak winning was the right call of course though and he could make for a great finalist, if not champion. I still miss the PowerPoints though.

Drew takes his time letting go of the hold.

Akira Tozawa and Hideo Itami come in to see Drake Maverick, who has put them into a tag match tonight. Drake thinks they could be a good team but Itami threatens to fire him if he’s wrong.

Mustafa Ali is in a parking lot to talk about Buddy Murphy. Buddy wants to call himself the best kept secret but a good man fights for himself instead of others. This had very low production values and I could go for more of something like this in the future.

Hideo Itami/Akira Tozawa vs. Nement Alexander/Scott James

Tozawa and Alexander start things off and Akira peppers him with forearms to the head. Alexander gets in a few shots to the head so Tozawa kicks him in the ribs. Itami comes in for some running shots in the corner before it’s off to James. A running kick to Scott’s face sets up the top rope clothesline as the squash is in full swing. Itami adds a running dropkick in the corner and Tozawa drops the top rope backsplash for the pin at 2:52.

Video of Roderick Strong training.

Cedric Alexander says one more match stands between himself and his Wrestlemania moment. This time will be different.

Last night, Murphy had to weigh in. They seem to include a bad take of Maverick’s statement, including him saying excuse me, counting down to the start of the next take and saying the line again. That’s a bad botch even by WWE’s standards. Murphy has lost even more weight.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy takes him into the corner and pops Ali in the chest for a mostly clean break. A hard shoulder takes Ali down again as Gulak is watching in the back. Buddy slaps on a headlock to slow things down a bit as the slow pace seems to work well for him. Back up and a hurricanrana takes Buddy down but he’s waiting when Ali charges at him, causing Ali to stop cold.

With Murphy being bigger and stronger, Ali goes simple by dropkicking him in the face. A HARD clothesline takes Ali down though as Murphy glares down at Ali. Buddy’s superplex is broken up and Ali hits a 450 onto the extended arm. Ali is another step ahead as he avoids a charge, sending the same arm into the post. The rolling X Factor gets two but a tornado DDT is countered with a toss over the top.

Murphy goes aerial with a running flip dive and the Sasha Banks top rope double knees for two more. Now it’s Ali coming back by sending the arm into the corner and snapping off a reverse hurricanrana. One heck of a tornado DDT plants Buddy and Ali blasts him with a hard forearm. Buddy tells him to bring it and then kicks Ali in the face. Murphy’s Law (the pumphandle Death Valley Driver) doesn’t work before of the arm and Ali grabs a cradle for the pin at 11:06.

Rating: B. I was digging the heck out of this with a great story of Murphy being bigger and stronger and winning with the raw power. Ali had to get creative and took away part of that advantage with the arm injury. Murphy is the bigger guy but he’s wrestling at a much lower weight than usual, making it harder for him to keep up with someone naturally smaller and more adept at the style. This was a great story being told and the action backed it up. Ali has grown on me by leaps and bounds in recent weeks and I want to see him go further in this tournament and 205 Live in general.

The final four:

Cedric Alexander

Roderick Strong

Drew Gulak

Mustafa Ali

Overall Rating: B+. Two good matches and a nice little squash. What more do you need from a show that doesn’t even last fifty minutes? This show is starting to act more like NXT every week and that’s a very, very good thing. They have an idea here and it’s working very well, which is all you can ask for. Very fun show here and I want to see where this tournament goes, which I never would have expected coming in.

Results

Drew Gulak b. Mark Andrews – Dragon sleeper

Hideo Itami/Akira Tozawa b. Nement Alexander/Scott James – Top rope backsplash to James

Mustafa Ali b. Buddy Murphy – Rollup

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com, follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: February 20, 2018
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the final night of the first round of the Cruiserweight Title tournament, which means we only have two spots remaining in the quarterfinals. The first three weeks have been a lot of fun with some high quality action so hopefully the final week lives up to its predecessors. The two matches have already been announced so let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show if you need a refresher.

We open with a recap of last week’s matches and a preview of tonight’s matches in another well done package.

Opening sequence.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament First Round: Buddy Murphy vs. Ariya Daivari

This is Murphy’s (former NXT Tag Team Champion) main roster debut and PLEASE let him get rid of the somehow still boring Daivari. In a pre-match promo, Daivari mocks Murphy for having to cut weight to make 205lbs. Buddy isn’t stealing Daivari’s Wrestlemania moment. Murphy, who looks like he’s shredded the bottom half of his shorts, runs Daivari over to start and does it again for good measure.

A running hurricanrana sends Daivari outside but he grabs Murphy by the hair and gets a reverse DDT on the apron. Buddy is sent into the steps for one and a hard hiptoss into the corner gets two. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Buddy’s back (at least there’s psychology) for a bit but Buddy fights up with a middle rope dropkick. Buddy takes too long getting to the top so Daivari rolls outside, meaning it’s a HUGE flip dive over the top instead.

Back in and Daivari scores with a discus forearm, followed by the frog splash for two. And that’s it for Daivari’s chances. We actually get a Let’s Go Buddy chant but the hammerlock lariat cuts that off in short order. That’s only good for two as well and Daivari is stunned. Buddy hits some quick strikes and grabs a reverse pumphandle, throws Daivari onto his shoulders and snaps him down into a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C+. It’s a good debut for Murphy, who looked sharp and athletic, but one day he’s going to mistime that finisher (which needs a name) and it’s going to look bad. At least the interesting guy won here as Daivari may be a veteran, but he’s certainly not an interesting veteran. I’m not seeing Murphy going very far in the tournament but at least he got in a good first match, including kicking out of Daivari’s best stuff to make him look even better.

General Manager Drake Maverick unveils the quarterfinal brackets:

Cedric Alexander

TJP

Roderick Strong

Kalisto

Buddy Murphy

Jack Gallagher/Mustafa Ali

Drew Gulak

Mark Andrews

These matches take place over the next two weeks. Cedric and TJP come in with TJP saying it’s time for Cedric to choke at the finish line again. That’s funny to Cedric, who doesn’t mind putting TJP in a back brace.

Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado vs. Evan Daniels/Corazon Delgado

Daniels and Dorado start things off as the announcers argue about being invited to the lucha house parties. A hurricanrana takes Daniels down before it’s off to Delgado, whose name Nigel pronounces about five different ways. Metalik comes in and counters a headscissors with a faceplant but a quick distraction allows the tag back to Daniels.

A few shots to the back allow Daniels to mock the lucha dance. That’s it for the offense though and it’s back to Dorado as things speed up again. Dorado scores with a double Golden Rewind, followed by the stereo dives to the floor. Back in and Dorado drops the shooting star press to end Daniels at 3:55.

Rating: C. Just a quick squash here and really, that’s not a bad thing when you have the tournament eating up so much time. Of course you could have just let the show be a bit shorter but why do that when you can pump out more content? I mean, quantity is what matters instead of quality right?

Drew Gulak scoffs at the notion that he went too fast last week. Mark Andrews is all flash and none of that will help him when he’s tapping out.

Mark Andrews doesn’t like the idea of a no fly zone because he’s going to fly to Wrestlemania.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament First Round: Jack Gallagher vs. Mustafa Ali

Jack is in regular gear (which looks Slytherin inspired) on Maverick’s orders. Jack backs him up against the ropes to start and actually allows a clean break. Gallagher’s wristlock into a hammerlock has Ali in early trouble as someone says “fifteen and a half more minutes”. Back up and Ali’s leapfrog is countered into a Fujiwara armbar to stay on the arm but Ali is too close to the ropes.

Instead Ali tries a headlock into a half crab but that’s broken up as well. Jack goes into the corner for the upside down wave, only to have Ali flip around into a wave of his own. A pinfall reversal sequence gives us some nifty near falls and Jack is looking annoyed at Ali for being that crisp. They go into the corner again with a far dirtier break (or lack of a break) this time around.

Ali seems to get the better of it by sending Jack outside but a baseball slide gets caught in the ring skirt so Gallagher can hammer away. Back in and we hit the chinlock with an arm trap as we get POWER RANGER/RUSEV DAY chants. Ali is right back up with some kicks to the face and the rolling X Factor. It’s too early for the 054 though as Gallagher snaps the arm over the top. The same arm gets posted and Ali is in major trouble. We hit the double wristlock but Ali stacks him up for the break in a smart counter.

A hammerlock keeps Ali in trouble until he sends Jack to the floor. Ali tries a corkscrew flip dive but Gallagher is down, meaning Ali has to bail out halfway for a nasty looking crash. It’s either that or the arm gives out, but if it’s not at least they have a good explanation. Ali dives back in at nine so Gallagher grabs another Fujiwara armbar. This time Ali gets his feet in the ropes, earning himself a dropkick off the apron to send the arm into the barricade. The arm is posted AGAIN as this is getting to be a bit much.

For some reason the referee doesn’t stop it, even as Ali is tossed upside down into the corner. That’s only good for two and the kickout only gets a lukewarm response. Gallagher ties up the arm and fires in elbows to the head for ANOTHER two, frustrating Jack even more. With the holds not working, Jack tries a belly to back superplex but Ali hands on his feet. A superkick to the back of the head sets up the 054 for the pin at 17:10.

Rating: B. It’s good but they didn’t reach the level of epic that they were shooting for. The arm stuff went on just a bit too long (the same being true for the whole match) and I stopped feeling bad for Ali’s pain at one point. Still though, Ali moving forward makes sense and I could see him making a deep run in this tournament. Gallagher looked good and I’m sure he’ll be back soon enough.

Nigel gives it a standing ovation, which is a bit much.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event as good but this was probably the weakest of the last four shows. The wrestling was fine enough and I liked the addition of Murphy but it wasn’t the most thrilling show in the world. At least they have the tournament quarterfinals set, which is exactly what had to be done. Things should get a lot better in a hurry and that’s a great thing to see.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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