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

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

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the street fight.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

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

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

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

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

We look back at the history between Aries and Neville.

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

Cedric Alexander vs. Johnny Boone

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

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

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

Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main Event
Date: May 18, 2017
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the mystery box show as they do seem to have mixed the roster up a little bit for a change. You can only do so much with the same people and WWE has taken that to the furthest limits possible. Things have been a bit better lately but as usual, it all depends on the Raw clips. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax

See? Is this too much to ask for? Brooke tries the power game to start and is easily thrown around, followed by a headbutt. A sleeper works a bit better for Brooke before she avoids a charge to send Nia outside. Brooke scores with a dive but only gets a seven count. Back in and Jax swats her away and stands on Brooke’s back for good measure. Brooke fights out of an arm crank and grabs a neckbreaker but tries a fireman’s carry for some reason. Jax Samoan drops her for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. This was just a step above a squash but I can’t emphasize how much better this is than the same three people fighting a random opponent (or each other) for a change. Brooke was trying here and is still rather green but at least she’s trying. Jax looked like the monster she should be and her swatting Brooke away made perfect sense.

From Raw for the first time.

Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz

Ambrose is defending and we get some Big Match Intros. Miz bails to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Miz hitting his running clothesline in the corner, followed by the YES Kicks. Dean comes back with a suicide dive, followed by a bulldog for two back inside. Miz misses a running charge in the corner, followed by the top rope standing elbow to give Dean two more.

The rebound lariat is countered into the Skull Crushing Finale for the very close near fall, giving us a shocked look from Miz. Dean sends him outside again so Miz hides behind Maryse, only to have Dean dive anyway. Maryse offers a distraction but the low blow is blocked, allowing Dean to kick Miz low for the DQ at 12:02. Dean looks stunned at the DQ for some reason.

Rating: C+. That’s as obvious of a setup for a No DQ rematch as I’ve ever seen and that’s fine. Miz vs. Ambrose is a good feud and Miz winning his seventh title is a good idea. I liked the match more than I was expecting to and they actually had me for a second on that Skull Crushing Finale.

And again.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for a chat. Bliss rips on Newark a bit before talking about what it’s like to be a winner. When you’re smarter than everyone else and more dominant than everyone else, winning just comes easily. If you’re a failure, say what. Crowd: “WHAT!” Bliss: “My point exactly.” If she had entered Miss USA last night, she would have walked off with the crown. Bliss: “So Miss USA: you’re welcome.”

Cue Bayley to interrupt though she knows Bliss doesn’t care what she says. Bayley is invoking her rematch clause at Extreme Rules but Bliss needs to make it clear that it won’t be extreme pogo sticking. Bliss talks down as only she can and suggests Bayley leave the championships to the adults. A dropkick puts Bliss on the floor but she snaps Bayley’s throat on the ropes and comes up with a kendo stick. One heck of a shot to the back sends Bayley outside and Bliss poses with the title. Heck of a segment from Bliss here, who is still on fire.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

Swann nips out of an early wristlock before a dropkick is good for one. Daivari sends him hard into the corner though and we take an early break. Back with Daivari working on a backbreaker, followed by some more whips into the corner. Swann fights back with some shots to the head but it’s too early for the Phoenix splash. Instead Daivari bails to the floor, only to have Rich dive on him there instead. Back in and Daivari’s frog splash gets two but Swann rolls him up for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C-. This was fine but totally standard cruiserweight action, meaning it’s nothing I’m going to remember by…..what was I talking about again? Nothing to see here of course as Swann was the obvious winner and Daivari continues to be one of the least interesting members of the roster.

We’ll wrap it up here.

Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins starts fast and sends Bray outside for a…..dive. Bray Rock Bottoms him onto the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Wyatt still in control and grabbing a superplex. Another Rock Bottom is broken up though and….let’s have a graphic for the pay per view match IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MATCH.

Anyway Seth tosses him to the floor for a…..dive before Bray hits one of the hardest clotheslines I’ve ever seen. Another Rock Bottom gives Bray two but Seth gets in his low superkick for the same. Bray gets tossed outside (third time) for a top rope….oh you get the idea by now but Samoa Joe comes in for the most obvious DQ in recent memory at 14:13.

Rating: C-. As repetitive as the match was, it really took a……dive as they kept doing the same stuff over and over again. It also doesn’t help that I had the DQ written up before the match started but to be fair, that’s the logical ending and the right place to have Joe on the show. Good enough match but nothing great.

Bray and Joe beat on Rollins until Wyatt hits Joe with Sister Abigail to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. So that exists. The women’s match was an actual breath of fresh air but it needed more than Jax and Brooke having a quick match. The Raw stuff was pretty dreadful but that’s the case with almost everything on that show this week. Then again though it’s hard to complain when this show takes all of twenty minutes to watch.

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

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205 Live
Date: May 2, 2017
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s a new month and that means we’re still in the Neville vs. Austin Aries world as Neville got himself disqualified to retain the Cruiserweight Title on Sunday, meaning we’re likely seeing a third match. Other than that we have some midcard feuds, including another round in the Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa story. Let’s get to it.

We open with some post-Smackdown video of Chris Jericho being taken to the back. I like that a lot more than rushing him out for the sake of starting the far less important show. At least it adds some realism.

The traditional opening recap looks at the Cruiserweight Title match and Neville telling TJ Perkins that Austin Aries is their problem. Aries then defeated Perkins with the Last Chancery.

Opening sequence.

The announcers talk for a bit because WE NEED DISTINCT COLORS FOR EVERY SHOW OR THE COMPANY WILL FALL APART!

TJP vs. Lince Dorado

No more Perkins apparently. They hit the mat running to start and it’s a double nipup into a standoff. Dorado sends him to the floor and the Asai moonsault makes things even worse. Back in and TJP stomps away in the corner, drawing threats of disqualification. Only if the storyline calls for it of course.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before TJP puts him on the top and starts going after the mask. Dorado elbows him back and mostly hits what I think was supposed to be a moonsault double stomp to the back with TJP still on his feet. That sounds like a fairly dangerous spot but it could have been a mistimed moonsault press. Dorado’s high crossbody gets two, followed by a superkick for the same. TJP goes after the mask again though, allowing him to get the kneebar and the submission at 7:04.

Rating: C+. This was a better match than I was expecting from Dorado, who rarely does much for me. TJP (I’m not wild on the new name) could be a major player in the division and the heel turn really has done him a lot of good. Having him win a hard fought match like this one is what he needs, though a win over Aries would help even more.

We get a sitdown interview with Brian Kendrick on his feud with Akira Tozawa. They were friends for a long time but now Tozawa thinks he’s too good for Kendrick to be his protege. Tozawa is paying attention to the fans when he needs to be winning matches. Kendrick says he’s done playing……and then he gets his head kicked off by Tozawa, who says lesson #5 is to always end an interview with impact.

Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak

Before the match, Gulak promises to bring true change to 205 Live. Gulak headlocks him to start and yells about how Ali needs to get smart. Ali apparently does just that with an armdrag and hurricanrana, only to have Gulak hide in the ropes. Another flip only seems to annoy Gulak as he blasts Ali with a clothesline for two, followed by a camel clutch. Ali fights up and grabs his neckbreaker but his top rope splash hits raised knees, giving Gulak the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C+. I liked the story here more than the first match and that’s a good sign. This fit the story they were going for quite well with the clear ending, though I’m curious to see where they’re going. Gulak probably needs to gain a follower in the future but he’s doing well enough on his own for now. Getting wins is the next important step as he has to be proven right for this to mean anything.

Post match Gulak says this is proof that his message works and he’s the future around here.

We get a long recap of Alicia Fox breaking up with Noam Dar thanks to Rich Swann, setting up a feud between the two of them.

Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar

Swann’s trunks have little wings on the hips. The bell rings and Graves says that it was a lot longer than a four hour flight for Dar. The announcers stop to chuckle as this is a reference to Phillips’ extramarital affair that came out on Instagram. That’s quite the risque line but Phillips seemed ok with it.

Swann headlocks Dar to the mat to start and a dropkick takes us right into the chinlock. Dar finally gets up and crotches him on the top, followed by a clothesline out to the floor. Back in Dar starts in on the arm with an armbar and some cranking. We hit the slow heel offense, including a chinlock and a belly to back suplex. Swann makes his comeback but a kick to the leg puts him on the floor again.

Noam’s arm work goes nowhere as Swann runs back inside for a running flip dive. The Phoenix splash connects but Swann’s arm bangs onto the mat and it’s a delayed cover for two. Back up and Dar CRANKS on the arm, only to have Swann kick him upside the head. Rich dives into a Fujiwara armbar until a rope is grabbed. Not that it matters as Dar hits a running kick to the face for the pin at 13:07.

Rating: B-. The match worked but I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have a match built around destroying a relationship be built around arm work. That being said, Swann sold the arm well and the match was solid enough. I’m not sure how they can keep the feud going after a clean loss like this but they’ve pulled it off before.

Post match Alicia comes out and reunites with Dar.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a night of good wrestling and storyline advancement, which is a positive sign considering there were no title implications all night. That’s the right idea as you can only do the Neville vs. Aries stuff so many times before it gets boring in a hurry. Good show though as 205 Live continues to be an inoffensive, easy to watch show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

205 Live
Date: April 25, 2017
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Payback and that means the upcoming title match is starting to run out of steam. One of the problems with 205 Live is you can only get so much mileage out of a single title match and it seems that we’ve reached that point. Austin Aries vs. Neville is entertaining but they’re running out of things for them to do. Let’s get to it.

We open with the traditionally long recap of the main feud, which includes TJ Perkins and Jack Gallagher getting involved with the title participants to add some fresh blood.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat as the ring is set up because this show MUST air right after Smackdown and couldn’t possibly be on earlier, thereby letting the fans go home a bit earlier and not resulting in a horribly empty arena.

Rich Swann/Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar/Brian Kendrick

Take two feuds and put them into one match. The brawl is on before the bell with the good guys sending them outside for running dives. That’s one way to wake the crowd up after spending eight minutes getting to the opening bell on a match that only lasts about fifty minutes in the first place. Swann and Kendrick start things off with Dar kicking Rich’s legs out to take over.

That means it’s time for the required arm work with Dar cranking and stomping. Kendrick grabs a chinlock before doing a cool midair takedown to stop Swann’s dive to the corner. Swann finally kicks Brian in the face and brings in Tozawa to clean house. With Kendrick being knocked to the floor, Tozawa grabs a Saito suplex on Dar, followed by the Shining Wizard for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. They kept the energy up here with Tozawa continuing to look like one of the better performers on the roster. The problem is they’re only on lesson #4 and that means this feud could go on for six more weeks, despite the feud already being done for the most part. Swann vs. Dar needs a little bump as there’s only so much you’re going to get out of the Alicia Fox breakup, especially when she doesn’t seem to be involved anymore.

Tozawa says lesson #4 is always choose wisely, such as picking the right partner.

Neville is ready to destroy Aries on Sunday because everyone must bow to the king.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

During the entrances we go back to last week where the Caucasian Drew Gulak held up a sign saying NO FLY ZONE during a match between two wrestlers of Middle Eastern descent. Leave it to WWE to either miss that subtlety all together or just be that stupid. Speaking of which, here’s Gulak to hold up his sign and join commentary.

Feeling out process to start with Nese running him over and stopping to pose. Ali comes right back with the same thing in a nice touch as we hear about all the unnecessary high risks for the sake of pleasing the audience. You can hear the politician character in Gulak and that’s an interesting way to go. I believe he did the same thing in CZW and it’s smart to go with something that worked once before.

We hit a neck crank on Ali as Gulak analyzes the potential damage it could do. You know, like an analyst is supposed to do but hasn’t done in about ten years. Mustafa comes back with a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog and a moonsault press for two. Gulak is VERY displeased because that was so dangerous. The rolling neckbreaker sends Nese to the floor so Ali runs the apron and flips over the corner for another dive. That should set up the inverted 450 but Gulak pulls Nese to the floor for the DQ at 7:28.

Rating: C+. They’re getting somewhere with this Gulak character, which is what he’s been needing for months now. The guy isn’t interesting on his own so you give him a character and let the natural talents take over. Why is that something that WWE can’t get with the majority of their characters? I’m sure Vince likely having nothing to do with 205 Live isn’t connected whatsoever.

Ali dives on Gulak to get some revenge.

Jack Gallagher vs. Neville

Non-title. Gallagher works a headlock as we hear about Neville not losing a singles match since October. That’s a great example of someone who benefits from not dealing with the 50/50 booking, though it might have something to do with being on a show that only lasts an hour a week. Gallagher kicks the champ in the face to knock him outside but Neville grabs William III and throws it up the ramp. That earns him a rare dive from Jack but the champ comes back in with a missile dropkick.

We hit a headlock on the mat before Neville just stands on Jack’s head. That’s quite the simple way to be a heel, which is often the best possible option. Gallagher gets in a headbutt and a dropkick but Neville nips up. He shouts at Gallagher, earning himself one heck of a headbutt for two. Jack can’t get in a belly to back superplex though as Neville palm strikes him in the face. Some kicks to the back of the head send Jack into the buckle, followed by the Rings of Saturn for the tap at 10:49.

Rating: B. They’re letting Gallagher get closer to finally beating Neville but I can’t picture that happening until after the title change. Gallagher is still great between the bells but there’s only so much that he can do when you haven’t won a singles match outside of Main Event since February.

Neville puts Gallagher in another Rings of Saturn on the ramp, drawing out Aries for the save (including a discus Fivearm that COMPLETELY missed) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows they’ve done in a good while with three solid matches and story advancement throughout. I’m not sure what they can do with the upcoming stories as this is the only place to blow them off, though there’s no way they can do a special with the limited amount of stories and talent they have. Good show though and that’s something they haven’t had enough of recently.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

205 Live
Date: April 18, 2017
Location: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

For once, we’re actually addressing one of the major problems around here as TJ Perkins has become a third major name in the division. Perkins has also turned heel, which gives Austin Aries something to do as he gets ready for his Cruiserweight Title shot against Neville. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show.

We open with a recap of Neville getting inside TJ Perkins’ head and turning him to the dark side in his feud against Austin Aries.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start until Tozawa is sent outside. That only seems to tick him off so he scares Nese out to the floor as things slow down a bit. Back in and Nese elbows him in the face to take over for the first time. We’re off to an early neck crank and here’s Brian Kendrick. A suplex sets up another chinlock but Tozawa knees his way out of a second suplex.

Tozawa sends him outside again for another suicide dive but gets sent throat first into the ropes to slow him down. With the referee distracted, Kendrick tries a kick to the head. Thankfully the referee actually catches him and says no, allowing Tozawa to graba rollup for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. I’m liking the Kendrick vs. Tozawa feud but they’re reaching a point where it’s just continuing for the sake of continuing. Adding Nese to the mix could help things out a bit as you can only have the two of them fight for so long before it stops doing anything for anyone. Good little match here though with the ending making sense.

Nese isn’t cool with that and decks Kendrick. Tozawa says that’s lesson #3: always have eyes in the back of your head.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat (complete with an unnecessary bell) about giving Alicia Fox all the gifts. This brings out Noam Dar and Alicia Fox (with separate entrances) with the latter saying that she thought Dar was the future face of 205 Live. He’s young and talented but then she saw the other side of him: he’s annoying, his cologne smells terrible and he thinks he can cook (“Just not in every room.”). She’s been using him and if she hears that ALICIA FOOOOOX one more time, she’s going to snap.

Fox tells him to get out of here before switching her attention to Swann. She thanks him for the gifts, which Swann says all game from the heart. Now Swann wants to give her what she deserves. Cedric Alexander is one of Swann’s best friends and she broke his heart. There’s a word for people like Fox but Swann won’t say it. The world knows what she is though and that’s his real gift. Fox SNAPS over the WHAT treatment and screams a lot, which she really does very well.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ariya Daivari

Earlier today, Ariya Daivari arrived in a very nice car. So he’s rich now. Ali grabs the arm but Daivari looks disgusted by being touched. Some flips don’t get Mustafa very far so he sends Ali outside for a flip dive over the ropes. Back in and Daivari grabs a belly to back suplex onto the apron, followed by a spinebuster for two.

Ali comes back with some knees to the ribs and a dropkick…..but we’ve got feedback. Cue Drew Gulak with a bullhorn to shout “I AM NOT LYING! NO HIGH FLYING!” The distraction lets Daivari pull Ali off the top and hit a hammerlock clothesline (the Rainmaker, which is still just a clothesline) for the pin at 6:50.

Rating: D+. I’ve watched this match twice now and I really didn’t remember a thing of it until Gulak came out. It’s a very forgettable match as Daivari continues to become more and more of a stereotype, which is almost never a good thing. The match isn’t even bad and it helps set up Gulak vs. Ali but there’s nothing to remember here.

Gulak says he sees a bright future around here and has nothing against Ali but his style needs to change.

TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries

Perkins bails to the floor to start so Aries has a seat in the ring. Back in and it’s already time for the armdrags into the armbar as it seems they have a lot of time here. Perkins reverses into the headscissors and, of course, dabs. The threat of a Last Chancery puts TJ outside again but Aries gets crotched on top to slow things down again. A dropkick gets two with TJ putting one foot on the chest for a dabbing cover.

Now it’s off to something like a standing figure four with a butterfly lock on the arms. Perkins misses a standing flip splash though and gets dropped by an STO. A side slam gives Aries two but it’s too early for the 450. Aries jams his knee on the landing and there’s the kneebar. It’s only the first attempt though and Aries makes the rope. Aries slugs away but gets caught in a strike rush.

The discus Fivearm misses and they botch the double chickenwing gutbuster, basically turning it into a low blow for two instead. Now the forearm connects to set up the 450 but Perkins gets his feet on the ropes. The Last Chancery (with Aries crossing his legs to avoid putting pressure on the bad knee) sends TJ to the ropes again and Aries isn’t sure what to do. The Detonation Kick doesn’t work so Aries claps his hands around TJ’s ears, setting up the Fivearm for the pin at 11:48.

Rating: B-. Perkins is rapidly improving with this heel character and his in-ring work has gotten better too. I’m not wild on having him lose here but at least it was in a match with some time that went back and forth instead of being mostly one sided. Good main event here and Aries looks strong going into the pay per view.

Post match here’s Neville for the brawl with Aries and it’s a quick Last Chancery. Perkins makes the save though and the double beatdown ensues. Neville grabs the Rings of Saturn with TJ taunting Aries to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I know you hear it a lot but the scheduling of this show really, really hurts it. Smackdown ended it at 10pm and by 10:15, the arena was probably 1/3 empty. By the time the show ended, it was probably close to 1/3 full. This show was entertaining but the fans just do not care to stick around and watch it. Move it before Smackdown and just air it on tape delay. I really don’t know why the show MUST go on at 10pm but that’s what WWE seems to go with and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

205 Live
Date: April 11, 2017
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re in the post-post-Wrestlemania era now and that means things can start to get back to normal. Last week Austin Aries became the new #1 contender to the Cruiserweight Title but since his win, Cruiserweight Champion Neville has been getting inside TJ Perkins’ head. This could mean a potential change to the title match so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Aries vs. Neville, as well as Aries winning last week’s #1 contenders match.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick vs. Mustafa Ali

Kendrick works on the arm to start as we hear about Drew Gulak’s quest to get rid of high flying. Graves calls it the WWE equivalent of a mother in law. More arm work frustrates Kendrick out to the apron and things slow down a bit. Ali pops up and moonsaults over Kendrick in the corner before sending Brian outside again.

The first big dive takes Kendrick down and we cut to Gulak watching in the back and getting rather annoyed. Kendrick crawls underneath the ring and pulls Ali’s shoulder into the post to take over for the first time (nice idea with the veteran presence etc). We hit a seated cobra clutch for a bit before a good looking spinwheel kick drops Brian again.

The rolling neckbreaker gets two and Kendrick charges into a knee in the corner. Brian breaks up the inverted 450 and grabs the Captain’s Hook for….a bell without a submission. The referee says the match isn’t over and we see Akira Tozawa holding the bell up. Kendrick is livid and gets kicked in the head again, setting up the inverted 450 for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Good match here and you can see Tozawa starting to get the hand over Kendrick, who isn’t going to take this well. It also helps that Ali was close enough to the ropes that you could believe he wasn’t finished so he comes off looking fine too. Nice stuff here as the long form storytelling is still working.

Tozawa says that’s Lesson #2.

We look back at Neville getting inside Perkins’ head, leading to Perkins defeating Aries on later that night on Raw.

Perkins thinks Neville is right because he’s the hero of the Cruiserweight Classic but can’t get a break around here. Jack Gallagher comes up to say this is poppycock but they’ll have a match later tonight. Perkins doesn’t want to hear it.

Rich Swann vs. Johnny Ocean

Johnny stomps away in the corner to start and shouts a lot in the process. Fans: “WE DON’T KNOW YOU!” Swann shrugs it off and kicks Ocean down, setting up a jumping splash. The Phoenix splash wraps Ocean up at 2:16 and you can hear him tell Swann “thank you so much” during the count.

Post match Swann talks about sending presents to Alicia Fox but here’s Noam Dar to interrupt. Swann is LYING about giving her those presents and blows are about to be struck, only to have Fox come out. She believes Dar but she’s seen Swann looking at her. Cue a courier with another present, which Dar says is from him. Fox opens it and is covered with exploding powder. That’s uh….quite the plan from Swann. It’s a good thing he knew Dar would not only be in the arena but also knew that he’d come out there in time.

Aries thinks Neville wants Perkins around as a puppet instead of a friend. It turns out that Aries is a puppet master so he’s capable of dealing with this. Now if you’ll excuse him, he has a banana to finish.

TJ Perkins vs. Jack Gallagher

Gallagher goes to his usual bag of tricks early on with the hand walk to escape a headlock, followed by an armbar, complete with a toss of his hair. TJ gets taken to the mat and caught in a headscissors, only to bounce back and forth to escape. That earns him a dropkick to the floor but Perkins runs off before it can be Mary Poppins time.

Back in and Perkins has to pause due to the corner headstand spot but he can grab a DDT on the leg to take over. The leg work begins with Perkins stomping away and wrapping it around the bottom rope. We hit an Indian deathlock, followed by something between a Sharpshooter and a Figure Four in a pretty cool looking hold.

Unfortunately TJ turns it over and puts Gallagher right in front of the ropes so it’s quickly broken but it did look good while it lasted. Perkins takes him right back to the mat and grabs another leglock, this time while grabbing the arms in a butterfly lock. Gallagher grabs his own foot and pulls it away for the escape before grabbing a modified powerslam for two. With the leg almost completely gone, Jack takes him to the top for a belly to back superplex and one heck of a crash.

TJ rolls outside but gets pulled back inside, only to grab a kneebar. Somehow Gallagher manages to roll over for the rope but goes with a spinning backbreaker onto the bad knee in a bit of a dumb move. The pain sends Gallagher rolling to the floor but he’s able to block the Wrecking Ball and hit one heck of a headbutt for two. Perkins goes off with strikes but gets nailed with another headbutt. There’s just nothing left in the leg though and Gallagher can’t hit the running dropkick. Instead TJ sends him into the post for the knockout before hitting the Devastation Kick for the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here as the cruiserweights continue to be able to show off at a very high level when they have the time to do so. The leg was the focus of the match and played into the ending, which goes back to Perkins’ run in the Cruiserweight Classic. I could go for a refocused Perkins, who really can be one of the best around when he’s on his game.

Neville comes out to congratulate Perkins to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it’s just the post-Wrestlemania season but I’ve been liking this show a lot more than usual lately. The development of Perkins (which has taken place in the last twenty four hours) is a great addition to the show as Aries and Neville have been alone at the top for a few months now. This was another good episode and the show has been on a bit of a roll lately.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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205 Live
Date: April 4, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

One more Orlando show to wrap up the week. We’re in an interesting place with the cruiserweights as Neville retained the title over Austin Aries, leaving us with no #1 contender and no one not named Aries is even in his league. Tonight we have a four way for the #1 contendership, which could see Aries get another shot or someone new get in there. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show with the hard cameras on my left and the Titantron almost straight in front of me.

Long package on Aries vs. Neville.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

Rematch from last week. Kendrick comes out to talk about lesson #10. Fans: “TEN! TEN! TEN!” The chants change Brian’s mind about the crowd, who he had pegged as a bunch of goofballs. The lesson is all about psychological supremacy, though I’m distracted by the most obnoxious sign ever in the front row: “The person behind me can’t see.”

That’s one you see at a lot of shows and it makes my head shake harder every time. I mean….you’re going to a big show, you spend a lot of money on tickets, and you actually take the time to make a sign for the sole purpose of ruining someone else’s night? You paid your money so now you need to make sure that other people wasted theirs? That’s completely pathetic and something that can’t be defended. Grow up man.

Kendrick bails to the floor at the bell but Tozawa still beats him to the punch to take over. The backsplash gets two but Kendrick is ready for the fake out punch and grabs a rollup for two. Not that it matters as Tozawa kicks him in the face to take over again. A bad old fashioned thumb to the eye sets up a leg lariat for two on Tozawa. Kendrick can’t get the Captain’s Hook so he settles for a reverse chinlock instead.

Back up and Tozawa grabs a hurricanrana before knocking Kendrick to the floor. Kendrick claims a poke to the eye but the referee says it was a forearm. Naturally he’s goldbricking so Tozawa dives at him instead, only to tweak his knee. This time it’s Tozawa goldbricking though and Brian gets rolled up for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to extend the feud (some might even call it fine) but I’m really not sure how much longer they can carry this out without a big change of pace. Kendrick has grown on me a good bit in this story and it’s making Tozawa look better as well, especially since he finally won a match.

Tozawa says that was lesson #1.

Oney Lorcan vs. Rich Swann

Lorcan is an NXT callup but he’s billed as a replacement for an injured Noam Dar, meaning this might be a one off appearance. Oney charges at Swann at the bell and scores with a series of running uppercuts. It’s off to an abdominal stretch as Swann looks overwhelmed to start. A bodyscissors keeps Swann in trouble for a bit until he escapes for a kick to the head.

Lorcan catches him up top but can’t hit a half and half superplex as Swann backflips out. A running Alabama Slam into the corner gives Oney two but Swann scores with some clotheslines for a breather. Swann kicks him down a few more times and adds the Phoenix splash for the win at 6:42.

Rating: C+. If Lorcan didn’t have a full callup coming in, there’s a good chance he earned a spot with this performance. He beat the heck out of Swann here and that’s one of the best things that he could possibly have done. Sometimes you just need to showcase yourself and Lorcan did so very well here.

Post match Swann says he’s been the one sending the gifts to Alicia Fox. That’s how you move a story forward in a hurry. Phillips brings up the possibility that Swann is lying.

Drew Gulak stops Mustafa Ali in the back and suggests competing a bit more conservatively in the four way. Ali doesn’t want to hear this but Gulak says change is coming so be on the right side of history.

Some of the WWE UK Title tournament are here, including Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne (big pop) and of course Tyler Bate, who gets his own entrance. There’s going to be a weekly UK show on the Network in the near future.

Here’s Neville for a chat before the main event. No one is on the Neville Level and it feels nice to be proven right. Neville can’t believe people think he ripped at Aries’ repaired orbital socket out of desperation. That’s nonsense. He did it because Aries deserved it. Neville thanks us for never believing in him because it’s made him royalty. He’ll be at ringside for the four way, or as he calls it, four more lambs to the slaughter.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries

Ali and Gallagher are knocked to the floor to start, leaving Aries and Nese to work on an arm each. Perkins’ corkscrew dive takes Ali down again but it’s already time for the Mary Poppins spot. Thankfully Aries breaks it up and dropkicks Jack to the floor. All four take turns coming back in and get a few shots here and there until Gallagher does his headstand in the corner to stop a charging Mustafa.

Perkins comes back in with the kneebar on Jack but Aries makes the save with a Last Chancery. Ali goes after the eye though, leaving Gallagher to grab a reverse DDT on Perkins. Aries grabs one at the same time on Gallagher, leaving Ali to roll in with the neckbreaker to take all three down at the same time. Back up and Ali gets crotched on top, setting up Gallagher and Aries for a double superplex. Aries isn’t done though as he dives onto Ali and Perkins, allowing Gallagher to get in the Mary Poppins spot.

Back in and Perkins takes a wicked tornado DDT from Mustafa with Aries making the save. Aries loads Ali up for what looked to be a superplex but stepped aside so Gallagher can nail his running corner dropkick, sending Ali crashing outside. Perkins and Gallagher slug it out until Perkins takes the headbutt. Gallagher falls to the floor though, leaving Aries to hit the Fivearm to put Perkins away at 11:24.

Rating: B. It was fun, albeit a bit messy. These guys beat each other up though and Ali’s bump near the end was a good looking crash. Aries is the only logical move here as he’s the only person near Neville’s level. We’ve seen the other three already and none of them were anything of note. There’s a good reason to believe Aries can pull it off in a second match and it should be fun to see.

One quick live note: you could tell the fans were burned out by the time the main event started. One fan in the section next to me went on a HILARIOUS string of insults against Perkins, shouting every few seconds about how terrible he was and how he needed to stay out of the ring. I don’t know if it was just due to being tired from the week or something similar but the sections around him were in stitches. Then he went a bit too far and knew it.

Fan: “ROMAN REIGNS IS A BETTER WRESTLER THAN TJ PERKINS!”

Everyone else: “NO! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!”

Fan: “I APOLOGIZE! I PROMISE TO FADE AWAY AND CLASSIFY MYSELF AS OBSOLETE!”

Anyway, trash talk ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of the best episodes of the show to date but you could tell the crowd was just done by the end. After Wrestlemania, Raw and anything else you did in the previous days, there was no way anyone was going to give this show their full attention. Some of the fans did leave before the show but other than a few seats in front of me, you really couldn’t see any major pockets of suddenly empty seats. Good show, but a bad spot on the schedule.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: March 28, 2017
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Wrestlemania XXXIII and while I know I’m a bit behind schedule, it’s always worth looking at everything setting up a major title match. I was really looking forward to Austin Aries vs. Neville for the Cruiserweight Title and it’s time for the final push to the match. Let’s get to it.

Neville doesn’t think much of Aries dancing with New Day on Raw because it’s everyone wanting to see what 205 Live would be like without him. Tonight, he’ll make that happen.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

The announcers start suggesting that Swann has been sending Alicia Fox the presents, an allegation which Swann certainly hasn’t shied away from. Daivari runs him over a few times but gets knocked to the floor. Swann gets dropped face first onto the announcers’ table and Farsi is shouted.

Back in and Ariya stays on the neck before sending him hard into the corner. The frog splash misses though and Swann grabs a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Daivari’s running neckbreaker and frog splash get two, only to have Swann kick him in the head. A Phoenix splash (which seems to be the most popular move in the world anymore) ends Daivari at 7:27.

Rating: C. This was fine with Daivari being a bit more watchable than usual. His in-ring work is fine enough but being a black hole of charisma has crippled any long term potential he has. Good enough match here though as Swann is just fun to watch almost no matter what he’s doing.

Fox is talking about Noam Dar’s injury when Swann comes up to ask about why Dar hates him. Another gift is delivered with Fox getting perfume this time. She eats it.

Drew Gulak tries to recruit Mustafa Ali to become a more mat based wrestler instead of doing all the flips. So he’s Drew Gulak For a Better NXT? Ali leaves while he’s talking.

Mustafa Ali vs. Brandon Scott

Ali flips around to start and grabs a hurricanrana before kicking him in the head. Scott gets in a few kicks to the chest and gets two off a hard clothesline. A high crossbody drops Scott again and a kick to the head sets up the inverted 450 for the pin on Scott at 3:24.

Rating: C-. This was fine given how little time it had but the idea of Ali vs. Gulak in a technical vs. high flying feud could be fun, especially if it gives Gulak any kind of a character. Good enough match here with Ali continuing to get to show off as he’s still one of the best surprises of the show so far.

Video on Aries vs. Neville.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

This is the result of a long feud as Kendrick keeps attacking Tozawa to teach him a variety of lessons. Kendrick gets kicked in the face to send him outside in a hurry, followed by a top rope backsplash for two inside. A quick Captain’s Hook has Tozawa in trouble but he’s out in a hurry. Kendrick bails to the floor and suckers Tozawa into a drop toehold onto the ramp. A suplex gives Brian two and we hit a half nelson of all things.

Kendrick switches up to a reverse chinlock with a few shots to the face like a villain should do. Tozawa fights up and kicks him in the face, only to get caught in Sliced Bread #2 for a near fall. Now the Captain’s Hook goes on full but Tozawa gets out again. They go to the corner where a turnbuckle pad comes off. As you might expect, Tozawa charges straight into the steel a few seconds later, giving Kendrick the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. I liked this one again but why in the world do you have Tozawa lose here? It wasn’t clean but you would think he’s going to be the next challenger for the Cruiserweight Title assuming Neville retains. Kendrick is a gatekeeper instead of someone who should be winning a match, making this a rather confusing ending to a solid match.

Kendrick says that was Lesson #9: Anything can be used as a weapon.

Here’s Neville for the second time on a show he wasn’t going to be part of. Neville says he’s at a crossroads after facing many trials over his career. He’s picked himself up every time though, including after his broken ankle last year. Then he became the face of 205 Live and carried the division. Yet the people boo him, even though he’s the reason there’s a Cruiserweight Title match at Wrestlemania. The fans want to cheer for a commentary guy like Aries, even though there is no 205 Live without him. Want to see what it’s like without him? Here’s a black screen.

Cue Aries to say 205 Live is twice as good with him on it but Neville looks miserable all the time. They’ve both had to prove people wrong all their lives. When they both step in this ring, all they want to do is prove that they’re the best in the world and steal the show. Neville punches him in the face and stomps away but takes a microphone to the ear. A quick Last Chancery sends the champ bailing to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was fine enough for the go home show as the lone 205 Live contribution to Wrestlemania weekend is Neville vs. Aries. It wasn’t the most thrilling show in the world or anything like that but it did its job, which is far too often the case for a lot of shows around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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205 Live
Date: March 7, 2017
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves

The big cruiserweight story is Austin Aries signaling that he’s ready to get physical again, which is the best thing possible for a lot of people around here. Last night on Monday Night Raw, Aries forearmed Cruiserweight Champion Neville in the face, seemingly signaling that he’s ready to go after the title. Let’s get to it.

We actually open with the end of Smackdown and AJ Styles and Randy Orton leaving. That’s a bit odd.

Long recap of Neville retaining the title at Fastlane and Aries laying him out the next night on Raw.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat about Aries.

Speaking of Aries, here he is for a chat….with himself. As in he asks himself a question and then switches sides to answer. Aries remembered a lesson he learned in grade school: if you want respect, you take it. That’s why he punched the toughest guy in the room in the mouth last night. Austin Aries: expert analyst is gone but Austin Aries: in-ring expert is here.

This brings out Neville to say Aries is in over his head. Aries says Neville is at the A level but he’s way below the A-Double Level. The champ says all that matters around here is the Neville Level. That earns the champ an invitation to the ring but Aries isn’t worthy of Neville’s presence. Instead, Neville thinks there’s a locker room full of talent ready to take Aries’ head off. That’s fine with Austin and it sounds like we have an open challenge for later tonight.

Rich Swann tries to teach Jack Gallagher to dance when Noam Dar comes in to brag about Alicia Fox. There seems to be some confusion about who sent her the flowers last week but Dar takes credit.

Noam Dar/Ariya Daivari vs. Rich Swann/Jack Gallagher

Daivari takes Swann down to start with the announcers suggesting that Swann isn’t at 100% after losing to Neville the previous night. Swann gets in a kick to the head but Dar grabs his foot to block a hurricanrana. The slow beating continues with Daivari driving knees into the back and grabbing a chinlock. Swann fights out without too much trouble and the hot tag brings in Gallagher. Everything breaks down and it’s the big headbutt to Daivari to set up Rich’s Phoenix splash on Dar for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: C-. Kind of slow here but that’s the norm for Daivari. I like Dar for the most part but he wasn’t in the ring all that much here. Swann and Gallagher get to win for some restored momentum after losing to Neville a few times. Not much of a match but the last minute or so was entertaining.

Post match a deliveryman brings out some chocolates for Fox. Dar is confused but takes credit for them anyway.

Brian Kendrick says Akira Tozawa can have a fight tonight if he really wants one.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

Actually hang on a second. See, Kendrick agreed that Tozawa could fight Brian Kendrick but not THE Brian Kendrick.

Akira Tozawa vs. Bryan Kendrick

Bryan is played by indy regular Arik Cannon. Kendrick gets in a few forearms but has to duck a spinning kick, allowing Akira to snap the German suplex for the pin at 1:07.

Neville doesn’t want to hear about Austin Aries and says Tony Nese will be a nice challenge tonight. There will be a new #1 contender next week.

Austin Aries vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start with Aries very happily grabbing a headlock. That’s enough for Aries to lay out on the top rope and then kiss the biceps for good measure. Nese knocks him outside and Aries might have tweaked his knee. Back in and Aries grabs the neckbreaker over the ropes to take over again but Nese crotches him on the top. The announcers point out that it might be due to ring rust, which is a nice touch that you don’t get enough of from commentary.

It’s off to a body vise with the legs but Aries is out almost immediately and being sent to the floor again. Nese screams at Aries to go back where he belongs (with a point at the announcers’ desk) and as you might expect, Aries pops right back up and starts cleaning house. The running corner dropkick sets up the roaring elbow for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Not a great match but I liked the idea that Aries was having ring rust and couldn’t go as hard as he would otherwise. It’s also nice to have him beat a bigger name before being slotted into the Wrestlemania title match. I mean, Aries being handed the match would have been fine but I can go for some authenticity for a change.

Overall Rating: C. This was more of a one concept show with the focus on Aries. The big idea was to reestablish Aries as a player on the roster and that was certainly accomplished. I barely remember the rest of the show at this point and that’s perfectly fine given how well they accomplished the Aries stuff. That being said, this show needs more than one big story going on and I don’t see Tozawa vs. Kendrick getting one minute as fulfilling that requirement.

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

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205 Live
Date: February 14, 2017
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Austin Aries, Corey Graves, Mauro Ranallo

With Fastlane starting to get close, we have a Cruiserweight Title match set for the pay per view. It’s going to be a battle of England with champion Neville defending against Gentleman Jack Gallagher, who probably won’t be much of a threat to the title but at least the match should be fun. Let’s get to it.

We recap last week’s Fatal Five Way where Gallagher became the new #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview tonight’s show.

Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann

Before the match, Swann says it’s an important night because he’s back on the show and because it’s Valentine’s Day. Since it’s a special night, he’s dedicating this one to Alicia Fooooooox, but she can’t handle this. Dar takes him down by the arm to start until Rich uses his flips to speed things up. A dropkick puts Noam on the floor for some treatment from Fox so Rich does some dancing.

The treatment seems to work just fine as Dar kicks away to take over, earning some loud cheering from Fox. One heck of a kick to the jaw drops Dar but he ducks an enziguri into an ankle lock. Swann has been watching his Kurt Angle Collection on the WWE Network though and flips Dar outside for the escape. Dar gets in a Northern Lariat (with Mauro referring to it as such), only to get caught in a hurricanrana. The Phoenix Splash gives Swann the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C. These two have developed incredibly well in a short time and that’s due to very different reasons. Swann’s athleticism and in ring work have gotten so much better in a hurry and the dancing has taken a backseat, which is the best thing that could have happened to him. On the other hand, Dar is a great example of someone being enhanced by having a great looking valet. They’re a good pairing and that’s what Dar needed.

We get a sitdown interview between Neville and TJ Perkins. Neville gives the closest thing to praise that he’s going to offer by talking about TJ’s win in the Cruiserweight Classic. TJ says he put the cruiserweight division on the mat but Neville wants to know what happened to Perkins when Neville showed up. Perkins wants to know what happened to Neville between NXT and WWE because he seemed to disappear. That’s too much for Neville and threats are made for later.

Video on Gran Metalik losing in the finals of the Cruiserweight Classic. He lost to the better man and is back to prove his worth.

Gran Metalik vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak shakes hands but hits a dropkick at the bell and watches Metalik botch some kind of a springboard. A Sami Zayn chop to the chest into a wristdrag off the top sends Gulak outside and thankfully there’s no botched dive to follow it up. Instead Drew slows it down with an armbar before Metalik mostly misses a double springboard…..something. Drew grabs a Gory Special and spins Metalik into a neckbreaker. Since there’s no lucha libre word for selling, Metalik pops back up and enziguris him to the floor for a springboard dive. Back in and the Metalik Driver ends Gulak at 5:26.

Rating: D+. The botches were strong with this one and it really hurt Metalik’s debut. Sometimes people try to go a little too fast for their own good and that seems to be what happened here. Of course there’s more than enough time for Metalik to fix things up as Kofi Kingston had one of the worst debuts I’ve ever seen and turned out just fine.

Brian Kendrick comes in to see Akira Tozawa and offers to be his mentor again. Kendrick talks to him like an idiot because Tozawa can’t speak English….until he says he knows what Brian is saying and doesn’t like him.

TJ Perkins vs. Neville

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with TJ taking over off a twist of the arm. Neville can’t get anywhere with the arm work so he kicks TJ in the face to escape. Perkins gets two off a springboard crossbody but gets sent outside so Neville can do some high quality sneering. A rather loud missile dropkick puts TJ down for two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Neville gets caught in a jumping neckbreaker, followed by a springboard DDT of all things for two.

The fans chant for Austin Aries as TJ starts in on the arm, only to have his armbar countered into a sitout powerbomb for an emphatic break. Back up and they forearm the heck out of each other until Neville has to escape the Detonation Kick. TJ escapes the superplex and one ups himself by countering the Rings of Saturn into a rollup. Neville will have none of that though and kicks him in the arm to set up the Rings of Saturn for the submission at 12:31.

Rating: B-. This was actually a bit disappointing from what you would expect these two to put together. Perkins is still one of the best performers in the division and Neville is on fire right now. For some reason though the match was just kind of there, which isn’t the performance you would expect out of these guys.

Post match Jack Gallagher comes out for the brawl and, after Neville sends William III to the floor, Gallagher headbutts him down and poses with the title to end the show. Kind of a non-gentlemanly action there, no?

Overall Rating: C-. Not the best show this week as I actually couldn’t remember most of the card aside from the main event just a little while after watching it. The Metalik match was sloppy and the opener was totally forgettable. Gallagher vs. Neville comes off like a filler feud, albeit an entertaining one. That’s not enough for a full show though and it showed badly here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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