205 Live
Date: July 25, 2017
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

Tonight is more about the midcard as we have a “big” tag match between TJP/Tony Nese and Cedric Alexander/Rich Swann to advance the Swann vs. TJP feud. Other than that Ariya Daivari is facing Neville for reasons that I really don’t understand. If Daivari is the best they can do for an upper midcard heel going after the heel champion, they’re in bigger trouble than it seemed. Let’s get to it.

Neville is really not pleased with Daivari messing with people above his level. That was a critical error by thinking that Neville’s kingdom was open to a hostile takeover. Daivari did well last night but tonight he’s learning the difference between an injured animal like Akira Tozawa and the King of the Cruiserweights.

Opening sequence.

Ariya Daivari vs. Neville

Non-title with Akira Tozawa on commentary. Daivari dedicates this to another Iranian Olympian and promises to hurt Tozawa later. Ariya heads straight to the floor to start and then does it again as there’s no contact in the first minute. They do the same thing a third time until Neville goes after him, only to be sent into the barricade and LED ring skirt. The frog splash gets two back inside as Neville hasn’t had any actual offense yet.

The hammerlock lariat is broken up though and there’s a superkick to put Neville in control. A missile dropkick puts Daivari on the floor where Neville whips him into various things. Neville stops to yell at Tozawa so Daivari sends them into each other. Neville can’t beat the count and gets counted out at 4:36.

Rating: D+. I was liking the match more than I was expecting to until we got to the lame ending. That ending doesn’t make Daivari look like anything special but keeps him around Neville due to getting a win. Daivari did look better than he does otherwise but he’s really not interesting enough to warrant this spot.

Neville and Tozawa are about to go at it but the referees break it up for the sake of Tozawa’s shoulder.

We look back at Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak’s 2/3 falls match last week.

Here’s Brian Kendrick for a chat. He’s tried to help us over and over but all he gets are attacks, both physically and on social media. Why can no one see the difference between fighters like him and clowns like Jack Gallagher? Kendrick puts Gallagher’s picture on the screen and talks about various features such as Gallagher’s hair or eyes…..which are replaced by clown features instead. Gallagher finally comes out to chase Kendrick off. This was really, really stupid.

Swann and Alexander are in the back with Cedric talking about how he’s glad that the crazy ex-girlfriend is gone. Nese and TJP come up to brag about how awesome they’ll be with Nese saying Alexander is a consolation prize. A brawl is cut off by TJP’s music starting up.

TJP/Tony Nese vs. Cedric Alexander/Rich Swann

Swann is now in long tights instead of trunks and starts with Nese. Actually hang on a second as Tony drops to a knee and poses, saying everyone can appreciate that for a second. They exchange leapfrogs until Swann flips over Nese and scores with a dropkick. Cedric comes in and spins Nese around by the arm before handing it right back to Swann. A double dropkick to the back gets two and it’s off to TJP. That means a little dabbing, followed by a PLEASE STOP DABBING chant.

Cedric ankle scissors him into a dropkick and the villains are sent outside. You know two good faces aren’t going to let that go, meaning it’s a running flip dive from Cedric and a Phoenix splash dive from Swann. Back in and Cedric works on an armbar, which for some reason warrants a weak CM Punk chant. A Nese distraction lets TJP run Cedric over though, mainly because good guys aren’t that bright at times.

Nese ties him into the Tree of Woe and drops to his back for some situps and kicks to the ribs. Tony isn’t pleased with getting small packaged for two so he hammers away with quite the aggression. Back to TJP for a foot to the face and more dabbing. A chinlock sets up the spinning springboard forearm (no nipup though) for two. Alexander fights out of a double arm crank and takes TJP down, setting up the hot tag to Swann. Not that you would know it was hot as the fans barely react but take what you can get.

Swann and Nese strike it out until Rich jumps over a legsweep and kicks him in the head. It’s already back to Alexander for a quick running C4 as everything breaks down. Nese throws Swann onto the announcers’ table, leaving Alexander to hit his handspring enziguri for two more. Nese breaks up the springboard forearm though and TJP steals the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to as they were given time to set things up and go on to the ending. I could have gone for a few more minutes, which isn’t something that I often get to say around here. Swann vs. TJP is a solid feud and the blowoff match should be good, especially if TJP goes full heel on the way there.

Overall Rating: C+. That Gallagher/Kendrick segment aside, this was a rather solid effort from the smaller guys, though some of the talent involved still drags down what would be an otherwise better show. Daivari doesn’t do much for me and Kendrick’s stuff was just stupid. Other than that though, good show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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Main Event
Date: July 13, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

It’s back to the easiest show of the week. This week’s Monday Night Raw had some big moments and it could be interesting to see what we get on this show. They really could throw multiple things at us and when you add in some original wrestling which could go several ways, there’s potential for this show. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Mickie James vs. Emma

I don’t remember the last time we had the women on this show. Mickie works on a top wristlock to start before blowing a kiss and getting two off a dropkick. The hurricanrana out of the corner is countered with a powerbomb and Dana Brooke is watching in the back. Emma grabs a seated full nelson before putting her in the Tree of Woe and pulling at the hair. Mickie fights up without too much effort and hits the middle rope Thesz press, followed by the MickieDT for the pin at 5:58.

Rating: C. This was a lot better than I was expecting as they beat each other up for a few minutes. If nothing else, I’m amazed by the fact that they actually used something like this for storyline advancement with Brooke watching in the back. Nice match here with Mickie showing that she still has it.

First time from Raw.

It’s time for MizTV with the Mizzy Awards for last night’s Intercontinental Title match. First up is Best Supporting Actor, which goes to both Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in a tie. After they thank Miz for changing their lives, Maryse wins Most Gorgeous, Beautiful, Sexy Leading Lady. Maryse is honored and that leaves us with Greatest Man in WWE. Miz opens the envelope and is shocked to say Dean Ambrose…..but he’s kidding because Miz wins.

Miz saw a lot of people running their mouths last night but Seth Rollins, the Hardys and Akira Tozawa were all just full of hot air. Last night he beat the toughest man in WWE so what does that make him? Cue Ambrose to go after Miz but it’s Rollins coming in for the real save. Hopefully this sets up Miz vs. Rollins as I can’t handle Ambrose vs. Miz again.

Also from Raw.

Here’s Kurt Angle to introduce Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar for a chat. Angle congratulates Lesnar for his win last night and says Brock surprised him. Heyman gives a quick victory speech but here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt. Roman says the three of them were all in the Attitude Era (No Roman, they weren’t.) but Angle never learned how to handle Strowman and Lesnar is never around to do it.

Reigns thinks Angle owes him one and that should be Lesnar at Summerslam. Lesnar laughs this off because Reigns hasn’t earned it. Cue Samoa Joe to say Lesnar escaped him last night instead of beating him. Joe throws in that Reigns has never beaten him and wants another piece of Lesnar. They go nose to nose but Joe stops to say Roman lost last night. Reigns: “Look at me, then look at Braun if you can find him.” Angle makes Joe vs. Reigns for the title shot at Summerslam for next week.

Lince Dorado vs. TJP

They trade wristlocks to start until Dorado grabs a hurricanrana and TJP bails to the floor. Lince throws in a dab before cranking on a hammerlock to slow things back down. We take a break and come back with Lince getting in a faceplant and a moonsault for no cover. A Stunner gives Dorado two more but he misses the shooting star. The Detonation Kick ends Dorado at 8:02.

Rating: C-. You can only get so much out of Dorado as he’s not the most interesting character in the world and that’s not exactly a secret. TJP is a fairly big name in the cruiserweight division and it’s nice to have him around here instead of the same nothing matches all the time.

And the finale.

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt

Rematch from last night with Wyatt starting the mind games early. Seth hammers away but gets thrown into the corner for some forearms. Bray charges into a superkick for two and Seth takes him outside to start in on the hand. Makes sense after the eye poke last night. The hand gets rammed into various objects ranging from the barricade to the steps, only to have Bray counter a springboard into a release Rock Bottom.

Back from a break with Seth fighting out of a chinlock and getting in a dropkick. Bray grabs a DDT though and it’s right back to the chinlock. Wyatt can’t get in a suplex though and Rollins scores with an enziguri for a breather. The Sling Blade drops Bray again and there’s the springboard clothesline for two more.

After a Blockbuster and Falcon Arrow give Seth two more near falls, Seth has to slip out of Sister Abigail. You don’t see this much offense from a face a lot of the time and it’s kind of cool to see for a change. Bray headbutts him in the bad eye though and Sister Abigail is good for the pin on Rollins at 17:04.

Rating: C+. The hand stuff didn’t go anywhere but it was cool to see Wyatt get a second win in two nights, especially over a major name. In theory this should send Seth on to a feud with Miz, because losing back to back matches is grounds for a title feud (Right Roman?) and that’s going to be better for most people.

Post match Bray disappears and it’s the Miztourage coming through the crowd for the beatdown. Ambrose makes the save with a chair and beats the fire out of Miz.

Overall Rating: C+. Not one mention of Angle’s issues this coming week? Really? Anyway, good show otherwise with the women being a nice surprise and TJP doing as well as could be expected. I like this show so much more when they mix things up a bit and that’s what we’ve gotten recently.

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: July 4, 2017
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re in the desert this week as the build towards Neville vs. Akira Tozawa for the Cruiserweight Title continues. It’s hard to say what else we might be getting on this show, but there’s a good chance that it’s going to be more of Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar in the feud that won’t die. Let’s get to it.

Titus O’Neil is in the back talking to Akira Tozawa, who is over in Japan training. O’Neil runs into Ariya Daivari and Mustafa Ali, who he recruits and promises not to hit. Titus certainly has some great energy and he’s a better fit as a manager than a horrible manager.

Opening sequence.

Announcers chat for a bit.

Here’s Titus for a chat, including a clear podium and pictures of both Tozawa and Neville. Titus praises Neville but knows he’ll be no match for the Power of Tozawa. This brings Neville out and we see the ending to last night’s show with Braun Strowman destroying both Titus and Apollo Crews. Neville is cut off by a YOU’RE NOT STROWMAN chant but suggests that Titus take a seat and watch what happens when he’s mad at someone.

Neville vs. Lince Dorado

Non-title and Titus sits in on commentary. There’s something amusing about Dorado making his entrance while the ring crew takes the big carpet to the back. Neville powers him down to the mat to start but Dorado starts to flip around, including escaping a German suplex. A monkey flip drops Neville again as Joseph is now wearing Titus’ sunglasses and hat. Neville gets pulled out to the floor in a heap for a hurricanrana off the apron but Dorado is sent knees first into the steps. Back in and Neville powerbombs him into the Rings of Saturn for the tap at 3:59.

Rating: C-. Just a squash here but I get one heck of a kick out of watching Neville just mauling people. Dorado isn’t going to lose anything by getting beaten down by Neville, who basically does this to everyone. Whenever someone finally takes the title off of Neville, it’s going to be a huge deal and it’s because of matches like this one where Neville looks great.

TJP has requested a match with Rich Swann to get back on track with some friendly competition. He seems to be turning back to the good side.

Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese

Nese poses at him to start and Gallagher makes the questionable choice to accept a test of strength. With that going nowhere, Jack takes him down for about five straight rolling crucifixes for the same number of near falls. Nese finally sends him hard into the ropes and hammers away to really take over. Jack gets tied in the Tree of Woe so Nese lays on his back and kicks away while doing situps at the same time. Sounds like the evolution of Scott Steiner.

Back up and Nese grabs a fireman’s carry but bends Jack around his neck to grasp his hands, kind of like a reverse torture rack. Jack slips down and tries a cross armbreaker but Nese powers out again. Nese tries something like a Lionsault but tweaks his knee on the landing (Is anyone else getting tired of that?), setting up the headbutt and running dropkick to give Gallagher the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C. They had a story here with Nese getting a bit too flashy for the sake of showing off, allowing Gallagher to catch him in the end. All Gallagher needed was a single opening to get the win, which should help keep him strong in the feud with Brian Kendrick. That has some potential, especially after how good the feud with Tozawa was.

Post match here’s Kendrick on screen, this time dressed like a stereotypical Revolutionary War Era Englishman. Kendrick lists off some dates in the American Revolution, all of which involve the English losing. Brian promises to rid 205 Live of the British scourge. Was this really the right idea on THE FOURTH OF JULY? The USA chants while the good guy, from England, is in the ring would suggest otherwise.

We look back at Cedric Alexander beating Noam Dar (yet AGAIN) last night on Raw.

Dar is getting his neck looked at and is told to keep icing it. Alicia Fox comes in and Dar talks about wanting the Cruiserweight Title. That is NOT cool with Fox who wants Dar to deal with Cedric. This better get some votes for Worst Feud of the Year because it’s lasting longer and is more unpleasant than a bad fungus.

TJP vs. Rich Swann

They grapple to start with TJP grabbing a wristlock but getting taken down into an armbar. That’s countered into a headscissors on the mat, only to have Swann pop up and flip over TJP for a running dropkick. The threat of a dive to the floor sends TJP running and Swann dabs a bit.

Swann misses a charge though and crashes out to the floor for a nine count, followed by an armbar back inside. Rich gets kicked down for trying a comeback as Joseph keeps calling TJP Perkins. If that’s allowed, why not just call him TJ Perkins? I’m going to assume it’s something stupid and move on. We hit a Muta Lock on Swann until a rope is grabbed, meaning it’s time for the real comeback.

Rolling Thunder and a modified Michinoku Driver get two each but TJP is right back with a springboard forearm into a nipup. That just earns him a spinning kick to the head (Swann’s former finisher) but TJP pops right back up with the double chickenwing gutbuster for a near fall of his own. The kneebar is broken up so it’s a double kick to the head to drop both guys. TJP’s Detonation Kick is countered and we hit a pinfall reversal sequence with Swann reversing a sunset flip into a cradle for the pin at 12:17.

Rating: B. This was the kind of longer wrestling match you don’t get often enough. They were playing up the idea that they knew each other so well and Swann just caught him in the end instead of really beating him. It’s nice to see Swann getting a win here to get himself back on track, even if it’s just in the short term.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Sometimes you need an episode that barely focuses on the title, which is what happened here. Neville had a squash but Tozawa wasn’t around and the champion’s match was by far the shortest match of the night. There was also a good main event and that makes for an entertaining hour, though the Cedric vs. Dar stuff needs to crawl in a fire somewhere soon.

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

It’s actually time for a new challenger this week. Neville retained his Cruiserweight Title at Extreme Rules and that means Austin Aries is finally in his rear view mirror. Now it’s time for TJP to get his shot in exchange for all the help he’s given Neville over the last few months. Neville didn’t take kindly to his claim at a shot and attacked him in advance. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at TJP helping Neville with Aries and then being attacked anyway. It didn’t feel like a face turn though, making tonight more heel vs. heel.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Noam Dar for a match, though he doesn’t have Alicia Fox with him. Well so much for this one being interesting. As a VERY loud fan keeps asking about Fox’s whereabouts, Dar talks about Cedric Alexander losing Fox to him, the better man. Fox is at home recovering but she wants Cedric to move on already. Cedric cuts him off and we’re ready to go.

Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric goes after the arm to start so Dar goes to the ropes, screaming in faux agony. Dar’s headlock works a bit better until Alexander pops up and dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Cedric gets kicked off the middle rope before it’s time to work on the arm. A kick to the chest doesn’t work as well though and Alexander kicks him in the face.

That just earns Cedric another kick to the leg and things slow down again. An awkward looking rollup gives Dar two and another kick to the face gives him the same. You might notice a pattern in Dar’s offense here and that’s not a good thing. Alexander charges into a boot but is still able to reverse the running kick into the Lumbar Check for the pin on Dar at 7:07.

Rating: C. Dar continues to be one of the most annoying talkers (in a good way) and weaker in-ring performers on the brand. He’s just not interesting to watch in the ring and that’s going to catch up with him. I can’t get interested in someone who does a bunch of running kicks to the chest and works on armbars for the rest of the match. He’s good on the mic but at some point, the bell has to ring.

Cedric says they’re done.

Video on TJP winning the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic.

TJP says Neville has a TJP problem.

Mustafa Ali vs. Louie Valle

Ali grabs the wristlock to start but gets his throat snapped across the top rope. A hard ax handle to the chest gives Valle two and Louie stomps away in the corner. Ali comes right back with a kick to the head and the rolling neckbreaker but cue Drew Gulak with a siren before the inverted 450. Drew: “SAFE AND SOUND! FEET ON THE GROUND!” Not that it matters as Ali reverses a cradle into the pin at 3:34.

Rating: D+. This was just a way to give Ali some momentum back and continue his feud with Gulak. I’m not sure where they’re going to wrap things up but I’d have Ali join him for a bit. At some point just having Gulak on his own doesn’t work and he’s going to need some followers. I know I say that every week but it’s still a problem that needs to be fixed.

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

Video on Rich Swann’s rise to the Crusierweight Title and eventual partnership with Sasha Banks.

Swann is speaking Japanese with Akira Tozawa when Titus O’Neil comes in and asks to speak to Tozawa alone. Titus wants to spread his Brand international and says Tozawa should talk to his best friend Apollo Crews about the opportunity. As usual, Tozawa seems confused but that might be due to Titus imitating his barking/shouting/grunting thing.

Neville isn’t worried about TJP because TJP was just a means to an end.

Cruiserweight Title: TJP vs. Neville

TJP is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Neville takes him straight into the corner and slaps TJP’s head a bit. That earns him a front flip and some head slapping of his own so Neville grabs a headlock to slow the pace a bit. TJP wristlocks him down into an armbar They take turns flipping out of holds until TJP grabs something like a Sharpshooter/Figure Four hybrid, which sends Neville right to the ropes.

A Tarantula keeps Neville in trouble but he pulls TJP to the floor and stops to glare at the announcers. TJP is in big trouble back inside and a missile dropkick makes things even worse. The champ gets too cocky though and a backdrop sends him outside for a corkscrew dive and a big crash.

There’s the slingshot dropkick into the double chickenwing gutbuster for a close two and the shock sets in on the kickout. Neville misses a knee so TJP kicks it out, only to charge into a superkick. The Phoenix splash misses as well and the kneebar goes on but Neville rolls into the Rings of Saturn to retain at 14:07.

Rating: B. This was better than I thought it would be as TJP set up the leg as well as he could have. They’re really pushing the idea that Neville is clearing out the division, which is going to make whoever takes the title all the bigger deal. It’s almost hard to believe that he’s only held the title for five months. Let him do his thing and then move up to the main roster, like he should have been all along.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot and helped this show as more of a stand alone episode rather than something that moved the main story forward. Neville needs a new challenger, which he can get in the next few weeks. In theory that would have been Tozawa but he’s getting to deal with Titus O’Neil for reasons of general nonsense. Not a bad show this week but it’s nothing you need to see.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gallagher vs. Nese next week as well.

TJP vs. Akira Tozawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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205 Live
Date: May 16, 2017
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

So we’re coming up on Backlash and, again, the Cruiserweight Title match will see Neville defending against Austin Aries. This really needs to be the final match between the two as it’s becoming a bit tiresome. Aries doesn’t need to win the title but the feud needs to end one way or another. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at TJP/Neville defeating Jack Gallagher/Austin Aries last night on Raw, only to have Neville turn down another request for a title shot.

Aries interviews himself about facing TJP tonight (again) and calls him Neville’s lap dog. The knee is banged up but he’s still ready to go.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat a bit.

Noam Dar vs. Gran Metalik

Sweet. I’ve liked Metalik since he debuted and it would be nice to have him featured around here some more. Dar almost immediately bails to the corner to start so Fox gives him a kiss on the cheek. Metalik armdrags him down but seems to hurt his own elbow in the process. It doesn’t seem bad though as he dropkicks Dar to the floor again.

An Alicia distraction lets Dar take over for a few seconds but Metalik runs the ropes (his trademark) to send Dar outside for a third time. A top rope Asai moonsault drops Noam again and both guys are down. Dar goes after the knee to take over before switching to the arm. At least it makes sense as Metalik was favoring the arm earlier.

Metalik reverses a suplex though and Graves thinks exhaustion is setting in. If you’re exhausted six minutes into a match, you have no business being around here. The Metalik Driver is broken up and Dar snaps the bad arm across the ropes. Metalik gets in a kick to the head and a top rope elbow for two but the rope walk is broken up with a kick to the leg. Dar’s running kick finishes Metalik at 8:57.

Rating: C+. The arm was fine for a story here and Metalik losing to Dar in his first match on 205 Live in months. Dar is starting to pick up some steam again which is a good thing, especially with Cedric Alexander returning in the near future. Fox and Dar are a strong pairing together and I really don’t get why they were split up in the first place.

We look back at Akira Tozawa defeating Brian Kendrick last week, only to have Kendrick lay him out post match. Next week, it’s a street fight.

Kendrick loves the idea because he can be creative with how he hurts Tozawa.

Cedric Alexander is back next week.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

And never mind as here’s Drew Gulak to destroy Ali.

Gulak promises to make an example out of Ali and Nese adds a running knee in the corner.

Rich Swann wants to be as far away from Dar and Fox as he can get. A deliveryman comes up with a package for Richard T. Swann but Swann says that’s not him. Instead he says it belongs to that guy over there, which is Ariya Daivari. Ariya says it’s his $2,500 sunglasses but, without opening the box, knows it’s not the sunglasses. He leaves so Jack Gallagher comes up to open the box, only to have Daivari say that’s his. Gallagher leaves and the box contains powder. So not only do deliverymen randomly talk to Swann about their deliveries, but Daivari has deliveries sent to whatever arena they’re in that week.

The announcers think this is WAY funnier than it was.

TJP vs. Austin Aries

Why did they drop the Perkins? It’s still on TJP’s shirt and it’s not like people are going to forget the full version. Aries scares him out to the floor to start and takes a quick rest on the top rope. Back in and Aries takes over in the corner before hitting the slingshot hilo. The knee seems to be bothering Aries but he’s still able to grab an early Last Chancery attempt.

TJP is out almost immediately but gets sent outside to keep up the beating. Aries heads up top but gets dropkicked, tying his knee up in the ropes. The slow attack on the knee begins with TJP kicking away and putting on something like a half crab over the top rope for a nice move. TJP rakes his boot over the face because that’s what heels do. It’s off to a leg crank until Aries fights up with a gutbuster and STO.

The Pendulum Elbow sets up a jumping elbow to the seated back for two but a shot to the knee brings Aries right back down. The Wrecking Ball dropkick rocks Aries again but the Detonation Kick is broken up. TJP is sent outside (we get it already) for a suicide dive with the leg nearly giving out. Back in and a chop block sets up the kneebar on Aries, only to have TJP grab the ropes instead of settling for the tap out. Aries slips out of a fireman’s carry and slaps on the Last Chancery for the win at 12:25.

Rating: B. How many times have these two fought now? The knee stuff is more about setting things up for Sunday and that works fine, though is there anyone we could swap in for TJP? Couldn’t Nese or Gulak do this in a one off match? TJP is improving as a heel but he needs something fresh.

Post match Neville comes out to stay on the knee but Gallagher makes the save with the umbrella to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They really need some fresh blood near the top of this show as both main feuds feel like they’ve been going on forever. I could easily see Aries vs. Gallagher starting up soon but please get us away from Aries vs. TJP and Kendrick vs. Tozawa. The latter seems to be wrapping up next week though and Alexander returning should give us a little more energy. Good show, but it’s getting a bit repetitive.

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 9, 2017
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

The show goes international this week on the final part of the UK tour (at least on TV that is). The top stories continue to be Austin Aries vs. Neville for the Cruiserweight Title and Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa, which just keeps going somehow despite being fairly far past its expiration date. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Neville recruiting TJP to help him against Aries and getting annoyed at TJP wanting a title shot as a result. Jack Gallagher was brought in as well but Aries had his back. They’re taking their sweet time setting up a tag match out of this whole thing.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Gallagher for an opening chat. The fans call him Jackie Boy, which Gallagher seems to appreciate. Jack gets to the point: he was attacked by Theodore Jeeves Perkins but this man made the save. Aries comes out to the delight of the London crowd. He’s been brought out here so Jack can toast him, but there’s something more important.

As a point of honor to thank Aries for his help, Gallagher is going to do whatever he can to make sure Aries makes it to his title match at Extreme Rules. It’s time for the beer (Aries: “I’m more of a red whine kind of guy myself.”) and Jack sings a little For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow. Cue Neville with his pyro (Gallagher: “BLOODY H***!”) to interrupt though because he’s sick of these two.

Neville thinks Gallagher is a parody of British people but Aries calls him out for getting disqualified at Payback. The champ holds up the title for a real toast to Aries as TJP runs in from behind. The brawl is on with Gallagher taking a beating until Aries dives over the announcers’ table to take Neville out. TJP takes some beer to the face and the Fivearm puts Neville on the floor. More beer is consumed. This was quite the brawl and makes me want to see these four have a tag match so well done indeed.

Rich Swann runs into Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. Swann thinks Dar is thinking with the wrong part of his body but Fox says she’d never leave a real man (again). Dar promises that Rich will get what he deserves.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

We hit the mat after Nese’s early posing doesn’t get him very far. That just earns Tony a cartwheel into a moonsault for a standoff, followed by something like an Octopus hold. Ali his a very big flip dive to the floor as we see Drew Gulak looking distraught in the back. Thankfully we’re back in the ring pretty quickly so I don’t have to listen to the fans shouting TEN every time the referee counts.

They’re already back on the floor though with Nese dropping him face first onto the barricade and table for a nice power display. The key to Nese is that he might not be far stronger than the rest of the division but he’s strong enough that it’s noticeable, which is all it needs to be. A suplex onto the top rope gives Tony two and we hit the torture rack. Nese hits the high flying for a bit with a middle rope moonsault but Ali comes back with a middle rope hurricanrana for a breather.

The rolling neckbreaker sets up another hurricanrana on the floor and Nese is in trouble. That only lasts until he gets back inside though as Tony wins a slugout and drops a knee for two. Ali flips out of a pumphandle slam though and it’s a tornado DDT into the inverted 450 for the pin on Nese at 10:44.

Rating: B. The time seemed to play a major role here as these guys beat each other up for a good while until Ali got the better of it. They’ve got something with people like Gulak and Nese having specific styles to go against the more standard cruiserweight style. It also makes sense to have Ali, the cruiserweight, win on the cruiserweight show. Good match here and one of the better ones the show has had in awhile.

Ariya Daivari yells at the guy who shined his shoes for a sub par job. He also runs into Akira Tozawa and yells at him for messing up a $1500 shirt. Feud coming I’d assume.

Cedric Alexander will be back soon.

Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa

There’s no handshake here (not exactly shocking) and Kendrick kicks him in the face at the bell in retaliation for last week’s attack. Tozawa shrugs it off though and kicks Brian in the chest with a few shouts thrown in for good measure. They head outside though with Kendrick getting in a Sliced Bread to really take over. Tozawa dives back in at nine for a good false finish but he gets caught in a modified armbar.

A camel clutch keeps Tozawa in trouble and a cobra clutch makes it even worse. He certainly has the clutches covered. Tozawa fights up and hits a running boot to the face, followed by a Shining Wizard for two. Kendrick drops him with a dragon suplex but the Captain’s Hook doesn’t last very long. Things speed up until Tozawa gets in a Saito suplex, only to miss a top rope backsplash. Another Sliced Bread is broken up though and Tozawa grabs a rollup for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: B-. I liked this one too as they were again allowed time and put together a good match as a result. Tozawa getting the win is the right call as the feud has gone from Kendrick getting in every cheap shot he could until Tozawa started to turn the tide and then never looked back. Solid match here as the story continues.

Kendrick snaps post match and sends Tozawa into the steps. He gets crushed in between the steps and Kendrick says this is the last lesson: no one messes with him. Tozawa is out (with his eyes open) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know when it happened but at some point this turned into one of the more enjoyable shows of the week. They’ve found a rhythm of going from story to story and making each of them work. The wrestling is good as well and they’ve even set up a match for next week. Good show here and it’s turning into something fun, which I really didn’t expect.

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: 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