IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: November 21, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Percy Watson, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re into a new area on this show as Buddy Murphy successfully defended the Cruiserweight Title against Mustafa Ali this Sunday at Survivor Series. That means we need a new challenger, but I can’t imagine that takes place tonight. 205 Live likes to set things up at a slightly slower pace and you never know when they’ll have their next title match anyway. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap focuses on the pretty awesome title match with Ali coming up short again. They’ve got a nice Wrestlemania moment there if they can hold out long enough.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Buddy Murphy to get things going. Buddy has a question: did you really think Mustafa Ali was going to beat him? Well it doesn’t matter because the people’s opinion doesn’t matter to him. You can’t stop the unstoppable, but here’s Tony Nese to stop him from saying anything else, albeit in a nice way.

Tony Nese vs. Noam Dar

Before the match, Dar says he’s here to make some noise in the cruiserweight division because he’s been spending so much time in NXT UK. Nese shoulders him down and poses to start, showcasing the wide variety of taunting that he has available. Dar trips him down and gets two off a backslide. A dropkick puts Nese on the floor but Murphy offers a distraction so Nese can score with a gutbuster.

Back in and a running elbow to the face gives Nese two and it’s off to the bodyscissors. Nese misses a charge though and gets kicked off the ropes so Dar can start striking away. The northern lights suplex (Alicia Fox must have taught him that) gives Dar two and it’s off to a guillotine. That’s broken up through raw power but Nese can’t German suplex him into the corner. Instead it’s a big forearm to Dar but he kicks Nese in the head and face. Murphy breaks up the Nova Roller though and Nese hits the German suplex into the corner. The running knee finishes Dar at 8:14.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t one of these better performances as both of them felt like they were going much more slowly than in recent months. Nese and Murphy aren’t the most thrilling combination in the world but I get why the champ needs a lackey. Not terrible, but a pretty forgettable match, which is worse on this show.

Mustafa Ali is hurt but it’s more mentally than physically. He wants to embrace it though, because he wants to use it to get up the next time he’s knocked down. That means he owes Murphy a thank you because now he’s going to work even harder to turn this pain into power. One day he’ll become Cruiserweight Champion. When they finally do that, it’s going to be a great moment.

Drake Maverick tells the referee to be ready for shenanigans (his word) in the main event. The referee leaves when Cedric Alexander comes in so Drake can make Alexander/Ali vs. Murphy/Nese for next week. Fair enough.

Akira Tozawa/Brian Kendrick vs. ???/???

Tozawa and Kendrick share a hesitant handshake as Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher are watching in the back. Gallagher doesn’t think much of Kendrick aligning himself with a wailing scoundrel like Tozawa. Kendrick grabs a cravate and slaps on an armbar as the jobbers don’t even have names to start.

The backsplash gives Tozawa two and it’s time for the chops. A double big boot gives Kendrick two and it’s off to the other unnamed jobber for a Downward Spiral/kick to the back of the head combination. The first one gets in a clothesline but a spinwheel kick cuts him off. It’s back to Tozawa to clean house with the backsplash and a missile dropkick, followed by Sliced Bread #2. The top rope backsplash gives Tozawa the pin at 3:26.

Rating: C-. Tozawa and Kendrick looked good together though I can’t say I’m thrilled with the idea of seeing the two of them face Gulak and Gallagher. It hasn’t been a thrilling feud and I don’t see that getting any better when they have the tag match. Maybe a stipulation could help, but it’s just not all that interesting.

Murphy and Nese aren’t worried about the tag match as Murphy has beaten both Alexander and Ali by himself.

Hideo Itami is back next week.

Gran Metalik vs. TJP

The pinatas are multiplying. TJP has Mike and Maria Kanellis with him and the guys all have House Party masks. Drake Maverick isn’t having that though and ejects everyone but TJP and Metalik. Metalik wastes no time in hitting a big flip dive to the floor and throws TJP back in, only to have him roll back outside. Back in and a reverse Sling Blade has TJP in trouble until he slaps on something like a half crab Scorpion Deathlock.

Now it’s TJP hitting a big dive of his own but comes up favoring his ankle. The leg is fine enough to hit a belly to back suplex for two and it’s off to the chinlock. That goes nowhere so TJP hits a gutbuster for two instead. The Muta Lock goes on as TJP is going all over on Metalik here. Metalik finally grabs a rope to get out of the leglock so TJP gives it until four before the break. That’s what a smart heel should be doing and he’s rather good at what he does.

TJP heads up but gets kicked in the head, setting up a dropkick to the back for two. The moonsault hits feet though and TJP grabs a Batista Bomb. Metalik is right back with the rope walk dropkick for two of his own and a hurricanrana off the apron in a cool looking spot. Back in and the Metalik Driver sets up the top rope elbow but TJP reverses into the kneebar. Metalik makes the rope so TJP goes after the pinata. You just don’t do that and it’s a sunset flip to finish TJP at 9:26.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Metalik being on his own offering a good idea. You can only get so far with the three faces having the advantage so it was a smart move to push Metalik on his own for a change. He’s talented enough to have a good match and that’s what we got here. It also helps when TJP can work well with anyone.

Post match Maria comes out, losing it on Maverick, but it’s a distraction so Mike can come in with the chair to the House Party. The beatdown is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show mainly focused on the midcarders and that’s not the worst thing in the world. You have to give this level some attention every now and then. It makes them mean more later on as otherwise it feels like nothing but filler. It’s an investment in the future and we happened to get a fine show as a result. Nothing wrong with that and the stories were advanced just enough here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 31, 2018
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s time to get back to the title picture as we have a big time #1 contenders match this week. This time around it’s Mustafa Ali facing Tony Nese to find out who will be challenging Buddy Murphy at some point in the future, and for once it could go either way. Nese is on a roll but Ali is the heart and soul of this show. That makes things a bit more interesting for a change so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s falls count anywhere match which set up tonight’s #1 contenders match. Also tonight: Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher.

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick

Fallout from last month when Drew Gulak (on commentary here) and Gallagher kicked Kendrick off their team. Gallagher slaps him in the face to start and bails to the floor, only to get caught with a baseball slide. Well what was he expecting standing in front of the apron like that? Back in and Gallagher gets two off a snap suplex and grabs the double arm crank with a knee in Kendrick’s back like a true British villain. A backbreaker gets two and Percy questions what Gulak will do when Gallagher no longer serves his purpose.

Kendrick tells Gallagher to bring it so Gallagher misses a charge in the corner. That means a leg lariat and a tiger suplex into the Captain’s Hook. Gallagher gets a boot in the ropes for the save and grabs a choke of his own, sending Kendrick to the ropes as well. Back up and Kendrick hits a superkick, drawing Gulak off commentary. That brings in Akira Tozawa (tag match ahoy) to take him out, leaving Kendrick to hit Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C-. This feels more about setting up a tag match for later on and that’s fine. I was a little skeptical about this feud but at least they’re doing something with it instead of just going through the motions. I’m hoping it’s not mainly a way to push Kendrick, who hasn’t really done much for me and should be helping move people up more than anything else.

Cedric Alexander isn’t happy with not being in the #1 contenders match but Drake Maverick tells him that he’ll get a title math when Drake says he’s ready. Though disappointed, Cedric goes with it.

Gran Metalik vs. ???

I think you get the idea here. Metalik backflips past the bald jobber and hits a reverse Sling Blade. The rope walk elbow completes the squash at 1:05.

Post match Metalik poses but TJP runs in and steals his mask.

Buddy Murphy says that since we’re in the UK next week, he should annihilate Mark Andrews. He’s not worried about Tony Nese becoming #1 contender.

Mike and Maria Kanellis aren’t happy with the suggestion that Mike’s win was tainted last week. Maria dismisses the interviewer (Maria: “I’m better than you anyway.”) when TJP comes in. He welcomes the two of them to the show but Maria tells him to shut up. She knows he’s trying to get protection from the Lucha House Party…and they might be interested.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

#1 contenders match and Ali has almost everything taped up. Nese, being smart, kicks him straight in the bad ribs and takes over early. Ali is fine enough to dropkick him off the apron but the dive is countered into a fall away slam onto the ramp. The bad ribs are dropped onto the barricade and Ali is in a lot of trouble. Nese puts a knee into the ribs for two and stomps away some more as you can’t fault him for his strategy. Ali’s tornado DDT is countered with a shot to the ribs and a northern lights suplex to cut him off in a hurry. The bodyscissors goes on again, followed by a spinning kick to the ribs to put Ali in even more trouble. Ali manages to pull him off the middle rope for a breather and gets two off a sitout powerbomb. The rolling X Factor sends Nese to the floor and Ali is crazy enough to use the running flip dive, which of course bangs up his ribs even worse. A high crossbody gives Ali a delayed two and he superkicks Nese on both sides of the head for two more. Nese kicks him off the top but Ali runs to the corner for the tornado DDT and another delayed near fall. Ali gets caught on top for the Dean Malenko super gutbuster and Nese’s frustration gets even worse when Ali kicks out again. The bandages on the ribs are ripped off but Ali grabs a jackknife rollup for the very fast pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. It’s not as good as Ali’s usual stuff but 205 Live has done something that the regular shows can almost never do: make a character that I want to see win. Ali is one of the best characters WWE has done in a very long time and I want to see him pull off the title win. They need to do that at some point and I hope it’s not all the way at Wrestlemania. This was another good match, and while I’m surprised Nese didn’t get the win, I’m glad Ali did.

Post match Nese goes after Ali again but Cedric runs in for the save. Cedric throws Ali’s arm around his neck in what looked a lot like the setup for the Lumbar Check but it’s just for support. Very nice fake out there. Anyway Buddy Murphy comes out and stands next to Nese so look for the tag match in a few weeks.

Overall Rating: C+. This show set up a bunch of stuff for the future, though it seems to be more tag matches than anything else. The stories are starting to get better and having some fresh blood with Mike and Maria helps out a lot. As long as they actually get to do something with those people, everything will be fine. Ali is carrying this show a long way, and that’s what matters most. Good show here, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s hard to say if the Cruiserweight Champion is going to be around this week but the more interesting question is going to be the Kanellis family, who debuted last week in a rare instance of some main roster names coming to the cruiserweight show. I’m hoping that happens more down the line as it’s not like some of these people have anything else going on and it’s better than sitting on the sidelines. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap talks about how much everything is changing tonight. Speaking of tonight, we’ll be having a fatal five way. Cedric Alexander needs to prove that he’s still a top star, Tony Nese wants to extend his winning streak, TJP wants to prove he deserves a title shot, Gran Metalik wants to stand up for the Lucha House Party and Lio Rush wants to remain undefeated.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Before the match we look at Gulak and Jack Gallagher attacking Brian Kendrick so you can probably guess what’s coming here. Gulak is NOT happy with the chanting here and lets off some steam with an elbow to the face. That just earns him a hurricanrana into a backsplash for an early two as Tozawa picks up the pace. The fake out right hand to the jaw keeps Gulak in trouble but the Black Widow is countered into a backbreaker.

Gulak goes international with a Gory Stretch until Tozawa gets his legs free and flips over for a cool looking escape. A powerbomb gives Gulak two and the chinlock goes on, with Gulak biting his ear. That’s a bit out of character but a great visual. Tozawa is back up and hits Trouble in Paradise into a Shining Wizard to the floor. There’s the suicide headbutt to Gulak and Gallagher, the latter of whom breaks up the top rope backsplash for the DQ at 7:05.

Rating: C. Tozawa has a ton of charisma and can make almost anyone look better. At the same time, Gulak is still fun to watch but it doesn’t matter if he never actually wins anything. I’m not wild on the upcoming Gulak vs. Kendrick feud either but any people who team together for any amount of time now need to have a big split and feud as a result.

Post match Gulak and Gallagher beat him down but Kendrick makes the save.

Buddy Murphy is back and says he’s ok with Drake Maverick making him weigh in. Tony Nese comes in and says he’ll prove that they’re the best, including in tonight’s main event.

Mike and Maria Kanellis are ready to be the power couple of 205 Live.

Hideo Itami speaks Japanese and then promises to end Mustafa Ali’s career next week.

Ali, walking in the rain, says he and Itami have been on this road for far too long. He’ll be wherever Itami is and on this road, Itami will lay where Ali stands. These promos outside of the arena have been excellent from Ali.

TJP vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese vs. Lio Rush

One fall to a finish. This isn’t a #1 contenders match but Buddy is watching in the back. Alexander and Nese are left in the ring to start but Cedric knocks him to the floor as well. Rush comes in and flips out of a headscissors and springboards into a headscissors of his own. Alexander is sent outside and gets clotheslined by Nese so Metalik comes in and springboard dropkicks into Rush.

Nese replaces Metalik and takes an enziguri as the fans are rather pleased with Rush. TJP comes back in and puts Metalik and Nese in a hold at the same time but Rush breaks it up until Nese rolls up both Rush and TJP at the same time. TJP is sent shoulder first into the post and Nese gets to stop and pose. Things slow down a bit and it’s Nese cranking on Metalik’s neck. Metalik gets tied up in the Tree of Woe for the situp kicks to the ribs until Nese has to clothesline an invading Alexander.

A Metalik brainbuster gets two on Nese but Alexander springboards in with a clothesline (which barely connects) for two on Metalik. The springboard swinging Downward Spiral gets two with Rush making a save. Everyone comes back in Nese breaks up the Tower of Doom and Rush hits the Final Hour for two on Alexander.

It’s time for strike everyone else and Alexander hits the Neuralizer for two on Nese. Metalik superkicks Alexander but TJP goes after his mask. That goes nowhere as Metalik hits a suicide dive on Alexander and Rush takes his place inside. Nese powerbombs Rush onto EVERYONE (with Rush almost landing on his head in a scary visual) and Nese is the only one standing.

TJP remedies that with a kneebar to Nese and then does the same to Alexander. Metalik makes the save and avoids a baseball slide from TJP, setting up a perfect Asai moonsault to the floor just as TJP goes underneath the rope. Back in and Alexander Lumbar Checks Rush (with a great sell job/bounce), only to get rolled up by Nese for the pin at 15:35.

Rating: B. This was what it was with a bunch of spots and people moving all over the place. You can’t expect much of a story or psychology here and that’s perfectly fine. Just have them go out there and do their stuff and get to the winner. Alexander getting pinned again was the right call as his fall down the mountain continues. Nese winning is fine too as you can have him face Murphy as the first challenger. Fun match, which is mostly all you can ask for.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event easily carries this show but it’s still not a great night. The Kendrick story does nothing for me and Nese isn’t going to win the title. Murphy just feels like a warm body with the title, as he wasn’t around last week and just had a cameo this week. They still need some stronger personalities, but if those people were around, they would be on the main shows instead of here, which is one of the show’s top problems.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 10, 2018
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Things have changed for the first time in about six months here with Buddy Murphy defeating Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Title at Super Show-Down. That was Alexander’s first pinfall loss (on TV at least) in a year and that should make for a big change of pace. It should be interesting to see where things go from here so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the title change. Well what else was it going to be?

Opening sequence.

Here’s Lio Rush, in a Bobby Lashley shirt, to say that he’s here for an open challenge. Indianapolis is used to those fast cars but no one is faster than Rush. They just better bring it.

Lio Rush vs. Lince Dorado

Rush asks Lince if he’s ready and that earns him a LUCHA chant. Dorado doesn’t get very far with a wristlock so they both try dropkicks for a standoff. A hurricanrana into a dropkick works a bit better for Dorado and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets one. Rush dropkicks him off the top rope, setting up the suicide dive through the bottom ropes.

Back in and Rush gets two, causing him to ask if the referee is for real. A belly to back suplex gets two with Rush keeping Dorado rocked and not letting him to get much of a breather. The rapid fire strikes have Dorado in even more trouble and of course it’s time to go after the mask. You know, because that’s required anymore. Dorado chops him down and gets two off a high crossbody.

A spinning Unprettier gives Rush the same but Dorado rolls away before the Final Hour can launch. One heck of a superkick puts Rush in the corner and the Golden Rewind sends him outside for the big dive. Back in and Dorado loads up the shooting star press…but here’s Maria Kanellis of all people. The distraction lets Mike Kanellis come in through the crowd and shove Dorado off the top for the DQ at 9:34.

Rating: C. This was all about the ending and post match, which are perfectly fine. Kanellis was doing absolutely nothing while being stuck over on Main Event and he hasn’t had a match on one of the two important shows in over a year. Let him come here and at least get something out of him. It’s not like there’s anything else for the two of them to do.

Post match Mike hits something like Cross Rhodes on Dorado. The Kanellises pose together and we have a power couple.

Buddy Murphy says you can’t stop the unstoppable, which he proved by winning the Cruiserweight Title. He’s sticking around Melbourne for a bit though and won’t be back on 205 Live until he’s ready to show up.

Mustafa Ali comes in to check on Cedric Alexander, who says he’s fine. As for Ali, he gets to face Hideo Itami in two weeks and falls count anywhere. Ali leaves but comes back in to ask if Alexander is getting back in the ring too soon. Cedric again insists he’s good.

We look back at Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher beating down Brian Kendrick and kicking him off the team.

Gallagher and Gulak say what they did last week was unpleasant but necessary because Kendrick had lost his killer instinct. Together, they will create a better 205 Live.

Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start with Cedric taking over off a headlock. Cedric flips around a lot but can’t get a headscissor takeover, which seems to mess with him a little bit. Tony armdrags him into an armbar before stopping for some jumping jacks. More of a pushup guy, Alexander dropkicks him down to take over again. Tony plants him on his back though and pulls Alexander to the floor, banging the back up even worse.

The waistlock goes on for a bit until Alexander pops up for the headscissors back to the floor. That’s not enough for the big flip dive to hit though as Nese runs him over again. Nese snaps Cedric’s throat over the top but a springboard moonsault hits raised knees. The springboard Downward Spiral sets up the big no hands flip dive and now it’s Nese in trouble for a change.

There’s the springboard clothesline for two and a Michinoku Driver gets the same, with the latter kickout sending Cedric almost over the edge. Another springboard is countered into a gutbuster as Nese is smart enough to go back to the ribs. Nese talks some trash about the title reign and strikes away but Cedric is right back with the Neuralizer.

There’s a Spanish Fly for two more and that means it’s time for an argument with the referee. The Lumbar Check is countered and Nese blasts him in the jaw with a left hand. A German suplex into the corner sets up the running knee and the 450 for the pin on Alexander at 15:13.

Rating: B. In addition to the really entertaining action, this was heavily focused on storytelling and that’s a good sign. Alexander used what worked to get him the title in the first place and then to keep it but it wasn’t enough this time around. There’s an interesting story in Alexander not being good enough anymore and needing to change things up, which could go somewhere if you tell the story properly. It also helps that Nese can ride off of this win for a very long time going forward. Good stuff all around.

Overall Rating: B-. Despite only having two matches on here, there was a lot of interesting stuff taking place. The debut of the Kanellises is a good sign as the show can use some fresh blood, especially some like Maria. Throw in a rather solid main event and you have a good show up and down. Seeing whoever goes after Murphy next could be rather entertaining so there’s even a future here. Nice show and a nicer future.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 4, 2018
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re coming up on another Cruiserweight Title match, but oddly enough it’s going to be taking place in Australia and it’s going to be Buddy Murphy getting a title shot instead of Drew Gulak, who has been built up for another title match in recent weeks. Other than that we could have some more from the better than expected midcard around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick gives us the opening recap with no mention of the Authors of Pain last night.

Opening sequence.

Tony Nese is on his way to the ring for a match and gets annoyed when an interviewer tries to talk to him. Buddy Murphy takes the interview instead, saying he’s looking forward to facing Cedric Alexander in his hometown. Last time it was in Cedric’s backyard but this time, Murphy will have 70,000 people in his corner.

Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese

Everyone else is barred from ringside (and the wide shot suggests that they’re barred from sitting in the stands as well). Nese shoulders him down to start and they trade some armdrags. A dropkick exchange gives us a standoff so Nese kicks him down. Nese has to bail out of a Lionsault so Metalik hits a springboard armdrag and Nese is sent out to the floor for a breather. You can’t do that to a luchador so the dive is loaded up but Nese trips him instead.

A swing into the barricade has Metalik in trouble as the amount of empty seats in the bottom half of the arena is as bad as I’ve ever seen them for this show. There are full empty rows visible and there might be more empty seats than full ones. Back in and Metalik elbows him in the face, followed by a tornado DDT to plant Nese. Metalik’s rope walk dropkick gets two but he slightly botches a spinning sunset flip. Nese gets sent to the apron so Metalik can try a running hurricanrana, land on the top rope for a second, and then hit it a second later.

A moonsault to the floor hits Nese’s raised boots and they’re both down. Nese is up first for the running flip dive, followed by a 450 for two back inside. The running knee is cut off by a superkick and the Metalik Driver gets two. Metalik goes up and manages to crotch Nese, setting up a springboard hurricanrana. The rope walk elbow is good for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: C-. This got some time but it was more long than good, which is rarely a good thing. There were some notable bad spots in there too, but the bigger problem is the empty arena. You can’t avoid something like that and it looked horrible no matter what they did. With this as the way to start the show, I can’t say I’m surprised by the fans not being thrilled. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff.

Percy gets a noisemaker and Nigel looks like he wants to kill him.

We look back at Hideo Itami destroying the jobber last week until Mustafa Ali came in to chase him off.

Ali comes in to see Maverick and mentions the Authors of Pain, but Drake tells him to stay out of it. Maverick wasn’t pleased with what happened last week and Ali isn’t wrestling again until Maverick says so.

Noam Dar vs. Bryan Kelly

Lio Rush comes out for commentary. Kelly is the name of Notre Dame’s, a University of Michigan rival, football coach. After Rush only shakes Nigel’s hand, he complains about not getting booked while Dar is in the ring. Dar fires off some knees to the ribs and hiptosses Kelly into the ropes. Kelly armbars him to no effect and Dar kicks him off the middle rope. The Nova Roller finishes Kelly at 2:30.

Dar stares at Rush. That could be a fun one.

Maverick runs into Cedric Alexander in the back and allows him to call out Drew Gulak. Just keep it professional.

Here’s Cedric who gets straight to the point by calling Gulak out. There’s no Gulak but here’s TJP instead. TJP isn’t good at waiting in line and he’s not waiting in line for his shot at the Cruiserweight Title. He wants to fight right now and Cedric is more than ready. Cue Maverick to say let’s have the match right now, non-title though.

Cedric Alexander vs. TJP

Non-title. Cedric takes him down by the wrist to start but a shoulder just makes TJP nip up. That earns him a shove right back down, which is a smarter move than it should be. The Neuralizer puts TJP on the floor and there’s the suicide dive. TJP is right back up with a DDT onto the apron (that’s turned into a free space on the wrestling Bingo card) and Cedric is in trouble. A slingshot headscissors into an Octopus Hold is reversed into a Brock Lock of all things but TJP reverses that into a rollup.

Cedric dropkicks him to the floor but gets caught in a modified Octopus Hold in the ropes. That’s enough to bang up Alexander’s arm so TJP sends it into the buckle. Cedric almost drops him on a Michinoku Driver attempt but TJP is smart enough to switch it into a rollup to keep things looking fine. The Pentagon Jr. arm snap makes Alexander scream and the rolling suplexes get two. An armbar goes on for a bit until the springboard spinning forearm drops Cedric again.

He’s fine enough for the springboard clothesline, which is a pretty bad idea when you have an injured arm. A suplex into a gutbuster (that’s a new one) gives Cedric two but the Lumbar Check is countered into a Kimura with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up as well so TJP puts on a Fujiwara armbar but switches it over to the kneebar instead. As usual, the first attempt doesn’t work very well and Cedric is in the ropes in a hurry. TJP tries the Detonation Kick but gets reversed into a one armed Lumbar Check to give Cedric the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B. They were telling a nice story here with the arm work and everything that TJP did to hurt Cedric. Throw in the good idea of having Cedric use one arm for his finisher instead of doing the full version and this was a very solid main event. I could have gone with more hype for such a big time match but it’s not like it’s going to change the audience or anything.

Post match here’s Gulak to say he accepts the challenge but Jack Gallagher runs in from behind to take Cedric out. The Gulak puts Cedric to sleep, drawing Maverick out for the save to end the show. They’re getting somewhere with this Cedric as a fighting champion deal and whoever finally takes the title from him is going to look like a giant killer.

Overall Rating: C. The main event bailed the show out but there’s no way around those crowd shots. It’s depressing, to the point where it had to get in the wrestlers’ heads. There was just almost no one there and there’s not much you can do to make up for that. Hopefully it’s better next week, but this show isn’t going to last with that kind of a visual. WWE won’t stand for it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: August 21, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

I’m not sure what to expect from this show. Sure there was a big time Cruiserweight Title match on Sunday, but it’s not like that meant much for the post-Wrestlemania show. Cedric Alexander is still Cruiserweight Champion and now he needs a new challenger. That might not be established tonight, but we will have a tornado tag team match between Lucha House Party and Buddy Murphy/Tony Nese. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick recaps the title match and hypes up tonight’s matches. That’s a rather nice way to open the show, even if it’s just a way to kill time while the shows change over.

Opening sequence.

TJP vs. Noam Dar

Rapper Wale is on commentary for celebrity reasons. TJP has a slightly different version of his theme. Before the match, TJP says he can’t wait to get back to Los Angeles. He brings up Dar’s knee issues and his kneebar finisher so tonight is close your eyes time. Or you could just leave, as one more empty seat in a sea of them won’t matter that much. Wale brings up Dar’s relationship with Alicia Fox, which ended last April. This guy is going to be on commentary all night isn’t he?

Dar drives TJP into the corner as Wale can’t get the initials in the right order. Hang on a second though as TJP bails to the floor and grabs a mic so he can introduce Wale. TJP dabs at him (Wale: “Nobody dabs anymore!”) and gets dropkicked by Dar, leaving Wale to call him PJ. Dude, it’s THREE LETTERS. TJP gets sent into a variety of things and a snapmare sends him into the ropes. Dar slugs away as Wale talks about hosting the New Day vs. Usos rap battle from last July. A running dropkick sends TJP outside as Nigel can’t pronounce Wale’s name (it’s Wah-Lay).

Back in and a quick DDT gives TJP two as Wale talks to his rap friends. We hit a Tequila Sunrise on Dar to work on the knee for all of two seconds. Another leglock allows TJP to point at Wale and then a curb stomp keeps Dar down. Dar stops a slingshot hilo with a raised knee, which is a bad idea when your knee has been worked over for a few minutes. Wale has moved to intentionally misspelling TJP’s name. It doesn’t make it any funnier, but at least it’s a change of pace.

A right hand to the face gets Dar out of trouble and a release northern lights suplex gets two. TJP pulls him down into the kneebar though but Dar is too close to the ropes, as is almost always the case with the first kneebar attempt. Back up and Dar kicks him in the leg, followed by the Nova Roller for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. I like TJP far more than Dar but it seems that WWE wants to push Dar a bit harder at the moment. The running kick is better than another frog splash or 450 so at least it’s a little change of pace. TJP is still one of the best guys on the roster with the leg stuff, but I get why they would rather have him making people look good instead of pushing him.

That’s it for Wale, thank goodness.

Clip of Sunday’s title match.

Earlier today, Drew Gulak was in the empty arena and said Cedric got lucky on Sunday. If Cedric cares about his legacy, he’ll give Gulak a rematch.

Drake Maverick isn’t so sure because Gulak needs to earn a rematch. Request denied at the moment.

Akira Tozawa vs. Colin Delaney

Or not as Gulak, Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher run in and beat up both guys.

Gulak accuses Cedric of running scared and wants an answer to the challenge right now. Cue Cedric to say that if he’s the scared one, why does Gulak have Thing #1 and Thing #2 out there? Maverick comes out to hold Cedric back as Gulak goes full Green Eggs and Ham. Gulak wants to know what the Age of Alexander is. Whatever it is, is absolutely sucks. The fans want a fight and Cedric finally gets through the referees to chase Gulak off.

Lucha House Party vs. Tony Nese/Buddy Murphy

Tornado rules with Lince Dorado/Gran Metalik for the House Party. Lince starts fast with a high crossbody to take them both down, followed by a launch into a double dropkick. The running flip dives are broken up so the House Party settles for the hard chops on the floor instead. Stereo backdrops over the top set up stereo top rope Asai moonsaults as Dorado and Metalik are moving as one so far. Things settle down with the fights splitting off, including Murphy slamming Dorado’s head into the ramp.

Dorado dropkicks both of them off the apron but the big running flip drive is caught in midair, setting up a powerbomb against the barricade. Back in and Nese starts in on Dorado’s injured thumb but Murphy can’t get the case off. Metalik gets up and walks the rope for a dropkick on Nese, only to have Murphy powerbomb him down. A pumphandle slam/running neckbreaker (more like a running shove to the back of the head) keeps Metalik in trouble and Dorado gets sent into the post.

It’s not much of a posting as he’s back in with a double missile dropkick just a few seconds later as the back and forth continues. Murphy hits Nese by mistake and a hurricanrana gives Dorado two as everyone is down. Dorado tries a double springboard moonsault press but only Nese goes down, which drags Murphy down with him in what might have been a botch. A running tornado DDT has some more luck on Murphy with a near fall but Nese crotches Dorado on the top.

Metalik breaks up the double superplex and actually doesn’t set up a Tower of Doom. I’m as shocked as you are. Nese gets knocked down and the shooting star gets two, leaving everyone down. Murphy and Dorado head up top but Nese is right there with a German superplex, though he ties himself in the Tree of Woe, allowing Metalik to walk the ropes for a dropkick.

Murphy is still up top though and hits a top rope Meteora to put Metalik down, meaning another four way knockdown. The House Party is up first with the superkicks and some alternating moonsaults get two on Nese with Murphy diving in for a save. Even Nigel is impressed by the House Party here so you know this is good. Nese German suplexes Metalik into the corner but the running knee is blocked.

Dorado misses a dive off the apron so Metalik walks the ropes for a hurricanrana to pull Nese off the top and into Murphy for a crazy looking crash, causing Metalik to lose his mask (Kalisto is right there to cover his face like a good buddy). Murphy shoves Kalisto against the announcers’ table so Kalisto trips him down (the first time he’s gotten involved), setting up a Code Red to give Metalik the pin at 17:20.

Rating: A-. I had heard some high praise for this match coming in and they more than lived up to the hype. The House Party has lost a lot over the last few months so giving them a big win is a good idea, while also showing how much better they are as a team. This was a wild and fun brawl and that’s the kind of match that these guys needed. Just a lot of fun with the match getting the time to reach that other level that this show doesn’t reach often enough.

Overall Rating: B+. Sometimes you need to have things just go nuts and put on an entertaining show. The Cruiserweight Title stuff was good too, though I need a little better reason to see a rematch than “I want a rematch and you’re a coward”. Still though, if it means Gulak gets the title one day, everything will be fine. Throw in Wale leaving after about fifteen minutes and the show became a combination of a lot of fun and a relief at the same time. Check out that main event.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: August 7, 2018
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s kind of a weird feeling to have a big time title match coming up around here. Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander will be defending against Drew Gulak at Summerslam and that makes for some interesting times. The rest of the show might not be as impressive, but Alexander vs. Gulak should be more than fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick narrates the preview for tonight’s show, even running down the card in order. You mean half of it isn’t going to be made as we go?

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Tony Nese/Buddy Murphy

Kalisto and Lince Dorado (with a bad thumb) for the House Party here, allowing Nigel to take even more shots at the team. Murphy knees Lince in the face to start but it’s off to Kalisto in a hurry. This goes a bit better with a kick to the head and the hurricanrana driver getting two on Murphy. Nese comes in and pulls Kalisto to the floor for a ram into the apron though and the bad guys take over again.

Murphy throws Kalisto off his shoulder and face first onto the mat with Nese adding a moonsault for two. We hit the chinlock for a few moments until Kalisto rolls over to the apron and gets in a kick to the head. Nese is fast enough to get over and break up the tag though, allowing Murphy to grab a bridging German suplex for two more.

The hot tag connects a few seconds later (that’s quite the WWE trope as well) and it’s a dropsault for two on Nese. Kalisto comes back in for a Falcon Arrow with Murphy diving over for the save. Dorado is fine enough for a double Golden Rewind and the stereo flip dives to the floor have Nese and Murphy in trouble. Nese escapes the Salida Del Sol and Murphy trips Kalisto, allowing a rollup with tights to give Nese the pin at 10:39.

Rating: C. Nese continues to be not great while the House Party is a perfectly fine midcard act around here. They’re more or less the gatekeepers for the upper half of the card and that’s a good place to be in. Murphy is someone who should be moving back towards the main event scene, or on the main roster in a Mojo Rawley kind of character. But why do that when you can let him languish around here?

Mustafa Ali is fine after a quick trip to the hospital. He slowed down a bit and now he’s good for tonight’s main event. Drake Maverick says he has nothing to prove but Ali tells him to worry about Hideo Itami.

Hideo Itami thinks Ali should have showed him more respect.

Video on Noam Dar, who is back from his injury, which he considered a wake up call. TJP has messed with him and that’s not cool with Dar.

Noam Dar vs. Sean Maluta

Maluta was in the Cruiserweight Classic and has been on NXT since. Dar tries a waistlock to start and gives Maluta a clean break when he grabs the rope. A kick to the knee takes Dar down though and you can see the grimacing on his face. That just earns Maluta some strikes to the face as TJP is watching from the back. The running kick to the head (the Nova Roller) gives Dar the pin at 2:24.

Video on Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak and Brian Kendrick beating down Cedric Alexander last week.

Alexander doesn’t think much of Gulak needing the help and would be glad to beat up Gallagher next week.

Gulak accepts the challenge for Gallagher because it’s time to teach people like Alexander that wrestling is what matters around here. He does NOT need help beating Alexander because Gulak can make Cedric tap out.

Mustafa Ali vs. Hideo Itami

Feeling out process to start with Itami barely avoiding a kick to the face but getting taken down instead. A spinning kick to the face puts Itami on the floor instead and Ali follows with a big flip dive. Ali comes up holding his back and a high crossbody seems to bang it up even worse. The delay lets Itami take over and, of course, shout RESPECT ME. They head outside again with Ali’s chops being no match for Itami’s kicks to the chest.

Itami dropkicks him HARD into the post and Ali’s back is hurt even worse. Ali is almost dead so Itami throws him back in for two. Itami demands respect (GOOD GRIEF SAY SOMETHING ELSE ALREADY!) and knees him in the ribs. A comeback consisting of a chop and a crucifix is cut off when Ali tries the rolling X Factor and takes a crazy hard kick to the head. Great selling there too as Ali looked like he got hit by a bus. Ali is fine enough for some more kicks to the head and now the rolling X Factor is good for two.

An exchange of strikes to the head puts both guys down for a well earned breather. Back up and Ali’s spinning tornado DDT is countered into a Falcon Arrow and Itami can’t believe the kickout. Ali somehow gets up and comes off the middle rope with a sunset flip but keeps rolling into a sitout powerbomb for his own big near fall. Itami’s weird spin into the kick to the head is blocked twice so he belly to bellies Ali back first into the corner for two, despite Ali looking rather un-alive.

A crazed Itami misses a dropkick to drive Ali head first into the steps and Ali gets up for a tornado DDT from the middle rope to the floor. Back in and Ali loads up the 054 but can’t stand up, allowing Itami to kick him down into the Tree of Woe. Itami hits some running dropkicks on the defenseless Ali for the academic pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. This was a great mixture of storytelling and action with Ali’s body giving out on him after spending months leaving it all in the ring every single night. It worked for Shawn Michaels in 1995 and it can work here too. What we got here was more great stuff from Ali, who knows how to play the underdog and hang in there against anyone no matter what is thrown at him. I had a lot more fun with this match than I was expecting, especially considering the amount of RESPECT ME’s from Itami.

Ali collapses as he tries to leave the ring. The referee is asking him questions like what year it is, which Ali has trouble answering. Drake Maverick wants medics out here and holds Ali’s

Overall Rating: B. The story at the end was good stuff and capped off a solid show with a very entertaining main event. The show has needed the other big story to go with the title picture and that’s what they have now. I can’t believe it but 205 Live is becoming a rather fun show that I want to watch week to week. Given where they were just a few months ago, that’s rather impressive.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 31, 2018
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

For the first time in the better part of a year, we actually have a pay per view match to build towards. Last week Drew Gulak became #1 contender by winning a four way match, earning himself a shot against Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Other than that we have Lio Rush vs. Akira Tozawa in a pretty nice feud. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the four way, which was quite good.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start with Nese shoving him around but not stopping to count the abs. You can tell he’s serious here. A hard running elbow drops Kalisto again and Nese sends him hard into the corner. After mocking the lucha dance (as everyone does), Nese whips him again even harder, this time tying Kalisto in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs.

We hit the waistlock for a long time until Kalisto rolls out and kicks him in the face, followed by a good looking springboard crossbody. Nese trips him up but tweaks his knee coming off the top. He’s still strong enough for a buckle bomb but the kickout frustrates him even more. The delay lets Kalisto grab a very quick Salida Del Sol for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. Nese is a good character but his offense doesn’t exactly inspire me. There’s only so much you can get out of having Nese work on the waist the entire time and that’s about as far as we got here. Buddy Murphy being there will definitely help in the eventual tag match so there’s hope for the feud. If nothing else though, Nigel going full heel on commentary here was a nice change of pace as something like that can enhance a show in a hurry.

Post match Murphy comes out to block Kalisto from leaving and gorilla presses him until Lince Dorado comes out for a save. A double superkick drops Murphy.

Earlier today we had the contract signing for the Cruiserweight Title shot. Drew is ready to sign first but has something to say. Cedric knows this is going to take some time and signs first to save some time. Gulak talks about how Cedric is undefeated this year but that doesn’t mean anything yet. Where was Cedric when the title wasn’t on the line? It was people like Gulak who built the show up while Cedric wrestles whenever he wants to. Cedric will be known as the Brock Lesnar of 205 Live and his reign ends at Summerslam. Gulak signs and leaves.

Lio Rush vs. Ricky Martinez

Before the match, Rush says fans aren’t happy with him for not giving Akira Tozawa a rematch. The problem is that he’s a hot commodity and everyone wants a piece of his time. That’s why he’s found a new opponent who is much more worthy of his time. Rush thinks this guy could put up a better fight than Tozawa so let’s see what he has. Martinez gets in a kick to the head in the corner but Rush flips up and hits two kicks of his own. There’s the suicide dive (ala Tozawa) and a rolling kick to the head. The frog splash (the Final Hour) puts Martinez away at 1:11.

Post match Tozawa chases Rush off. This will continue and that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander

Non-title and Cedric has a taped up thumb. Feeling out process to start with Alexander nipping out of a headscissors, sending Kendrick backing into the corner. Kendrick’s headlock works a bit better until Cedric snaps off a good looking armdrag. A chop brings Kendrick to his knees as they’re still in pretty slow motion early on. Cue Gulak for a distraction, allowing Kendrick to roll underneath the ring.

The sneaking around lets Kendrick send him into the steps and it’s time to choke on the ropes as Gulak joins in on commentary. An armbar keeps Cedric down but he pops back up for some forearms. The springboard clothesline is broken up though and Alexander takes a nasty fall onto the ropes. Those always worry me a bit but he’s fine enough to send Kendrick outside. The big flip dive to the floor drops Kendrick and Alexander is down next to him. Gulak: “What a bonehead.”

Alexander gets two off the springboard clothesline but he can’t hit the Lumbar Check. He can however hit the Neuralizer to send Kendrick out to the apron. Back in and Kendrick grabs a quick Captain’s Hook but Cedric makes the rope, much to Gulak’s chagrin. Another Hook is countered into a Michinoku Driver and Alexander can’t follow up. Kendrick superkicks him and tries Sliced Bread, but Cedric pulls him into the Lumbar Check (with a great sell job) to finish Kendrick at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This match did something that is almost impossible to pull off: having a match that has no drama turn into something rather entertaining. Cedric isn’t going to lose in a non-title match just before Summerslam but Kendrick helped turn this into a fun match. Piling up wins before Summerslam is going to make the likely title change mean more and Gulak seems primed to take the belt away. Much better than it should have been here.

Post match Gulak gets on the apron for a distraction, allowing Jack Gallagher to come in for a shot to the face. Gulak: “Cedric my boy! What happened to you?” Drake Maverick comes in and threatens to take Gulak’s title match away if anything else happens. Gulak and company back off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They’ve figured out the right balance around here and I’m sure none of that has anything to do with the title becoming a more active part of the show. They’ve found a good structure to the show and that’s exactly what they needed to do. If they can keep this going for a few more weeks and months, they might just have a good show on their hands.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 10, 2018
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s time for a title match because this is the only place to air such a thing rather than this Sunday at the pay per view. This week champion Cedric Alexander defends against Hideo Itami, who has gone on a rampage through the show and would be a good choice to take the title. That being said, Drew Gulak is also lurking and would make a lot of sense to win the belt from Cedric. It’s nice to have options so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Itami’s rise to the top of the division, eventually causing Cedric Alexander to want a title defense against him. That’s a great way to set up a title match and something we don’t get enough of anymore.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto vs. Tony Nese

Nese is flanked by Buddy Murphy to cancel out the Lucha House Party. Kalisto’s early flips just annoy Nese, who drives him into the corner with raw power. A whip into the corner is countered with a walk on the hands, much to Nese’s frustration. With Kalisto being a bit too fast, Nese slows him down a kick to the ribs, setting up a bodyscissors.

Kalisto fights back up and kicks Nese down again. A springboard crossbody gets two and it’s time to dance. Salida Del Sol is countered into a powerbomb into the corner but Nese misses a charge to put both guys down. The rest of the House Party starts playing their noisemakers and Murphy, being a human, gets annoyed and yells at them. Nese and Kalisto go out as well and the fight is on for the DQ at 6:12.

Rating: D+. This set up Lucha House Party’s next feud, which is still completely out of whack with three faces against two heels, but Kalisto is the only member worth anything and none of them are a match for Murphy. In other words it’s similar to what just happened with Drew Gulak and company but even more lopsided in the House Party’s favor.

Post match the brawl stays on and the House Party uses its numbers game to clear the villains out. That felt so wrong to write.

Drake Maverick welcomes Noam Dar back to the roster but TJP interrupts them. TJP thinks things are way worse around here since Dar left so trash talk ensues. Maverick makes the rematch for next week.

Video on Hideo Itami’s rise to being #1 contender.

Lio Rush vs. Colin Delaney

I didn’t recognize Delaney, who has gotten a haircut and grown a beard since his WWE run (which to be fair was about ten years ago). He’s also put on some much needed size. Akira Tozawa comes out to watch just like Rush did last week. After the bell, Rush goes outside and sets up a chair for Tozawa like a nice gentleman. Back in and Colin gets two off a rollup so Rush speeds things way up and kicks Delaney down. With Delaney on the apron, Rush does a Tajiri handspring to knock him outside as the destruction continues. The frog splash ends Delaney at 1:22. Rush is looking awesome so far.

Post match Tozawa congratulates Rush but asks what he’s done around here. Rush isn’t happy and a fight is teased but Maverick comes out to say the match is on next week.

Video on last week’s great Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy match.

Drew Gulak, Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher are going to be watching the main event closely. Gulak is holding the camera and has some advice for the fans: Heed this selfie. Sage words man.

Cruiserweight Title: Hideo Itami vs. Cedric Alexander

Itami is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start and Itami just misses a big kick to the face. Alexander gets all fired up and drives Hideo into the corner for a clean break. Alexander wants Itami to show him something so Itami kicks him in the chest. Well he did ask. The hard kicks give Itami two more as the pace slows down. That means a COME ON and a RESPECT ME, followed by a bodyscissors to keep Alexander in trouble.

Back up and another knee to the ribs gets another two on the champ. More lame shouting and a neckbreaker are good for two so we hit the chinlock to continue Itami’s hard hitting style. Cedric fights up (yes fighting out of a chinlock) and a springboard Downward Spiral puts Itami on the floor. The big flip dive sets up the Neuralizer for two more but Itami is right back up with his top rope clothesline.

Itami kicks him even more and blasts him in the face with a right hand. That’s enough frustration and it’s time to take off a turnbuckle pad. Before Itami can use that though, he has to break up a springboard to send Alexander outside. A running dropkick drives Alexander head first into the steps but only gets two back inside. Not that it matters as Alexander hits a Lumbar Check for the fast pin at 15:42.

Rating: B-. And that’s pretty much it for Itami’s chances of meaning anything in WWE. This would have been about as good of a chance as he was going to have of becoming something that mattered and he just loses. The RESPECT ME deal doesn’t work and he’s not exactly destroying people with his offense. The match was good but there’s no spark or fire to Itami, and certainly no reason to get interested in him. Now the bigger problem: the same thing is true of Alexander.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show which set some stuff up for the future, but the biggest thing is Alexander holding the title. There are several good options to go after the title and Alexander isn’t exactly doing much with it. He just shows up every few weeks for a defense and then goes back to doing nothing of note. It’s a weird place to be as he’s talented in the ring but not exactly charismatic. Move on from him and the show could get a nice boost. It’s still good though, which is a far cry from where we were just a few months back.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Itami promises to get his hands on Murphy and Ali.

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

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

Akira Tozawa vs. Steve Irby

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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