WWE 205 Live Review // 20th March 2018

With just three weeks until WrestleMania, this week's 205 Live was another big week for the Cruiserweight brand as WWE continues to revamp the brand and reinvent its identity. This week saw Drew Gulak and Mustafa Ali go head-to-head to decide who faces Cedric Alexander for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania, Hideo Itami battle Lince Dorado and TJP face the returning Kenneth Johnson...but was it any good? Here's our review.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Semi-Final //

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali

Before the match - Drew Gulak gave a good account of himself during a sitdown interview, explaining his return to a serious edge and promising to prove himself right with a straight-forward approach to his semi-final match - Mustafa Ali spoke about being a police officer in Chicago and seeing the Cruiserweight title as a way to fix things and change people's minds about someone called Mustafa Ali.

As competitors and characters, there may be very few pairings as perfect as Drew Gulak and Mustafa Ali and whilst they've had a number of matches together over the last year, including a very good two out of three falls match in last summer, I don't think it was ever more evident than it was here. Gulak is a direct, hard-hitting win at any costs bully, whilst Ali is a high-flyer, who fights with his heart on his sleeve and is looking to change opinions, with both men excelling in their roles and producing some of the best action in the tournament up to this point. Whilst I would've liked to have seen this one get a little more time and develop on a number of the ideas thrown up, the bout between the pair here did a grand job of mixing broad strokes with little touches and storyline elements to create a fascinatingly, rich piece of professional wrestling. The idea that Ali was having to almost match the brutality and relentlessness of Gulak in order to compete, drawing on what Ali had been saying in promos leading up to the match, was a clever one, highlighted by Ali laying into Gulak's ribs with kicks that mirrored Drew's actions earlier in the match, whilst the commentary called back to the promos and suggested that Ali would have to be careful not to get too into the viciousness. The final third of the bout focused on some big spots on the outside, as the two made creative work of WWE's ringside area, including a back body drop off the announce table and a powerslam into the timekeeper's area for a good countout near fall. However, for me the finish came off as a little sudden and struggled to compete with what had came before, as Ali managed to reverse a powerslam into a tornado DDT, before the 054 got the win for the Illinoisan. I think it could've done with a few more minutes and a maybe an extra near fall or two once the action got back in the ring to push this to the next level and get it on a par with last week's Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong match. 

After the match - Mustafa Ali cut a promo about going to WrestleMania and how he was proof that all that matters is what's in your heart. 

Lince Dorado (with Kalisto & Gran Metalik) vs. Hideo Itami (with Akira Tozawa)

There were elements of a good match as Lince Dorado and Hideo Itami clashed this week, but the finish ended up coming off as a real disappointment, because of the huge amount of promise that the pair had shown together, as Gran Metalik simply pushed Itami into the apron to cause a disqualification and give Itami the win. I understand the need to keep the feud going, but it's still hard not to feel let down when the match is feeling like it's heading in an interesting direction and moreso because the DQ was caused by a babyface so there's not even an argument to be made that the heel is taking something away from the audience to build heat. However, the action that was on display ranged from okay to very good, with the respective styles of Itami and Dorado meshing nicely as Itami's no-nonsense offence being juxtaposed well by Dorado's corkscrew planchas and mad rana situations. The moment where the match felt like it began to build towards what could have been a thrilling conclusion was Dorado matching Itami with slaps to the face and beginning to fire up, with the Puerto Rican impressing as he held his own with one of the division's hardest hitters. There's potential for this feud to grow into something, especially with the upcoming introduction of a Cruiserweight Tag Team title, but I'd like to see a little more thought go into how it's going to develop week on week within the current 205 Live structure. 

After the match - Gran Metalik and Hideo Itami had to be held back by their respective friends as tensions continue to rise between Lucha House Party and...erm...Puroresu Dwelling Shindig? - Drake Maverick rewarded Akira Tozawa and Kalisto for helping calm things down by placing them in a Fatal Four-way with TJP and Buddy Murphy next week

TJP vs. Kenneth Johnson 

Before the match - TJP claimed he should be first in line for a shot against whoever won the Cruiserweight Championship tournament 

TJP ran through the returning Kenneth Johnson (back for the first time since losing to Akira Tozawa in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic), winning with a TJP Clutch, after the conclusion of a poor match where it looked like Johnson had never been in a ring before.

After the match - TJP held onto the TJP Clutch for some time after the bell.

Also on the show 

- Cedric Alexander spoke about last week being the greatest moment of his career, but claiming it wouldn't mean anything unless he won the Cruiserweight Championship. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 

5 out of 10

Written by James Marston // 

@IAmNotAlanDale

WWE 205 Live Review // 13th March 2018

205 Live looked to continue it's hot streak this week with another 50 minutes of Cruiserweight action. The Cruiserweight Championship tournament reached the semi-finals as Roderick Strong took on Cedric Alexander with a title match and spot on WrestleMania on the line, Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami tagged up again to take on Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik and Gentleman Jack Gallagher returned to take on the debuting Murphy Myers. But was it any good? Here's our review.

On-Air Personnel 

Commentary - Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph & Drake Maverick

Interviewer - Dasha Fuentes 

Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton

Review Order

1. Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander 

2. Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami vs. Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik 

3. Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. Murphy Myers 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Semi-Final // 

Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander

Before the match - A cute package looking at Roderick Strong and his motivations in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, including a sit-down interview with the man himself - Cedric Alexander got a profile package also, looking at his run in the Cruiserweight Classic, people's lack of belief in his ability to win the big one and his varied offence. (4:00)

Cedric Alexander earned himself a Cruiserweight Championship match at WrestleMania with a victory over Roderick Strong in a gorgeous tournament semi-final match. One of the most physical Cruiserweight clash in recent memory, this match was full of big powerful strikes, slick reversal sequences, near falls and big highspots, as the two left everything in the ring as their sublime selling made the match feel like the most important thing in the world. The mirroring of near falls with both men getting a foot on the ropes after the Lumbar Check and the Neuralyzer respectively was a cute touch, but the two moments that stand out in particular was a spot that saw Strong standing on the apron and using a torture rack backbreaker to send Cedric crashing back first across the top turnbuckle and a great moment where the pair began scrapping after the End of Heartache nearfall, as the crowd went nuts and the commentary team sold it for all that it was worth. The final moments capped things off well as the two reversed a number of signature attempts, including Strong being able to block Alexander from reversing the Strong Hold and get a near fall, before Alexander wrapped Strong up in a small package to advance. It made complete sense, considering the match had been based around neither being able to put the other away with their finish and it says something about the quality of the action that despite getting fifteen minutes of pure action, I ended up wanting to see these two go at it for ten, fifteen, twenty more minutes by the time the pinfall was counted.  The best match of the tournament so far, the ball is in your court now Drew Gulak and Mustafa Ali.

After the match - An emotional Cedric Alexander put over his opportunity at WrestleMania and talked about his daughter in a beautifully touching interview. 

Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami vs. Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik (with Kalisto) 

A good Cruiser tag opened the show as Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami picked up their second win in as many weeks, as Itami picked up the pin on Gran Metalik with a weird spinning facebreaker/stunner situation. The awkward nature of Itami's new finish was the only drawback on what was a fun back and forth tag bout, that began to establish the more vicious side of Itami that we saw towards the end of run on NXT. Arguably whilst Itami felt like the storyline focus of the bout, he was the least impressive of the four men, as Dorado and Tozawa opened with a lovely mirrored sequence, with the pair also having a strong chain as Dorada searched for a tag, whilst Metalik had a killer hot tag that was packed full of variety as he everything from tilt-a-whirl backbreakers to overhand chops, from reverse slingblades to a front missile dropkick. The highlight of the bout was a super cool looking dive from Dorado onto Tozawa, using Metalik's back as a springboard. I'd like to see more apparent teamwork from Itami & Tozawa as they seem to a permanent tag team going forward and really could do with some tag offence to make them feel like more than just two single lads that have been thrown together because of their nationality.  

After the match - Hideo Itami and Lince Dorado had to be separated by their teams, after Itami had trod on Gran Metalik.

Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. Murphy Myers 

A swift victory for Gentleman Jack Gallagher as the Englishmen picked up his first win since October against Murphy Myers (IWAU's Joey O'Riley), with a headbutt. Gallagher dominated the entire match, with Myer's offence only coming when Gallagher began to focus on 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick who was sat doing guest commentary for the match. Gallagher is someone who has been frustratingly booked on 205 Live for some time, especially since he managed to get so over at the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017, and is someone who we know has tremendous talent in a variety of styles from his previous work in FutureShock, GPW and PROGRESS, so here's hoping that this new version of the purple brand will provide the Mancunian with plenty more opportunity to showcase his skills at a high level going forward.

Also on the show

- Another superbly dramatic and beautifully shot promo from Mustafa Ali as he discussed his semi-final next week, calling Drew Gulak a bully for his actions towards Mark Andrews last week.

ATPW Scale Rating // 6.69 out of 10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

WWE 205 Live Review // 6th March 2018

This week on 205 Live saw the conclusion of the Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament as Mustafa Ali tangled with Buddy Murphy and Mark Andrews faced Drew Gulak. But how did it all go down in Green Bay? Lets take a look! 

Commentary - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph 
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton
Interviewer - Dasha Fuentes 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // 

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Before the match - In one of the best selfshot promos to date, Mustafa Ali let Buddy Murphy know that the most dangerous man in this world, doesn't fight for himself, he fights for others, in what looked like a gritty back alley. - WWE accidentally aired Drake Maverick fluffing his lines and resetting as he told Buddy Murphy that he'd made weight for his Quarter Final

In what might have been my favourite match of the tournament so far, Mustafa Ali pinned Buddy Murphy with a crucifix to take his place in the final four. The psychology and storytelling in this one were superb and considering the match didn't go all that long, Ali and Murphy packed it with narrative and worked extremely hard to create a rich and creative match-up. The start was all well and good, working with the idea that Ali was thrown by Murphy's pace or power with Murphy outmanoeuvring the Illinoisan and then nailing a wicked lariat, but it was once Ali changed tactics on focused on the Melburnian's left arm that the match truly hit its groove. The original 450 splash onto the arm as Murphy tried to pull himself up using the ropes looked brilliant and finally bought a crowd that had previously been shouting amongst themselves previously into the match as they got behind the former DREAMWAVE talent. The two then crammed in a number of beautifully done moments, using the arm as a catalyst, including Murphy being unable to hit a vertical suplex because of the arm, so instead dumping Ali to the outside and nailing a Tope con Giro. Murphy's selling was spot on and the injury really came into play down the stretch as despite coming off on the better end of a hard strike sequence, Murphy was unable to hit Murphy's Law, then attempted a backslide, only to be unable to keep Ali down, because of the injury, before Ali quickly took advantage and trapped the arm in a crucifix to get the win. The finish was right up my alley and each step along the way was done beautifully. It was great to see some more depth out of Mustafa Ali, who managed to fit his agility-based offence into a "working a body part" type story, working as a nice mirror image to his match with Gentleman Jack Gallagher a few weeks ago. Based on this display, both these men should have bright futures on the purple brand.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // 

Mark Andrews vs. Drew Gulak 

Before the match - Drew Gulak revealed he hasn't opened Microsoft Office in weeks in the saddest turn of events this year. 

A dragon sleeper saw Drew Gulak advance to the semi-finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, with Mark Andrews tapping out, after a good match. This was a much better showing from the ATTACK! star, who got to show off a much broader range of offence, whilst selling well for Gulak's brutal strikes. The match was a relatively standard technician vs. high-flyer bout, with a couple of nice highspots to accent the narrative. Gulak's reversal out of a Code Red and the rana off the apron from Andrews stand out as highlights, whilst the two also included a number of their signature spots in what was a short match for this tournament. I think that the briefness was the thing that ended up holding the match back from being one of the more memorable contest in the tournament, as the guys didn't have enough time to really explore Gulak's renewed viciousness and build upon his brutal victory over Tony Nese three weeks ago and whilst there were teases throughout like Gulak going to throw Andrews into the announce table, it never really developed into what it could have been with another five minutes. This was a good match and the nature of Gulak's victory continues to build his momentum in the tournament, but I feel that it had the potential to be very good to great with a little more time and perhaps a little extra smoothness as well in places.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali will happen on the 20th March episode.

Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa vs. Nemeth Alexander & Scott James 

Before the match - Drake Maverick explained to Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa that he'd put them together as a tag team, because he thinks they can bring the best out of each other. 

A quick squash victory for the newly formed Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa tag team over Nemeth Alexander (former FUW wrestler James Alexander) & Scott James, with Tozawa pinning James with a diving senton. This was a solid showcase for both Itami & Tozawa, with Tozawa hitting a wicked backdrop driver and Itami with a nice release fisherman's suplex as well. We've seen a few teams begin to form over the last few months on 205 Live, so perhaps WWE is considering introducing a Cruiserweight Tag Team titles, which should allow for more storyline depth on the show.

Also this week 

- Cedric Alexander cut a generic sit-down promo, ahead of his Semi-Final next week, claiming he'd be going to WrestleMania etc. 

- We saw Roderick Strong working hard in the Performance Center as he prepares for his Semi-Final match next week. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 6.00 out of 10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

WWE 205 Live Review // 27th February 2018

The Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament began this week on 205 Live, as Cedric Alexander squared off against TJP and Roderick Strong and Kalisto met for the first time ever. But how did it all go down in Los Angeles? Lets take a look! 

Commentators - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton
Interviewer - Dasha Fuentes 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // Cedric Alexander def. TJP // Pinfall 

Before the match - Cedric Alexander got an in-vision promo, but didn't say a lot - TJ Perkins was interviewed backstage and something very similar 

Cedric Alexander earned himself a spot in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament semi-finals, as a Lumbar Check got him the pinfall in a very good match with former Cruiserweight Classic winner TJP. Whilst the match wasn't always as crisp as it could have been and at times came across as a bit scrappy, there was a shit tonne of high quality action, especially down the stretch, as the match was paced incredibly well. Watching TJP work over Alexander for a decent portion of the bout, after blocking a dive with a rolling armbar, could have been a little dull, but The Fil-Am Flash used a nice variety of holds, that kept things visually interesting, whilst Alexander's selling also helped, alongside a handful of early hope spots. For most of the match I was passively enjoying, but also waiting for the match to shift a gear or two and that's exactly what happened with the last two or three exchanges, where a number of signatures moves were first attempted and then hit, with a number of smooth reversals and quick near misses, including Alexander spending lengthy periods in the TJP Clutch. It was interesting to see TJP get a positive reaction from his billed hometown and perhaps that could've been explored more in the narrative of the bout, but that's only a minor criticism, as Alexander was definitely the right person to win after being one of the most consistent performers since the inception of 205 Live.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // Roderick Strong def. Kalisto // Pinfall 

Another high-quality match here, as Roderick Strong booked his place opposite Cedric Alexander in the semi-finals with a victory over former Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto. The bout set its stall out early with letting the two men show off their signature styles with a back and forth sequence, between the hard-hitting technician and the high-flying luchadore. Whilst the previous bout kept most of the action inside the ring, with a much more simplistic style, this one was peppered with big highspots on the outside and one from the top rope, feeling much more like a Cruiserweight variation on WWE's main event style than we've seen from 205 Live before. A rana into the barricade from Kalisto and a rolling release suplex onto the announce table from Strong stand out in particular. The match saw the two take a lot of risks with a number of spots, including a sunset flip powerbomb escape out of a double underhook position and an ridiculous spot where Kalisto reversed a powerslam in mid-air off the top rope to hit one of his own. Neither spot look exactly as clean as it could have, but both moments showed great creativity and still looked effective enough with the powerslam reversal in particularly getting a nice pop. At times I found Kalisto lack of selling, after Strong had hammered him with a number of moves to the back and ribs frustrating and its an area of his game that really should be much better over ten years into his career, but his ability to string together high quality action sequences is unquestionable as he combined with Strong wonderfully in the finish as the pair traded strikes, before Strong blocked a Salida del Sol attempt, nailed a jumping high knee, quickly nailed a backbreaker before transitioning even quicker into the End of Heartache for the victory. 

Also This Week

- Mustafa Ali chatted about his victory over Gentleman Jack Gallagher last week and his Quarter Final match with Buddy Murphy next week, saying Murphy wasn't "bad enough to break me" 

- 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick discussed his vision for the brand, which boiled down to wanting to offer the best Cruiserweight wrestling in the world. 

- Cameras caught up with Buddy Murphy leaving a building, with Murphy saying he was going to WrestleMania and that his match with Mustafa Ali would be brutal next week. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 7.25/10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

WWE 205 Live Review // 13th February 2018

The first round of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament continued on 205 Live this week, with former 'Zo Train members Drew Gulak and Tony Nese colliding in the main event. But how did it all go down in Bakersfield, CA? Lets take a look! 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Drew Gulak def. Tony Nese // Submission

Drew Gulak found himself in the Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament after a brutally dominant victory over former 'Zo Train partner, Tony Nese. A real different match to your typical WWE outing, full of unique offence, hard strikes and some lovely technical wrestling. The match was paced really well, with Nese initially trying to match Gulak's technique and striking game, often coming out on the losing end, before later on the match picked up the pace as Nese hit a beautiful Fosbury flop dive and went on to miss a 450 splash attempt. As much as Gulak looked dominant, Nese was particularly impressive here, there was also a lot of action that felt super fresh, Nese put on a gorgeous submission that seemed to wrap himself all over Gulak, whilst he also later hit an Alley Oop into the top turnbuckle and escaped an armbar attempt with a running powerbomb into the bottom buckle. Both men also sold the hard-hitting bout, with Nese out on his feet for much of the last third, whilst Gulak did some lovely detail work, moving his fingers to suggest a nerve issue towards the end of the clash. 

The finish was superbly done, making Gulak look like a real force to be reckoned with in the tournament going forward. Drew's facial expression after getting a slap from Nese on the outside told the whole story of what was about to happen next and then delivering on it. Gulak viciously threw his former friend into the lower half of the announce table twice, with Nese appearing to be completely out of it. The referee being unable to stop Gulak from assaulting Tony upped the drama and made Drew look like a bastard as he hit a massive lariat, two powerbombs and then locked on the Gu-Lock to seal the deal. As much as I enjoyed Gulak's powerpoint gimmick, it was great to see him return to this vicious and commanding in-ring style that made him a stand-out in places like CHIKARA and CZW. Gulak hadn't won one-on-one since October, but it appears he's set for a much brighter future under Triple H's watch.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Mark Andrews def. Akira Tozawa // Pinfall 

Mark Andrews made his return to 205 Live, picking up his first singles match win in WWE since the United Kingdom Championship Tournament, with an upset win over Akira Tozawa. For me, this was the first match of this tournament that failed to live up to expectations. That isn't to say this wasn't an enjoyable match, because there was some very good action in the second half, but the first portion of the match didn't do a great job of setting out the stall and letting what would have been an unfamiliar audience know what Andrews is all about. A technical start followed up by a number of submission attempts from Andrews was alright, but it wasn't what I wanted to see between these two pacy highflyers and put Andrews in a weird position of looking like the stronger competitor, when perhaps he has always worked better as the underdog fighting from underneath. Considering the type of match that Gulak and Nese had in the main event, I would've preferred to see this match take on a much different tone to how it started, with a little bit of sloppiness on Mandrews part also not helping get the crowd onside. The conclusion was much improved however, with a series of lovely reversals, with the highlight coming as Andrews went for a frankensteiner, which was blocked by Tozawa who looked to counter with a powerbomb, only for Mark to hit a wicked rana from the middle rope. I'm happy to see Mark Andrews head to the Quarter Finals and hopefully we'll get to see him at his best next time round. 

Also This Week 

- A special look at Buddy Murphy, who'll be making his debut next week against Ariya Daivari.

- Drake Maverick told Gentleman Jack Gallagher that he was no longer allowed to wrestle in suits, telling Gallagher to "sort himself out" before next week's match with Mustafa Ali.

ATPW Scale Rating // 7.17 out of 10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

WWE 205 Live Review // 6th February 2018

The new era of 205 Live continued this week in Kansas City, Missouri as the tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion continued. The show was main-evented by a clash between Hideo Itami and the debuting Roderick Strong, but how did it all go down? Lets take a look. 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Roderick Strong def. Hideo Itami // Pinfall 

In somewhat of a surprise, Roderick Strong handed Hideo Itami his first 205 Live defeat to advance to the Quarter Finals, winning with End of Heartache, in a wonderfully physical match. Down the spine of the match was a series of delightful strike battles, as the pair threw forearms, elbows, chops and kicks at each other with the back and forth nature of the contest always seeming to lead back to the two wailing on each other with hard blows. Each time round the pair seemed were selling the effects of the match more and throwing the strikes with more desperation and purpose. Of course, this back and forth sequence would play a big part in the closing sequence as the two went back to what they knew after both coming close with big moves, but the strongest use of this motif came on the outside of the ring. As the action spilled to the apron, Strong's attempt to pull Itami off the apron into a backbreaker was escaped by the former NOAH star, before the pair threw forearms, chops and kicks at each other and Strong, unlike Bono, finally found what he was looking for as he ducked a roundhouse kick, caught Hideo's leg and lifted him into a brutal looking backbreaker onto the apron. A gorgeous sequence. 

It was clear from watching the bout that these two were pretty familiar with each other, they knew how much they could lay in their strikes and produced some slick reversal sequences, with Strong able to transition into a number of moves with ease, which makes him stand out on the current roster. Obviously, the two have history in NOAH and ROH, as well as an NXT bout last April, but they also had a run on NXT house shows in September/October that would have certainly helped to create the comfortableness with each other that was important to creating such an enjoyable match in this style. This was a PPV quality encounter, that managed to draw the audience in, getting a good reaction from the live crowd by it's conclusion. With a little more time, there's no doubt that Itami and Strong could've produced something next level and in fact, I think these two would be able to create something special in pretty much any time limit. It's a shame that we had to lose one of them in the tournament, but it was great to see the tournament already throwing up surprises in it's second week, even if that means we might not see Itami for a while.

Crusierweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Kalisto def. Lince Dorado // Pinfall

205 Live was on fire this week, with another good match to kick off the show as Kalisto booked his placed in the Quarter Finals with a victory over Lucha House Party mate, Lince Dorado with a second Salida del Sol. With the show finally beginning to show the variety of Cruiserweight wrestling, we got a completely different match from the main event, as Dorado and Kalisto put on a mad lucha thing match, full of flips, tricks, dives and big highspots. Despite having not won in singles competition since December 2016 (Main Event - vs. Tony Nese), Dorado was made to look like a threat to the former Cruiserweight Champion, through a well done story that he was over-performing because he was desperate to get the Cruiserweight title and prove himself, bringing out a more aggressive side that drove the match past a flippy showcase to something else. The match was jam-packed with big moments, like Dorado's top rope frankensteiner, Kalisto hitting a wheelbarrow situation off the middle rope, Dorado seemingly having the match won with the Golden Rewind and Shooting Star Press only for Listo to roll under the bottom rope before the cover could be made and a sublime near fall for the favourite off Salida del Sol when Dorado got a hand on the bottom rope. It was a shame that the rewind reverse rana from Kalisto that was part of the finish ended up looking real nasty with Dorado somehow landing head first on Kalisto's back, but the slip-up didn't hurt the match all that match and it appeared like Dorado wasn't seriously hurt, so it wasn't the end of the world.

Also this week

- There was a recap of last week's show, including Daniel Bryan introducing Drake Maverick as the new 205 Live General Manager, Maverick announcing a tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion and TJP and Cedric Alexander winning First Round match-ups in that tournament against Tyler Bate and Gran Metalik respectively. 

- In his office, Drake Maverick ripped into Drew Gulak and Tony Nese for becoming comedy acts and wasting their potential, booking them in a First Round tournament match next week. 

- TJP cut a promo about the fans not believing him anymore and not giving a shit, it was good. 

- A package looking at Mark Andrews, ahead of his match with Akira Tozawa next week, using the same UK Tournament package from January last year.

- Akira Tozawa threatened to fire a man, when he suggested Mark Andrews could beat him next week.

- Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali had a friendly chat about the tournament backstage, they're good pals.

ATPW Scale Rating // 7.67/10

Written by James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale) 

205 Live 53 Review // Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak & Tony Nese

The last month on 205 Live

205 Live 50 Review // Enzo Amore Welcomes the UK Championship Division to the 'Zo Show
205 Live 51 Review // Kalisto vs. Drew Gulak
Survivor Series 2017 Review // Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore // Cruiserweight Championship
205 Live 52 Review // Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak // Street Fight

As 205 Live celebrated a year on the WWE Network, Lexington, Kentucky was our host for this week's episode. The show featured The 'Zo Train's Drew Gulak and Tony Nese going up against Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali, ahead of the four facing off in the Semi-Final of the Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contendership Tournament on Raw next week. But was it any good? Let's take a look! 

Drew Gulak & Tony Nese def. Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali // Pinfall

Drew Gulak has steadily risen to being the most over element of 205 Live, due to his undeniably great character work and weird charisma, that was on clear display here. Whilst the tag team match was nice build up for Raw's tournament semi-final, it was the pre-match promo that was the real highlight. Fuck, I love Gulak. With ab king Tony Nese by his side, Gulak explained that the team were called "Team PowerPoint" due to Nese's power and Gulak's points. The former CZW World Heavyweight Champion was on fine form here, to the point that he received a "PowerPoint" chant from the Lexington crowd and then quickly told them to shut up, because chanting is against his rules. Magnificent. The match was a solid affair, with a decent story of Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali struggling to work cohesively with the four way in the back of their minds. The stretch saw a good near fall for AliXander with it seeming like they'd finally got their act together with a diving crossbody doomsday device, before Nese got a flash pin on Ali, after Alexander was knocked off the apron, in a neat swerve finish.

Kalisto def. Gentleman Jack Gallagher // Disqualification

This was a decent technician vs. luchadore outing, with a couple of good spots, as well as the beginning of a new feud as The Brian Kendrick attacked Kalisto for the disqualification. Prior to that Kalisto and Gentleman Jack Gallagher had worked really well together, with a lovely sequence to open proceedings as they exchanged holds and got over the contrasting styles. The standout moment of the match was the work the pair did in the ropes, which was creative and distinct, with the contest being worth checking out for that moment alone. The finish saw The King of Flight running through Gallagher after escaping a gorgeous straightjacket surfboard, hitting a Listo Kick, Basement rana and Salida del Sol for what was looking like a decisive victory until Kendrick got involved. Gallagher and Kendrick have perfected the bully beatdown recently and this was another well put together situation as Kendrick used his jacket to restrain Kalisto so Gallagher could headbutt the fuck out of the former United States Champion. Kendrick's non-title feuds on 205 Live have been some of the best work on the programme, so here's hoping this one with Kalisto continues the Man with a Plan's excellent form.

Rich Swann def. Noam Dar // Pinfall

A solid outing for Rich Swann to set him up for the final of the Cruiserweight #1 Contender's tournament in two week's time. The contest was a relatively simple affair with some stalling from Dar, Enzo Amore interference allowing the Scot to take control, before Swann fought back to get a clean win with a Phoenix Splash. There was a nice little bit of narrative involving Dar having suffering an injured knee on Raw, resulting in Swann targeting the leg at points, with the injury playing into the finish as Dar struggled to lock in a submission and a kick to the leg gave Swann some space to eventually pick up the win. Dar sold well throughout and it made him much more sympathetic when Amore was berating him for being a loser after the match. Swann and Dar could have a much better contest under different circumstances, but this bout did what it had to do.

Hideo Itami is Coming Soon! 

Finally...

A good outing for 205 Live, with a crowd that was more into the action than recent week's. Despite a lack a genuine consequences, there was some nice build for the tournament semi-final on RAW, an interesting new feud beginning between Kalisto and The Brian Kendrick, whilst Rich Swann was also given some extra momentum ahead of his #1 contender's match in two weeks. The matches were all easy watches, with a handful of creative and exciting moments, but none are worth going out of your way to see or particularly memorable. 

 Review by James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale) 

205 Live 52 Review // Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak // Street Fight

A different kind of episode from 205 Live this week, with one storyline spanning the whole hour at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Whilst the biggest match on the episode was Akira Tozawa facing Drew Gulak in a Street Fight, that bout was part of an episode-arcing narrative where Enzo Amore had members of The 'Zo Train compete in matches in order to prove themselves worthy of representing the brand, this included Noam Dar & Ariya Daivari tagging up against Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander and Tony Nese battling Mustafa Ali, alongside multiple backstage segments. But was it any good?

Street Fight // Akira Tozawa def. Drew Gulak // Pinfall (11:11) 

then...

Tony Nese def. Mustafa Ali // Pinfall (7:06)

then...

Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander def. Noam Dar & Ariya Daivari // Pinfall 

The show kicked-off with The 'Zo Train celebrating Thanksgiving, with Noam Dar desperate for some scran, Enzo Amore told his pals they'd all have matches to prove themselves tonight and in a bizarre turn of events the Gobbledy Gooker returned, only for it to be revealed it was Drew Gulak (or the Gobbledy Gulaker) all along, as Gulak continued to be the star of 205 Live....The fun continued with Gulak inside the ring as he cut a promo about wanting a Street Fight because Enzo Amore was from the streets and because Gulak is "Enzo adjacent", that meant Gulak was from the streets, by proxy...

For various story-based reasons, Akira Tozawa's victory over Drew Gulak went on first, when it really should've been the main event. The match was a run of the mill plunder brawl, with a couple of good highspots along the way. Gulak blocking a suicide dive and hitting a verticle suplex on the metal part of the entrance ramp, Tozawa destroying Gulak's "No chants" sign with a backdrop driver in the corner and Tozawa hitting a somersault senton off the announce table were amongst the highlights of fun clash. There times when the action dragged a little, not helped by a dour crowd, who were waiting for the next spot and desperately clamouring for tables. A little time chopped off would've helped, as it seemed the duo didn't have enough content to fill the time. The win came with a spot that sounded better on paper, as Tozawa hit a diving senton with Gulak draped on a table and inside a bin. It looked cool, but was a little clumsy in it's exclusion. This loss leave Gulak with just one singles win in his last eleven outings. A personal highlight was the crowd chanting "No chants" which was hilarious, either being a great moment of self-aware irony or clueless stupidity. You tell me, Houston.

After Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali took the piss out of the Zo Train, Enzo Amore told Tony Nese that he had to do whatever it took to win next, in order to represent the Enzo Brand correctly...

Whilst it garnered the weakest crowd response, Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali was my favourite match on the card. I've kind of accepted that the crowd is tired after SmackDown and unfamiliar with the majority of the talent and therefore the only reaction most of these matches are going to receive are move pops and even then sometimes spectacular stuff doesn't even raise a smile with some of these audiences. Ali and Nese wrestled a wonderfully creative bout, with tonnes of stuff that made me sit up and take notice, especially when the action was on the outside of the ring. Ali's ridiculous diving somersault senton to the outside, followed up by a lovely spot on the barricade when Nese blocked a moonsault attempt by the announce table. The two also did a great series of athletic reversals that concluded with a Tornado DDT, as well as Ali pulling out a wicked forward roll X-Factor, that had me popping like a mad man at home and the crowd shrugging their shoulders. The most surprising thing about the match however was the result as Nese pinned Ali after ramming his opponent's head into the corner post and finishing him off with The Running Nese. Not just because Ali had been undefeated since early July, whilst Nese hadn't had a win since early August, but also because I just presumed that all of the 'Zo Train were going to end up staring at the lights.

Backstage, as Ariya Daivari and Noam Dar pumped each other up for their tag team match, it was revealed Drew Gulak had been placed in "time out" following his loss and had also put the Gobbledy Gooker costume back on...

I've found the thing that enjoy about 205 Live the most and especially within this episode, is how many of the performers appear to be free to do anything they like and this results in little moments of joy. And as someone who loves little moments, Noam Dar swinging around the tag rope at the beginning of this tag bout made me happier than someone whirling around the tag rope should make any 24 year old. Dar's character work throughout this one was fantastic, as he looked to catch up Drew Gulak as the star of the 'Zo Train, by high-fiving Amore whenever the Scot did anything well, as well as jumping into a hug with Cruiserweight champion at one point as well. Dar's shenanigans aside, this was a sound tag team match, sticking mostly to a basic structure, with Cedric Alexander as the face in peril, whilst Amore playing interference on the outside and his occasional frustration at his team gave the match a little more depth. After a couple of decent near falls, the finish included all five guys well with interference from Amore, Daivari taking an elbow from Alexander, who then took a baseball slide from Dar, before the Scottish Supernova turned round into a spin kick from Swann, before the deal was sealed with a Phoenix Splash.

Enzo Amore began a beatdown as soon as the match was over, with Tony Nese and Drew Gulak arriving to take out Akira Tozawa and Mustafa Ali when they turned up to help out. The show came to a close with Dar and Daivari hitting signature moves on Alexander and Swann, before Amore resurrected Bada Boom Shakalaka with help from the Zo' Train, with the quintet managing to garner a decent amount of heat...

A vignette aired for the debut of Hideo Itami [KENTA], with the message "Coming Soon ".

Finally...

Credit to whoever is in charge of 205 Live creative for trying something different and something that certainly wouldn't have worked on RAW and SmackDown and perhaps would've struggled on even NXT. The story meant the card was almost backwards, but each match had, at least, some purpose and offered something different from the ones that had gone before it, whilst the backstage segments were more hit than miss. Drew Gulak was once again on fine character form, whilst Noam Dar stepped up to the plate to challenge him with a great character show in the main event as well. I'm interested to see how Tony Nese being the only team member to win his match plays out, as well as how the beaten down babyfaces look to get revenge once again for the vicious beat down. There's no more PPV's for the brand until next year, so there's plenty of time to focus on getting the stories right and hopefully with even less focus from the main creative the brand will continue to produce a different kind of show to RAW and SmackDown. Now if only we could move when and where it was taped that'd be grand!

Review by James Marston