23rd Aug2018

‘WWE 205 Live’ Review (August 21st 2018)

by Nathan Favel

205-live-header

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have lots of good action from the cruiserweight division to get to, so let’s do so.

Match #1: Noam Dar def. TJP

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Last month, Noam Dar made a triumphant return to WWE 205 Live by defeating TJP in record time. However, the two would battle once again, and The Cruisergreat targeted Dar’s injured knee to gain an advantage and score a victory. With victories shared, a rubber match between the Superstars was in order. Before the match got underway, Grammy-nominated rapper Wale joined Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson on commentary. TJP made his way to the ring, eager to return home to Los Angeles, and chastised his opponent, guaranteeing a second victory and a definitive end to their rivalry.

As the match got underway, TJP was on the defensive before retreating from the ring and grabbing a microphone. The Cruisergreat introduced Wale, but the rapper had previously revealed he didn’t know who TJP was. The Scottish Supernova seized the opportunity to knock down his opponent and take control of the match, much to Wale’s delight. However, The Cruisergreat began to target Dar’s knee with precision strikes and his impressive technical abilities. The Fil-Am Flash methodically attacked, but Dar regained momentum by nearly sacrificing his knee to block a strike from his opponent. As they battled back and forth, TJP continued to target the knee, but Dar showed off impressive resilience. Battling through pain, The Scottish Supernova executed a series of precision strikes and nearly scored a pinfall. Unable to secure victory, Dar soon fell victim to TJP’s patented kneebar, narrowly escaping by grabbing the ropes. TJP’s frustration grew, and he prepared to use the ropes as leverage to maximize damage to Dar’s knee. However, The Scottish Supernova countered before taking down TJP with a kick to the knee and executing the NovaRolla for the win.

My Take: This was a nice little match that had some good action, but wasn’t able to reach the level of success of the bouts of the past few weeks.

Match #2: Akira Tozawa versus Colin Delaney

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Despite his loss at SummerSlam, Drew Gulak still believes he’s the best Cruiserweight in the world, and he demanded a rematch against WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Unfortunately for The Philadelphia Stretcher, WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick denied the request. Not satisfied with Maverick’s decision, Gulak, Gentleman Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick interrupted a scheduled match between Akira Tozawa and Colin Delaney, taking them both down to allow Gulak to address the WWE Universe.

Upset about his lack of a rematch, Gulak directly addressed the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, wanting The Soul of WWE 205 Live to answer his challenge instead of having Maverick speak for him. Gulak demanded Alexander come to the ring and answer him. Not one to back down, Alexander made his way into Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and had no problem confronting Gulak, so long as Kendrick and Gallagher left the ring. As the champion made his way to the ring, Maverick kept Alexander back. Nevertheless, Gulak wasn’t done berating The Soul of WWE 205 Live and The Age of Alexander. Accusing Alexander of being a pushover, Gulak continued to taunt the champion. Breaking free of Maverick and a wall of WWE officials, Alexander charged into the ring. Although Gulak escaped, he left satisfied that he got under Cedric’s skin.

My Take: I hate it when they do these awful attack angles that lead to promos. Akira Tozawa should never have been sacrificed to just do one of these dull things. I feel bad for Colin Delaney, since it’s hard to impress people with your wrestling when you don’t get to show your skills.

Match #3: Main Event – Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik def. Buddy Murphy & Tony Nese

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

The heated rivalry between The Lucha House Party and workout partners Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese has intensified in recent week, and only a Tornado Tag Team Match would provide a fitting setting for the animosity between the teams. As the match got underway, Dorado and Metalik took the early advantage in the fast-paced bout. The lucha brothers used their speed and agility to flatten their opponents with double moonsaults to the outside. Nese and Metalik battled inside the ring as Dorado and Murphy fought outside. However, Nese and Murphy soon turned the tables by overpowering their opponents, delivering a crushing double powerbomb into the barricade at Metalik’s expense. Focusing their attention on The Golden Lynx, Murphy and Nese targeted his injured thumb to maximize punishment. As they tried to rip off Dorado’s cast, Metalik returned to the fray and took down both opponents, living up to his moniker, The King of the Ropes. However, Murphy’s raw power proved too much for Metalik, once again allowing The Juggernaut and The Premier Athlete to take control.

Metalik and Dorado struggled to regain their composure against their larger opponents, but a reversal from The King of the Ropes allowed Dorado to strike and regain control of the bout. The Golden Lynx unleashed an incredible sequence of fast-paced strikes, leaving Murphy and Nese reeling. Fending off his opponents, Dorado continued to bring the WWE Universe to their feet with innovative moves like dropkicking Nese while executing a tornado DDT on Murphy. The battle continued to rage, once again moving to the top rope with Nese taking down Dorado with a huge German Suplex, Metalik dropkicking Nese while he was hanging upside down and Murphy dropping Metalik with his knees from the top. As they got back to their feet, the battle continued with all four Superstars exchanging blows and The Lucha House Party nearly securing victory with three moonsaults.

Exhausted, all four competitors again got back on their feet for another incredible series of high-risk moves and counters that culminated in a breathtaking hurricanrana delivered by Metalik that tossed Nese into Murphy on the outside. Despite the incredible feat, Murphy remained relentless and followed Metalik to the other side of the ring where Kalisto was encouraging his lucha brother to stay in the fight. Murphy responded to Kalisto by ripping his shirt and pushing him into the announce table. Returning to the ring, Murphy prepared to deliver a crushing blow to The King of the Ropes, but Kalisto tripped him, allowing Metalik to score a lightning-quick pinfall for a hard-fought victory.

My Take: This was an excellent main event that had a nice balance of logic and spectacle. I thought Buddy Murphy had a great night here, looking good against Kalisto in particular. I’d like to see the Lucha House Party get involved in the tag title pictures for any of the three tag divisions at some point. Watching Kalisto work here was a stark reminder of how many talented people work for Vince, yet are just spinning their wheels on his dollar because there is no plan in place. This was one of the better matches of the week, which is saying some-thing this time.

News Of The Night:

  1. Drew Gulak is pushing for another title shot.

Final Verdict: 3 out of 5 – This was a good card that was saved by the main event. 205 was doing so well, then it reverted back to Vince’s idea for the show this week. Drake Maverick is still great in his role as the General Manager and really keeps the show moving smoothly as a personality. Over-all, a preference of sports-entertainment over professional wrestling is not the way to go for 205 Live.

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