Nerdly » ‘WWE 205 Live’ Review (Dec 5th 2018)

06th Dec2018

‘WWE 205 Live’ Review (Dec 5th 2018)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Christian Bale starring as Dick Cheney. Wait, no we don’t. That was a commercial for Vice. I’m gonna pretend I directed that picture, so if I say “Christian Bale does what I say because I’ll direct his way to the unemployment line if he pisses me off”, then that’s why. Also, I think it’s time for 205 Live, so let’s do the review before I have to get back to the set of Vice. Christian won’t do anything until I arrive on set. The little twit is probably just drooling in his trailer waiting for me.

Match #1: The Brian Kendrick vs. Drew Gulak ended in a No Contest

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

There is certainly no love lost between The Brian Kendrick and Drew Gulak, and that was evident as the former allies faced off on WWE 205 Live. In their corners were their respective allies, Akira Tozawa and Gentleman Jack Gallagher, as Gulak landed the first big blow when he clobbered The Man with a Plan with a powerful clothesline. The submission specialist went to work, focusing on Kendrick’s previously injured left ankle. Fueled by rage, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion fought back with furious resilience, but The Philadelphia Stretcher continued to target Kendrick’s left ankle. Gulak maintained his dominance, striking with relentless power and intense pressure. Struggling to counter the masterful manipulation of his limbs by Gulak, Kendrick eventually channeled his disdain for The Philadelphia Stretcher and applied his own submission before an impactful suplex and sequence of furious strikes. As the battle spilled to the outside, Tozawa made sure not to get involved, but as soon as Kendrick tossed Gulak back into the ring, the British Superstar tossed The Stamina Monster into the ring post. However, Kendrick executed Sliced Bread No. 2 and nearly secured the victory before Gallagher entered and attacked The Man With a Plan. With the official forced to call off the match, Gallagher and Gulak continued to assault Kendrick and then Tozawa, leaving them decimated inside the ring.

My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a fun way to start the card, with Kendrick and Gulak getting more to do than in recent memory. A big problem that I have with 205 Live is that the focus is always reserved for just two to three people at a time, which is evident when you consider that Gulak was the top heel just a few months ago, but he’s barely getting on TV at this point. The wrestling for this was slow and methodical, which is better for the card and the wrestlers’ bodies, but might make the crowd a bit antsy for the slam-bang approach that NASCAR used to put the asses back in the seats about fifteen or so years ago. Even though I enjoyed this bout, it didn’t feel very important, so that makes it very easy to forget about this before it can even make an impression.

Match #2: Ariya Daivari def. Clay Roberts

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

After making a shocking return to WWE 205 Live last week and declaring his respect for Hideo Itami, Ariya Daivari returned to action against Clay Roberts. Daivari wasted no time driving his opponent into the corner and unloading with furious strikes. Although Roberts attempted to fight back, it only enraged Daivari. With Hideo Itami looking on from the locker room, The Persian Lion continued to destroy his opponent, devastating him with two clotheslines and feigning a pinfall. Daivari then unleashed a series of three clotheslines that knocked Roberts out, forcing the official to call the match in Daivari’s favor.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – Ariya looked good, so that’s about it.

Match #3: The Lucha House Party def. TJP & Mike Kanellis

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Looking to put an end to The Lucha House Party once and for all, Maria Kanellis requested that her husband, Mike Kanellis, and TJP battle the luchadores in one of the masked Superstars’ specialties – a Tornado Tag Team Match. With Gran Metalik taking part in a WWE Live Event in Chile, Kalisto and Lince Dorado faced off against The Cruisergreat and Kanellis. Of course, under Tornado Tag Team Match rules, all four competitors were in the ring at the same time, and chaos immediately ensued. The Lucha House Party immediately showed why they specialize in this match, taking an early advantage by isolating their opponents and driving them from the ring. With the WWE Universe firmly in their corner, Kalisto and Dorado continued to assert dominance against their rivals, much to Maria’s chagrin. With her team struggling to mount an offense, Maria distracted Kalisto by holding up one of the piñatas, allowing TJP to knock the former Cruiserweight Champion off the top rope. The First Lady destroyed the piñata as Kanellis and TJP took control, further destroying the piñatas and showing off the masks previously stolen from The Lucha House Party.

Kanellis and TJP maintained control for some time, as The Cruisergreat locked Kalisto into a unique submission before transitioning his opponent into his patented Kneebar, but Kalisto refused to quit, even in the face of Maria’s shrieking. After breaking free, Kalisto fended off Kanellis and TJP until Dorado regained his bearings and took down both opponents. The Golden Lynx executed three moonsaults at Kanellis’ expense, and Dorado then called for Kalisto to grab the bag they brought to ringside. Kalisto opened the bag and dumped a bunch of mini-piñatas into the middle of the ring. Despite suffering a double suplex onto the party favors, TJP recovered and battled back, taking down Kalisto and calling for Penelope the piñata to be used as a weapon. However, Kalisto countered, and when Maria tried to steal the coveted Penelope, Kalisto tossed it into her face, and she fell on top of her husband outside the ring. The move gave Kalisto the opening to hit Salida del Sol, and Dorado followed up with a magnificent Shooting Star Press for the victory. After the match, The Lucha House Party celebrated the win and recovered their stolen masks.

My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a fun one that a bit of every-thing and some suspense to boot. I should’ve picked a different phrase instead of “to boot”, just like that Frankie Stout character from “La Dolce Vita” should’ve gotten a different hair-cut. It looked like Bill Nighy with the biggest $#!@-kicker perm you could ever imagine. Go watch it and you’ll see what mean…‘cause he’s a goofy looking little #@!$&?. Any-way, the LHP handled the adrenaline rush that the cruiserweights normally bring, while TJP and Mike Kanellis acted as the spoilers to the party and prevented the exciting trio from putting on a show for the people. Over-all, this was a good way to end the show.