‘WWE 205 Live’ Review (Feb 26th 2019)
Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and that chick from the Home-Shield commercial freaks me out. It’s an American Home-Shield commercial and it has Death coming to this woman’s door and he kills her refrigerator because he’s bored. I know…I forgot what we were talking about. Oh, the Cruiser-Weight Torunament continues here. Hey, let’s wrestle Russell.
Match #1: Tony Nese def. Kalisto
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Since he started training with WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy, Tony Nese has turned his fortunes around, as The Premier Athlete has showcased the full range of his abilities, most recently in an incredible No Disqualification Match against Noam Dar. Now he sets his sights on the Cruiserweight division’s ultimate prize, but first he had to face former champion Kalisto in the first round of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament. Targeting Kalisto’s back and ribs, The Premier Athlete took the fight to Kalisto on the outside of the ring and unleashed his aggression on his opponent, even countering a hurricanrana by tossing Kalisto into the barricade. Nese maintained the pressure on Kalisto’s back, but the Lucha Dragon fed off the energy of the WWE Universe and fought back with aerial wizardry, nearly securing a pinfall on two consecutive occasions. Kalisto attempted a Super Salida del Sol from the corner, but Nese countered into a German Suplex, only to miss a 450 splash. With victory potentially in sight, Kalisto executed his own 450 Splash, but Nese got a foot on the bottom rope just in time to break the pinfall. Working to keep their WrestleMania dreams alive, both Superstars continued to fight back and forth. Kalisto attempted multiple pinfalls before Nese countered into a pinfall of his own. Instead of trying to secure the win, however, Nese picked up his opponent and flipped him back into the corner before executing his patented Running Nese for the win.
My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was some fine stuff and you couldn’t ask for a better pairing than these two guys…if you don’t include 50,000 to 60,000 other people. This was good all around. If you like watching wrestlers take a chance and really go for the gold, then this match will do something for you, like prison has done something for Bill Cosby. Nese was the man here and didn’t even have to wear a bra. Overall, this was a fabulous opener that made both wrestlers look credible.
Match #2: Drew Gulak def. The Brian Kendrick
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
There is certainly no love lost between former friends turned bitter enemies The Brian Kendrick and Drew Gulak, and the stakes of a WrestleMania opportunity looming in their latest clash only deepens the animosity. A seasoned veteran, Kendrick hopes to finally achieve a WrestleMania match while Gulak sees another opportunity to build a better WWE 205 Live. Gulak showcased his impressive technical expertise, countering all of Kendrick’s attempts to apply submission holds. As a result, Kendrick changed his strategy to a more aggressive offensive focused on high-impact strikes. Despite a counter after an initial flurry, The Man With a Plan pressed forward doing his best to advance to the next round. The resilience and relentlessness of The Philadelphia Stretcher never allowed Kendrick to maintain control long enough to secure victory. As Gulak got back on the attack, he found himself caught in the Captain’s Hook after Kendrick reversed the Gulock. Refusing to quit, Gulak broke the hold by pulling on Kendrick’s mouth and dropping his rival with a savage powerbomb. Kendrick taunted Gulak as each Superstar got to his feet, they exchanged strikes and Kendrick attempted Sliced Bread No. 2. Following a counter from Gulak, Kendrick attempted to roll up his opponent, but Gulak again countered and applied the Gulock, finally winning the match when Kendrick passed out in the hold.
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This had lots of technical wrestling, but it had none of the life in it necessary to make the moves exciting. This kind of match is what made it possible for the aerial stunts to permeate wrestling and conquer it, because the holds were implemented like it was type-setting. Both Gulak and Kendrick are talented, but it is no wonder why Vince has never done any-thing with either guy, as they are more for people like me. Gulak needs to work on making his holds more dramatic and suspenseful, so he can make the most of his move set. Watching Gulak is like watching someone in the Create-A-Wrestler section of a WWE video game just flying through the move set function for fun. Kendrick is still pretty good after all these years, but his personality is like watching paint dry. Overall, this was a match that only the more devout wrestling fans will enjoy, but that isn’t entirely a bad thing.
News Of The Night:
- Jack Gallagher and Humberto Carrillo seem to be destined to feud.
- Humberto Carrillo vs. Oney Lorcan in the Cruiser-Weight Tournament happens, next week.
- Mike Kanellis wrestles, next week.
- Cedric Alexander vs. Akira Tozawa in the Cruiser-Weight Tournament happens, next week.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This was simple and easy to watch, but the card peaked with the opener.
