205 Live begins this week with a bloody firecracker of a match!
Tony Nese vs Gran Metalik
On their own. Nobody accompanying them to the ring or ringside. This match was worthy of Wrestlemania! A few minor botches here and thete but ultimately it was a stellar performance from both of these dudes. They mesmerised me with their crazy levels of strength and their almost supernatural ability to turn a cold, quiet crowd into a heated and wild one! The crowd were chanting ‘this is awesome‘ & ‘205!’ for nearly 2 whole minutes! Way to go, fellas. I tip my virtual hat to you and the rest of your peers on your roster. Every week you put on a hell of a performance and you deserve so much more publicity than you get. I’m proud to be one of the many trying to get people watching 205 Live in 2018 and see the show for what it is. Truly outstanding.
This match was chocca-bloc with crazy stuff! 450 splash from big Tony Nese for a near fall, Metalik doing an ode to Ricochet’s leaping Hurricanrana over the top rope to the floor from TakeOver Brooklyn IV, false finishes to the standard of Kenny Omega and Okada, a moveset that wowed the thousands in attendance and people watching at home, Gran Metalik got the win after his Tightrope Walking Diving Elbow Drop. The babyface won and celebrated with his Lucha House Party brothers. “What an excellent way to begin a wrestling show” I thought.
Backstage
GM, Manager to AOP and let’s face it, the Dad to everyone at 205 Live, Drake Maverick, was backstage with Mustafa Ali giving him a good telling off about getting back in the ring to confront Hideo Itami without being medically cleared to do so. So Mustafa argues his case and says that he’s fine, but Daddy Drake says no and that he’s not to step foot in a 205 ring again until he says so. Basically, Mustafa Ali is grounded. I make jokes, but I actually really liked this segment. It’s nice to see a believable authoritarian Babyface GM with a backbone for a change!
Noam Dar vs Jobber
Just as the bell rings, Lio Rush’s music hits and he comes out in all his finery to do some spectating and a spot of commentary for the match. Noam Dar made quick work of his opponent, but it looks like the angle here is for Rush and Dar to have a feud and that makes me happy. Oh, so happy. Those two will work together so blimmin’ well! I can’t wait for those seeds to grow into a beast of a plant that we can all pluck the juicy fruit from and consume some excellence. That was a weird way to phrase it, but I’m sticking with it.
Promo
WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Cedric Alexander made his way out to a decent pop. He got in the ring and despite the GM telling him not to make a situation out there, he just decided he wasn’t gonna listen. He invited Gulak out and he no showed, so instead of that, TJP comes out and says he wants a match with Alexander and if he wins, he’s next in line for a shot at the title. (He also tried doing that rolly-polly head-springy thing he does when he slid into the ring, got his foot caught and it really didn’t look even 1% of the cool he wanted it to. The crowd laughed at him, I laughed at him, even my 3 year old saw it and laughed. Bad time for a fail, mate. Live TV.) Drake Maverick then came out and made the match for right then and there. So this was out impromptu main event.
Cedric Alexander vs TJP
This match was great! I really enjoyed it. The technical game was off the chain in this match from both guys. They went for a good 15 minutes and had the fans behind them. TJP spent the match working Cedric’s arm in an attempt to stop him using the Lumbar Check. Which, he did in the traditional sense. But Alexander finally managed to land a vicious and devastating Half-Nelson version of his beloved finishing move and it was like watching the sun set over the horizon in Hawaii. Beautiful! That was it. 1, 2, 3. Then Drew Gulak came out and said he accepts Alexander’s challenge and proceeds towards the ring to beat down a knackered man, when Gentleman Jack attacks! He gets knocked out of the ring though, but as Cedric turns arounf he gets locked into the Gu-lock (and the award for Lamest Finisher Name goes to…) and manages to KO the champ with it. Drake Maverick comes down and gives Jack and Drew an inaudible ear bashing. Then 205 goes off the air.
Conclusion
9/10 🌟
Once again the 205 Live dudes pull a showstopper out of the bag. The show here is amazing and if anything, is a true display of what’s to come when Vince retires and HHH and Steph get ahold of the WWE. Because this show is good. Like, really really good. Do you know what other WWE show is consistently fan-bloody-tastic? NXT, which is also run, produced and booked by The Game and his team. This shows the level of knowledge HHH has with what works for the fans and how to book Pro Wrestling in 2018. 205 Live is the future. In more ways than one.
Match of the Night: Nese vs Metalik. Easy. Easily the best match I’ve seen from WWE all week. I loved the display put on and the back and forth, risk taking, has dropping false finishes and just everything about it. This bout was out of this world.
Performer of the Night: Tony Nese. The Premiere Athlete is truly remarkable. His size shouldn’t permit him to achieve what he does, but he is such a mixture of styles that he can work well with anyone. I predict big things for Seth Rollins’ & Elias’ love child.
