Another week, another 205 Live. The 12th of February edition of 205 Live was kicked off with the usual video package, promoting the main event of Tony Nese vs Noam Dar in a no disqualification match. Lucha House Party’s music hit shortly after and its time for our first match of the night.
Lince Dorado w/ Kalisto & Gran Metalik vs ‘Gentleman’ Jack Gallagher w/ Drew Gulak
The match was started off with some brilliant wrist manipulation by Gallagher before a sudden springboard arm drag by Dorado to make the escape. After lots of back and forth action, some high-flying and a short brawl on the outside, Dorado finds himself on the top rope where he’s cut down by Gallagher and tumbles down to the ground. Gallagher takes control of the match for the next few moments before Dorado manages to toss Gallagher to the outside and proceed to hit a beautiful springboard crossbody, sending Gallagher and himself dangerously close to the announcers table. Dorado takes control of the match and connects with a middle rope moonsault. He tries to follow it up with a top rope moonsault but Gallagher gets his knees up. Powerbomb, single-legged crab and a headbutt only gets Gallagher a near fall. The two run the ropes until Dorado manages to connect with a handspring stunner. 1… 2… another near fall. Dorado lifts Gallagher to the top rope and connects with a hurricanrana but no! Gallagher rolls through… 1, 2, 3! Gallagher picks up the win! A good back-and-forth match between the two. Contrasting styles but everything flowed well and Dorado doesn’t look weak in his victory. A solid ‘midcard’ match. 7.5/10.
A ton of backstage shenanigans follow but nothing worth mentioning.
Noam Dar vs Tony Nese
Whilst Nese is on the apron during his entrance, Dar knocks Nese off and starts the match off hot. Dar takes the action to outside, bounces Nese off the barricades and delivers a strong Irish whip into the steps. Dar positions the top half of the steps strategically, lifts Nese onto the barricade and hits him with a huge diving clothesline with a boost off of the steps. Nese finds his way back into the match and throws Dar into just about everything, the ring post, the barricade and ends up getting a steel chair from under the ring. Both men find themselves back in the ring where Nese shoves the chair into the ribs of Dar. He then hangs Dar on the ropes and supports him with the steel chair before hitting a brutal springboard moonsault for a near fall. Nese slams Dar onto the chair before the two get into a striking exchange, Nese runs off the ropes and goes for a crossbody but misses. Dar whips Nese’s leg before lifting him up to the top and smashing his knee with a penalty kick. Dar follows it up with an exploder into the corner. Dar pulls out 7, maybe 8 chairs and a table and delivers a back body drop onto the chairs. With the action back in the ring, Dar proceeds to repeatedly smack Nese’s knee onto a chair before locking in a single leg crap. Nese escapes but Dar maintains control before Nese bends back Dar’s fingers and hits a pumphandle driver onto a chair. 1, 2… kickout! The two exchange blows and Nese goes for a forearm only for Dar to shield himself with a steel chair before trapping Nese’s arm in the chair for a few moments. Dar sets up a table against the barricade and tries to whip Nese into the table but Nese reverses and sends Dar shoulder first into the other steps. Both men exchange moves on the outside before Nese manages to deliver a schoolboy powerbomb onto the steps… and he proceeds to hold onto the schoolboy and deliver another one through the announce table! Back inside the ring, both men fight it out before Dar manages to get the upperhand, Dar locks in his signature kneebar but Nese manages to grab a chair from the outside and smashes Dar in the chest. The fight spills to the outside where Nese rams the chair into the knees of Dar, he then wraps the chair around the knee of Dar and stomps on it. Dar crawls up against the barricade where Nese runs full force and delivers a double knee meteora, demolishing the timekeepers area. Nese manages to get Dar back in the ring for a 1, 2, 3. Nese is victorious in a brilliant no disqualification match. These two men absolutely destroyed each other and put on one hell of show. Speechless… wow! 8.75/10.
Following the match, we go backstage for the contract signing between Akira Tozawa and Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight Championship. Tozawa signs the contract and Buddy Murphy talks a whole lot of trash about Tozawa and again proclaims himself as unstoppable. Will Murphy be unstoppable at Elimination Chamber? I think so.
