205 Live Review: 205 Live 35 (7/25/2017)

205 Live 35 (7/25/17) Review


205 Live is one of my favorite wrestling shows going on right now. The matches themselves are usually pretty good, but in addition to that, the storylines are also refreshing and fun. The superstars themselves are all impressive and none of them feel out of place, with only Neville being a step above everyone else (and rightfully so, he is an impressive and dominant wrestler). I decided to take a deeper look at 205 Live, starting with the latest episode, #35, and share my thoughts on it. I am going to format this a little different than my ECW recaps, but hopefully still give an in-depth look at the match. Let's get into it!

Ariya Daivari def. Neville (by count out)

Tozawa on commentary is an interesting choice. On Monday Night RAW, when he told Neville to come out "right now", he sounded like he was saying "right meoooow". It was weird, but kind of charming. I'm a big fan of Tozawa, and I'm a little bit upset that Tozawa isn't going to be wrestling, but what can you do. He's kayfabe injured, after all. But the top rope sexton he pulls off as his finisher is spectacular. He makes it looks so good! Anyway, he on commentary was a bit tough. You can tell he doesn't have a full grasp on the language, but I don't think it's necessarily a detriment to his character. In fact, I thought his short quips during the match were charming and funny. "Do you think Neville cares about your shoulder?" "I don't care." Right on!

I wasn't expecting Neville to be the one to wrestle Daivari, but it was definitely a welcomed sight to see him coming down the ring. The match itself was meh, but it did a good job in progressing the storyline. Neville gets to involved with a staredown with Akira Tozawa. He loses track of the count outside the ring, and Daivari pushes Neville into Tozawa and wins via count out. Then, Neville and Tozawa almost come to blows, but the referees are out to make sure that doesn't happen.

Is Daivari officially in the Cruiserweight title picture? If so, I think it is interesting. Daivari is good in the ring, but I think his character work is a bit lacking; he says the right things, but they just don't work for me. I don't know, I think that is more so me, but I can't help but feel like there is still something off about him. I definitely don't mind him getting involved in the title picture, though, because I think he can add a new element to the story and we don't have to worry about a re-do of the Austin Aries feud, where Aries and Neville wrestle 1v1 three straight PPV's. Definitely interested to see where this goes.

The Brian Kendrick and Jack The Clown

Brian Kendrick cuts a promo here about Jack Gallagher being a clown. They do a photoshop thing where they add some makeup and a big rainbow afro, and then a clown suit and red nose to top it off. While this is pretty stupid, and I mean really stupid, it's nice to see Brian Kendrick still kicking down in the Cruiserweight division. He won the Cruiserweight title from TJP and his title reign, while there being only four in this new title's existence, was probably the least notable. TJP was the winner of the Cruiserweight Classic, which was impressive. Rich Swann won on the first episode of 205 Live. Then, Neville has had an impressively long and dominant reign. Kendrick's run has gotten lost in the shuffle, which is too bad, given his talent and character. 

Anyway, Gallagher comes out and they are ABOUT to come to blows, but don't, once again. Alright. I'm looking forward to them actually wrestling in the near future.

Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander, BFFs

Squad!
Two of my favorite of the Cruiserweights teaming with one another? Yes please!

I'm a big fan of both of these guys. Like many, Cedric Alexander became a favorite of mine when he put on an outstanding match in the Cruiserweight Classic with Kota Ibushi. I had heard his name previously from his days in Ring of Honor, but I'll be honest and say it was my first exposure to his work, and he made a great first impression. Rich Swann was someone I had seen on NXT TV before the Cruiserweight Classic, so I knew what I was getting, but I didn't have a clue as to how crisp he was on the mic. He's got a natural charisma that I don't think Cedric has, but Cedric has been working on it quite a bit and it is admittedly better. 

Tony Nese and TJP enter the fray, and it becomes obvious why TJP has been relegated. He isn't a great promo. He comes off scripted, which he is, but it is more noticeable than people like Alexander and Swann. I also want to make a quick note that I really don't get the outrage over him doing the dab. People online (like at reddit/r/SquaredCircle) can't stand it! Just relax and enjoy it. Tony Nese is alright; he's another one who impressed me during the CWC, and he is alright on the microphone, better than TJP at least, but he best served where he is right now. They did a cool thing where they hit TJP's music while he was in promo. That was a nice touch. 

Tony Nese & TJP def. Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander

Tony Nese does this thing in his entrance where he counts his ab muscles and says that's why he's better than everyone else. That was uh... Hey, your gimmick is that you are in shape. That's cool. But literally 95% of the wrestlers in WWE are in peak shape and you don't see them bragging. You're also under 205 pounds (supposedly)

Before I get into the match, let me tell you how nice it is to see Cedric Alexander in a feud/match that is not involving Alicia Fox or Noam Dar, though I am a fan of Noam Dar. That was tiring two months ago, but they dragged it on through Cedric Alexander's injury, which I thought was pretty pointless.

This was match solid; definitely not one of the best main events in recent memory for 205 Live, but it was nice to see four guys who have loads of talent and athleticism go at it. Rich Swann's moveset is shockingly good. He does a front flip leg drop that takes me by surprise every time. Cedric Alexander is built but also very agile and can fly like the best of them. For all of TJP's faults on the mic, he almost makes up for it in the ring, and Tony Nese, much like Alexander, is an impressive physical specimen but also a high-flyer, which is rare.

The ending is where this match really gets good. Cedric Alexander hits a C-4 on TJP. Nese slams Swann into the announcer's table. The action is frenzied and messy, and I honestly lost track of who was the legal man and who wasn't. It ends off with a rollup, however, which was a bummer, but didn't take away from the match as a a whole. Good stuff here from these four.

Conclusion

All in all, an enjoyable episode of 205 Live. We got a match with the Cruiserweight Champion in it, and I also got to see two of my favorites in the division, Swann and Alexander. I'm looking forward to seeing where many of these stories go in the next episode, especially Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick, as well as where Daivari exactly stands in terms of a championship opportunity. It could be leading towards a Daivari vs. Tozawa match for the title of #1 Contender, but I hope instead we do get a triple threat. We will soon find out.

Thanks for reading. Check back every week for a 205 Live review, but also check out my running Every ECW Ever recap I am currently working on, as well as the various other topics, in wrestling and out, that I will touch upon. 

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