A cruiserweight number one contender’s match and Braun Strowman vs. Kane are set for next week’s episode of Raw.
Drew Gulak will be facing Rich Swann on the show after stealing the pin from Cedric Alexander in a fatal four-way match that also involved Mustafa Ali and Tony Nese last night. Swann won a fatal four-way the previous week to get his spot in the number one contender’s match. The winner of Gulak vs. Swann will receive the next shot at Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight title.
Tonight’s 205 Live will be built around an angle where Gulak is in charge of The Zo Train with Amore not on the show.
WWE has been building to Strowman vs. Kane since October’s TLC PPV, but their match will be the first time they’ve officially wrestled on television since their program started. Strowman destroyed Elias this week, then Kane appeared on the video screen to challenge him after they had taken turns laying each other out over the last couple of weeks.
WWE rounded out the card for TLC on tonight’s go-home edition of Raw.
As expected, Finn Balor will be facing Bray Wyatt at Sunday’s pay-per-view — or rather The Demon will be taking on Sister Abigail. Balor delivered one final message to Wyatt on Raw tonight, which ended with his face transforming into an orange version of his Demon persona.
The match will be the third time Balor vs. Wyatt has happened on PPV in recent months. While wearing his Demon paint, Balor defeated Wyatt at SummerSlam in August. Balor then got another win over Wyatt without the paint in a match that was billed as “man vs. man” at No Mercy last month.
With much of the Raw roster involved in the main event, there will be multiple matches in the women’s and cruiserweight divisions at TLC. Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox is set for the pre-show, and WWE lists that there will be a cruiserweight tag match with Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann teaming against Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher.
The Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota will host TLC on Sunday night. Here’s what the updated lineup for the show looks like:
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Kane in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Mickie James
The Demon (Finn Balor) vs. Sister Abigail (Bray Wyatt)
Asuka vs. Emma
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto defending against Enzo Amore
Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher
We started things off with a recap of Monday night’s confrontation with Enzo Amore and Kurt Angle, along with Amore’s match with Kalisto and eventual title loss. Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness then introduced the show and hyped up the TJP vs. Rich Swann two-out-of-three falls match.
Renee Young was mid-ring and introduced Kalisto. He said he’s the first luchador to hold the Cruiserweight title and he’ll do it in Eddie Guerrero’s honor. That brought Amore and Ariya Daivari out, and Amore told Kalisto he isn’t here to crash his party. Amore called himself the godfather of the division and said the loserweights are his sons — and disappointing ones at that.
Amore said that Kalisto is a bit like Eddie Guerrero — he had to lie, cheat, and steal to get the title. Amore said that he put the title around high-end brands like Versace because he’s got tons of money, but there won’t be any money in the division with Kalisto on top. Daivari jumped Kalisto and a brawl erupted before Mustafa Ali came down to make the save. I smell a tag match, playa.
Rich Swann came down to the ring to face TJP. Swann told TJP that he gave him this match — but it will end their friendship.
Rich Swann defeated TJP in a two-out-of-three falls match
Swann dove onto TJP to start things off quickly. TJP recovered and tossed him into a barricade. TJP threw Swann into the ring and went for the kneebar — but Swann turned it into a cradle to score the first fall. It was then announced that Kalisto & Ali would face Amore & Daivari in the main event.
TJP landed a slick dropkick as the second fall began before taunting a bit and locking on a chinlock. He transitioned it into a straightjacket choke and locked on a cloverleaf, but Swann escaped. Swann went for a Tiger Driver, but TJP turned it into a DDT and cradled him for two. Swann was able to hit the Tiger Driver for a two count of his own.
Swann went for a standing frog splash, but TJP turned it into a cradle for two. TJP sent him outside with an awkward landing before dropkicking the knee. A big spin kick hit for Swann, with it getting a close near fall. TJP locked on the kneebar, but Swann escaped. Swann hit a rolling thunder and landed a Phoenix Splash to end it with a clean sweep. Well, that was surprising.
Amore cut a promo on Ali before Drew Gulak came in and asked them to pay attention to his PowerPoint presentations. Gulak said he can’t stand to see Kalisto as champion — he dresses like a goof! Gulak may not agree with Amore’s bombastic personality, but he too is woke! Amore asked what on earth just occurred, and the correct answer is “greatness” courtesy of Drew Gulak. Gulak said he’ll show what he means against Tozawa.
Tozawa entered to face Gulak, but Gulak jumped him before the match. Gulak tossed him into the tron and used his “no chants” board as a weapon by ramming it into Tozawa’s throat.
McGuinness called the attack nasty, leading to Joseph transitioning into talking about the previous attack of Cedric Alexander by Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher. Alexander was interviewed about his divide and conquer tactics from last week, with him saying that he has an edge and knows who he is. He then rattled off about a thousand unrelated statements to end this.
Kalisto and Ali came out for the main event first, then Amore skipped down and told Kalisto to find a good surgeon because they’re going to destroy his nose. Amore did his “S-A-W-F-T” bit as McGuinness said that he hopes he’ll learn to spell “soft” properly.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto & Mustafa Ali defeated Enzo Amore & Ariya Daivari
Ali slugged away at Amore, but Daivari knocked him off the apron with a boot. Amore punted Ali’s ribs and tagged in Daivari to run his knee into the gut before a reverse bear hug. McGuinness then sang a song from Aladdin and Amore ate a big kick.
The faces sent Amore and Daivari outside for a double dive to gain a big edge, then Daivari ate the Salida Del Sol to end it. Amore dragged Daivari out before Kalisto did his “lucha” chant.
They’ve gone all-in with Amore as a heel here, with him insulting Daivari after and also yelling at the ref throughout the match. Amore still feels like the true top act, while Kalisto feels like a bigger star than he did before — but he doesn’t have the tools to even carry this version of the cruiserweight division. Comparing him to Eddie Guerrero regularly, and even mentioning Rey Mysterio while he’s out there, won’t help him in the slightest.
The Big Takeaway: Solid cruiserweight action held up the show again, while The Revival made it two weeks running on Main Event, this time with Scott Dawson in singles action.
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Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari (5:40)
Although it’s sad to see Rich Swann in a lesser position than he was in previously, this was a good advert for 205 Live. Swann starts quickly and is all over Daivari like a rash, even teasing an early Phoenix Splash. Daivari coaxes him out on to the apron and is able to send him head-first into the post.
Swann sells the move and acts as a deadweight as Daivari struggles to roll him back into the ring and stomps all over him. He slaps on a rear chinlock to slow things down. Swann works his way out and is able to hit Daivari with an enzuigiri to the back of his head as both men go down.
The last two minutes are excellent. Swann hits a beautiful modified Michinoku Driver, but Daivari kicks out. He counters with an inverted DDT and the Persian Lion Splash, but Swann kicks out. They go back and forth until Swann connects with a superkick to put Daivari in position for the Phoenix Splash, which he lands for the win. This was a very good opener.
Kalisto defeated Scott Dawson (w/ Dash Wilder) (4:40)
Kalisto takes no disrespect from Dawson, and after some early shoving, slaps him in the face. Dawson charges around the ring, hitting Kalisto with European uppercuts until Kalisto spins him around with a hurricanrana and dropkicks him outside.
Dawson goes to his tag partner and calls for a timeout as Kalisto teases a suicide dive onto both Dawson and Wilder. The Revival then try to team up on Kalisto, with Wilder handing the ring apron to Dawson to help him stop the momentum of a sunset flip. Dawson then regains his balance, and as the referee sees to the apron, he drives his knee into Kalisto’s left arm and we head to a break.
When we come back, Dawson tries to superplex Kalisto but is thrown off and eats a diving crossbody, followed by a springboard seated senton. Kalisto hits the spike rana, but Dawson kicks out at two.
Kalisto sends Dawson outside, then after punting Wilder, takes a huge clothesline on the apron from Dawson and looks in trouble. But back in the ring, Dawson tries for a suplex and Kalisto catches him in an inside cradle that he can’t kick out of in time, so Kalisto steals a plucky win.
Titus O’Neil hyped up Neville vs. Akira Tozawa nicely, while future contenders were built up with both Jack Gallagher and Rich Swann gaining victories.
Show Recap —
Titus O’Neil started things off walking backstage in a red shirt and wacky hat. He yelled and told Akira Tozawa that he’s going to make tons of money after the pay-per-view. He then chatted with Ariya Daivari about his wardrobe and told Mustafa Ali that he was impressed by him before doing the “ha-ha!” bit. Okay then, this was weird.
Corey Graves and Vic Joseph ran down the show tonight. Jack Gallagher faces Tony Nese and Rich Swann takes on TJP. O’Neil came out to a decent crowd reaction while the fans did the millions of dollars dance.
O’Neil was mid-ring with a Titus Worldwide podium and photos of Neville and Tozawa. He said that Neville has been dominant, but he’s no match for the Powah of Tozawa. Neville called Titus Worldwide a mere facade and showed Apollo Crews being demolished by Braun Strowman on Raw.
Well, he raised a valid point, but the fans chanted “you’re not Strowman!” Neville said that O’Neil doesn’t care about his clients, only money, and he’ll invite him to do commentary while he destroys Lince Dorado.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Lince Dorado in a non-title match
Neville locked on a headlock, but he got quickly cradled for two. Neville went for a German suplex, but Dorado flipped out. Dorado dove onto Neville, but got sent knees-first into the steps on the floor.
Neville methodically beat him up through two nine counts that he broke up to continue the beating. Neville hit a powerbomb before cranking on the Rings of Saturn to win it.
TJP wrapped his hands while Swann walked up in a smoking jacket. TJP said that Swann wanted the old TJP back, so he’ll bring back the old TJP that beat him in the Cruiserweight Classic.
We got a recap of Nese beating Gallagher two weeks ago to set up their match tonight.
Jack Gallagher defeated Tony Nese
Nese outwrestled Gallagher to start things off, but Gallagher spun him around a bunch with a Kiwi roll and got two. Nese lifted him into the ropes and hit knees to the spine for two. Nese ran him over with a flying crosschop for two.
Nese locked him in the tree of woe before doing the sit-up kicks. Nese locked on a sweet reverse torture rack, which looked a bit bizarre, but a few knees from Gallagher ended that. Gallagher went for a rolling armbar, but Nese locked the arms and got an easy Backlund lift before a Gallagher sunset flip got two.
A double jump moonsault resulted in Nese coming up lame and then trying to attack Gallagher, who hit the headbutt and the corner dropkick to win it. This was quite fun to watch.
Gallagher celebrated before Brian Kendrick interrupted with a history lesson of Great Britain in front of a green screen library. He talked about the British being cowardly and said that Gallagher will surrender to him. This got a big “USA” chant and then Gallagher got no reaction going to the back with his theme playing.
We got a recap of the Cedric Alexander vs. Alicia Fox rivalry. Noam Dar chatted with the trainer about his bad neck before Fox came in and complained about wanting him to go after Alexander — not the title. Dar knows he’s in hell and it’s great.
Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong for the title on NXT was hyped up before TJP came out for his match with Swann.
Rich Swann defeated TJP
Swann outwrestled TJP on the mat to start before TJP locked on a modified headscissors. Swann sent him outside and faked a dive before dabbing. Swann grabbed TJP’s feet for a variety of kicks in the corner, but Perkins backdropped him to the floor.
TJP bent Swann’s fingers back on the mat before landing an outside-in tope con hilo for two. TJP went for a submission with the Muta lock, but Swann made it to the ropes. Swann recovered and landed a rolling thunder splash for two, then hit a Michinoku driver for a near fall.
They exchanged dives before Swann hit a spin kick. TJP landed the chickenwing gutbuster and went for the kneebar, but Swann escaped. They each went for, and landed, a double high kick — resulting in Graves immediately comparing it to Fedor vs. Matt Mitrione. Swann and TJP traded cradles, before Swann got one that ended it.
Neville vs. Tozawa was hyped up and will be on the kickoff show at Great Balls of Fire — probably due to the tag titles now being defended in an Iron Man match.
Neville continued his never-ending dominance, while a new alliance between Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher teased a darker edge for both men. The Titus O’Neil and Akira Tozawa story took a slight turn this week, and the Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander feud refuses to end.
Show Recap —
Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann chatted backstage and Swann bragged about being in the main event before Titus O’Neil said that he is impressed by Swann — but he isn’t The Weeknd, and he can’t get away with that hair.
O’Neil awkwardly put Tozawa over and talked about finalizing their deal tonight. Tozawa said no, and O’Neil offered five percent more on “Tozawa Powah” merch. Tozawa turned this down, so O’Neil gave him until Raw and did his “cha-cha-cha-cha-ching” thing.
Corey Graves and Vic Joseph welcomed us to the show and ran down the card. Mustafa Ali faces Drew Gulak and Neville takes on Swann. But first, Jack Gallagher came out for a match against Tony Nese after a recap of the Nese-Austin Aries confrontation from last week.
Tony Nese defeated Jack Gallagher
Nese tried to overpower Gallagher, who used tomfoolery like the corner handstand to get a bit of an advantage. Gallagher got tied into a tree of woe and Nese did a sit-up while bicycle kicking him.
Gallagher recovered and hit a forearm and a series of dropkicks before a headbutt got two. Nese charged after him, but Gallagher sidestepped and Nese hit the post. Nese played possum and used a schoolboy into the buckle before hitting a charging knee for the win.
Noam Dar talked with Alicia Fox on Facetime before Cedric Alexander came in and said that this is all over for the thousandth time. Dar said that Alexander needs to quit 205 Live or it will never be over. Dar told Alexander to fetch because he threw his bag in the river, but Alexander grabbed his bag and then Ariya Daivari ran in because his bag is missing and it cost $15,000. Daivari’s shirt is outstanding.
They hyped up Drew Gulak and his videos before doing a long recap of the Gulak-Mustafa Ali feud. Ali came out to face Gulak, who got no reaction with his megaphone.
Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak
Ali hit a baseball slide and a corkscrew dive before the bell. He went up top, but Gulak tossed him to the floor. Ali’s elbow smacked the apron hard and he ate a forearm. Gulak targeted the arm with a hammerlock and slammed it into the buckle, but Ali landed a dropkick and a corner high kick. Ali got a cradle to pick up the win.
Backstage, Gallagher met with Aries, who said that being a gentleman hasn’t worked well for him. Cutting corners has worked for Neville and TJP, but Gallagher said he’s not comfortable cutting corners. Aries said that they can be allies and Gallagher agreed.
TJP and Swann had an awkward conversation about being friends and Graves hyped up the WWE 2K18 cover reveal with the Seth Rollins trailer.
Tozawa got his own intro because O’Neil bought him a ticket and got him his own little purple velvet rope area. Neville came out first, followed by Swann.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Rich Swann in a non-title match
Swann came in and Neville jumped him to make use of his better positioning. Neville ate a tilt-a-whirl rana and Swann landed a giant dive to the floor. Swann tossed him in and went for a rolling thunder splash, but he ended up taking a pair of knees to the gut.
Neville continued his dominance on the floor by ramming Swann into the barricade and then the announce table. Neville angrily picked him up, but Swann connected with a superkick.
Swann landed a series of kicks before a high kick got two. He went for the Phoenix splash, but Neville locked on the Rings of Saturn for the win. Neville stared at Tozawa to close the show.
Neville and Austin Aries had one final confrontation before Extreme Rules, with Neville getting the upper hand thanks to TJP. Drew Gulak once again scored a win over Mustafa Ali, continuing to prove that being on the ground works best.
Noam Dar and Alicia Fox gained momentum heading into their mixed tag match on Sunday, with Dar picking up a win over Rich Swann thanks to Fox’s help.
Show Recap —
Noam Dar and Alicia Fox came out to start the show. Fox said that Dar completes her and nothing could break them up. Rich Swann and Sasha Banks are nothing but yokes and jokes, she says (at least, I think that was the quote). They plugged their Extreme Rules mixed tag match, which will be on the pre-show.
As Fox was continuing to rant on about Banks, Swann came out, with Banks following. Banks said she and Swann share a lot of things in common, unlike Dar and Fox — they like to dance, and know about fashion. She and Fox exchanged barbs over their weaves before the match started.
Noam Dar defeated Rich Swann
Dar worked on Swann’s arm. Swann was mounting a comeback when Fox grabbed him by the leg. Banks and Fox had a brawl, with Banks snatching part of Fox’s weave. During this ruckus, Swann missed a charge in the corner which allowed Dar to lay him out with a knee strike for the win.
Dasha Fuentes interviewed Cedric Alexander about what just happened. He said Fox and Dar will get what’s coming to them at Extreme Rules. Rehabbing for three months doesn’t seem like a long time, but now he has to go out there and make up for lost time.
Cedric Alexander defeated Corey Hollis
Hollis honed in on Alexander’s injured knee, but Alexander made a quick comeback and pinned him with the Lumbar Check.
They showed a recap of what went down last week between Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick, where Tozawa defeated him in a street fight.
Drew Gulak defeated Mustafa Ali
Gulak came out to do his spiel about 205 Live becoming a No Fly Zone when Ali shut him up with a dive to the floor. Gulak came back with rest holds for heat. Ali made a comeback but when executing a crossbody attempt Gulak reversed the cover and got the win.
Gulak said that the victory wasn’t for him. It was for those who believe in his message for what 205 Live should be. Ali lost, and he needs to learn high flying doesn’t pay, staying on the ground is the way.
Austin Aries made his way to the ring. Ever since last night, people have been messaging him on social media. Not because of his new book, but because of the tap heard around the world. They showed footage of what went down on Raw, then they showed it again just in case anyone in the audience didn’t see. He said this may be the first time that Neville tapped, but only because the other two times Neville found a way to escape.
Neville came out and said last night he got lucky. This is how you carry yourself? You have no decorum. This Sunday, the King of the Cruiserweights will eradicate you once and for all. He claimed that 205 Live is his kingdom.
TJP jumped Aries from behind as Neville joined in on the fray. With TJP holding Aries, Neville kicked his knee in a bowing position, then took him out and locked in the Rings of Saturn. He stood over Aries as the show closed.
Final Thoughts —
This was an okay show that built well to Extreme Rules. The positive about 205 Live is that there are a number of storylines that are well highlighted and work well on paper. Problem is, the execution is super dry. Add in the uninterested crowd and standard WWE-style of work, and you have a solid but uninspiring program.
Another match was added to the card for Extreme Rules prior to tonight’s go-home episode of Raw.
Sasha Banks will be teaming with Rich Swann to take on Alicia Fox & Noam Dar in a mixed tag match at the pay-per-view. The match was announced in a video that WWE posted this afternoon, with Banks and Swann cutting a promo on their opponents.
Banks has feuded with Fox and Dar on Raw over the last few weeks. Swann has also had a long-running program with the couple.
Extreme Rules will take place this Sunday at the Royal Farms Arena in Swann’s hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. The updated lineup for the show is:
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bray Wyatt in a fatal five-way extreme rules match (the winner will get a future shot at Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship)
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Bayley in a kendo stick on a pole match
Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defending against The Miz (Ambrose can lose his title by disqualification)
Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardys defending against Cesaro & Sheamus in a steel cage match
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Austin Aries in a submission match
Sasha Banks & Rich Swann vs. Alicia Fox & Noam Dar in a mixed tag match
The Big Takeaway: A good cruiserweight main event saved the show after a lackluster opener between Nia Jax and Dana Brooke.
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Nia Jax defeated Dana Brooke (5:05)
After such strong shows for the last two weeks, it was disappointing to see Main Event kick off with Nia Jax vs. Dana Brooke. Neither seems to have gained much momentum of late and they found themselves struggling to find any rhythm together here tonight.
Brooke tries to attack Jax on the bell with forearms, but she is thrown off. It is only when Brooke dodges a charge from the dominant Jax that Jax is posted in the corner and sent outside. Brooke dives off the apron with a crossbody and then dropkicks Jax in the corner. When she then goes for a handspring forearm, she is just shoved to the mat.
Jax starts to work over Brooke’s back, standing on it and stretching it with her knee, pulling her arms behind Brooke. When Brooke powers out each time, she is just slammed back down to the mat. Jax misses an elbow drop and Brooke tries to fireman’s carry Jax to no avail. Jax then just puts her out of her misery with the Samoan drop.
Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari (6:36)
Daivari’s new gimmick is that he is part of a rich family. Corey Graves clearly enjoys playing up to it on commentary, saying that Daivari “wouldn’t normally set foot in New Jersey” and so he had stayed in Manhattan and chartered a stretch Hummer to the arena.
After lots of intricate moves on the mat, Swann hits a dropkick for two. Daivari comes back with a big boot and launches Swann into the corner. He now takes over the match, working the lower back. After a backbreaker, Daivari puts on a stretch hold to get a rest.
Daivari hits a beautiful layout reverse DDT but then runs into a boot from Swann, who now hits him with clotheslines and a spin kick for two. Daivari rolls outside and Swann springs off the top rope with a corkscrew tumbleweed.
They beat the referee’s count, but Daivari kicks Swann in the face and uses a neckbreaker to put him in position for the frog splash. Swann dramatically kicks out at two, and after Daivari slaps him around the face, Swann craftily rolls him up for a sit-out pin. It feels like a steal and Daivari is furious, so hopefully we will see a rematch next week.
NoamDar defeated Rich Swann, then leaped into Alicia Fox’s arms, officially reuniting with one another. Akira Tozawa once again had the upper hand in the never-ending Lesson Battle of the Ages. Drew Gulak proved that his way of wrestling was the best by defeating Mustafa Ali after a high-flying maneuver failed.
Show Recap —
We opened immediately to the aftermath from the show closing angle on SmackDown where Chris Jericho was being helped to the back after crashing into a post with a chair wrapped around his throat thanks to Kevin Owens.
Footage from Payback was then shown where Neville retained the Cruiserweight title after grabbing a referee just as Austin Aries seemed within reach of victory. TJ Perkins came out and helped Neville in a beatdown after that match.
Perkins opened the show. He was again referred to as just TJP.
TJP defeated Lince Dorado
This was pretty good. Dorado hasn’t been on 205 Live in forever so at least this felt like a fresh bout. They had a nice back and forth match. Dorado at one point struck TJP with a reverse double foot stomp that looked pretty cool. TJP grabbed Dorado’s mask, threw him down, then submitted him with the kneebar.
Cory Graves threw it to an interview he conducted earlier in the day with Brian Kendrick. He asked why things are so heated between Kendrick and Akira Tozawa. Kendrick said he felt insulted. He wanted Tozawa to be his protege but got rejected by him. He wanted to teach him anyway but he’s playing around instead, doing his chant. At that moment Tozawa jumped Kendrick and sat down. He said this is lesson number five — always leave an interview with an impact.
Drew Gulak came out for the next match with a microphone, saying that he was declaring Fresno a “No Fly Zone.”
Drew Gulak defeated Mustafa Ali
Gulak avoided Ali whenever he tried to go to the top rope for a move. They had a solid match overall, though nothing worth noting. Ali went for a frog splash, but Gulak got the knees up and rolled him over for the win.
Gulak was interviewed after the match, saying high flying doesn’t work. He said that fans lead these superstars to their demise by cheering for them. Ali crashed and burned tonight and it was because of them. He claimed to be the future of 205 Live because what he does works.
Noam Dar defeated Rich Swann
After a few minutes of back and forth action, Dar got the heat after laying out Swann with a clothesline while he was crotched on the middle rope. Dar focused on one of Swann’s arms as Swann fired back with a great tope con hilo to the floor. Swann looked great when on offense, laying out Dar with a leg drop off the barricade.
Swann then hit the Phoenix Splash. He held his arm before covering, leading to a kick out.
Dar caught Swann in mid-air and clenched in with an armbar until Swann made it to the ropes. He grabbed Swann’s fingers and went to do a stomp before Swann rolled out of the way. Swann went for another Phoenix Splash, but Dar clipped him before he could get to the top rope. Swann got up until being floored by a running enzuigiri, allowing Dar to score the win.
Alicia Fox came out after the match. She was all smiles as she seemed to be interested in rekindling her and Dar’s relationship. Dar was hesitant, but he eventually accepted and they reunited, Dar leaping into Fox’s arms as the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts —
This was a weird show in that there was exactly zero follow up to the fallout from Payback. But this was fine in advancing the other programs that have been going on for what seems like forever on the show. Nothing was bad, but nothing felt fresh, either.
NXT was in Crystal River tonight with an estimated attendance of 200 people.
– TJ Perkins defeated Drew Gulak after submitting him with the kneebar.
– Cezar Bononi defeated Kishan Raftaar with a pumphandle slam.
– Adrian Jaoude defeated Riddick Moss by submission with an armbar.
– Dan Matha did an interview explaining what it’s like to be an NXT superstar and a dominant big guy. The crowd was booing him heavily.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated HoHo Lun & Mr. Bronson
Demitrius Bronson was making his NXT debut. He’s a former Seattle Seahawks RB and a product of the Performance Center. AOP won fast with a double powerbomb. Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic came out to make the save after the match.
– Ember Moon, Ruby Riot & Victoria Gonzalez defeated Mandy Rose, Kimber Lee & Mary Kate (the former Andrea, who was making her NXT debut) in a six-woman elimination tag match
Moon stood tall at the end by winning with a Michinoku Driver.
– Buddy Murphy defeated Steve Cutler after hitting a brainbuster.
– Daria Berenato defeated Aliyah by submission with an armbar.
– Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar by utilizing a backwards 450.
For the first time since turning heel and joining the division, Neville will be getting a shot at the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
It was announced at the end of tonight’s episode of 205 Live that Neville would challenge Rich Swann for the title at the Royal Rumble on January 29th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Following Swann’s win against Tony Nese in his first match back after being injured by Neville in their storyline, Swann accepted Neville’s challenge to a title match and told him to name the time and place. Neville responded that it would be happening at the biggest stage possible at the Rumble.
Tonight’s SmackDown also saw two additions to the upcoming Royal Rumble match, with Dean Ambrose and The Miz announcing that they would be entering it. Dolph Ziggler later announced on Talking Smack that he would be entering the match as well.
Before the Rumble takes place, Alexa Bliss will put her Women’s Championship on the line against Becky Lynch in a steel cage match on next week’s episode of SmackDown. That match was announced tonight after “La Luchadora’s” involvement in the Bliss vs. Lynch feud over the last few weeks led to the stipulation.
Neville will challenge Rich Swann for the Cruiserweight title at the Royal Rumble. After Alicia Fox cost Cedric Alexander a big match against Noam Dar, Alexander dumped Fox, causing her to have a meltdown.
Brian Kendrick had more trouble taking out Sean Maluta than Tajiri did, but also vowed to take care of Tajiri when the time comes. The parley between Jack Gallagher and Ariya Daivari was nothing more than a contract signing for an “I Forfeit” match at a future date.
Show Recap —
They opened with highlights over the last few weeks concerning the Cedric Alexander/Noam Dar/Alicia Fox angle, including last night where Fox kissed Dar, then rejected him, saying he couldn’t handle a real woman.
Noam Dar defeated Cedric Alexander
They had a long match. It wasn’t bad, but really just your generic long WWE match with nothing flashy or substantial. Dar is just there as a worker, not to mention the storyline of the match as a whole doesn’t make sense at all.
Dar gained control and did stereotypical heel rest holds and grinding down, working on Alexander’s arm. Alexander made a comeback and went for a springboard but Dar caught him with an armbar. Dar left Alexander’s arm prone on the apron and was going to do a running dropkick to the outside when Alicia Fox stopped him.
That allowed Alexander to hit a baseball slide and a clothesline off the top rope. Alexander was going for a moonsault when Fox pulled Dar’s leg out of the ring. Dar responded with a dropkick on Alexander for the win. Fox looked stunned by this. Um, you just cost him the match.
There was an Akira Tozawa hype video. Kalisto put him over huge. Tozawa will supposedly be coming soon.
Brian Kendrick came to the ring, and he wasn’t too happy over the events of last week where he was misted by Tajiri. He called him a sneaky snake and a sneaky sneak. He said that rest assured, next time he sees Tajiri, he’ll be choking on that mist. He pointed to his opponent, Sean Maluta, and said that if Tajiri can beat him, he’ll be lucky to survive 30 seconds with Brian Kendrick.
Brian Kendrick defeated Sean Maluta
This was what you’d expect. Kendrick underestimated Maluta’s ability and as a result Maluta got some good shine in, hitting the three amigos suplexes and a shining wizard for a good near fall. Maluta went for a frog splash, but Kendrick countered with knees and submitted Maluta with the Captain’s Hook.
Backstage, Fox couldn’t explain why she did what she did. Alexander said it wasn’t an accident and eventually said that they were done. Fox tried to explain but he wouldn’t hear it and left. Fox then proceeded to throw a fit.
It was now time for the parley, or “a gentlemanly way to end things” as Corey Graves put it. Gallagher said quite frankly, this needs to come to an end. He claimed that Ariya Daivari has besmirched his honor. Daivari said he doesn’t want peace. Gallagher said he doesn’t want that either. He pointed to a contract on the table for an “I Forfeit” match, which is basically an I Quit match.
Daivari said it’ll be his pleasure to make him forfeit. They both got up as Daivari threw away William (Gallagher’s umbrella). Gallagher then said he hoped the Queen wasn’t watching this as he attacked Daivari, leading to a pull apart. For all the weeks of buildup, this really got no response, except for when they got rid of the umbrella.
Rich Swann defeated Tony Nese
This was solid stuff while it lasted, but nothing out of this world. Nese did a good job in the match and looked impressive in spots. He had control of a lot of the match, but Swann pelted him with a kick to the temple to get the win.
Swann said for the past couple of weeks there’s been a man who resembles a gargoyle calling himself the King of the Cruiserweights. He said that’s wrong, as he’s the Cruiserweight champion. Neville came out, saying it isn’t Swann’s show and he begs to differ. Swann said he has ears like Dumbo and if he has a problem with that, come to the ring so we can solve it.
Neville called him an ignorant American and won’t step into the ring with him until he gets a title shot. Swann said fine, name the time and the place, because you can’t handle this. Neville said he can’t think of a better coronation than at the Royal Rumble. The two have a staredown as the show closed.
Final Thoughts —
This was a pretty bland show. The two major storylines being touted feel way past their expiration date and feel like they need to end, which at least they seem to be alluding to now by the way things went down tonight. The main event angle was fine, and at least sets up a big match for the Royal Rumble.
Neville, taking an anti-American stance, defeated Rich Swann to cement himself as the number one contender for the Cruiserweight title.
Jack Gallagher defeated Ariya Daivari in a duel, Mustafa Ali scored a big win his hometown of Chicago, and Noam Dar is intent on winning the heart of Alicia Fox against Cedric Alexander’s best wishes.
Show Recap —
The show began with recap of the events from last week, where Brian Kendrick and Neville stood tall over Rich Swann and TJ Perkins. Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, and Austin Aries welcome us to the show.
They recap last week’s events between Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander, as the latter comes out for the first match.
Tony Nese defeated Cedric Alexander
Nese got the upper hand by shoving Alexander off the top rope and onto the apron. Alexander derails Nese with a kick, then hits a top rope clothesline for a near fall. Alicia Fox and Drew Gulak quarreled outside the ring, leading Gulak to fall to the floor and pretend like he got hit with Fox’s heel. The ref sent Fox to the back, distracting Alexander. Nese walloped Alexander with the shotei palm strike and pinned him.
Fox looked upset backstage over Alexander’s loss. That led to the appearance of Noam Dar. He knows Christmas was Sunday, but he got her a present: mistletoe. He, of course, wanted a kiss. Alicia Fox responded by slapping him. He wanted another, and she obliged.
They throw it to a backstage interview with Renee Young sitting down with Neville. He said him not being on 205 Live initially was because of discrimination. Not from the WWE, but from the people of the United States of America. He feels that when Americans feel threatened, they lash out, so he will use that cruelty to rise to the top. Young asks if that’s why he calls himself the King of the Cruiserweights. Neville scoffs, saying doesn’t call himself that, he is that.
Neville goes on to talk about Rich Swann, about how he was his young boy in Japan and cooked and cleaned for him. He’s above everyone in this division as he’s used to wrestling 300 pound men. Young asks him to repeat something (because you know, the accent), and Neville becomes upset, saying the interview is over.
Mustafa Ali defeated John Yurnett
John Yurnett is more well known as Mr. 450, who normally wrestles in Puerto Rico and has done tours in Japan. Ali got a big reception for being from Chicago. Yurnett favored his knee, telling the referee he wants to continue. I think he injured himself here legit, which is a shame. Ali takes him down and hits an imploding 450 splash off the top rope for the win.
Dasha Fuentes interviews Mustafa Ali, who says Chicago made him. For so many years, he had to put up with assumptions based on his name and look. He thought he had to prove them all wrong, but truth is they proved him wrong. This isn’t a perfect world, but he’ll let the victories pile up and speak for themselves.
They aired a package on Ariya Daivari, talking about his older brother’s run in the WWE (he says he’s already surpassed him). He talks about his rivalry with Jack Gallagher, saying his loss was a fluke and was something that would never happen again.
Jack Gallagher defeated Ariya Daivari in a duel
There is a table out full of weapons as Daivari and Gallagher come out for their duel. Daivari chooses a lead pipe; Gallagher chooses an umbrella. Daivari likes these odds and wants to start, but Gallagher wants to explain the rules: they take five steps back to back, then they’ll turn around and duel.
Gallagher starts the duel, but Daivari wants to jump him immediately. Gallagher catches this and quickly takes him out with the umbrella. Daivari uses the table to attack Gallagher, but Gallagher makes a comeback and drives Daivari out of the ring with a running dropkick.
The announcer declares Gallagher the winner via forfeit, leaving Daivari mad.
Tajiri makes his 205 Live debut next week.
Neville defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann in a non-title match
There were hot exchange early. It’s pretty clear that in terms of sheer athleticism, there’s few above these two. Neville throws Swann into the LED apron screen. Neville takes out Swann with the fosbury flop. Neville focuses on Swann’s back, hitting a standing shooting star press.
Swann comes back with a hurricanrana, taking Neville to the outside. Swann takes out Neville with a corkscrew senton to the floor. Neville throws Swann out of the ring and hits the ropes but Swann derails him with a superkick and a falcon arrow. Neville takes him out again and goes for the Red Arrow but Swann rolls out of the way and superkicks Neville again for a close near fall.
Swann goes to the top rope but Neville meets him there with a forearm. Swann sends him back down, but Swann takes too long and Neville makes a comeback, hitting a big time superplex and pins Swann.
Swann gets back up to his feet after the match, but Neville assaults him, hitting a release German suplex. Refs break it up as Neville shouts “Bring me my crown!” to end the show.
Final Thoughts —
It seems like this show is finally finding its own groove after several weeks of “just there” shows. Matches moved quicker and were better paced, with the main event being pretty darn good save for the anti-climactic finish.
We have several angles going on here that are starting to catch a bit of steam, so it should be interesting to see how they develop leading to the Royal Rumble, where it seems clear a Neville/Rich Swann title match is in the pipeline.
Neville & Brian Kendrick were dominant against WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann & TJ Perkins. Ariya Daivari called Jack Gallagher a scoundrel, and Noam Dar has set his sights set firmly on Alicia Fox.
Show Recap —
They showed clips of what went down at Roadblock: End of the Line. Rich Swann retained the Cruiserweight title, but was ambushed by a returning Neville, who laid waste to him and TJ Perkins. On Raw, Neville said that he wanted respect as the King of the Cruiserweights — Swann disagreed. Brian Kendrick came out for a two-on-one beatdown, only for Swann to be rescued by Perkins, leading to tonight’s main event.
Ariya Daivari defeated Lince Dorado
Mostly a WWE style match with perfectly fine back and forth action. Dorado springboarded into a stunner, sending Daivari to the outside. He went for a flying swanton bomb and nearly landed on top of his head, but corrected himself at the last minute. Daivari blocked a top rope maneuver by Dorado, laid him out, then pinned him with the frog splash.
Daivari talked in Farsi after the match, then said Gallagher wasn’t a gentleman, but a scoundrel.
Neville was backstage scowling when Kendrick came in and said some pleasantries. Neville cut him off, saying he respects his accomplishments and they built the foundation of this division. But as far as tonight is concerned, he is his partner, not his friend, and there is only one King of the Cruiserweights.
Tajiri is coming soon.
Cedric Alexander (w/ Alicia Fox) defeated Drew Gulak
Gulak had control until Alexander landed a kick and followed with a springboard clothesline. Alexander suplexed Gulak to the outside but both of them fell to the floor. Gulak shoved Alexander into Alicia Fox, with Fox then grabbing her ankle. This led to Dar coming to the outside to tend to the injured Alicia Fox, helping her to the back. That distracted Alexander momentarily, as Gulak scored a near fall with a roll-up, but Alexander fired back with the lumbar check and scored the win.
Dasha Fuentes interviewed Gulak after the match. He complained about Alicia Fox, saying women shouldn’t be on 205 Live.
A video package on Jack Gallagher aired.
Dar was with Fox backstage when Alexander came in, saying he was glad Fox was okay, then turned to Dar and said he’s got it from here. Dar told Fox if she ever needed help again, he would be there.
Brian Kendrick & Neville defeated TJ Perkins & Rich Swann
This was good, but the crowd was dead for it. This was one of those cases where if it were taped before SmackDown, this would probably be a lot better. Good back and forth to start. The heels started working on Swann, including Neville hitting his deadlift German suplex. TJP came in, along with Kendrick, and laid him out with the dodon. He laid out Kendrick with a kick then went for the kneebar but Neville stopped it.
TJP evened things up, then laid out Kendrick with a double superkick. A missed sliding dropkick on the apron gave Neville the opportunity to lay out TJP with a superkick. Kendrick drove Swann into the turnbuckle then sunk in the Captain’s Hook. TJP managed to save Swann just in time, but it was a moot point as Neville took out TJP and grabbed the win following the Red Arrow.
Final Thoughts —
This was an average show with a pretty solid main event. I’ve said my piece on the style before, but it really is making 205 Live seem pointless. If smaller guys are doing the same style the heavyweights are, plus or minus a few dives, then what is the point? There was nothing wrong with this show but it only feels slightly above an episode of Main Event or Superstars at this juncture.
