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WWE 205 Live – June 5, 2018

by Scrooge McSuck

- Last week on 205 Live, Cedric Alexander proved the world wrong by winning in his "hometown", retaining the Cruiserweight Championship against Buddy Murphy in one of the best WWE TV matches in 2018... Jack Gallagher and THE Brian Kendrick were victorious over the Lucha House Party and might have a relationship brewing with Drew Gulak... Drake Maverick addressed TJP's desire to move on from 205 Live, basically calling him a whiner who is more worried with his social media status.

- Presented LIVE on the WWE Network from Corpus Christi, TX. Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson are calling the action, unless otherwise noted. We get a video package to open the show, narrated by Drake Maverick, running down last week's happenings and hyping what we'll be seeing in the coming hour, including a Main Event rematch between "The Heart of 205 Live" Mustafa Ali and Buddy Murphy. They're all-time series is set at 1-1 for those keeping track.

Lince Dorado (w/ The LHP) vs. THE Brian Kendrick (w/ Drew Gulak):

The Lucha House Party have new, kind of generic, theme music. Whoever thought the noisemakers is a good idea needs to be shot. No Gallagher at ringside, who is in storyline absent for family matters (I've been meaning to binge watch that, too). Gulak ends up joining the commentary, but I'd expect him to interfere at some point. Kendrick attacks at the bell, knocking Dorado into the corner and putting the boots to him. Dorado fires back with slaps, backing Kendrick up into the opposite corner. He comes off the ropes with a flying head scissors, sending Kendrick to the floor. Dorado comes off the apron with another head scissors. Kendrick kicks Dorado's feet off the apron, causing him to crash to the arena floor. Back inside, Kendrick with more boots as he mocks the Lucha's noisemaker gimmick. Meanwhile, Gulak has more reading material for us. Gulak insists Dorado's name is "Linzie Dorito." Kendrick with forearms across the face. Kendrick with a double under-hook suplex for two. Whip to the corner and Dorado explodes out with a spinning heel kick. Kendrick meets a boot on the charge to the corner and gets taken over with another spinning head scissors. Dorado with strikes in the corner, followed by a flying body press for two. Dorado knocks Kendrick out of the ring with a dropkick and follows with a tope suicida. Gulak with a distraction, allowing Kendrick to recover and throw Dorado into Metalik. Back inside, Dorado hits the Springboard Stunner for three at 7:36. Kind of boring, to be honest. *1/2

- Post-match, Gulak nails Kalisto from behind and puts the boots to Lince Dorado until being chased away by Kalisto and Gran Metalik.

- Highlights of last weeks match between Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy.

- Mustafa Ali cuts a promo from the locker room. He's proud of Cedric, and tonight he's going to prove he deserves another opportunity at the Cruiserweight Title. Does Buddy Murphy have enough heart, because Mustafa Ali has the heart of a Champion.

TJP vs. Brian Keith:

Any matches with TJP is always a positive experience. These have been some uninspired jobber names. He teases a handshake and pulls Keith in for a clothesline. TJP bails out, grabbing the microphone to cut a mid-match promo on his opponent. He hits a somersault senton and mocks the "competition" he's presented. He surfboard stomps Keith and talks about wanting to go anywhere else, whether it's Smackdown Live, Monday Night Raw, or NXT. TJP with a Cloverleaf for the tap-out at 2:11. Will this payoff, or fade away like a lot of the mid-level programs we see across all WWE brands?

- Lio Rush is coming to 205 Live. He calls himself a 23-year old piece of gold and calls himself a living legend. It's only a matter of time before 205 Live feels the Rush. Interesting. Rush has only made a handful of NXT appearances, having been taken off TV for a while due to some controversial comments he made at the expense of Tenille Dashwood's release back in October. He's worked NXT live events, with Babatunde as his bodyguard.

- Next week on 205 Live: The Lucha House Party vs. Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, and THE Brian Kendrick in Six-Man Tag Team Action.

- Dasha Fuentes interrupts a conversation between Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese. Oh God, don't lump Murphy in with a loser like Nese. Murphy says he's still the juggernaut of the division.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy:

TV Main Event. His tights still have the nickname, but thankfully Murphy toned down the "Best Kept Secret" stuff. That only works in the sticks, not in front of the big audiences. Murphy carries Ali into the corner and drives the shoulder into the midsection. Ali flips over for a sunset flip, but Murphy tosses him into the corner again. Ali avoids a charge and land a stiff chop. Somersault out of the corner and Ali with more chops. Whip to the ropes and Ali with a knee strike. Murphy with a handful of hair to keep Ali in place, but Ali flips overhead and connects with a push-off dropkick. Murphy bails, so Ali follows with a corkscrew plancha. Back inside, Ali with a flying body press for two. Ali and Murphy have a slugfest on the top rope until Murphy slams Ali across the top turnbuckle from a fireman's carry position. Whip and Murphy with a knee to the midsection. Ali counters the second attempt with a rolling crucifix cradle for two. Murphy drops Ali across the top rope with a gourd buster and follows up with a combination back breaker/stomach buster for two. Murphy flips out of an arm-bar and connects with a reverse ‘rana. The replay does the spot justice as both men sell the beating they've taken so far. Ali with a Super-Kick to the back of the head, followed by a springboard splash with Murphy caught in the ropes.

They trade blows in the center of the ring, with neither man getting a clear advantage. Ali avoids the punt and connects with a spinning heel kick. Murphy catches him coming off the ropes with a forearm but runs into another Super-Kick. Murphy misses a charge to the corner and eats a roundhouse kick. Ali tries the rolling X-Factor but Murphy knees him in mid-air for a near fall. Murphy pulls Ali to the apron for a suplex. Ali escapes and avoids a charge, causing Murphy to crash into the post. Ali with the rolling X-Factor on the apron and rolls Murphy back inside for two. Murphy with a handful of tights, throwing Ali into the corner. Murphy with a corner Super-Kick and an overhead slam into a DDT for two. Murphy follows Ali out of the ring for some trash talking. Ali avoids having his head stomped into the canvas, sweeps Murphy off the apron, and comes off the ropes with a Tornado DDT on the floor! He rolls Murphy back in and heads to the top rope for the 054, but Itami shows up and knocks him off the top rope for the Disqualification at 12:11. Itami lays into Ali with rights, then nails Murphy in the corner with a basement dropkick. Itami with the watered-down version of the GTS on Ali to close the show. This was just a notch below their previous matches, and with a cop-out finish to insert Hideo Itami into the mix (unfortunately). ***3/4

Final Thoughts: Another strong Main Event. As much as Itami has not impressed me in his WWE run, it adds a new name to the mix, so we don't get endless matches between the same few people. Gulak and Company vs. the Luchas rolls on, and I'm just not feeling this rivalry since it seems like a rehash of Gulak's angle with Ali from last spring. Bringing Lio Rush into the fold seems like a solid move to add depth to the roster, and I'm actually interested in where the TJP angle goes.

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