home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | wwe | 205-Live

WWE 205 Live – December 13, 2016

by Scrooge McSuck

- Last week on 205 Live, Rich Swann successfully defended his title against former Champion, THE Brian Kendrick, but he, along with TJ Perkins, were left laid out at the end of the night... Ariya Daivari picked up his victory over a less-than-100% Jack Gallagher in a classic example of 50/50 booking... Cedric Alexander's newly developed relationship with Alicia Fox makes us all want to cry, and to cap it off, he did a clean job to Noam Dar, who might be smitten with his women. That didn't take long, did it?

- Presented on the WWE Network from Philadelphia, PA, with Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, and Austin Aries calling the action, unless otherwise noted. This episode is much shorter than the first couple of weeks, with a run-time of only 40-minutes compared to 50+ for each previous episode. Rich Swann defends the title in a Triple Threat against TJ Perkins and THE Brian Kendrick at Roadblock, but tonight, Swann gets Perkins one-on-one in a Non-Title Match.

- We recap the pair of matches between Rich Swann and Brian Kendrick that Main Evented each of the first two episodes of 205 Live, including TJ Perkins getting involved in the drama last week.

Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak

Good to see Gallagher's knee has recovered since last week where he needlessly jobbed to bottom-feeder Ariya Daivari. Last night, Gallagher offered to give Daivari a thorough thrashing, so expect a run-in tonight. Gulak gets a mild babyface pop for being a hometown boy. Handshake before the bell. Lockup and Gulak with a waist-lock takedown. Gallagher hand-stand and walks out of a headlock. He crawls between the legs and takes Gulak over with a rolling crucifix. They go around and round in a comedy spot that ends in a near fall. Gallagher picks the leg, ties Gulak up, and punts him in the rear. That feels like a spot that belongs in PWG. Gulak takes exception to the clown act and lays Gallagher out with a boot. Whip to the ropes and Gulak with an elbow. Gulak with a headbutt to the midsection and drops Gallagher into the ropes. Hangman's neck breaker gets two. Gallagher fights out pf the cravat and hits a European uppercut for two. Gulak blocks a suplex and surprises him with a sunset flip for two. They trade blows, with Gallagher's headbutt getting the best of the exchange. Gallagher with the running corner dropkick for three at 5:52. With more time, this combination could've done something unique, but it being so short, it was just another match.

- TJ Perkins is backstage taping up his fists. Rich Swann walks in, taunting Perkins that he's still feeling lucky, implying he'll be victorious. Perkins says he's not going to be his friend, he's going to be the TJ(P) that eliminated Swann from the Cruiserweight Classic, and luck always runs out.

- Coming soon to 205 Live, the Japanese Buzzsaw, Tajiri. Did Tajiri make any official appearances on 205 Live? I guess we'll find out soon. You can't help but love a hype video that includes footage from both the tournament and his run in the early years of the 21st century.

- Ariya Daivari confronts Jack Gallagher backstage. Gallagher says if he's willing to bury the hatchet, he can do the same. Daivari says they aren't even, and that he was embarrassed, getting tied up like a balloon animal. In short, no, they aren't even, but they will be.

Lince Dorado vs. Mustafa Ali

First in-ring appearance on 205 Live for both men. I'd assume both are babyfaces. We see one unkempt fan giving thumbs down, because his name is Mustafa Ali. In an inset promo, Ali says he's here to change everyone's opinions on him and not judge him by his name. Handshake before the bell. They do a nice crisscross sequence, ending with Dorado hitting a head scissors, followed by a leg lariat. He runs into the corner with a hip attack but misses a dropkick. Ali with a roundhouse kick followed by a rolling neck breaker for two. Dorado flips out of a back suplex and sends Ali into the corner with a dropkick. He misses another charge but manages to fight out of a DDT attempt. He paint-brushes Ali and takes him off the top with a Frankensteiner for two. Whip to the ropes and Dorado with a handspring into a Stunner. Ali sends him to the apron and runs into a step-up enzuigiri. Dorado with a spinning head scissors, sending Ali to the floor, and follows with an Asai Moonsault... and we get a LAME Double Count-Out at 3:37. Well, I complained how they never do the finish with the teased count-out, and here we go with one.

- Both men protest the finish. Ali turns down a handshake in exchange for a right hand. Dorado comes back with a spinning heel kick to stand tall at the end. OK, so is Ali supposed to be a heel who pretends he wants to be a babyface? Quite a confusing debut.

- Alicia Fox stumbles across Noam Dar and within 10-seconds, you can tell they have zero on-screen chemistry.

- Hype video for the winner of the Cruiserweight Classic and inaugural Cruiserweight Champion, TJ Perkins. They play the sob story that at some point in his life, Perkins was homeless. All that goodwill is thrown out the door because he likes to dab. I'm not going to lie... I dab just to piss people off. I incorporate way too much professional wrestling in my day-to-day life.

Rich Swann (Cruiserweight Champion) vs. TJ Perkins

Non-Title Match, of course. Have I mentioned how much I love Perkins' entrance? They shake hands, but before the bell, THE Brian Kendrick makes his way out to join the commentary team. Lockup and Perkins with some chain wrestling. Swann rolls through a wrist-lock to turn it around. TJP does the same, taking Swann over with a spinning head scissors. Swann cartwheels out of a second attempt and locks his own head scissors. They trade leg sweeps, both miss dropkicks, and nip up back to a neutral position. Crisscross and Swann with a dropkick for two. Swann with a snap mare and kick to the back for two. Whip to the ropes, Perkins ducks a clothesline and sends Swann crashing to the floor. Perkins springboards into a sliding dropkick on the floor for two. Swann fights out of a chin-lock and takes Perkins down with a Russian leg sweep. Swann with a pair of clotheslines and a double stomp across the back. Rolling thunder into a splash for two. Swann catches Perkins with a boot but misses an Asai Moonsault. Perkins takes advantage of Swann tweaking the knee and hits a corkscrew pescado. Back inside, Perkins with a back suplex for two. Swann's rally is cut short with a basement dropkick to the knee. Perkins sweeps Swann off the ropes and continues to punish the leg. Swann fights out of a toe hold, knocking Perkins out with a roundhouse kick. They trade chops and forearm uppercuts. Swann counters a double chicken wing with a victory roll for two. Perkins with a boot in the corner. Swann counters the Detonation Kick with a Tiger Bomb for two. Perkins ducks the spinning super kick and hooks the Knee-Bar in the center of the ring for the clean submission at 9:29. Good babyface vs. babyface match, and a big win for Perkins to give him some much-needed momentum after a horrific loss to end his reign as Cruiserweight Champion. ***1/4

- Brian Kendrick ditches the commentators table to further antagonize his competitors for Roadblock. Perkins lays Kendrick out with a Super-Kick, then teases hitting Swann with one before backing off. Final Thoughts: Solid show, but not without a few major flaws. We continue to get strong Main Events, but that falls under the old “Paul Heyman booking Smackdown” theory. How hard is it to tell a bunch of talented guys to go out there and have a good match? They continue to push a mid-level program with Gallagher and Daivari that holds no intrigue other than to see Gallagher's comedic offense. Worse than that is the debut of Mustafa Ali. They pushed him as a babyface trying to get people to open their minds to who he is other than his name, and then he acts like a complete dick after his match with Lince Dorado.

back to Flashback Index