Previously on 205 Live, Daniel Bryan made an important announcement about the 205 Live General Manager, the three luchadors defeated TJP, Daivari, and Tony Nese, and Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali put on the best match in 205 Live history.
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And now, the Best and Worst of WWE 205 Live for January 30, 2018.
Best: You Can Be My Wingman Anytime
First of all, Drake Maverick? That’s so terrible that it is pretty amazing. That’s the most TNA name I can think of. “What’s Drake Maverick doing in the Impact Zone?!” That being said, what an awesome pick for General Manager. Coming into this week there were a lot of theories floating around. (My personal favorite was that the GM would be Eric Bischoff — the man responsible for first bringing the spotlight to cruiserweight wrestling in the United States — and that 205 Live would become the start of an eventual WCW reboot.)
This is a fantastic opportunity for 205 Live. Getting out of the shadow of Enzo Amore and going back to something closer to the Cruiserweight Classic is the perfect way to reboot and refocus the show. Every week has a purpose and is heading towards a clear goal, as opposed to the standard Gallagher/Itami interaction + one of the Zo Train takes a pinfall autopilot the show had been on for the last month.
Maverick (still got to get used to saying that) can be the perfect combination of Daniel Bryan and William Regal, being able to go from goofy to serious as the situation calls for. And, and I hope this isn’t something that happens until after this tournament is over, he can go in the ring if he has to. I would just hope that 205 Live could be the one show where the authority figures don’t get involved in matches with the top talent. Yep.
So here’s to you, Drake Maverick. The first step towards making a better 205 Live.
Best: One Half Of The Cruiserweight Tournament Final
Poor Cedric Alexander. His title opportunity has been pushed back over and over for things out of his control, and now he’s going to have to wait until WrestleMania to get his chance to hold the strap. I feel unless something goes very wrong (and 205 Live is the cursed brand, so you never know) Cedric has to be the favorite to win the whole thing. He’s been the most protected wrestler on the roster. I can’t remember the last time Cedric has taken the pin in a match, and I don’t think anyone has kicked out of the Lumbar Check.
It’s a shame that Gran Metalik has to go out in the first round. The King of the Ropes has been pretty over the last month with the crowd. Hopefully after the first round of the tournament we’ll start having non-tournament matches that push storylines, because if not, well, thanks for showing up, Metalik, and we’ll see you in April.
Best: It’s Tyler!
Boy, WWE sure is getting their mileage out of that Tyler Bate promo for the U.K. Tournament.
If this is a signal for the future of 205 Live, then I am 100% on board. Tyler Bate is going to be a star. This was a strong matchup pitting the first U.K. Champion against the first Cruiserweight Champion of the post CWC era. It makes the cruiserweight title seem more important to have people not on the regular 205 Live roster fighting for it, so it was great to see Bate show up even if we knew he wasn’t going to win.
I can see TJP dabbing his way to the final at WrestleMania, too. There aren’t a lot of great heels in 205 Live right now, so TJP is kind of the de facto heel right now. If he can sneak and cheat his way to the final, all the while getting cockier and cockier as he goes, he can make an excellent foil to Cedric Alexander. Or, they could just give us Alexander/Ali II for the title and I’ll be happy.
Post-Crisis 205 Live is off to a great start. They’ve already announced next week’s matches — Kalisto vs Lince Dorado in a battle of good lucha things, and Hideo Itami vs Roderick Strong. Hopefully this new 205 Live is one where Hideo can start having good matches again, and actually use his finisher.
What are you thoughts on the new General Manager and tournament? And isn’t this tournament the easiest way of reintroducing Neville? Make it happen, Drake.
