Previously on 205 Live, Mark Andrews defeated Tony Nese to earn the right to face Drew Gulak, Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander had a sit down interview ahead of their WrestleMania title match, and there was an amazing four way match featuring TJP, Akira Tozawa, Kalisto, and Buddy Murphy.
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And now, the Best and Worst of WWE 205 Live for April 3rd, 2018
Worst: Too Much Of A Good Thing
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Hideo Itami and Akira Tozawa face members of the Lucha House Party in tag team action. These teams both work really well together, and Hideo is really ramping up the heel tactics, but how many times are we going to see some variation of this match?
Didn’t like the finish with the ref throwing out the match after “losing control” in a fashion that happens in almost every tag match without causing a no contest. I’m sure Hideo going for the mask was just a heel move for the sake of heeling it up and won’t lead to a lucha de apeusta mask vs hair match, but if it did I think Hideo would look very intimidating with a shaved head.
If the rumored Cruiser Tag titles are going to happen, these teams need to not meet until at least the semi finals. A lot of people I’ve talked to are down on adding tag titles to 205 Live, thinking that there isn’t enough time or roster to support adding another championship to fight for. While I’ll agree with a limited roster being a potential problem, NXT is getting ready to add a fourth title to their hour long show. Between these two teams, a returning The Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher, and whoever they bring over from the UK division and NXT, they can definitely make a compelling eight team tag tournament.
Either way, expect the next match in these two teams’ Best of 297 series next week.
Best: A Salient Power Point
It was a bit dissapointing when Drake Maverick announced that the planned Drew Gulak/Mark Andrews match had been pushed back one week, but it all makes up for it with an appearance of a POWER POINT PRESENTATION. The only negatives of an otherwise perfect post-crisis 205 Live was the loss of some of the character elements that made Drew Gulak break out as the WWE’s MVP, so it was nice to see him able to blend some of that with his new character. And this has to be the first time Drew has finished a presentation without being interrupted by someone’s entrance music. Good job, Drew. Bests all around.
In a perfect world, next week’s match with a fully rested Mark Andrews is just Drew absorbing Mark’s little slaps and immediately locking in the GuLock for like ten minutes.
Best: Entertaining Jobbers
WWE didn’t post the video to their Youtube, but a huge shoutout to Johnathan Pierce for making the most of his brief 205 Live experience. Betwen trying to show up Tony’s obviously better physique to a loud “Oh My God!”, Pierce definitely went to the James Ellsworth school of getting yourself over as an enhancement talent.
Tony is in a weird place right now, as he’s also a guy who suffered with a loss of character clarity. Tony Nese absolutely works as a cocky showoff heel, with the counting his abs and integrating working out into his moveset. He can also work as a face if they let him open up his moveset and really show off the moves that make him THE premier athlete of 205 Live. Either way, I need more bicycle-crunch based attacks in my wrestling.
Best: It’s Not A Secret Anymore
Raw and Smackdown were having a contest to see who could have the more boring go home show and 205 Live is just throwing out a TV MOTY candidate like it’s no big deal.
Buddy Murphy is a star. Full stop. In four 205 Live matches he’s become the best part of the best show on WWE television. We’re about to finally crown a new Cruiserweight champion, and already all I can think about is how good of a match Buddy Murphy will have with either winner.
There’s not much more I can say about this match other than you need to watch it. Murphy is .9 RVD when it comes to selling DDTs and any other move where he has to spike his head on the mat.
https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/981366992547536904
And that vertical suplex on the apron was when I knew this match was going to be one of the greats.
https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/981366419605590016
I saw some people online talking about the finish, and how they thought it was sloppy and brought down the match a bit. I disagree wholeheartedly. Murphy has a huge size advantage which Kalisto has to use his quickness to counter. After such a physically demanding match, Kalisto was beat down enough that Murphy was able to use his brute strength to muscle him up for the Murphy’s Law. If Murphy went for that earlier in the match, Kalisto would have been able to wriggle out or reverse it, but by that point he wasn’t strong enough to fight it off anymore. I thought it really payed off the entire story we just watched, which, as it turns out, is what makes a great wrestling match. Who knew?
Best: Three Cheers For Drake Maverick
Drake Maverick is the GM we need but don’t deserve. I’ll admit that when Daniel Bryan first announced Rockstar Spud with a dumb name as the new GM, I was hesitant to say the least. But every concern I had was quickly answered with fantastic television. 205 Live has been one of the best examples of failing upwards that I can think of. To think we’re just three months removed from twenty minute Enzo promos starting our hour long cruiserweight show.
Watching this promo, I feel Drake’s genuine emotion. And he’s not wrong. Since the reboot, 205 Live has been by far the best show on WWE television, and it is VERY likely that Cedric and Mustafa can have the best match of the night. The crowd was so hot for the Murphy Kalisto match tonight, and I can’t wait to see a packed house in New Orleans chanting 205! 205! 205! I know I’m just a guy who writes about wrestling on the internet, and I can’t presume to know what the talent feels about their placement on the card, but I would have a bit of a chip on my shoulder if I wasn’t on the main show to make sure Kid Rock had enough time. The cruiserweights got fifteen minutes last WrestleMania, and if Cedric and Mustafa can get that much time, they can really do something special.
Up Next: It’s the match we’ve all been waiting for, The Heart vs The Soul of 205 Live for the Cruiserweight title at WrestleMania.
