A lot is happening. Enzo is gone. The Swann situation. Rockstar Spud is the new general manager. A sixteen man tournament is going on with the winner crowned at Wrestlemania. Roderick Strong is about to debut, and who knows what else...
Probably deserves its own thread...
Tonight - Two More First Round Tournament Matches
Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong
Kalisto vs. Lince Dorado
Last edited by Bill Casey; February 6th, 2018 at 8:12 PM.
Enjoyed it last week. I'll be sticking with it until the tournament ends. Hopefully they're moving in the right direction now and all will work out well.
I mean, I doubt it, but I can hope.
Who do we reckon the other surprises will be? By my count six entrants have been announced leaving 10 more spaces but there's only 8 active guys on the roster currently: Metalik, Gallagher, Kendrick, Alexander, Gulak, Daivari, Ali and Nese. I guess Rey is a possibility but I'm not sure they (or he) would go that route. Fish and/or O'Reilly? Lio Rush? Spud could enter himself. Ricochet is a definite possibility to win the whole thing.
What's the deal with Spud? Why is he an authority figure, as opposed to a wrestler? Wasn't he the same in TNA?
he was mostly a manager/assistant for the Carter family in IMPACT. Much better talker than worker.
God I hope they can convince Neville to come back. Imagine a finalist being "injured" just before the final and then he comes out instead.
I think I'd lose any sense of dignity I have left.
Yes, quite enjoyed last week's episode. I'll be tuning in going forward now that Enzo is gone.
So nobody was really watching until Enzo got there. Now that Enzo is gone, some are going to start tuning in lol.
Honestly I'm pulling for Itami. I think he's someone that will thrive even more as champion than just the 3rd-4th guy down. But I would be an idiot if I denied the fact that he has lost quite a bit of steam since arriving in the US. He's had a couple brutal injuries, maybe for the best when you think about an Itami-less NXT. The guy can still go.
Gentleman Jack would be my 2nd choice. Great on the mic, very talented in the ring, he has a lot of variables that could bounce him between heel and face with ease.
*Eight entrants have been announced...Originally Posted by Ringo
Last week
- TJP
- Tyler Bate
- Cedric Alexander
- Gran Metalik
Had first round matches...
This week...
- Kalisto
- Lince Dorado
- Roderick Strong
- Hideo Itami
Makes eight...
(Brian Kendrick has facial fractures, Noam Dar has a knee injury, Rich Swann is suspended, Neville has a contract dispute)
That leaves...
- Tozawa
- Jack Gallagher
- Mustafa Ali
- Drew Gulak
- Tony Nese
- Aria Daivari
Six wrestlers and eight spots...
I definitely agree it would be a great way to push Ricochet...
Kalisto vs. Dorado is what 205 Live could be if half the roster didn't wrestle like traditional heels...
As is Strong vs. Itami...
Last edited by Bill Casey; February 7th, 2018 at 12:12 AM.
Shocked to see Hideo out in first round after the hype. He is getting Ultimo Dragon treatment.
Wonder if Gargano is gonna get in? It seems UK tourney guys in.
Mark Andrews vs Tozawa and Gulak faces Nese next week
Too many vanilla midgets going nowhere fast here.
Reboot 100 times and the result is going to be the same. Yawn.
Vince might as well pull the plug but no, that would admit he was wrong and he can't do that.
Man I'm rooting for Tony Nese all the way. Love the guy!
I have a feeling this is their way of putting Itami back on the heel path. That's honestly the best way Itami's going to get a reaction is to let him be a dick and go all out on hurting people. Imagine someone winning the tournament and then losing the title the next month to a no-fucks-given Itami who just absolutely demolishes his opponent and wins via ref stoppage. That has the potential to be legendary storytelling.
That said, I though both tournament matches were great this week. Lince Dorado and Kalisto went insane and had some really creative spots. And Roddy/Hideo was stiffer than last time with some really good sequences. That cradle backbreaker onto the apron was sick. Also, a somewhat surprising victory considering Hideo's recent debut, but I think it was ultimately the smart move to let Roddy go through.
Genuinely excited to see what the rest of the tournament can bring.
Interesting.
https://www.pwinsider.com/article/11...-live.html?p=1
If you have paid attention to WWE's 205 Live series the last several weeks on the WWE Network, you may have noticed that the series feels far closer in essence to the Cruiserweight Classic tournament that spawned it than what has been the overall presentation of 205 Live itself over the last year.
There is a very good reason for that, PWInsider.com has confirmed. As of last week's episode kicking off the tournament for the vacant WWE Cruiserweight championship, Vince McMahon has stepped aside and is no longer personally putting 205 Live together.
PWInsider.com has confirmed that the series is now being overseen by Triple H, who has brought back many of the hallmarks of the Cruiserweight Classic including the style and presentation of the Cruisers inside the ring. While Vince McMahon had been personally working with the 205 Live stars to bring out their personalities to present them in a certain light, there has been more a focus on the in-ring work and competition under Triple H's vision.
In recent months, there had been talk behind the scenes about why the brand wasn't firing on all cylinders. We are told that McMahon believed that a character-driven show was the best way to get the 205 Live brand over, as seen by his decision to have Enzo Amore shifted there and become the nucleus of the brand, since he was such a strong character.
While Enzo led to an uptick in viewership and interest (before being fired by the company), others in the company still argued that presenting 205 Live similar to how the Cruiserweight Classic was presented was the right way to go. The belief among those who pushed for a return to the CWC presentation was that having smaller talents echoing Raw and Smackdown personalities wasn't going to showcase what made the Cruisers different and unique and it wasn't going to help 205 Live grow beyond being an hour of WWE TV on the Network.
It should be noted that aspects of the CWC were dropped almost immediately from 205 Live after the series debuted, including personality packages that had been produced to introduce viewers to the performers that were almost immediately discarded.
McMahon finally made the decision to allow Triple H to take over as show runner two weeks ago in an attempt to reboot and fix the brand. While there's always a chance McMahon could place himself back in control (it is, after all, his company), the last two weeks of 205 Live have been compared by those behind the scenes to WWE NXT, in that Triple H has been the alpha and omega when it came to being the decision-maker for the product.
The lead writer for 205 Live is currently Jonathan Baeckstrom, who has been part of the company's creative team since August 2013. He's been working for the company as a lead writer since November 2016, coming into the company after working in talent management. Adam Pearce, the former NWA champion who transitioned into a WWE Performance Center Coach before being moved up to a Producer for the main roster, remains the lead Producer for the 205 Live brand.
We are also told that the vision seen the last several weeks is very much in line with the original plans for 205 Live series before Vince McMahon decided to get personally involved with the direction of the product and the nurturing of the 205 Live talents, who may end up being the last generation of talents McMahon worked with on a specific one-on-one basis to groom.
We are also told that 205 Live house shows are not off the table after the two test shows in Lowell, MA and Poughkeepsie, NY last month, but there are no current plans for additional live events at this time. Instead, the focus is going to be building the brand up by presenting strong athletic characters and in-ring competition before taking the brand back on the road for another experimental house show run.
So, if you enjoyed the likes of Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong last night, expect more of that in-ring style going forward as Strong was specifically brought up as a way to help freshen up the 205 Live roster and product - and there may be other additions in the weeks to come.
Amazing news.
Great stuff. So it'll basically be a branch off of NXT with the guys not big enough to make a massive impact on the main roster. Almas, Strong, Rush, Ricochet, Cole, Fish, O'Reilly, Gargano, Ciampa and Lorcan likely all qualify with a fiddle of a couple of weights (Almas and Cole are billed as 210), which would be a hell of a division. Then get NXT back to being more of a developmental for less experienced guys.
Almas and Cole will definitely be main roster guys I reckon. I think their inclusion in the Rumble suggests that, Cole was apparently scheduled to be Roode’s opponent and Almas is being talked up is their next big Hispanic star. The rest though... and Pete Dunne could end up there. He’s billed at 205.
Cole's an awkward one. Like he's good and all, but he's so physically unimposing as a heel that I can never see him getting heat on a guy like Reigns or Strowman. But as the cruiserweight ace I think he'd fit really well. Him working on top against smaller guys works great, and he's better on the mic than the rest of the lighter guys.
Dunne I like the sound of. A top 5 of Cole (heel), Dunne (heel), Ricochet (face), Gargano (face) and Strong (tweener) would be ace.
When Adam Cole was in the Royal Rumble it really showed how small and oddly shaped his body is. He's like a tall midget. I have never been on the Adam Cole bandwagon going back to when Future Shock broke up. I never liked that other turd either. Riley.
Dunne did lose a qualifying match for the CWC against Gallagher and has had a few matches against him that have been pretty good. He would fit right in.
Next week...
Buddy Murphy vs. Aria Daivari
Mustafa Ali vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher
That ends the field of sixteen...
It's a shame no Ricochet...
Save him for something else. I like that Buddy Murphy is in this and the wee video of him cutting weight to get to 205 was great.
I'm not a big Buddy Murphy fan, but he could always win me over in the future...
Buddy was the better half of the amazingly uncharismatically boring Murphy and (I forget the other guy's name). I do remember that the guy can definitely go. Intrigued to see him on 205.
To be fair, Spud's feud with EC3 in TNA, that culminated in a hair vs. hair match was one of the better highlights of newer Impact Wrestling in recent times. People really got behind Spud as an underdog.
I have a hard time believing that Buddy Murphy is 205 pounds. Even in kayfabe-land.
Granted, they let Goldust wrestle there. And he's not exactly in 205-shape. But they probably measure him in troy ounces anyway.
He's such a great plucky little babyface in a bowtie, how could you not get behind him?
Don't forget about his big match with King Maxel. I gave it the full five stars.
King Maxel vs. Brock Lesnar should be the main event of Wrestlemania next year.
King Maxel/Vanguard 1/Ronda Rousey/Asuka vs. Rockstar Spud/Brock Lesnar/Stephanie McMahon/A clone of Stephanie McMahon.
He looks like someone who was supposed to be viewed in widescreen, but was squashed down to the wrong 4:3 aspect ratio.
It's a shame both Gallagher and Ali can't make it to the second round. I assume and hope that's because they've seen a special evolution in Buddy Murphy, because otherwise he should have been the opponent to one or the other. A lot of good cats that have been eliminated so far, but mostly for the better alternative. Cedric makes the most sense to win right now, with Roderick and Gallagher probably trailing right behind. But I would love if they used Mustafa Ali's non-televised storyline to propel him to victory:
https://twitter.com/MustafaAliWWE/st...22094810894336
I don't know if he's 205, but it does look like he's noticeably dropped some weight from when he used to be billed as 227...
The wet hair alone weighs 105 pounds.I don't know if he's 205, but it does look like he's noticeably dropped some weight from when he used to be billed as 227...
Hes a fat piece of shit
Buddy Murphy looked pretty good out there.
Ali took some pretty rough looking bumps. Nice main event though
i didn't care too much for the main event. Loved Murphy's finishing sequence though, it was clean.
I think Adam Cole being called a "fat piece of shit" comes from Chuck Taylor making fun of him on Twitter.
The Kentucky Gentleman? Met him once, Nice dude. He would not say such a thing.
I'm a little out of the loop when it comes to a lot of indie wrestling. I'm assuming "fat piece of shit" is just a running joke.
I like Adam Cole, but he does appear to have a pretty big head. Quite the noggin on that fella.
Based on what? I mean I have only seen him in NXT and he plays his character well and ADAM COLE BAYBAYYYYYY is fun. Is ego not part of the character?
It wasn’t as good as the main event from last week, but it is still a better match than these two probably would’ve done a month or two ago.
I meant he literally has a big head. I haven't heard anything about him having an ego.
Haha I see.
Watched a couple 205 clips. Buddy Murphy's strike sequence and finisher looked killer. Not sure about his look, though. Him, Hawkins, and Slater are like the same dude in different gear and Murphy's gear is kind of meh.
Mustafa Ali's a guy I'd like to see get a run with the title, he's one of my favorite 205 guys. Always fun to watch with one of the more crowd-exciting movesets and it's nice to see the xenophobia that's so readily present in pro wrestling not be binding him, I was really happy when he turned face after the first two or so weeks of 205.
I'd include Mike Kanellis in that group too
Man, caught the Mustafa Ali/Jack Gallagher match. Thought Ali might have shoot injured himself when he tried for that weird dive on the prone Gallagher. Was that a botch? Or did Gallagher just move and we didn't get to see it? It was a definite malfunction at the junction.
Also, I miss Gallagher's old gear. I love the "gentleman killer" look. He looks like he's the British dude assassin that stepped right out of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. Not loving the new tights.
Buddy Murphy has gone from looking like a 2005-era OVW call up to being a 2005-era indie dork. He's good, but as far as his personality and character goes, its a bit of a lateral move. He's perfectly good. His match with Daivari was probably the best of the show.
Read that WWE is planning CW tag-titles to debut after WrestleMania. Good? Bad? Whatever? Don't watch myself but from what I read 205 Live is doing way better since trips took over.
Lucha House Party, Itami/Roddy, Fish/O’Reilly, Bate/Andrews, Gallagher/TJP, Nese/Murphy, Oney/Birch, Kofi/Woods. There are ways to pull this off.
And, yes, 205 has become must-see. It’s very reminiscent of the CWC where there’s usually 1 good and 1 great match every week, lots of video packages to help guys get their characters across, and Drake Maverick is a fantastic GM.
Like the idea of the tag titles. Can be a situation like 90's AJPW with everybody having a partner while still competing in singles. You can have 205 and NXT be fluid too, with some of the less prominent NXT guys working both shows, like Hero's teams. I don't think it'd be immediate though considering the ongoing tournament right now - maybe start it in time for Summerslam? With how well the show has been written lately, they can take their time forming the teams in an interesting way so it feels an organic addition.
Was thinking they should introduce some tag titles for a while. There's the risk of anyone not involved in the title feud to kind of flounder once the tournament is over. If Trips and team can pack three (well four actually) titles into a one hour per week show in NXT, no reason why they can't do two for 205 Live.
Just saw Ali and Gallagher. Yes, I’m quite behind. Excellent match. Smooth as silk mat work early on, got given a great amount of time too. That botch was bad looking, but Ali’s spill to the barricade from the ropes was nasty looking. He needs to be more careful.
But I too am a huge fan of his. Hope he goes all the way.
Shame Trent seven is 215 or mustache mountain would be tag champs
The empty seats in this weeks episode was the worst ive ever seen. The show is getting rood reviews yet as soon as Smackdown ends, everyone goes home. I can't think of any way they can ever solve this.
They usually have someone trying to actively fill the seats during the shows. When I went to a taping last year the same thing happened and tons of people left. Even tho they try to immediately start the show to prevent it. Someone was walking around to the side that was empty tho, and bring people down from higher levels to fill in across from the camera. I actually just moved down on my own. Usually there’s security or ushers or whatever at the entrance to the floor section stopping people without floor tickets. They must have been told to let anyone down there to fill it in, because I was able to get right down to the floor behind the announce table for all of 205 Live.
Hurricane Helms suggested NXT Trios championship. Seems like a growing trend.
I always said make 205 live a part of smackdown and extend to 3 hours. Cruiserweight division on Raw was destined to fail
I don't see how anyone could watch Smackdown and think the CW division would do any better.
So many titles!!!!!
I reckon they should go for trios titles with lucha rules if they are actaully going to go for this.
I'm down for Mustafa getting the belt at Mania then Cedric snapping and going nuts after being denied again.
Anyone but cedric the man is a charisma vacuum
I've seen him show signs of aggression of Dar during that whole Alicia Fox mess and he attacked him pretty viciously with the steelchair during that "I Quit" match. The potential is definitely there and Gallagher and Kendrick even said that about him during their brief feud. If he channels that viciousness into a heel turn rather than being generic humble smiley babyface #3421234 then he could get there. I'd like him to go mental on Mustafa if he wins.
So Cedric Alexander defeated Laser Glacier to win the Cruiserweight Championship...
Looks like laser glacier is still here. Daivari should come out like scorpion
Don't forget that TONIGHT, at 10PM ET, on THE MOST EXCITING HOUR IN SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT "205 LIVE," there will be a GAUNTLET MATCH with the winner advancing to Friday's "Greatest Royal Rumble" to challenge for the Cruiserweight Title!
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
Drew Gulak, Kalisto, Mustafa Ali, Tony Nese, TJP
2 randomly selected participants will start in the ring, and when one of them gets pinned, submitted, counted out, or DQ'ed, another randomly selected participant enters the match, and so on and so on until only one man is left standing!
Haven't watch 205 in a while, thought I'd give it a go since Isaiah Swerve was main eventing. Highly recommend his match w/ Gulak.
Humberto Carrillo and Raul Mendoza vs lucha house party
Really cool NOAH-style tag match this week. Better than the Gable/Gallagher match last weekIMO
Tag match was a fun flipfest but Gulak vs Scott was even better.
Match quality on 205 Live has really stepped up recently.
Judging by recent reports here, are they finally letting the 205 guys go all out again? Back in the early days, it felt like the matches were watered down from what we saw at the Cruiserweight Tournament.
It's pretty much been like that since Drake Maverick became the GM.
About the Cruiserweight title, it's been like the same formula for a couple of years now. Guy wins it, wins, the re-match against the former champion, faces Akira Tozawa, then fights a new challenger, rinse and repeat.
I wish they had it featured more on RAW and Smackdown. Just a match here and there to promote the 205 live show, and also feature the Cruiserweight champion as being at the same prestige as the other titles. Plus, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Tony Nese or Drew Gulak through it down with Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Ricochet, or Braun.
I think guys like Lucha House Party are a lost cause in WWE, which sucks to say because I'm an immense fan of Gran Metalik. Lince's a decent talent, but has zero charisma. Kalisto... I think he could have had a great chance, but WWE just kept giving up on him. The constant arm drags, unnecessary flips and flops are not what gets audiences going anymore. None of their offense comes off as offense, more like smoke n mirrors. 205 looks to be doing better, but the entire division still feels like it's on borrowed time. At some point WWE is going to drop it and there's only a tiny sliver of the roster that's worth keeping.
The fact that they've crossed over the storylines of both Mike and Drake from Raw and it's pretty much a compelling intertwined story on 205 is pretty impressive.
Mike/Drake was genuinely good. I really didn't know if Drake would make it...
Drake hulking up was amusing.
He’s the big face on 205 Live yet the biggest dick ever on Raw sacrificing happiness with his wife for the 24/7 title. I kinda like it.
She, Drake's wife, has basically instilled an ultimatum along the way, so he's been driven or motivated to win. Both Drake and Mike can’t get the win they’re wanting in order to get accolades or validation from their significant other. It’s pretty creative how that general premise has been played out in entirely different ways and different undertones are involved.
Indeed, it's complex yet intriguing. Mike is supposed to heel and Drake is supposed to be face in this scenario on yet Drake's been the one not prioritising his wife whereas Mike has been paying attention to Maria yet he's completely whipped no matter what he does.
Well I mean she is actually pregnant.
I admittedly looked that up Pete after I posted that and should have checked beforehand because wasn't 100% sure if it was real. Thought it might have been like the fake Steph pregnancy angle they did a while back so edited. As it is real, how will they get the 24/7 title off her I wonder?
Now that I know it's real, I'm not sure if it's a good idea,. I'd have been all for the angle if Maria was faking and using people only to get found out later on like Steph did. I suppose it's different but Maria's not a sympathetic character and anyone is going to look bad to pin her for the title. They've booked themselves into a corner.
R-Truth can easily impersonate a doctor of some kind when she's getting a checkup, which she openly mentioned. It's not that tricky.
Last edited by BGMaverick; August 1st, 2019 at 6:22 PM.
You'd have to suspend some bloody amount of disbelief for that though with a no doubt crap disguise. Unless it's like Bischoff playing the priest.
I suppose Carmella could sorta be a nurse I guess then let Truth pin her.
Okay. He can easily barge in and she's in position of being on the stirrups, just put his hands on her shoulders and it's easy as that.
I know the 24/7 title is supposed to be cheesy and all, but I think making a joke of Maria not being able to move while really pregant on the bed is a bit too far even for WWE's standards. I could see some backlash.
From who that matters? The WWE don't really come under fire these days for what they put on t.v. Seriously, when was the last time you ever heard anyone outside of the wrestling bubble bitch about the WWE's current product? We've yet to hear any backlash over anything with Maria Kannellis who no doubt has the most "controversial" gimmick by today's WWE standards.
Worst case we'll have some die hards on Twitter trying to speak for the casual fan, like a casual wrestling fan expects to turn on pro wrestling and have it look like some shit on Disney Jr. Where are those casuals? Most of the "casuals" I know expect it to look like the Attitude Era and when they see it isn't, they go watch Netflix.
- - - Updated - - -
Don't forget Dr. Steve Austin surprising Mr. McMahon in one of the greatest segments on WWE t.v.
Dr Steve Austin was fucking awesome in a time when car crash TV was great and Vince had a fake injury. WWE making light of Maria’s real life pregnancy so she can be pinned helpless maybe harmless in the short term but not that funny in the long term because she’s real pregnant and could see groups backlash. Vince’s injury wasn’t real yet people loved seeing him get his just desserts. Maria’s thing is real where there could be some potential PR backlash the way society is.
The only way I could see it getting backlash, and this is a major stretch, is if it's just a terrible segment. I honestly haven't seen an R-Truth segment in recent weeks where I didn't at least get a laugh out of it. I think you're overthinking it in terms of suggesting they're going to get backlash.
Maybe, but regardless probably not an unfunny comedy risk worth that much taking.
Plus it’s bloody Maria, she’s an unfunny charisma vacuum as it is. Vince half-dressed getting hit with a bedpan is funny, Maria is not. 24/7 title could have taken a funnier route without her.
Nash brought up the question that pretty much quells the concern. Who is going to be that concerned? There's maybe only one incident in the last couple of years that reportedly got people who mattered concerned and WWE had to change course. And I'm not talking about John Oliver because that's not a storyline. It's a general philosophy on treating your workers. If there's something other than the Moolah Memorial Battle Royal in recent years, let me know.
He’s probably right, but at the same time it’s only Maria. Where’s the sympathy when it’s only Maria when her and Mike who are a non-entity as it is. Won’t do anything really. If they wanted to do a shock storyline, it’d make more sense for a couple people actually cared about.
Sympathy for the husband being face I can get trying to do what he can, but a heel pregnant wife bullying a fellow heel where there’s not much sympathy to be had? Seems a waste of a “pregnant woman” storyline where she’s a heel regardless. It’s heel harassing another heel and not that funny. Who do we get behind?
You seem to be stuck on the idea of sympathy and relating it to Maria. Secondarily, you're looking at it as an angle with her to create shock. Neither are the point.
If anything, the people that are really being featured: Truth, Carmella, Drake, and now Maria and Mike are talents that really weren't being used a lot and they're getting to use elements that play to their strengths. Utilizing talent that hasn't been used and playing to their strengths is a point they should be going for and they are doing that.
Truth and Maverick were/are being used well in the 24/7 angle. Maybe just me here, but not enthralled with the idea of a heel Maria being their first pregnant champ as a heel when they’ll waste it soon on Truth probably getting a cheap comedy pin. Terri Runnels faking pregnancy with D-Lo I can get. Steph faking pregnancy with HHH I can get. Those angles went somewhere. Using Maria’s real-life pregnancy for a cheap pop down the line I don’t agree with because I don’t think it’s that funny
Admittedly putting that partly down to not giving a fuck about Maria/Mike as a personal preference that they’ll make this storyline entertaining.
Gritty match between Lince and Carrillo this week
Lince and Carillo are both great, but their match was... odd. It's like they were slowly rehearsing their match because their movements were slow and choreographed. They were at 1/6 speed of Rey/Guerrero.
It's like they really don't work together...
From who?
OBI-GYN Kenobi?
I mean, it was his own pregnant wife he pinned......
Last edited by NWo4LifeOr2Years; August 14th, 2019 at 12:44 AM.
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