Since 205 Live is a show I'm passionate about, I figured I'd give a weekly recap on the show.
Recap:
In our first match, we see Hideo Itami (accompanied by Akira Tozawa) taking on Lince Dorado (accompanied by his Lucha House Party brethren Kalisto and Gran Metalik). It's a contrast of styles as Dorado tries to counter Itami's puroresu with his lucha libre background. The match ends via DQ following an encounter between Itami and Metalik.
Up next, we see a promo package for Drew Gulak, highlighting his recent character transition from a grandstanding politician to a more rugged, ruthless grappler we saw earlier in his time in the Cruiserweight Division. Following that, a sit-down promo from Cedric Alexander talking about taking the first spot for the Cruiserweight Championship match at Wrestlemania.
Following both promo packages, a quick squash match between TJP and Kenneth Johnson ensues. TJP first hits the Detonation Kick, then locks in the Kneebar to secure the submission victory. After the match, a Mustafa Ali promo package plays, which highlights his upbringings in Chicago, his time as a Police Officer and his determination to be an overall force of good in the Cruiserweight Division. Following that, a backstage interview featuring 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick announced there will be a fatal 4-way next week featuring Kalisto, TJP, Akira Tozawa and Buddy Murphy.
It's finally time for our main event, as we see Gulak against Ali for the last spot at Wrestlemania. The match is a grueling affair and highlights the contrast of Gulak's technique and power to Ali's speed and agility. We see multiple counters back and forth, as well as notable spots of Gulak punishing Ali (a backdrop off the announce table, a scoop slam into the timekeeper's section, etc.). The match ends with Ali countering another one of Gulak's power moves into a DDT, then following up with an 054 for the victory and to secure his spot against Cedric Alexander at Wrestlemania.
Takeaways:
-While it's not that interesting, I definitely like seeing a Cruiserweight feud that doesn't involve the belt. Prior to the DQ, the match was quite entertaining, with both men playing off each other's styles well. This Tozawa and Itami/Lucha House Party angle probably won't lead to much, but at least it'll be entertaining and will be in the hands of capable performers.
-Both of the Gulak/Ali promo packages highlighted each performer's characters perfectly, with Gulak being the ruthless, aggressive heel and Ali being the focused, determined babyface. Would definitely like to see these two work another program together in the future.
-I love TJP as a heel. He's such a fucking dweeb that it's honestly quite entertaining.
-Cedric Alexander deserves his spot at the top of the Cruiserweight Division. He constantly delivers in the ring, has a great look and is charismatic enough to be a believable champion.
-The match between Gulak and Ali definitely delivered and then some. The chemistry between the two is quite remarkable (as we saw last year in their great 2-out-of-3 Falls match), with Ali constantly using his speed and agility to counter Gulak's technical prowess and power. We also saw a glimpse of Ali's technical prowess in this match, such as a scoop slam counter into an armbar as well as a rather impressive Koji Clutch. I would've preferred Gulak to take the W, but I'm definitely not mad about Ali getting the W. He deserves it.
205 Live has been excellent so far (following *name redacted*'s departure, of course), and this episode proves it. While not an all-time classic, Gulak/Ali was great and there's an entertaining non-title feud between Itami/Tozawa and The Lucha House Party in the works. Let's hope they continue this quality past Wrestlemania and further into the year.
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