WWE 205 Live – January 18th, 2017

Howdy!

Tonight, it’s an ‘I Forfeit’ match between Jack Gallagher & Ariya Daivari in our main event!

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

205 Live – 1/18/17

Video package sums up the Gallagher/Daivari feud, which has been going on since the very first episode of this show. Many wacky hijinks have ensued; some tomfoolery, if I can use that type of language on this blog. Tonight, this quarrel comes to an end!

We are LIVE from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee! Your hosts are Mauro Ranallo, Austin Aries, & Corey Graves. The announcers pimp the main event and remind us that Neville will challenge Rich Swann for the Cruiserweight title at the Royal Rumble in a few short weeks.

And we’re starting with the music of Drew Gulak! Gulak makes his way out, and there’s the music of his opponent, Cedric Alexander…..and Alicia Fox? Cedric looks a bit confused, then tells Alicia to take a walk; Alicia handles this as calmly as you might expect. Noam Dar comes out to calm down Ms. Foooooxxxxxx, as she says that Cedric is ‘being mean!’ and tells Dar to go do something about it. Noam does as he’s told and heads back to the ring; Cedric is ready for him, but not for Gulak attacking from behind, and the beatdown, it be on. Cedric fights off both guys briefly, then sends both guys outside the ring and drops them both with a tope! All looks well as Alexander continues to beat down Dar, but Gulak comes in from behind with a chop block to put a stop to that as Alicia keeps on screamin’. The refs are out to send Dar and Fox to the back as Dar gets in a few more stomps.

You know who the most important person in this segment was? Alicia Fox! 205 Live, everyone!

Anyway, Gulak is in the ring now, and he wants the ref to raise his hand in victory, because clearly Alexander has to forfeit now, right? Maybe not, as Cedric has limped his way into the ring, and he tells the ref he wants to fight! Well unfortunately, that’s not Cedric’s call, because the referees have to watch out for the safety and well-being of all the competitors in the ring so clearly it would be a dereliction of their duty for them to…..oh, the bell rang. Guess he’s fine, then.

Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak

Gulak blind charges right into a big boot from Alexander! Forearms from Cedric, but Drew gets a double thrust to the chest and tackles the leg, going to work. Cedric back up on one leg now, firing forearms. He shoves Drew off the ropes and hits a dropkick, but collapses to the mat right after in pain. Alexander pulls himself up in the corner, Gulak charges, Alexander to the apron and he hits Drew with a roundhouse kick on the blind charge. Alexander tries to suplex Gulak to the floor, but Drew escapes that and grabs Cedric’s leg through the ropes, dragonscrew legwhip against the middle rope! I dig that move very much. Drew grabs the leg again and pulls it against the bottom rope, then stomps on it as Alexander rolls back in. Another stomp by Drew, then a cover for two. Anklelock by Gulak, and he slams the leg to the mat off that. That gets one. Drew grabs the leg and hits a shinbreaker across the knee to Cedric, then does it again for one. Gulak steps on top with a leglock. Alexander makes it out to the corner, Gulak goes back to the leg, Alexander uses the good leg to free himself with kicks, then hits a ‘rana on Drew out of the corner. Gulak comes at Cedric against the ropes, Alexander backdrops him to the floor. Gulak back in, clothesline by Cedric! Again! Chops by Alexander! Gulak stops that with a shot and charges Cedric in the corner, back elbow by Alexander. Cedric springs to the top, split-legged moonsault! 1, 2, no! Alexander goes for the Lumbar Check (why THAT move is a good idea when you have a bad knee is beyond me), but Drew drops down with a headlock to block it, back elbow by Gulak, Cedric retaliates with a forearm to the back of the head. Cedric goes for it again, Gulak blocks it again, knee to the gut by Cedric. He goes for it again, but can’t get Drew up on the knee and drops Gulak to the mat. Cedric staggers back to his feet, chop block by Gulak! Bridging belly-to-back suplex finishes right after. (Drew Gulak over Cedric Alexander, pinfall, 5:58)

WORTH WATCHING? – Whole thing was all angle and not much of a match. I know that not everyone is high on Gulak, but he’s really been made out to be far worse than he actually is; he can do some decent work out there if you give him time. NO, I’d skip this one to be honest, as there wasn’t much outside of Alexander’s selljob here. The story was fine, as Alexander fought hard and just couldn’t quite overcome what happened earlier, but I just wasn’t invested in the match. Probably because it was less to put Cedric over and more to remind us that Alicia is the most important part of the entire thing. Also, I know that in the WWE that babyfaces are either assholes or idiots, but why would Cedric go for his finisher 3 times when he knows that he needs a good knee to hit it after one of his knees got turned to mush over the course of the match? It makes him looks stupid.

Replays air as we see the pre-match beatdown and the chop block on the outside. Dar is watching with Fox in the back, and tells her to look at what Dar did for Alicia, so she slaps him as a reward, which he seems to be quite fond of. He really is the best thing about this turgid mess of a storyline right now.

Back to the desk, where the commentators wonder what in the world is going on with these three. From there, they talk about Neville/Swann, and we go to a video package about the feud for the belt.

Let me sum up the video package; Neville is awesome and should have been the champion YESTERDAY. Look, the money is in heel Neville ruling the division with an iron fist until Jack Gallagher takes the belt, so get the strap on him already. Anyway, they show some photos of Neville and Swann from their younger days, then Neville dropping Rich upon his comeback. Again, Neville is just so much better than everyone else in this entire division right now, it’s insane. Bring him his crown!

Ad for the Rumble.

We’re back to the music of Mustafa Ali! Cool. Standing by to say a few words, it’s Tony Nese! See, most people would have to alter their training to deal with a guy that has the speed of Ali, but the premier athlete doesn’t have to do that, because he’s the premier athlete! Glad we cleared that up. And now, Tony makes his way to the ring. I like both these guys, could be fun here.

Tony Nese vs Mustafa Ali

Ali offers the handshake, then forces Nese to accept it. Hammerlock by Ali starts us off, then a half-nelson snapmares Nese over before Mustafa rolls him over into a crucifix for one. Armdrag by Ali now, and he holds the armbar on the mat. Ali forces the shoulders down with a knucklelock for one, and now they’re both on their feet. Nese trips Ali up while maintaining the knucklelock, Ali kicks him off and springs off the top rope to go over and break. Ali off the ropes and he snaps off a ‘rana, then catches a kick attempt by Tony and hits a spinning back kick! 1, 2, no! Tony hides in the ropes and attempts a sneak attack on Ali, but Ali blocks it and hits a shot. Ali charges in the corner and goes to the apron, Ali to the top rope, Tony trips him up on the top! Nese goes for the eyes, raking them across the top rope, then grabs him in a fireman’s carry and drops him down into a gutbuster for two. Mounted punches from Nese, then a bodyscissors. These guys are not meshing very well out there. Ali tries to elbow out, but Nese transitions into a waistlock. Back elbows by Mustafa and he gets free, but Ali tries to come off the ropes and Tony slides to the floor to trip him up. Tony springs in off the second rope, moonsault misses as Ali slides to the floor! Ali with a shoulder to the midsection of Tony, Ali flips back into the ring over the top. Clothesline by Ali! Again! Cross-corner whip is reversed by Nese, but Ali jumps to the apron as Tony charges into the buckle. Roundhouse kick by Ali finds Nese’s face, Ali somersaults in, rolling neckbreaker gets two. Ali goes over, but gets thrown into the corner buckles by Tony, but escapes a Nese charge, then ducks under Tony and goes back to the apron before springing back in with a tornado DDT! 1, 2, NO! Tony sends Ali to the corner and hits him with a spear in the corner, Ali tries to jump over Nese on another charge, but Nese catches him from behind and hits a VICIOUS German suplex to the buckles! Tony pulls down his kneepad to expose his knee and a running knee strike in the corner finishes Ali off. (Tony Nese over Mustafa Ali, pinfall, 6:22)

WORTH WATCHING? – The second half of the match saved it. YES, I say this is worth checking out. Ali is the guy with the most potential in the division to put on a match that will stand out from a spot perspective (although he didn’t hit it in this match, that reverse 450 is the best move in the entire division), while from what I’ve seen of Tony, he’s much more of a traditional wrestler, so to speak. They seemed off at the beginning, with the pacing being different from both guys, but I thought they got it together well enough to bring the match home, and since it was compacted into a 6 minute match, they were able to stick the landing. Solid effort here.

Post-match, replays air as Nese poses in the ring.

Tonight on Talking Smack, it’s the Wyatt Family, Jerry Lawler, and Baron Corbin!

Back to the desk, where they announce that Tajiri has suffered a knee injury and won’t be seen on 205 Live for some time. Well, shit. Brian Kendrick is pleased by this development, as he called Tajiri a liar and cheat! But what about one of Tajiri’s compatriots? Let’s check out another video package for Akira Tozawa!

Apollo Crews narrates this one, talking mostly about the nastiness of Akira’s strikes as we see examples of said strikes. Crews says that the title is going to be around his waist before we know it!

Ad for NXT tomorrow night. Roode/Nakamura contract signing.

We’re back, and it’s main event time! And we’ll get started with the music of Jack Gallagher, who’s accompanied to the ring by his trusty umbrella, William! And there’s the music of Ariya Daivari! He’s accompanied by his….uh….head scarf!

Jack Gallagher (w/ William the umbrella) vs Ariya Daivari (w/ nifty head scarf)

No handshake. Lockup and Gallagher hits an uppercut, then goes after the arm. Wristlock, but Daivari breaks with a back elbow, so Jack fires back with an uppercut. Side headlock by Ariya, Gallagher shoots him off, shoulderblock by Daivari, Jack grabs the leg and trips him up, Jack steps over into surfboard position and jumps up, driving both of Daivari’s knees into the mat. Back up now, and Jack gets sent to the corner by Daivari, where Jack promptly does his headstand on the top buckle and jumps over a charging Daivari. Double-leg by Ariya, Jack takes him over with that and goes for his umbrella, but Daivari kicks Jack and now Ariya has the umbrella; he snaps it in half! What a scoundrel that Daivari is! He tosses the umbrella back towards the stage, and now Gallagher is PERTURBED! Daivari fights him off with right hands, but Gallagher comes off the ropes and tackles Daivari with rights of his own! Daivari to the apron, Gallagher gives chase, Daivari catches him coming through the ropes, backbreaker to the apron! Gallagher does not wish to quit. Daivari with a rope-assisted camel clutch, but Jack won’t quit. Daivari tosses Jack to the floor, reverse neckbreaker on the floor! Jack won’t quit, even though Daivari very much wants him to. Ariya sends Jack to the barricade, then does it again on the other side. Headfirst to the mat by Daivari, then a slam to Jack on the floor. Gallagher still refuses to quit, so Ariya tosses him back in the ring.

Daivari goes to the eyes and nose now, then grinds his knee across the face of Jack. Jack tries to fight back, but a knee from Daivari puts a stop to that, and Ariya goes to the floor, Bow and Arrow against the ringpost by Ariya. Back in the ring, rights from Daivari, Ariya tosses Jack to the floor. Daivari goes out to get a weapon and he comes back with his…..turban? Not exactly a chair there, but what can you do? Daivari with a shot, then he sends Gallagher to the announce table. This has been a really boring beatdown that has felt ten minutes longer than it probably was. Back in now, and he ties the turban to the wrist of Jack, then drops him with a right. Stomp, then a short-arm clothesline by Daivari. He ties the wrists of Jack together (doing a shitty job, you can see Gallagher having to hold it together) and gets in Gallagher’s face, asking if he forfeits. “You’re a SCOUNDREL!” sayeth Jack in response. Straight right by Daivari, off the ropes, Gallagher with a headbutt! Gallagher with kicks! Daivari falls to the floor off that, and that gives Jack time to escape his bonds. Gallagher throws down the scarf and goes under the ring for…..a table? No, a chair? No, it’s a SECOND UMBRELLA! OH SHIT. IT’S ON.

Gallagher gives chase to Daivari up the ramp, but gets kicked in the gut and drops the umbrella. Well, maybe it’s not so much on, then. Gallagher gets thrown into the set, then again! Short-arm clothesline, and Daivari chokes Jack with his knee, but Gallagher won’t quite. Daivari goes for a piledriver, but Gallagher double-legs him and catapults Daivari into the set this time. Gallagher retrieves his umbrella, umbrella to the gut of Jack! “Forecast calls for pain!” is the call from Mauro. Another umbrella shot from Jack! Again! Daivari won’t quit! Ariya seeks safety in the ring, and he hits Jack with a double axehandle when Gallagher gets back in, then tosses him back to the floor. Gallagher catches Daivari with a shot, then goes over to the announce table and tells them that they might wish to move. Jack reverses and tosses Daivari over the announce table, then preps it, but takes a legsweep by Daivari and crashes back first to the table. Powerbomb attempt by Daivari, Gallagher backdrops out! Gallagher runs at Daivari, dropkick against the barricade! Gallagher goes over to the timekeeper…..and gets a THIRD UMBRELLA? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? This is insane, and not really in a good way. Gallagher goes into the ring and threatens to ‘thrash Daivari’ unless Ariya quits, and Daivari says ‘ok, ok’ before getting up and hitting Jack in the throat with the mic, then applying a cobra clutch. Gallagher reaches out, reaches…..he’s got the umbrella and he bashes at Daivari in the general direction of his head, and that breaks the hold. Gallagher goes behind…..umbrella-assisted crossface chicken wing! Oh, come ON. Now that’s clearly a rib on Marty Scurll, right? Anyway, that’s enough for Daivari, as he forfeits to give Jack the win. (Jack Gallagher over Ariya Daivari, submission, 14:31)

WORTH WATCHING? – You know, I was actually looking forward to this. NO, this one was a big letdown for me. First and foremost, Daivari is a passable but not very interesting pro wrestler. His offense is basic and doesn’t fit well in a match like this, because the long beatdown segments he had in this match were just so boring, they dragged and dragged. Besides that, there was a little bit too much comedy for my taste, especially after they had made a big deal about how the feud had escalated to this point and it was time to take it seriously. In addition to the match pacing, which I think they got all wrong, Gallagher and Daivari just don’t seem to have good chemistry, at least on my end. There wasn’t that much intensity in the match, to the point that I was bored to tears during parts of Jack’s babyface comebacks, which were too few in number. Overall, this one went on far too long and it felt like it was twice as long as that.

Jack celebrates and we’re done for the week on 205.

FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Maybe I just can’t appreciate the comedic brilliance or interesting stuff that the main event was, but I didn’t. I think that the whole thing was a misfire and ruined the chance to give more layers to Jack’s character and to Daivari’s on some level. As for the rest of the show, what can you really say? Two 6 minute matches, one that was barely worth checking out and the other one existing to put over the real star of the show, Alicia Fox; that was your ‘wrestling’ tonight on 205 Live. This was not a good show this week, and the truth is that until they start focusing on the guys who can present a different type of product than what we get elsewhere in the company (Ali is a good start, but they need to get Tozawa in here ASAP), this is what we’re going to get. Thumbs down this week.

As always, thanks for reading this thing I wrote,

Rick Poehling
@MrSoze on Twitter