205 Live is the most overlooked show in WWE today. With an unfortunate time slot immediately following Smackdown Live every week, it can be hard for the Cruiserweights to get the attention they deserve. This week, without a crowd at the performance center, they showed everyone how to make everyone forget that the seats are empty.
The episode contained just one match, but 10 elite level wrestlers. It was Team 205 Originals (Tony Nese, Mike Kannelis, Brian Kendrick, Ariya Daivari & Jack Gallagher) taking on Team NXT (Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Tyler Breeze, Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan). Team NXT had lost their captain after Jack Gallagher put Lio Rush out of commission, but they called in KUSHIDA to fill the vacancy, making this his Cruiserweight division debut.
Team NXT vs. The 205 Originals
This match started off hot with KUSHIDA showing that he was every bit as good as former Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese, who used his partnership with Kannelis to make quick tags in and out to gain early control. This almost morphed into a straight up tag team match when Danny Burch would be tagged in leading to a great amount of teamwork with Oney Lorcan. One perk of the empty arena is the stiff strikes of Burch & Lorcan echoed through the arena even louder than usual. Things would break down into a massive brawl, and Tony Nese would earn the first Elimination after a cheap shot to the back of Danny Burch. The 205 Live Originals would gain a further lead as they would eliminate Tyler Breeze shortly after, giving a 5-3 advantage.
It was at this point where one member of Team 205 would cause their downfall. Jack Gallagher would be angered by not being wanted in the match by Nese & Kannelis, and this essentially removed him from the match until they would both be taken out. After an argument in the corner of Team 205, Oney Lorcan would nail a Half & Half Suplex to eliminate Nese. Mike Kannelis would come in, get his chest reddened by vicious chops, and after a headbutt from his own partner in Gallagher he would be eliminated evening the playing field.
Gallagher would take a moment to cool off at ringside and allow Brian Kendrick & Ariya Davari to take on Team NXT. This would prove to be a mistake as Swerve Scott would eliminate both with crafty rollups, making it a 3 on 1 situation for Jack Gallagher. Kendrick & Davari would beat down Team NXT before leaving, while Gallagher got prepared for the fight of his life.
3 on 1 would be a daunting task for anyone not Jack Gallagher. His new attitude comes with a lone wolf mentality, meaning he was in his element. He would go to work on Swerve Scott, showing his MMA skills until Oney Lorcan got back in the match, who would be taken out with a huge rolling elbow that would have made Mitsuharu Misawa blush.
It was at this point, after 20+ minutes of action things got serious. It was 2 to 1, and Swerve & KUSHIDA would show incredible chemistry as they picked apart Gallagher with strikes, a vicious armbreaker from Swerve, and finally an armbar from KUSHIDA for the win.
The Action Was So Good That You Forgot There Was No Crowd
With just 24 minutes of bell to bell action, you had too much to focus on that no crowd wasn’t an issue. A long action filled match distracts from the awkward silences, and was miles ahead of anything shown on Smackdown. When you out-do Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro, people need to take note.
This was a huge win for the stars of NXT, and shows a changing of the guard on 205 Live. There are plenty of stories that have been built on this show, between Gallagher betraying his team early on to KUSHIDAd debut, that 205 Live could be a highlight for weeks to come.
Did you watch 205 Live this week? Let us know your thoughts on this fantastic 10 Man Elimination Tag match in the comment section down below.
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