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WWE 205 LIVE TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 8, 2019
ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tom Philips, Aiden English
-The show opened with the 205 Live intro video followed by the ring entrance of The Brian Kendrick. The camera cut to the announcers who talked about the significance of the 205 Live Roster once again competing inside the Full Sail Arena. Mansoor made his ring entrance.
(1) THE BRIAN KENDRICK vs. MANSOOR
-The announcers touted Mansoor’s victories at WWE’s live events in Saudi Arabia. The bell rang and there was a dueling chant in the crowd. Both men traded counters until Mansoor hit a dropkick. Kendrick took control and attacked Mansoor’s arm in the corner. Outside the ring, Kendrick kicked Mansoor’s arm while it was stuck between the barricade. Kendrick threw Mansoor back in the ring cinched in an armbar. Mansoor broke the hold but was unable to mount any offense. Kendrick returned to the armbar as some of the crowd rallied behind Mansoor while some encouraged him to tap out. From there, Mansoor broke the hold and both men returned to their feet. Mansoor landed a running lariat followed by a falcon arrow for a two count. Kendrick then attempted his sliced bread finisher but Mansoor countered with a Death Valley driver for a two count. Kendrick responded with a belly to back suplex. With both men back on their feet, Kendrick threw Mansoor into the ropes and attempted a power slam. Mansoor countered and rolled Kendrick up for the win.
WINNER: Mansoor via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: The energy of the crowd was such a refreshing change of pace for this match, and throughout the entire episode. Mansoor has great facial expressions and connects with the crowd. His offense looks credible and his timing is great. If he can cut passionate, believable promos, he has unlimited potential as a face. Kendrick continues to know exactly how to work as a heel to get the most out of his opponents.)
-The announcers hyped the rematch between Cruiserweight champion Lio Rush and Raul Mendoza later in the show.
-A commercial for WWE’s 24 aired focusing on Kofi Kingston, followed by a commercial for Survivor Series.
-The show returned as the announcers talked about NXT’s involvement in this year’s Survivor Series. They threw to a replay of the match between Tony Nese and Angel Garza on the November 6th, 2019 episode of NXT.
(2) TONY NEESE vs. ANGEL GARZA – No. 1 Contender Match for the NXT Cruiserweight Title
NXT, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2019. Announcers: Nigel McGuiness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo
-Nese made his ring entrance followed by Garza. The bell rang as the crowd started a “Garza!” chant. Both men fought for control on the mat before retreating to their respective corners. They briefly circled each other before Nese took Garza to the mat with a waist lock takedown. The pace quickened and until Garza hit a flying head scissors. Garza teased stripping off his ring gear but was interrupted by a chop to the chest from Nese. The crowd heavily booed Nese for the interruption. From there, they fought in the corner and Garza attempted a superplex. Nese attempted a sunset bomb but accidentally pulled off Garza’s tear-away tights. Mauro exclaimed, “I never thought I’d say Nese just hit a powerbomb on a pair of pants!” Garza jumped down from the ropes and played to the crowd. The show cut a commercial.
-A commercial for various content on the WWE network including specials on Sting, Trish Stratus, and Seth Rollins. This was followed by a commercial for WWE’s 24 focusing on Rhonda Rousey.
-The show returned as Garza hit a running dropkick on Nese sending him to the outside. Garza then hit a moonsault from the top rope to the outside. With both men back in the ring, Garza hit a backbreaker for a two count. Nese countered a strike from Garza and hit a pump handle slam for a two count. Nese attempted the move again but Garza countered by slamming Nese stomach first onto his knees. With Nese on the mat, Garza scaled the top rope. Nese hit a diving punch knocking Garza to the mat. The pace quickened and both men fought outside the ring. Nese hit a DDT on the outside. With both men back in the ring, Nese hit a 450 splash but Garza was able to put his foot on the bottom rope to break up the pinfall. The crowd rallied behind Garza as both men traded strikes. Garza hit a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Phoenix pointed out that Garza failed to hook the leg as Garza quickly hit Nese with his wing-clipper finisher for the win. Garza celebrated on the stage but was interrupted by Lio Rush. Rush offered a handshake to Garza, but Garza slapped Rush in the face and returned to the back.
WINNER AND NEW NO. 1 CONTENDER: Angel Garza via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Garza seems to be getting over with the crowd, but more so in a comedic capacity. If he continues as a face, his signature mid-match routine of tearing away his tights will have a limited shelf-life. The match was good, but there were too many comedic moments. If a shot at the title is on the line, the tone of the match should reflect that.)
-A commercial aired for WWE’s 24 focusing on Dave Batista, followed by a commercial for WrestleMania 36.
-A video package hyping the 205 Live debut Danny Burch aired.
-The show returned as the announcers talked about NXT’s invasion on a previous episode of Smackdown Live. They threw a video package showing NXT wrestlers attacking the Smackdown roster throughout the show. The package concluded with Triple H challenging both the Raw and Smackdown rosters at Survivor Series.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Does this mean Triple H isn’t the COO of WWE anymore? Are we supposed to forget that he has a vested interest in the success of the brands NXT is attempting to destroy? This will be the first of many times I say it this month: the brand supremacy angle needs to go. It makes no sense. It’s bad television.)
-205 Live returned with Lio Rush making his ring entrance. The announcer’s hyped the Cruiserweight title match between Rush and Garza on next week’s episode of NXT as Raul Mendoza made his ring entrance.
(3) LIO RUSH vs. RAUL MENDOZA – Non-title match
-The bell rang, and the match started at a very brisk pace. Mendoza hit a kick to Rush which knocked him to the outside. Mendoza dove over the top rope and then quickly threw Rush back in the ring. The crowd started a “205!” chant. From there, Mendoza hit a springboard dropkick followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Both men countered offense until Rush hit a kick to the back of Mendoza’s head. Rush scaled the top rope but was knocked to the mat. Mendoza cinched in a surfboard submission, but Rush broke the hold. With both men back on their feet, Rush rolled through a pinfall attempt and hit a jumping kick. The pace quickened again as dueling crowd chants began. Rush knocked Mendoza to the outside and hit a suicide dive. With both men back in the ring, Rush hit a springboard stunner for a two count. From there, Mendoza hit a modified suplex and scaled the top rope. Rush dodged a moonsault and countered with a twisting face-plant for the win. Rush celebrated his win as the show ended.
WINNER: Lio Rush via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: This was an incredibly fast-paced and exciting match. Mendoza has the potential to be a star on the 205 Live roster. His next move should be announcing that he intends to challenge for the title in the future after mounting a series of wins. The crowd was really into the match which coincided with the excitement of its urgent pace.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: While it was commercial heavy and featured a full match from a different show, this was an improvement over previous weeks. The intimate setting of the Full Sail studio helped so much, as did the passion of the Full Sail crowd. How can WWE continue to air 205 Live after Smackdown Live after seeing this? Full episodes from Orlando would help the show so much. The energy of the crowd makes 205 Live more watchable and enjoyable.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 11/1 WWE 205 LIVE TV REPORT: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Ariya Daivari, Lio Rush vs. Raul Mendoza, Jack Gallagher squash win
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