SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE 205 LIVE TV REPORT
JANUARY 17, 2020
GREENSBORO, N.C.
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Mansoor, Jon Quasto.
-The show opened with highlights of the triple threat match between Lio Rush, Isaiah Scott, and Tyler Breeze on NXT. The NXT commentary team explained the winner of the match would face Angel Garza for the Cruiserweight title at Worlds Collide in a fatal four-way. The highlights ended with Scott getting the pin and celebrating his victory. The 205 Live intro video played and the camera entered the arena. After panning the audience, the announce team for the evening was revealed to be NXT wrestler Mansoor alongside Jon Quasto. They threw to the ring where Tyler Breeze made his ring entrance followed by Ariya Daivari.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This was a unique fill-in team on commentary tonight. I’m especially curious about the choice of Mansoor. Is he still a top NXT prospect, or has he expressed interest to do something else?)
(1) TYLER BREEZE vs. ARIYA DAIVARI
-The bell rang, and they locked up. Breeze knocked Daivari to the mat with a shoulder tackle and then taunted Daivari from the corner. On commentary, Mansoor said Breeze had offered him both wrestling and modeling advice throughout this career. Breeze hit a dropkick and taunted Daivari again. Daivari retreated to the outside, but Breeze went after him and threw him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Breeze scored a two count. Daivari took the advantage but slamming Breeze down to the mat by the hair. He punished Breeze in the corner and propped him on the top rope. Breeze blocked a back suplex, but Daivari knocked him to the mat. After a two count, Daivari hit a running back elbow. From there, Daivari cinched in an armbar and taunted the crowd. Breeze created separation with a jawbreaker and threw Daivari to the outside. Daivari returned to the ring where Breeze met him with a flurry of offense. Breeze hit a modified backstabber for a two count. Breeze threw Daivari into the turnbuckle with a slingshot. Daivari quickly responded with uranage slam for a two count. After, Daivari screamed “I don’t want you here!’ at breeze. He charged at Breeze, but Breeze countered with a supermodel kick for a two count. Breeze countered the hammerlock lariat with a roll-up, but Daivari pushed him into the corner. After an attempted suplex by Daivari, Breeze broke free and hit the beauty shot for the win.
WINNER: Tyler Breeze via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: It’s good to see Breeze pick up two consecutive wins on 205 Live. With his time on the other rosters, he has more name value than almost anyone on the show and should be booked as a top contender for the Cruiserweight title).
-A commercial for WWE Shop aired, followed by a preview for Monday Night Raw.
-The show returned with the announcers talking about the reinstatement of Jack Gallagher. A tweet from Gallagher showed a list of demands, and Gallagher said he would not return before they were met. Lio Rush made his ring entrance, followed by the Singh Brothers.
(2) LIO RUSH vs. SUNIL SINGH (W/SUMIR SINGH)
-Before the bell, Rush dove on The Singh Brothers from inside the ring. He threw Sunil in the ring and hit several strikes. The match officially began, and the pace quickened. Rush hit a sit-down driver for a two count. Sumir distracted Rush, and Sunil knocked Rush to the outside. Sunil threw Rush into the barricade before getting a two count back in the ring. Sunil taunted the crowd and hit a suplex. From there, Sunil hit a diving elbow drop for a two count. Sunil cinched in a headlock. A brief “Lio!” chant broke out. Rush created separation and hit a jawbreaker. He knocked Sunil to the outside. From there, Sumir entered the ring and Tried to take Sunil’s place. The referee noticed and ejected Sumir to the back. With Sunil back in the ring, Rush hit the final hour for the win.
WINNER: Lio Rush via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Are we expected to believe that Sunil Singh went toe-to-toe with a former Cruiserweight champion for this long? Rush should have squashed Singh. He should be kept away from the Singh Brothers goofiness in general.)
-A commercial for The Royal Rumble aired, followed by a preview for NXT Worlds Collide.
-The show returned, and the announcers talked about Worlds Collide. They threw to footage of NXT UK general manager Johnny Saint announcing Ligero vs. Jordan Devlin, and Travis Banks vs. The Brian Kendrick on the next episode of NXT UK. The announcers threw to the ring where Raul Mendoza made his ring entrance, followed by Isaiah Scott.
(3) RAUL MENDOZA vs. ISAIAH “SWERVE” SCOTT
-The bell rang, and Mendoza hit an arm drag. Scott wrestled Mendoza to the mat and cinched in an armbar. Mendoza broke free and they both dodged each other’s attempted at offense. Scott hit a dropkick and knocked Mendoza to the outside. Mendoza quickly ran back into the ring and hit a head-scissors takedown. Mendoza chopped Scott in the corner and hit a running clothesline. With Scott on the mat, Mendoza hit a running elbow drop for a two count. On commentary, Mansoor said joining 205 Live changed both men’s careers. Mendoza cinched in a modified headlock. Scott created separation and hit a flurry of offense. From there, Scott threw Mendoza to the outside and hit a running kick. With Mendoza back in the ring, Scott hit a diving European uppercut followed by a jumping DDT for a two count. With both men back on their feet, Mendoza countered Scott and hit a Santa Maria for a two count. Mendoza hit a hurricanrana and a springboard moonsault for a two count. Both men stood and traded strikes. Mendoza scaled the top rope and hit a dropkick. Eventually, Mendoza scaled the top ropes and missed a phoenix splash. Scott stood ad hit the house call win. Scott celebrated his victory as the show ended.
WINNER: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott via pinfall.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Good match between these two with the right person going over. Scott should continue to build momentum heading into his fatal four-way title match.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Wrestlers who had momentum from last week maintained that momentum this week. This isn’t usually the case on 205 Live but should be the trend going forward. The in-ring work was solid, but ultimately, nothing of consequence took place. We’re still waiting on the follow-up from the angle with The Brian Kendrick that took place weeks ago, and the reinstatement of Jack Gallagher. The longer it takes to follow-up, the less the audience will care.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.