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WWE 205 LIVE TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 14, 2020
VANCOUVER, B.C.
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Aiden English, Jon Quasto
– The show opened with highlights from the number one contender match for the Cruiserweight title match on NXT. Lio Rush squared off against Angel Garza and defeated him with a small package after a competitive match. Cruiserweight champion Jordan Devlin confronted Rush on the stage and said next week, he would show Rush why “you never bet against an ace” as the highlights ended. The 205 intro video played. The camera entered the arena and panned the audience before landing the announcers. As they began talking, The Singh Brothers’ music interrupted them. Announcer Greg Hamilton announced the Singh Brothers from Vancouver, British Columbia and the crowd cheered. Several “Bolly” signs could be seen in the front row. The Singh Brothers stood int the middle of the ring wearing Vancouver Canuck’s jerseys. A “Bollywood!” chant broke out. Samir said they were Vancouver’s favorite boys and the crowd cheered. He said they use to come to the same arena to watch WWE events and that it was an honor to compete for the crowd. Sunil said earlier, they got a call from Wayne Gretzky who told them to have fun and appreciate the moment. A “You Deserve It!” chant broke out. Sunil said Gretzky also told them to “get the hell out of Canada”. The crowd booed. They took off their jerseys and revealed Los Angeles Kings jersey and a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch ran down to the ring after their music played briefly.
(1) THE SINGH BROTHERS vs. ONEY LORCAN & DANNY BURCH
-Before the bell, the two teams brawled on the entrance ramp. The bell rang, and Lorcan punished Samir in the ring. Samir took control after a distraction from Sumir. Sunil tagged in and hit a superkick and a suplex for a two count. From there, Sunil cinched in a headlock. The Singh Brothers kept control of the match with frequent tags. Eventually, Lorcan created separation and tagged in Burch. Burch entered the ring and rallied. He knocked Samir into the corner and hit a German suplex. Eventually, The Singh Brothers hit a double superkick on Burch, followed by the Bollywood Blast. Oney Lorcan broke up the pin and threw Sunil outside the ring. Burch tagged Lorcan and they hit an implant DDT on Samir for the win. After the match, The Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari distracted Burch and Lorcan. The Singh Brothers attacked Burch and Lorcan from behind. Kendrick and Daivari joined in. Kendrick brought a steel chair into the ring and slammed Burch face first into it. Daivari propped a chair up in the corner and whipped Lorcan into it. They celebrated with the steel chairs as Lorcan and Burch writhed in pain.
WINNERS: Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: The swerve “heel turn” could be seen a mile away. WWE relies so heavily on swerves that they are essentially ineffective at this point. Did the Singh Brothers come off as heels? Yes, they did. What does that do for the show in the long run? It does absolutely nothing. This was a waste of five minutes before a forgettable match.)
-A commercial for WWE shop aired, followed by a commercial for WrestleMania 36.
-A vignette for Joaquin Wilde aired, followed by a vignette for Raul Mendoza. English then announced the two would be facing each other next week. Quasto then threw an interview with Lio Rush. Rush said he is was signed to WWE at 22 years old because he’s the best Cruiserweight in the world. He said anything Devlin had to say to him was irrelevant. He looked into the camera and called himself the king of the cruiserweights and said he would be a two-time Cruiserweight champion. Back in the arena, the announcers said Devlin and Rush would be facing each other on next week’s episode of NXT.
-Kendrick and Daivari were shown standing in the ring. Kendrick said he had the “Bollywood Boys” pegged wrong. He said he thought they were like all other Canadians and lacked integrity. He mocked the Canadian accent and Canadian diets of maple syrup and poutine. Daivari called himself and Kendrick “205 OG’s”. He said Kendrick started the brand and didn’t want people like Lorcan and Burch on the roster. Kendrick said he and Daivari were contractually obligated to wrestle on the show. He then asked his opponents to come out. Tony Nese made his ring entrance, followed by Mike Kanellis.
(2) THE BRIAN KENDRICK & ARIYA DAIVARI vs. TONY NESE & MIKE KANELLIS
-The bell rang, and a brawl ensued with all four men. Daivari stomped Nese on the mat after a distraction from Kendrick. Nese dodged a clothesline and hit a shoulder tackle. He tagged Kanellis, and they double-teamed Daivari. On commentary, Quasto pointed out that the last time Kanellis was on the show, he was teaming with Kendrick. Kanellis hit a basement dropkick for a two count. Nese tagged in and knocked Kendrick off the ring apron. From there, Nese attempted a moonsault but missed. Daivari hit a neck breaker and tagged in Kendrick. Kendrick cinched in a modified headlock., but Nese hit a jawbreaker and broke the hold. Nese tagged in Kanellis who entered and hit a spine buster for a two count. Kendrick threw Kanellis over the top rope. Daivari attacked Kanellis and ringside. Back in the ring, Kendrick cinched in an ankle lock. Daivari tagged in cinched in a headlock. Eventually, Kanellis created separation, but both wrestlers knocked each other to the mat. Nese tagged in and hit a spinning heel kick, followed by a moonsault for a two count. Kanellis and Kendrick both made blind tags. Kendrick cinched in the captain’s hook on Kanellis, while Daivari cinched in the million-dollar dream Nese. Nese broke both holds by throwing himself into Kendrick and Kanellis on the mat. Eventually, Nese hit a 450 splash. Kendrick broke up the pinfall attempt. Nese propped Daivari up on the top rope, but Daivari fought him off. Kendrick ran in and tagged himself in from inside the ring. The referee allowed the tag. Kendrick hit sliced bread number two on Nese for a two count. Daivari tagged in a hit a splash from the top rope for a two count. From there, Kendrick threw steel chairs into the ring. Kendrick and Daivari were about to hit Nese when Burch and Lorcan’s music hit. Nese rolled up Kendrick from behind for the win. After the match, Lorcan and Burch attacked Kendrick and Daivari with the steel chairs. On commentary, Quasto said both teams would face each other next week in a no DQ match as the show ended.
WINNERS: Tony Nese & Mike Kanellis via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: A completely cold tag match between two heel teams. I cannot think of a better way to keep this show boring and lifeless. On top of that, there was a convoluted ending that furthered an ultimately inconsequential storyline. Why is Mike Kanellis back on the show and wrestling the person he was last seen assisting? Even the commentators pointed this out. There no explanation for his return, and no explanation as to why he and Nese accepted this challenge. What a mess.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A more forgettable episode of 205 Live has not been seen for a long time. I can’t believe this is the best 45 minutes of screen time WWE can come up with. The Cruiserweight title should be kept off this show and saved for NXT for the time being. The more the title appears on Friday nights, the less prestige it has and the more damaged it becomes.
OPENING TAG MATCH WAS THE BEST MATCH I EVER SEEN