WWE 205 Live Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 22

With the cruiserweights being left off the Backlash card, nobody being in the Money in the Bank matches and the next title defense scheduled for May 29 instead of the MITB pay-per-view, it appears the division has been all but forgotten by management.

This is a shame because some of the best talent in WWE today resides in the 205 Live locker room. All you need to do is look at some of the recent shows to see for yourself.

Cedric Alexander is at the top of his game, Mustafa Ali is like a superhero come to life, and Buddy Murphy has produced a few Matches of the Week. 

This week's show featured Murphy preparing for his title match next week and Hideo Itami taking on his former partner, Akira Tozawa. 

Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of 205 Live. 

Drew Gulak vs. Gran Metalik

The Lucha House Party has a couple of different feuds going right now, and both were addressed in this match. 

While Gran Metalik took on Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick joined the commentary team to watch the action.

Gulak and Metalik have been in the ring together several times since the cruiserweight division got going, but this match didn't show much chemistry between them.

Both are gifted wrestlers, but it took them several minutes before anything exciting happened. Once Metalik found his feet, he showed everyone why he is called "King of the Ropes."

A couple of sloppy moments toward the end hurt the flow, but Gulak picking up the win with the Gulock was an unexpected surprise. WWE seems to be going all in on his push. 

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Gallagher calling Percy Watson "Percival" was funny; calling Metalik "Gran Metallica" was better. 
• Metalik's outfit looked like something Goldust would wear. 
• The crowd doesn't make enough noise to drown out the noisemakers Kalisto and Lince Dorado were using at ringside. If anything, they drew attention to how quiet it was by using them. 
• Metalik walking the ropes before hitting a dropkick was amazing. That kind of balance takes years to master. 

TJP vs. Christopher Guy

Credit: WWE.com

TJP posing for the crowd.

A local talent named Christopher Guy was sacrificed to TJP in what can only be described as a basic squash match.

The frustrated former cruiserweight champion has been complaining about his lack of opportunities recently, and facing a jobber is not likely to make him happy.

It took him all of two minutes to win with a Detonation Kick. He may have triumphed, but he didn't have a smile on his face when his hand was being raised. 

Dasha Fuentes interviewed him after the match, and TJP made it clear he was not happy with the level of competition he was being given by general manager Drake Maverick. 

Grade: D

Notes and Highlights

• Maverick's suit was a little too orange. 
• TJP put the jobber through the wringer in this match with some aggressive strikes.
• How does a squash match help build up a former champion? 

Hideo Itami vs. Akira Tozawa

The main event of the evening featured two former partners settling their differences with Tozawa taking on Itami.

The first couple of minutes saw the two Japanese dynamos exchange strikes and counters, but it was Tozawa who got the upper hand early with a stiff punch to the head. 

If there is a so-called "WWE style" most wrestlers use, Tozawa and Itami ignored it in favor of making this feel like a match from a Japanese promotion.

They didn't rush anything and made sure all their exchanges looked good. Surprisingly, the crowd was into it despite the slow pace in the early minutes. Crowds for 205 Live usually only cheer big spots so it was great to hear Itami and Tozawa have their hard work appreciated. 

With the proper build, this bout would have performed well at a PPV. It's too bad WWE doesn't see the cruiserweight division as a priority anymore.

WWE gave these two a lot of time, and they made the most of every minute. After a pair of brutal corner dropkicks, Itami picked up the win with his finishing move. If we are lucky, this feud is far from over. 

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• Itami needs some new attire. He has been wearing the same black shorts with a brown stripe since before he was called up from NXT.
• Itami may say things like a heel, but he needs to cheat more if he wants the crowd to give him real heat. 
• Tozawa sold all of Itami's strikes like he was being hit with a baseball bat. 
• The falcon arrow from the top rope by Itami looked painful for Tozawa.