WWE 205 Live Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 27

This week's SmackDown was an incredible show, so the cruiserweight division had a tough act to follow on 205 Live, especially since this was the main roster's final show for 2016.

In a few short weeks, WWE has managed to build four distinctly different feuds between a variety of Superstars, making 205 Live more than just a supplement to Raw.

TJ Perkins and The Brian Kendrick took a backseat this week so the other storylines could get some attention. Jack Gallagher and Ariya Daivari advanced their feud with a Gentlemen's Duel, but it was mostly for the sake of comedy.

Mustafa Ali turned babyface in front of his hometown fans in Chicago, and Noam Dar continued trying to steal Alicia Fox from Cedric Alexander.

This show is notable as it featured the final main roster match of 2016 between Neville and Rich Swann, and it was a fitting end to the year.

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

Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese

Two of the most versatile athletes in all of WWE kicked off this week's show when Alexander took on Tony Nese. Since Alexander had Fox in his corner, Nese felt the need to bring out Drew Gulak to keep things even.

When you put two athletes of this caliber in the ring together, having a bad match simply isn't an option. This might not have been an instant classic, but it allowed both men to show off their skills.

As two of the bigger cruiserweights in the company, Nese and Alexander can wrestle a more traditional style than they could against smaller opponents. They still used their speed and agility, but they were able to rely on technical ability to fill in the gaps.

Gulak took inspiration from Eddie Guerrero by pretending Foxy hit him so the ref would make her leave the ringside area. The distraction allowed Nese to put Alexander away with a vicious palm strike to the face.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Have we figured out if Foxy is a heel, babyface or something in between? WWE needs to make this a little clearer.
• Nese's finisher is so simple for a guy who is capable of some amazing feats of agility. I kind of like it.
• It's always nice to see Foxy go into her crazy mode.
• Noam Dar showed up backstage to continue creeping everyone out with his advances toward Fox. She slapped him twice for trying get a kiss with mistletoe, but it seemed like he enjoyed it.

Mustafa Ali vs. John Yurnet

Credit: WWE.com

Mustafa Ali and John Yurnet.

Up until this point, Mustafa Ali has worked as a WWE heel, but this match saw him turn things around in his hometown of Chicago.

The crowd gave him a great reception during his entrance, and he earned even more love with his promo and the inverted 450 splash he used to get the win. The match suffered a bit from John Yurnet's injury, but both men carried on and finished strong.

After it was over, Ali gave a promo about how he got his start in Chicago. He talked about being judged because of his appearance and how great it has been to be accepted by the WWE Universe.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• The jobber clearly hurt his leg or groin, but the guy deserves credit for continuing to perform and actually do a good job with limited mobility.
• After complaining about Ali being a heel two weeks ago, I am glad to see WWE turn him into a babyface. Being a certain nationality should not automatically relegate someone to being a bad guy.
• I was going to give this match a C-plus, but Ali's finisher bumped it up.
• This match's video will be added as soon as WWE uploads it to YouTube.

Ariya Daivari vs. Jack Gallagher (Gentlemen's Duel)

After 24 hours of wondering what a Gentlemen's Duel would entail, we got out answer. Gallagher set up the ring with a table full of weapons for each man to choose from.

Daivari picked a lead pipe, while Gallagher chose an umbrella. They were supposed to take 10 paces before engaging, but Gallagher was prepared for his opponent to cheat.

After a few comical shots from Mary Poppins' favorite accessory, Gallagher hit his trademark corner dropkick to finish off his rival.

Under any other circumstances, this would have been a horrible joke of a segment, but Gallagher is so fun to watch, he was able to pull it off. Nobody will be talking about this in a few weeks, but it helped advance their feud a little and provided some entertainment, and that is what's important.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Whatever Gallagher uses in his hair does a good job keeping it in place while he is being thrown around the ring.
• I know I just talked about how it was great to see someone like Ali portrayed as a babyface, but Daivari is better off as a heel. It's a natural fit for his attitude.
• The crowd seemed split on this segment. There were equal moments of loud laughter and silence.

Rich Swann vs. Neville

Neville challenged Swann to a non-title match to prove he doesn't need the belt to be the King of the Cruiserweights, and it's hard to argue with him after the performance he delivered Tuesday night.

Neville has always been known for his ability to defy gravity, but his size advantage against Swann allowed him to focus on showing off his equally impressive strength.

However, it wasn't a one-sided match. Swann not only got to display his ability to fly through the air with the greatest of ease, but he also showed Neville he wasn't the only one with some hidden power with moves like a Tiger Bomb.

Both men put each other through the wringer, but after the ref counted to three, it was Neville with his hand raised in victory. He celebrated his win by inflicting some additional punishment to the man he once mentored on the indy scene.

This was the final main roster match of 2016, and it definitely ended the year on a high note.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• Swann is one of those wrestlers who makes his opponents look better by selling their offense so convincingly.
• Corey Graves and Austin Aries did a great job covering up Neville's near-miss.
• You don't often see two competitors use a Phoenix Splash in the same match. It takes a lot of skill to pull that move off.
• Neville changing his finisher to a superplex is smart. The Red Arrow gets fans to cheer too much for someone who is supposed to be a villain.

What did you think of this week's episode of 205 Live?

Have a happy and safe New Year's Eve. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.