WWE 205 Live Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 24

The cruiserweight division was never going to be an instant success. It takes time for something like this to catch fire. But we are coming to a point where it and 205 Live need to start making more progress or risk becoming nothing more than a gimmick for the WWE Network.

The difference between now and when WCW first launched its cruiserweight division is the way fans expect wrestling to be presented to them.

It used to be acceptable for management to give real storylines to the top talents while everyone else wrestled a series of random matches. As long as the action in the ring was fun, character development could take a backseat. 

These days, people rarely get behind someone unless they are in an interesting storyline. Even if the matches being produced are top-notch, the narrative can make or break a feud in the eyes of the fans.

While the cruiserweight division puts on some great matches every week, the stories behind them have fallen short in most cases. This week saw an improvement in that area, but it will take a lot more effort to make 205 Live must-see television.

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's show.

TJ Perkins Scores a Win over Tony Nese

The first match of the night featured former cruiserweight champion TJ Perkins (5'10", 167 lbs) taking on The Premier Athlete, Tony Nese (5'9", 196 lbs).

Despite both men being in the same weight class, Nese came into this one with a significant size advantage. And considering he can match speed and agility with just about anybody, he should be the favorite going into most of his bouts. Unfortunately, he hasn't found much success on Raw or 205 Live. 

Nese and Perkins were given the perfect amount of time to put on a fun and competitive match. Both men shined at different times, but Perkins ended up stealing the win with a roll-up.

Unwilling to accept the decision, Nese delivered a vicious attack after the bell. He lost, but The Premier Athlete may have just made his biggest stride as a character.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• It's unfair to the cruiserweight division to have to perform in front of a crowd of people who just sat through SmackDown and a few dark matches. The energy in the arena is always low, which leads to crowd reactions being more subdued during what most would consider a great performance.
• If Perkins wasn't actually hurt, he sold the post-match attack like a champ. 
• Even after a physical encounter, Perkins' hair still looked like it did during his entrance. That must take a lot of chemicals to achieve.

The Brian Kendrick Gets an Easy Win

Before facing a jobber by the name of Tripp Bradshaw, The Brian Kendrick delivered a solid heel promo, telling the rookie he has no chance of success.

It worked perfectly to get the crowd to cheer for the young man he was facing, which allowed Kendrick's dirty tactics during the match to generate more heat.

This bout was too short to be memorable, but it made Kendrick look like a dangerous competitor and gave a young hopeful some exposure on a big stage.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Many people on social media have pointed out how Tripp Bradshaw's name is likely a joke at JBL's expense after he tripped in the ring last week.
• Is it just me, or are Kendrick's jackets getting increasingly ridiculous?
• Kendrick needs more to do. He's too entertaining to be out of the title scene—at least for the time being.

Neville vs. Cedric Alexander

Neville gave an interview at the top of the show hyping his main event match against Cedric Alexander, and he continued to show off why he should have been a heel all along.

When he was a good guy, Neville was always the underdog. Making him the dominant force in the cruiserweight division has breathed new life into his career, and he has taken the opportunity and run with it.

Both of these men are capable of doing things few human beings would even try, but they didn't rely solely on high-flying offense to make this a good match.

They told a story and made the crowd invest in their roles as hero and villain. For a contest without a storyline behind it, this was one of the top highlights of the week.

Noam Dar caused a distraction, which allowed Neville to get the win, but the action didn't stop there. While Dar and Alexander fought to the backstage area, Neville and Rich Swann ended the show brawling in the ring.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• Neville is awesome as a heel, but the comic book animations WWE used for his video packages during his feud with Stardust will be missed.
• Alexander hitting a standing Spanish fly, as Mauro Ranallo called it, was amazing. 
• WWE managed to make two storylines a little more interesting with one match. You don't see that every week.

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