WWE 205 Live Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 22
Akira Tozawa defeated Neville to end his eight-month reign as cruiserweight champion, but The King of the Cruiserweights regained his title six days later at SummerSlam.
Neville has been an outstanding champion, but it's time for a change. The cruiserweight division is having trouble attracting fans, and having someone new carry the torch might help bring new eyes to the product.
Titus O'Neil secured his client another shot at the Cruiserweight Championship this week in addition to The Brian Kendrick facing Jack Gallagher in a Gentleman's Duel.
Kendrick has brought the aggressive side out of Gallagher in recent weeks, so there was less focus on comedy than there was during his last duel.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's 205 Live.
Drew Gulak and Tony Nese vs. Cedric Alexander and Gran Metalik
1 of 3
The first match of the night was a rematch from last week featuring Tony Nese and Drew Gulak going up against Cedric Alexander and Gran Metalik.
Nese and Alexander used their quickness to string together several takedowns and pinning combinations to get this contest off to a good start. The crowd was silent when the bell rang, but it didn't take long for everyone to notice how good the action in the ring was.
Nese and Alexander exchanged a lot of insults during the match, which is a good indicator they will be working a singles feud for at least the next few weeks.
It would also make sense for Gulak to target Metalik since the luchador uses all the high-flying moves Gulak has been protesting in recent months.
They were given just enough time to make this match fun without feeling rushed. Alexander picked up the win for his team with the Lumbar Check.
Grade: B
Notes and Highlights
- Nese is not doing himself any favors with his entrance promos. He needs something to set him apart from everyone else besides good abs.
- You could hear the wrestlers calling spots out to each other too much due to the crowd being quiet at the beginning of the match.
- Metalik's moonsault from the top rope to the floor was incredible. He was easily 15 feet in the air.
- Alexander is so good at making it sound like his strikes are hitting harder than everyone else's.
- Is it just me or did Metalik look more like Sin Cara than usual during this match? Their outfits are almost too similar, but if they ever decided to form a tag team, they would already be coordinated.
The Brian Kendrick vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher (Gentleman's Duel)
2 of 3
Jack Gallagher came out first and talked about how people have been insulting him and calling him a joke since he got to WWE, but he admitted there might be some truth to it.
He said he has been too gentlemanly in the past, and he planned on changing that perception by knocking out The Brian Kendrick.
The Wizard of Odd came on the big screen and mocked both Gallagher and the idea of a duel, even though it was his idea in the first place. He sent out a clown to fight Gallagher instead.
He squirted Gentleman Jack with one of those fake flowers as the crowd called him a stupid idiot. Gallagher nailed him with a stiff headbutt before clearing off the table. As he prepared to powerbomb the clown, Kendrick attacked him from behind with an umbrella.
The former cruiserweight champion put an exclamation point on his attack by putting Gallagher through the table. He proposed a match next week with no disqualifications to an unconscious Gallagher to end the segment.
This was a decent way to push their feud forward for another week, and the crowd participating with various chants made it slightly more fun.
Grade: B
Notes and Highlights
- It's interesting how a few small changes can alter the way we see someone. Gallagher taping up his hands and losing his jacket and tie give him a completely different image.
- I wonder which indy talent was under the clown makeup.
- At least Doink could take a headbutt and keep going.
- Rich Swann and TJP had a conversation about what happened last week. TJP claims he is actually injured and didn't mean to cost Swann the match, but Swann didn't seem to buy it.
Neville vs. Akira Tozawa (Cruiserweight Championship)
3 of 3
The main event of the evening saw Neville defend his newly won Cruiserweight Championship against the former champion, Tozawa.
This was the third cruiserweight title match we have seen in the past two weeks, but these two are versatile enough to keep their contests from being repetitive.
The King of the Cruiserweights worked over the same shoulder he has been attacking for the past several weeks, and Tozawa sold every move like he was in a serious amount of pain.
Neville owned Tozawa most of the time, but the Japanese sensation made a strong comeback halfway through the match thanks to his signature suicide dive.
After multiple close calls and false finishes, Neville retained his title with the Rings of Saturn in what was easily the best match of their feud so far.
The show ended with a big surprise when Enzo Amore came out and declared himself a member of the 205 Live roster. The crowd gave him a warm welcome, and the show ended with the Certified G posing for the fans.
Grade: A-
Notes and Highlights
- Neville is always consistent when focusing on a single body part. It's an old-school strategy we don't see enough of these days.
- Titus O'Neil is officially a babyface. He seemed like he was trying to take advantage of Apollo Crews and Tozawa at first, but now he actually sounds like he cares about their success.
- Neville landing on his feet after a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor was a thing of beauty.
- Tozawa hit one of the best straight right hands I have ever seen at one point.
- Amore on 205 Live is going to make things a lot more interesting in the coming weeks. His promo ability will force everyone else to rise to his level or get left behind, and everyone else can help him improve in the ring.
.jpg?w=256)
.jpg?w=480)
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
