205 Live
Date: January 23, 2018
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but there’s a big change to the Cruiserweight Title situation. In this case, there is no Cruiserweight Champion as Enzo Amore has been stripped of the title and released from the company. There is no word on what’s going to happen to the title but for now, Sunday’s Cruiserweight Title match is off. Therefore, enjoy another show with little advancement to the top storyline. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
The announcers recap what we just heard.
Kalisto/Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado vs. TJP/Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese
TJP misses an early swing at Dorado and gets taken to the mat in a headscissors. Back up and Dorado dabs at TJP before taking him down with a single chop. A little arm cranking is enough to send TJP over to Nese, who can’t keep up with Metalik from bouncing off the ropes. Nese finally takes him down and sends Metalik into the corner so Daivari can come in to take over.
Nigel asks where Drew Gulak is now that the Zo Train (not named) is over. Fair question actually. It’s off to Kalisto with slingshot hilo, followed by a kick to Daivari’s hands (rather than his head) for two. Nese’s distraction lets Daivari knock Kalisto off the ropes and out to the floor in a heap. We get to the standard beatdown in the corner, including a belly to back for two from TJP.
Nese comes back in for a chinlock but gets kicked in the head, allowing the ice cold tag to Dorado. I mean the people just did not react at all. A moonsault press gives Dorado two as everything breaks down. Kalisto and Metalik hit stereo flip dives but Dorado misses a shooting star (not a 450 as Nigel says). The Detonation Kick misses though and Dorado’s handsprings Stunner ends TJP at 9:12.
Result: Kalisto/Lince Dorado/Gran Metalik b. TJP/Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari – Handspring Stunner to TJP (9:12)
They would know the trios style.
Post match TJP yells at his partners but gets shoved down and blamed for the loss.
Drew Gulak, in a suit and standing in front of an American flag, supports a new General Manager but wants it to be someone who will have none of this high flying, chanting, flipping and flopping. They need to be on board with the idea of a Drewtopia.
Jack Gallagher vs. Hideo Itami
Before the match, Itami says what happened to Brian Kendrick was an accident. He respects Kendrick but not so much with Gallagher. An early kick to the face drops Gallagher in short order but a leather shoe to the ribs slows Itami down as well. An early headlock on the mat doesn’t get Gallagher very far as Itami is right back up with more kicks in the corner. With Gallagher draped over the middle rope, Itami goes up for a jumping kick to the back.
Gallagher uses a referee distraction to sneak underneath the ring and sneak up on Itami, sending him shoulder first into the buckle. Jack bends the arm around his leg and cranks on Itami’s hand for good measure. We hit a double wristlock on Itami but a suplex gets Itami out of trouble.
The arm is banged up but Itami is still able to throw a knee, followed by a top rope clothesline for two. A spinning fist drops Gallagher into the corner and Itami grabs a dragon sleeper, which he swings into something like a Twist of Fate Stunner with a kick to the head (it’s kind of hard to describe) for the pin at 6:23.
Result: Hideo Itami b. Jack Gallagher – Kick to the head (6:23)
That’s quite the different finisher.
Akira Tozawa thinks he could be a good boss and practices firing someone.
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
Cedric says the plan hasn’t changed and he’ll be champion soon. They shake hands to start but Cedric pulls him back and says he’ll be champion. Feeling out process to start with Ali’s wristlock getting him nowhere. A hurricanrana doesn’t work either as Alexander lands on his feet.
Back up and Alexander backflips into his ankle scissors for two, followed by an armbar on the mat. Ali fights up and hits a dropkick into an armbar of his own as they seem to be mirroring each other so far. Alexander breaks that up as well and shoves Ali off a springboard, sending him face first into the apron for a painful looking crash. That’s only good for two so we hit a cross arm choke to keep Ali down inside. Ali gets back up and avoids a charge in the corner, sending Alexander face first into the middle buckle.
The rolling X Factor gives Ali two but his tornado DDT is blocked and reversed into a suplex. That’s reversed as well but Ali sends him into the corner. Cedric’s springboard Downward Spiral gets two more and Alexander wins a slugout. Ali is right back up with a running C4 and a wicked tornado DDT gets two. The 054 misses though and it’s a Neuralizer into the Lumbar Check to give Cedric the pin at 11:49.
Result: Cedric Alexander b. Mustafa Ali – Lumbar Check (11:49)
It’s not quite rhyming insults.
They shake hands post match.
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