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WWE 205 LIVE TV REPORT
JANUARY 24, 2020
DALLAS, TEX.
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Aiden English, Jon Quasto
– The show opened the 205 Live intro video. The camera entered the arena and panned the audience before landing on the announcers. English and Quasto ran down the card for the evening before throwing to the ring. Ariya Daivari made his ring entrance, followed by Tyler Breeze.
(1) ARIYA DAIVARI vs. TYLER BREEZE
-On commentary, English noted Breeze had competed on every brand in WWE and called him a “journeymen of the business”. The bell rang, and Breeze attacked Daivari with strikes. Breeze hit a dropkick and Daivari retreated to the outside. Back in the ring, Breeze hit an enziguri to the back of Daivari’s head. Daivari dodged a dive from Breeze and knocked him to the outside. From there, Daivari propped Breeze on the second rope and hit a draping neck breaker for a two count. Breeze tried to rally, but Daivari countered with a back elbow. Daivari cinched in a headlock and taunted the crowd. Eventually, Breeze created separation with a jawbreaker and threw Daivari to the outside of the ring. Daivari quickly entered the ring and hit a neck breaker. Daivari cinched in a modified headlock, but Breeze countered with a backslide for a two count. Both men charged at each other and each landed a crossbody dive. Breeze rallied and attempted an unprettier, but Daivari created separation and climbed the ropes. Breeze countered a dive with the supermodel kick and scored a believable near fall. From there, Breeze hit the unprettier, but Daivari broke the pinfall attempt by putting his foot on the bottom rope. Both men stood and countered each other’s offense until Breeze rolled Daivari up from behind for the win.
WINNER: Tyler Breeze via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: This is the third win in a row for Breeze. While it’s great to see consistency, 205 Live needs to do more to make Breeze feel like the star of the show. He’s still getting a minimal reaction from the crowd. If the plan is to keep him babyface, he needs to cut a promo where he tells the audience what winning the Cruiserweight title would mean to him. He needs to be more relatable and likable.)
-A commercial for the Royal Rumble aired, followed by a commercial for WWE Shop.
-The show returned with The Brian Kendrick approaching an upset Daivari backstage. Kendrick said Daivari looked like he needed a friend. He said after everything he had been through, he understood what Daivari was going through. Kendrick made his ring entrance, followed by Danny Burch.
(2) THE BRIAN KENDRICK vs. DANNY BURCH
-The bell rang, and Burch hit a running dropkick. He threw Kendrick into the corner and hit a flurry of strikes. Burch hit a power slam, followed by a running back elbow. The announcers talked about Kendrick costing Burch a match and beating him down on a previous episode of 205 Live. From there, Burch hit a Lou Thesz press and landed another flurry of strikes. Kendrick retreated to the outside. Burch threw Kendrick face-first into the ring steps. Kendrick countered Bruch and hit a side Russian leg sweep into the ring steps. Kendrick returned to the ring. Burch returned to the ring at the count of nine, but Kendrick immediately cinched in the captain’s hook. Eventually, Burch broke the hold and rallied. Burch scaled the ropes and hit a dropkick for a two count. They stood, and Burch hit a German suplex, followed by a head butt. Kendrick broke a pinfall attempt by grabbing the bottom rope. Kendrick poked Burch in the eye and attempted sliced bread number two, but Burch countered with a lariat. Daivari ran down to the ring and distracted Burch. Kendrick rolled Burch up, and Daivari held Kendrick’s hand from the outside and assisted him with the pinfall. After the match, Kendrick and Daivari embraced on the outside of the ring and celebrated Kendrick’s victory.
WINNER: The Brian Kendrick via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: The ending of this match could have worked the same without the distraction. Distraction finishes need to go for good. Kendrick feels like he’s spinning his wheels at this point. The heel alliance angle seems to be the only direction he ever goes in, and it never leads to anything other than the alliance breaking up. Both he and Burch have more to offer than this. A personal feud that revolves around proving who is better in the ring would be a great addition to the show.)
-A commercial for a WWE 24 special on WrestleMania 25 aired, followed by a commercial for Worlds Collide.
-The show returned, and the announcers talked about the fatal four-way match for the NXT Cruiserweight title match at Worlds Collide. Lio Rush made his ring entrance, followed by Tony Nese.
(3) LIO RUSH vs. TONY NESE
-The bell rang, and they verbally taunted each other. Rush dodged strikes from Nese and the pace quickened. Nese knocked Rush to the mat, but Rush quickly returned to his feet and hit a jumping sidekick. Rush scaled the ropes, but Nese knocked him to the mat and hit a series of strikes. A “Let’s go Lio!” chant broke out. Nese scaled the ropes, but Rush retreated to the outside. Nese attempted to meet Rush outside, but Rush quickly reentered the ring and knocked Nese back to the floor. From there, Rush hit a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Nese countered a roll-up with a spinning kick. After a two count, Nese threw Rush into the corner and taunted the crowd. A “Lio!” chant broke out. Rush tried to create separation, but Nese countered with a standing dropkick for a two count. From there, Nese cinched in body scissors, but Rush broke the hold with a flurry of strikes. The pace quickened until Rush hit the come-up for a two count.
(Taylor’s Analysis: The crowd was invested in the match and firmly behind Rush. This is a rare sight on 205 Live.)
-Rush stood and scaled the ropes, but Nese rolled to the corner. Nese countered a charging Rush and attempted a springboard moonsault, but Rush moved out of the way. With both men back on their feet, Nese hit a modified pump-handle slam for a two count. From there, Nese hit a flurry of strikes and scaled the ropes. Rush knocked Nese back to the mat. Rush scaled the ropes, but Nese knocked him to ring apron. Nese scaled the ropes again, but Rush met him at the top. They traded strikes until each man fell to the floor. The referee began the ten count. At the count of eight, Nese ran to Rush and threw him over the announce table before running back into the ring to beat the ten count for the win.
WINNER: Tony Nese via count-out
(Taylor’s Analysis: Terrible finish. Wrong winner. Everything about this ending was awful. In a roster where almost everyone feels the same, Rush stands out. His offense excites the crowd, and his selling gets the crowd invested. It’s booking like this that keeps 205 Live stale and uninteresting. Someone in the back should have noticed the crowd reaction Rush was receiving and called an audible on the spot.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Aside from the finish, the match between Nese and Rush was worth watching. Rush is the obvious babyface star of the show. A number one contender feud between a heel Tyler Breeze and a babyface Lio Rush would be great. Another episode of solid wrestling, but questionable booking.
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