Kyuubi

And with Cedric vs Ali being booked on the kick off show, I am annoyed like hell. Oh well. I will take breaks in between the matches.

His problem was the booking. His feud got dragged on for way too long with Cedric and Alicia should have never been involved.

This is the only way I accept Asuka losing that doesn’t involve Io Shirai suddenly being signed or Ronda Rousey.

...Alright fine, Mustafa made his goddamn point. However, if Ali wins, I expect Cedric to be pushed. I goddamn expect a transformation of the likes that will propel him to stardom. If you write out Cedric in favor of this last minute effort from Ali and continue as if Cedric was not the guy who had the best match at the CWC or Cedric was not the guy who was buried in stupid angles from the moment this show started and Cedric was not the guy whose effort did not just begin at Wrestlemania but continuous even matches that weren’t televised, I am going to be annoyed that yet another company decided to overlook Cedric’s talent. Cedric has been in the ring with likes of AJ Styles and Okada and hanged with them when he just started. Motherfucking fans kept confusing him for Caprice Coleman and ACH or Shane Strickland. But Cedric never got the push he earned. Hangman Paige fucking did in Cedric’s feud with Strong. When Cedric was paired with Vega, fucking Moose got the push while Cedric languished the same fucking position. Now he is in the WWE off of sheer effort and he is a completely different wrestler. He didn’t just lose 25 pounds, he fucking got a shit load of agility and is moving like a high flier of the likes of Kallisto. And this heir apparent business stinks of the “guy has a lotta potential but he is missing something to win the big one” bullshit booking angle that Cedric has been saddled with for years. Cedric has never won the big one. He didn’t come from the indies with a huge following like Ricochet, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, or Low ki so this idea that he expected to be a star knowing that seems like a projection. In fact, he is the anti-Daniel Bryan. A guy who didn’t get the recognition from so-called more egalitarian indies than he does in the WWE. If they immediately decide to move past Cedric and Cedric continues to languish in the mid-card of 205 Live in favor of Gulak or Murphy, I am going to be pissed.

I’d prefer Cena/Mysterio over Cena/Taker. It is crazy that Mysterio has been working harder and longer than both Taker and Cena yet can still perform on a high level. Predictions: the pre show matches Alexa Vs Nia: Nia is going over. Alexa is a great talker and an okay performer but this match should have been Sasha vs Bayley 4. But it isn’t and there is not enough heat to justify this on the main show. Andre the Giant Battle Royal: Who the fuck cares but if I had to guess it would be Samoa Joe. uS title Fatal Four way- Rusev or Roode. Look, I am a firm believer that new guys or guys who do not have much decoration should be winning titles. Especially if they are gifted in the ring. Both Rhoode and Rusev are but I am guessing I am basing this on what I want rather than what Vince values. Main show Cedric vs Ali: I am probably the only person on this board who believes this match will get time and be on the main show my justification is that Hunter would not spend so much capital rebuilding this show and repeat the same damn mistake that lost both Aries and Neville. Unlike the other title matches save for the WWE title and Uni title, this is the only title with more than a two month build up for it. You want to rebuild the legitimacy of this build, have it own up Wrestlemania and give acedric and Ali 15 minutes that is all they need to steal the show. I l think Cedric is going over because Murphy is the #1 contender and we have already seen Murphy and Ali Raw tag team Braun and whoever is going over the Bar will break up with ashes us on his way out and Cesar’s will come to Smackdown and compete as a singles wrestler womens battle royal: Beck will win and probably the most fuck finish fashion. her, Bayley, and Sasha will be the final 3. Bayley will be in the process of eliminatingBecky but Sasha because she has a knife for every back will try to come from behind and take out Bayley. Bayley survives but absolutely goes ballistic and starts brawling with Sasha l. They get so heated that the y ignore Becky and take each other out. Daniel Bryanand Shane vs the Yup movement: Yup is going to win and Shane is eating that pin Will Bryan will have an exhibition that we excite the fans and it will be amazing IC title: Finn wins. That is it . Miz goes batshit and throws a huge tantrum Rollins goes to Smackdown and rethinks his career Finn starts his first big and long string of title defenses and slowly becomes a heel. USO’s vs New Day vs Viking Gods(forgot their name): I expect Harper and Rowan to go over ad a truly chaotic fuck fest Can’t really decide on Cena vs whoever Break period with Elias Styles vs vs Nak: Nak wins and it should be amazing Asuka vs Charlotte: Asuka wins Carmella tries to cash in MiTB Asuka kick the fuck out of her because that is not how the streak wins Roman vs Brock: No one wins. We all lose. We have an unmotivated Brock and a very annoying Roman Reigns. I hope this isn’t the main event but because this company is ran by Vince, it probably will be.

Oh they are gonna. And I learned my lesson last year after sittig live at a Roman WM main event. Hell no. I am turning the stream off.

I found Ali's point hypocritical as he got beat by Neville twice and two separate occasions got his ass kicked. Cedric has only received one shot at the title and won by disqualification. /this entire tournament is predicated off the fact that Cedric did have a shot, but Enzo fucked up and got fired. He pinned Ali already and painting this picture as Cedric as this person who always comes short applies to Ali as well. Both of these guys always came short. Cedric was overlooked and Ali came from being a replacement to being in Wrestlemania. I want their match to get 10-15 minutes of action on the main show since most of the card seems to be tag matches. The only matches that I see getting 20+ are Charlotte vs Asuka, AJ vs Shinsuke, and Roman vs Brock

I could give less of a shit for any Roman WM main event. Honestly, I would have walked out last year if it were not for the Undertaker which I feel even more annoyed because now they are running Taker vs Cena. Shinsuke vs Styles is my main event. Asuka vs Charlotte and Cedric vs Ali are the only other matches that I am invested in. I am tuning out the rest of the show unless it proves to be interesting which if the Usos and New Day are involved, I may give a shit about that match as well.

And I get that. I honestly do. However, as someone who has followed Cedric for years and watched him get under-appreciated and witnessed his growth, I am going for Alexander for the sake that the guy literally is a completely different wrestler now. He moves like Ricochet and Will Ospreay now. He has the moves and is probably the most versatile wrestler in the WWE. Cedric has been putting on good to great matches for years only to put over far less talented people. The dude was so unappreciated that before CWC, he literally had no idea where he was going to do with career after ROH shat the bed with him. TNA did not even want him. FUCKING TNA. Cedric has earned that title. He should have been the one to take it off Neville. He has never gotten a proper shot at that title and honestly, has been booking hell since 205 Live fucking started. A literal 2 year feud with Noam Dar over Alicia Fox? No. Mustafa at least has had a compelling feud with Gulak, but Cedric was stuck with Alicia for a better part of a year. I love Mustafa, but I feel Cedric needs that title first and foremost

I feel like this is a huge contrast between Roman and Bryan. Roman suffers from WWE's fan obliviousness. Ever since the breaking up of the SHIELD, this character suffered from WWE ignoring the fans actual perception of him. Like the idea that Vince or even the authority do not favor wrestlers like Roman Reigns yet somehow we are expected to believe that their actual ace is guys like Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar. I have seen Roman get beaten, nearly murdered for years now, and I could give less of a shit because I know that in the end, Roman is going to come out on top or be justified in a narrative regardless. Shit, I even cheered when it happened because it was awesome. Roman is not an underdog or a hero. He is not someone to get behind, but a nearly characterless personality that WWE throws stories in to turn the perception on him. I believe that the best characters in long running shows like WWE are the ones that we can plot from begiing to end and see the developments in them and Roman is utterly devoid of any substantial development as a character that hardly made sense. He lacks motivation and most importantly a struggle. He puts on a few good matches and that is it. Then there is Bryan. Everything about this character can be plotted out in arcs of his character. We can see where he was in every single arc and felt compelled one way or another. He was the underdog and we know why he was the underdog. He was a cheating asshole and we know why he was a cheating asshole. And he was the guy WWE never wanted us to love and get behind and we saw why they didn't. So when Kevin and Sami beat down Bryan after his epic fight back against the two....son, I was livid. I was screaming bloody murder at the screen. Because that is Daniel Bryan that they beat up. When Daniel german suplexed Sami and started doing his now safer dropkicks...I was pumped. IF Daniel Bryan took over Roman Reigns spot and wrestled Brock Lesnar, the WWE does not even have to provide a reason. They don't even have to be sound or logical. They just do it and very few of us wrestling fans would complain. In fact, a lot of us would just shrug and now eagerly watch Wrestlemania anyways. And that speaks volumes in just how bad the WWE handled Roman in that after years of building this character, that someone they thought whose career was over could easily take over and build infinitely more excitement than him. It just proves that Roman definitely is not the Guy.

Great card. Two awesome matches and it is great to see Kenneth Johnson again after CWC. The main event as expected was insane. I hate to see either of these guys not in the Wrestlemania card because they put in so much work this year and last for 206 Live, but regardless it is to be. Ali really has grown as a wrestler in my eyes. I thought he was just a typical high flier, and I remember being incensed that the CWC crowd booed him for instinctively no reason when he faced off against Dorado. I get his character being a babyface who is of Muslim descent who does not cater to the foreign concept of evil foreigner or brown person and he exemplifies the plucky babyface more than most wrestlers do. His style caters to his character and unlike most babyface wrestlers, Ali is socially aware of his character and what it means for him to be a babyface. Gulak has not so much as gotten better, but instead returned to his roots. I wanted this super aggressive and ultra violent Gulak like I saw when he nearly ripped off ZSJ's arms in a submission hold. There are a lot of guys who work the style, but Gulak adds a bit of sadism in his act that I really appreciate. This match played with both aspects of their characters and made for another great match on 205 in which the crowd seemed awake for the whole show for once. Good show overall.

...Will Hideo bring back the GTS or did Kendrick really fuck up by taking the move stiff?

Can't Carmella cash it on the RAW Women's title or is the MitB briefcase just for the Smackdown title?

Roddy benefitted from being in the main event of 205 for every match. He did not have to follow Dolph Ziggler vs AJ Styles, the Five Way Free PPV Match, John Cena vs AJ Styles. He had the benefit of having some separation and transition into 205 Live. It is telling that every main event sans Gulak vs Nese, and TJP vs Bate got a reaction from the crowd. 205 Live has to work in accordance with Smackdown Live's booking and sometimes that show ends on a cold front or sometimes it ends with a bang. And this is not me diminishing Strong's work because he absolutely did put on 2 of the best matches on 205 Live(although it benefits that he worked with Kalisto and Cedric Alexander). But if you think Strong will do well on the main roster and he is too good for 205 Live, then you are condemning those 205 Live guys who are just as good and Strong will be jobbing to the Miz in no time. You want 205 Live to be better then do not take away the talent nor have this stigma that they are glorified jobbers. Roddy should absolutely stay in 205 Live. Gargano, Ciampa, Ricochet, the Undisputed Era, and whoever else meets the requirement of not having much charisma but amazing workrate and being an amazing wrestler should come to 205 Live and make it the show to watch. We all champion NXT as the greatest thing WWE has made in years, but get miffed when those stars do jack shit in the main roster. Hell, some of us are so jaded that we blame the differentiation in crowds as if people who watch NXT are a different breed than those who watch the main show even though we are ignoring how those characters are presented to us in each show. The main roster throws people in front of the crowds and wishes them luck while giving them 6 minute tag team matches with little to no introduction or reason to care. NXT gives you an introduction, a thorough exhibition of skills, and tangible development and story motivation. When Gargano and Ciampa first arrived, I thought they were typical indie guys, but they became the best rivalry since Sami vs Kevin. Gargano went from vanilla midget to fucking best wrestler i the world in one year in my eyes. But I guarantee you that without the booking and story that those two benefitted from, both would have languished on Raw or Smackdown just like Roode, Nak, and Bayley. I mean shit, I remember when Sasha made it to the main roster, they actively ignored the WE WANT SASHA chants for months and made sure that she was put in the backburner while they kept the strap on Nikki Bella and made Charlotte more relevant at Sasha's expense. Even if you are over with the crowd, Vince will kill it because it is not what he wants. Well here we have a show where it could work and there is no VInce lording over it anymore. You have a title that has had several great matches and great competitors competing for it on a weekly basis with no stupid gimmicks or 20 minute promos. You have an opportunity to have an NXT-esque roadshow with guys who are just as capable, and you want to steer guys away from it because it stigmatizes them? Since Enzo's firing, this show has been picking up on the network. It is only behind NXT and whatever PPV WWE has at the time. Keeping guys out or away is not going to help anyone. You shouldn't think that keeping guys away from this is going to save them. If anything, the issue is that WWE brass has isolated people from it. They should replay that Enzo bullshit except with a better star like say: Seth Rollins. Have him cut weight and come in 205 Live thinking he is going to rough this shit...then have him lose to someone, presumably the champion, and that puts over 205 Live and the competition altogether, while not burying Seth at all. It sends the message that 205 Live is where the competition is at and where the best matches are(and for the past few weeks, it has been). And this is easy booking.

It is not the Roman aspect that is the problem. It is the Brock aspect that lost it's luster.I was interested in Brock vs AJ because it was AJ Styles. I would have been more invested in Finn vs Brock but only marginally. But Brock vs Roman II with abuild that they are doing everything they can to invest in Roman's character by attaching, again, the reviled Roman is the enemy of the Authority gimmick calling Brock "Vince's boy" is not helping matters. If that match is the main event, if I were in the crowd, I would leave before the match started. Every Roman main event has been disappointing to me. Every single one. And there is no Taker retirement(except not really), no excitement for Brock Lesnar to keep me around and interested.Shit I turned off the TV during Roman vs Triple H and I went to Wrestlemania last year wanting to leave early because I did not want to get caught up in I-4 traffic but a friend really wanted to see undertaker's supposed last match. There is no interest to keep me around if this dude is the main event again.

Lots of Roderick Strong love. Roderick Strong vs Kalisto Strong is the Malenko of this era while Kalisto is an okay Mysterio clone, so this match was always going to be good. There were some cool spots like that top rope scoop slam reversal into a DDT or that momentum hurricarana reversal into the barricade. This match got the crowd to wake up and get into this match which is an enviable task following Smackdown when the main event at the time was John Cena vs AJ Styles. Great match. Cedric Alexander vs TJP I liked the psychology of the match in terms of size expectation of reversal. Cedric, in spite of being the bigger guy, wants to pick up the pace and keep going forward while TJP wants to slow the match down and ground Cedric. The story of this match was essentially playing on TJP's growing insecurity that maybe he is not technical enough or good enough. He is the only guy in this tournament that had to cheat to win and get ahead, and you can see the frustration on his face when Cedric was out mat wrestling him in the tournament. TJP was annoyed. The crowd was mostly dead because it directly followed AJ Styles vs Cena and shit, and in spite of this being a better match, it is no enviable task for any performer to follow that match with characters with that build. Mustafa Ali vs Gallagher Classic high flier vs Ground guy with a twist of Gallagher finally realized idea of cruelty. Gallagher was brutal to Ali and basically focused on his arm. This was probbly Gallagher's best match I've seen from him. Ali took an insane bump from the top rope to the outside that helped further sell the arm work Gallagher was laying down. Ali has probably the best facial expressions in WWE, up there with Gargano and Cedric. Dude can sell his ass off. Strong vs Dunne Strong has been putting in work this year and Dunne is someone I want to see more of. Strong makes everyone better because his offense is impactful while Dunne's offense is tortorous. Not surprised that Dunne went over, but these two have one more in them. Ali vs Buddy Murphy Alright, I was not sold on Murphy initially aside from his crazy build and freak athleticism. The dude looks huge as a Cruiserweight and his strength projects this Hulk like figure. I want Nese and him to get into a feud over the title of premier athlete. Anyways, this match was about the idea that Murphy was stronger, faster, and more agile than Ali which was displayed in several instances of the match. Ali could not out power him obviously, but what surprised me was when Ali was going for a dive, Murphy cut him off and met him in the middle of the ring. So the whole match was going to be that Ali was clearly the underdog except Ali executed this sick 450 on Murphy's arm that redefined the match. Technical high flying...who would have thought. Cedric Alexander vs Strong This is the match that is in my MOTYC. To me, this was up there with Gargano vs Almas. The story was the Lumbar Check vs the End of Heartache, two of the most devastating finishers in the WWE if not all of wrestling today. Cedric who has relied on the Lumbar Check to finish matches since his arrival in the WWE was accused by Strong of overrelying on the move and if he kicked out of it, Cedric would be lost. After a lengthy exchange, Cedric hit the check and Strong got his foot on the ropes because of he was too overconfident and lazily hooked the wrong leg. Then Strong hit a nasty Angle Slam off the ringpost and it seemed Cedric was going to lose up until Strong hit the End of Heartache and he too committed the same mistake as Cedric. Now both are completely caught off guard and have their allusions of the invincibility of their finishers shattered so Cedric and Strong begin trading shots. Strong was about to hit the finisher again, but Cedric opting not to take it, rolled him up in a cradle and got the win. Great match. Great expressions. Great post-match interview that finally gave Cedric an angle for the crowd to give a shit about him. So I am enjoying 205 Live. I have yet to see the Cian Gargano rematch but will sonn whenever I get time.

Yeah, I do not get the whole "make sure this superstar who is under 205 stays out of this division" mindset because we literally have the Jrs in NJPW being held to the same standard as the Heavyweights. It is only limiting when you have a guy like Vince in creative who forgets that his biggest stars like Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and etc were Juniors or Cruiserweights. If anything, most of NXT should go to 205 Live because it is the closest thing to NXT and if you think Roddy is going to do well on Raw or Smackdown because he is too big for 205 Live, you are delusional. You can hold the division to a high standard and still have those wrestlers being able to transition in and out of the division. It should be optional. Guys who are able to work that pace and are looking for a change a pace. Not assholes that Vince booked poorly and just throws them in this division.

I find it odd that y'all are so convinced Roddy is winning as if they have not been building Cedric the entire past few months. He hasn't been pinned on TV since Enzo Amore essentially stole the win from him in the five pack challenge. And unlike Roddy, Cedric moveset wise actually resembles a cruiserweight and is a lot more versatile. The issue with 205 has been in terms of champions and matches, they have beeb catering to guys who are more grounded than the ideal cruiserweight like TJP and Gulak. Hell they even forced Neville to be more grounded for no other reason but to be a dick to fans of that style. Strong vs Gulak would be more of the same in spite of how great they are and on a card with Nak vs AJ on it, yeah, the CWs match needs to stand out. Giving Strong a shot when he was not apart of the original roster nor was in the show in beginning over Cedric who would have take the title off Neville if he actually did not get hurt is kind of messed up because again, Cedric is playing backseat when he did not get his Rumble match because of Enzo and still hasn't gotten any PPV bonuses. If he gets to Wrestlemainia, his first PPV would be Wrestlemania. There is no doubt in my mind that Cedric is going to the finals. The iffy part is whether Gulak or Ali will meet him there. As for the matches, both were incredible matches although they told very different stories. Cedric vs TJP was a story of TJP's growing insecurity. In the beginning, he was getting out tech'd by Cedric and out grappled which is unexpected in a match with someone with the caliber of TJP. The announcers pointed out that Cedric in spite of being the bigger guy has the speed, power, and athletic advantage over TJP so Cedric to be outwrestling him clearly frustrated TJP. Eventually TJP got his first submission after Cedric attempted his textbook Hilo and got intercepted into an armbar. The thing about TJP's style is that he does not use submissions as restholds. Every submission is used to convey tension as well as display his arrogance and in being in control. So the match turned into a game of Ceric breaking out of submissions thus further frustrating TJP who even had the hometown advantage. Eventually TJP resorted to cheating, but that didn't work so he hastily attempted his Detonation Kick only to get countered into a very abrupt Lumbar Check. Kallisto vs Strong was just high impact. Kallisto has the speed advantage over Strong, but Strong just needed to catch Kalisto once and dish out the pain. Strong's offense is painful as hell. From his strikes and backbreakers, dude knows how to draw some reaction. That was a nasty bumb that Strong took from the top rope and after watching it seeing it a few times, I still can't discern what transpired. But that finishing sequence was amazing.

This is not the 80s and this is not the attitude era. And Hulk and Austin never competed in an EC match or any match where something different was expected of them or the times Austin did, he did not win with a stunner. And I am not complaining about the spears aside from him actually changing it up. It is how Braun got himself in the situation to even up for Roman. There are several instances in this match that just takes away any edge because it was nonsensically forcing a desired winner. For example, Finn hits a CDG o Roman in the back of his head. And then Braun swoops in and powerslams Finn ignoring that Roman took a nasty finsiher. The announcers pointed it out but to the viewer at home, one wonders why Braun did not immediately cover or power slam a helpless Roman. Out of everyone in this match, he hates Roman the most. Why wouldn't her continue the thing that made him a household name? Or how Finn, John, and Seth after beating the shit out of Braun just ignores him to beat each other up. Little shit like that makes it obvious without even hiding it. I knew Roman was going to win. And I am not even disappointed because I expected it. However, it is a matter of how he does it. And the generic, heel runs himself into the pod/post/wall/whatever because he just becomes overwhelmed with eagerness and rage when in the whole match he has shown to be methodical, patient, and just tormenting is stupid and uncreative.

I would call bullshit if Kid Buu fucking threw himself into a mountain and then took a Spirit Bomb. I would call bullshit if Pain fucking tripped over his own feet and then took a Rasangan(and people called bullshit when that happened and it was one of the worst arcs in the series). Bleach sucks ass anyways. It's a fucking Spear. Not a piledriver. It is the least showy finisher since the DDT. It is a glorified tackle that I've seen dudes in the NFL take or give better than Roman. Outside of that, the finish was convoluted. Give me narrative continuity. Give me a satisfying payoff that matches the intensity of the match. Roman refuses to do that because two spears(because that is just so incredible of Roman apparently) is lame as fuck specially after Braun dominated and took everything from everyone not named Elias and Miz. No, I want more and expected more. Alexa jumped off the cage and did a post assisted DDT. Roman finishes with a fucking Spear?

It's more that I wanted something different then me doubting the match would do well. As much as I want Cedric to win or compete at Wrestlemania, I kind of want different than what I have seen from this show. Like his road to the tournament is fun. I don't think TJP and Cedric ever tangled in WWE without interference...I don't think. And Cedric and Strong would be great. Or if Strong loses, it could be Cedric vs Kalisto which again is great. It's underwhelming that Cedric vs Gulak looks to be the match set in stone with these brackets and I have already seen that match 4 times. But I am going to call it and say that Cedric vs TJP will be match of the second round if not tournament and Strong vs Cedric will be match of the tournament if not a match of the year contender.

I am going to say it. These fuck finishes that Roman gets around this time for the past couple of years, screw him and whatever momentum he may have gained in currying fans favor. If the combination of a spear, AA could not finish Braun, and then a curb stomp and Coup De Grace could not finish him, and Braun throughout the whole match has been patient and stalking his opponents, then your finish can't be Braun uncharacteristically charging at Roman and sending himself through a pod and Roman doing the typical which has been established time and time again to not be enough to beat Braun to win this match. This is why I put Finn over Roman. Not because I think Finn is a fantastic wrestler. No, Finn as a worker is just as mediocre and he really lacks the story telling and ring awareness. Finn knows when to change with the intensity in the match. Roman seems to be unaware of anyone else's story within the match and it hurts him. This finish was convoluted like all Roman big matches around this time are. If Roman speared Braun off the top of the pod, I'd buy the 3 count. If Roman speared Braun through the pod, I'd buy a three count. I refuse to believe Braun just changed tactics in match and just threw himself in a pod and Roman just wins. It's a fuck finish in an already boring Elimination Chamber match.

Yeah what sucks about this bracket is that every road of Wrestlemania for Cedric ends with a match that has already happened recently. He faced Gulak twice already. Has faced Ali recently. I doubt Mark Andrews is getting past Gulak and Murphy is not getting pat both Ali and Gulak.

Not sure if this was the thread to post this in, but if I am wrong and I will do it in another post. Spot-monkeys? I don't fucking get it. The general psychology of aerial spot monkeys or aerial moves in wrestling in general perplexes me because...why? This question of mine derived from Jeff Hardy of all people when he described his Swanton Bomb. Personally, I think the move works best when he hits the opponent with his lower back or hip because it looks painful to the opponent taking the move and since his momentum would be going to his hip. However, according to Jeff, when he hits the move this way, he gets more hurt and prefers the ineffectual upper back neck impact of the move. And this comment of his made me question the overall psychology of these moves to begin with. Why would you as a fighter and competitor use the middle part of your body as a battering ram and not your knees, elbow, or feet? There abdomen to back areas are vulnerable parts of you and to just open it up for a 450 or Shooting Star makes no sense. And that goes for any splash that opens up like so. It is not the flip that I have the problem with. It is the point of attack. When Jimmy Snuka did it, I questioned why didn't he just use his knees(aside from the obvious kayfabe that he was protecting his opponent)? And honestly, I think guys like Will Ospreay and Ricochet should take after Xtreme Martial Arts guys or Tony Jaa instead of just following general wrestling psychology with the splash.

I like Gulak as much as the next guy, but as a comedy act, I found him mundane. He has never made me laugh and while I celebrate his earnestness and execution of the gimmick, I would not put him on the same level as Rusev in terms of versatility. Rusev is intimidating and hilarious and can be given whatever shit gimmick Vince can think for him and when he pulls it off to gain the heat that Vince did not want for him, Vince refuses to push him and finds more elaborate ways to not make him more over than everyone else. It is a struggle. Gulak, however, can a more intimidating with his moveset than Rusev. The Dragon Sleeper is one of the most vicious looking submissions since the Gogoplata. It also helps that Gulak knows what to say to make him sound like a psycho. Like, the rest of the match was good, but the moment Gulak shouted, "Let's finish what we started, Tony." No lie, this was my genuine reaction in gif form. It came out of left field from an other wise intense match up. The story of the match was that one of these guys had to shed the comedy persona to grow into something bigger. Tony came in as the abs guy, but was showing off why he is the Premier Athlete of the WWE. Drew, however, completely shed his comedy act and went beyond the Philadephia Brawler Gulak that I saw in the CW Classic. He turned into a completely different character and basically reinvented himself in one match. And that takes talent. The first match between Tozawa and Andrews was disappointing and underwhelming. I like both of these guys, but what should have been this captivating action fest tyurned into this needlessly meticulous grapple fest while was good, but was not what they needed to kick off 205 Live. By far the weakest match of the tournament. It appears that Buddy Murphy is the last entrant of this tournament. Kind of underwhelmed and I hope he finds a different finisher than the Shooting Star Press. It looks nice, but that is Lince's and Mark Andrews Finisher.