WWE 205 Live Review - April 25, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann def. The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar

Both of these feuds have overstayed their welcome at this point (more so Swann vs. Dar than Tozawa vs. Kendrick), but it was wise to combine them in one entertaining match. I enjoyed the high energy action and there never seemed to be a dull moment in the time they were allotted. The babyfaces continue to get the best of the heels, but Kendrick is established enough where he doesn't lose anything in defeat.

Tony Nese def. Mustafa Ali by Disqualification

Admittedly, the angle with Drew Gulak and his "Cruiserweight crusade" has me mildly intriguing. Hey, at least they're finally doing something of note with the guy, not to mention he fared well on commentary. As for the match, we've seen it a few times before, but Ali and Nese work well together and it was fine while it lasted. Unfortunately, the finish was flat and the crowd sat on their hands during the matchup. Nese continues to flounder, but I'm glad Ali and Gulak have finally found some direction.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville def. Jack Gallagher (Non-title)

As they proved at Fastlane last month, Neville and Gallagher have tremendous chemistry together. Although this wasn't on the same level as that encounter, it was still a pretty good match with plenty of solid storytelling as Neville continues to come off like a cocky king, a role he has excelled in. They picked up the pace nicely down the stretch and the final few minutes were fun. Neville going over in decisive fashion was much-needed and it was cool how Neville's post-match attack on Gallagher (and subsequent save from Aries) took place just before the show was about to fade to black.

Overall Show

Once again, 205 Live produced a decent show from start to finish with a few feuds being furthered, but from an in-ring standpoint, the only match worth watching is the main event. Neville and Austin Aries are carrying this show on their back at the moment and as much as I love their segments and matches, the rest of the Cruiserweight division isn't doing much for me. I don't know what WWE needs to do to create buzz for 205 Live other than maybe switching the time slot, but they need to think fast before the program becomes damaged goods.