WWE 205 Live Review - August 6, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Leon Ruff def. Grayson Waller

Yes, Ruff was released from WWE before this episode even aired, which tells you how much forethought went into the decision to cut him and everyone else from NXT (answer: none at all). What's even weirder is that he won. I realize he's a former NXT North American Champion, but Waller is more of a regular on 205 Live these days and would have benefited more from the victory. Either way, this was a nice little match. Not many people get to end their WWE runs with a win, but Ruff can say he did.

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida def. Ari Sterling (Non-Title)

Much like Ruff, this obviously turned out to be Sterling's final match with WWE, despite only being signed at the start of the year. What a waste. The guy was amazingly talented and had awesome performances every time he was in action on 205 Live, but I'm sure whoever fired him wasn't aware of that or just didn't see him as a priority. Why bother hiring anyone else at this point? Why should anyone want to work for them if they don't know if they'll be there for more than a few months? In any other circumstance, I would have celebrated the return of the NXT Cruiserweight Champion to the show for the first time in a long time, but this was depressing to watch given we knew Sterling's fate before it even started. On the bright side, I'm happy Sterling's final match with WWE was a fun one against the top of the Cruiserweight division. I'm sure he'll shine wherever he goes next.

Overall Show

This was the third time in recent months that 205 Live featured people that were fired after it aired. It happened with Tom Phillips in May, followed by others in June, and now Ruff and Sterling with this show. If those cuts in June didn't tell you that WWE couldn't care less about 205 Live, then this round of releases certainly will. I mean, beyond Kushida (who almost never appears on the purple brand), Waller and Ikemen Jiro, who the hell is left? It's just astounding to me. I'd say cancel the show, but I don't think they will. Rather, they'll likely use it as NXT's version of Main Event and feature lower-level people or up-and-comers that they don't have time for on NXT... before eventually releasing them, too. Ugh.

SEE MORE: 205 Live Reviews