WWE 205 Live Review - December 20, 2016

Neville gets Rich Swann up for a suplex.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Ariya Daivari def. Lince Dorado

Darivari has been positioned as such a loser in the Cruiserweight division for so long that it will take some time to build him back up as a heel fans can take seriously, but this win was a step in the right direction. It's also encouraging that his feud with Jack Gallagher is not yet over and Gallagher will likely get his win back at some point. As for the match itself, it was well-wrestled, but as great as Dorado is in the ring, he needs more of a character fans can identify with before they can get behind him.


Cedric Alexander def. Drew Gulak

I realize he's known for being a talented performer on the independent scene, but Gulak has done absolutely nothing for me since coming to WWE. He comes off as just another competitor at this point. Alexander, on the other hand, is much more of a star, and they progressed his story with Alicia Fox and Noam Dar nicely. Dar exhibited babyface tendencies by "saving" Fox, only to flash that douchebag smirk to Alexander. He seems to be more comfortable in the heel role.

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Ariya Daivari sets his sights on Lince Dorado.

Neville and The Brian Kendrick def. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville and T.J. Perkins

Neville sporting black attire on this show was a subtle change for his new heel character, but as I said in my Raw review on Monday, I hope he ditches the babyface entrance music before long as well. All four guys worked well together and they were given plenty of time that that made the most of, though the crowd largely sat on their hands because, well, they already sat through SmackDown Live and aren't as familiar with a majority of these guys. They really need to start filming this program prior to SmackDown. Neville still wrestles with a babyface moveset, but his aggressive mannerisms are a welcome change. Neville as the division's lead heel will be exactly what it needs to get back on track.


Overall Show

Once again, there were several stories that moved along well and each of the matches were enjoyable, but the crowd was mostly disinterested, and that's a shame. Otherwise, I liked this show quite a bit and 205 Live has succeeded in giving Cruiserweights the spotlight they haven't been getting on Raw. If they were to swtich the day and/or time of the show, the crowds would be a lot livelier.

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