WWE 205 Live Review - December 5, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Brian Kendrick def. Drew Gulak by Disqualification

​Kendrick and Gulak have had nice rivalry going in recent months and this was their first one-on-one encounter. It didn't have a ton of heat behind it, but it was well-wrestled on the whole and both guys had solid showings. The non-finish made sense because the rivalry is far from over and it prevented Kendrick and Gulak from eating defeat at this point in the program. Akira Tozawa attempted to save Kendrick from Gulak and Gentleman Jack Gallagher afterward, but to no avail.

Ariya Daivari def. clay Roberts by Referee Stoppage

Daivari returned with a new look last week, ditching everything that screamed "entitled" about his previous persona. Instead, he's apparently more of a brawler now based off how hard-hitting his offense was in this squash match. Having him win by referee stoppable also helped establish him as dominant. That said, he's been booked so badly for two years that it's going to be tough to get fans to care about him and take him seriously as a legitimate threat.

The Lucha House Party def. TJP and Mike Kanellis in a Tornado Tag Team Match

It's amazing how much more fun Lucha House Party are on 205 Live compared to Raw. Then again, it should have come as no surprise that they've already been ruined on Raw thanks to the horrific writing of Vince McMahon. At least on 205 Live, they're allowed to have the great matches they're capable of. This wasn't nearly as exciting as the last Tornado tag team match Lucha House Party had over the summer against Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese, but it was still enjoyable and had a good pace. I assume the babyfaces emerging victorious means that this is the end of feud.

Overall Show

As always, 205 Live delivered a perfectly solid show with two quality matches that have been built up over the last few months. Both bouts were entertaining, while Daivari was showcased in his first match back on the brand (even if I'm not fully invested in his new character). Next week's episode should keep the momentum rolling with Buddy Murphy vs. Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander vs. Nese.