WWE 205 Live Review - February 6, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kalisto def. Lince Dorado in a WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match

Dorado has basically been a "jobber to the stars" since the dawn of the Cruiserweight division, but he has been built back up fairly well since his return to TV last month. Thus, the end result wasn't as obvious for this match, especially during the second half where there were so many suspenseful nearfalls. The crowd wasn't nearly as hot for this match as they should have been, but this was a hell of an effort from these two and easily their strongest 205 Live showings to date. Kalisto advanced, but Dorado looked great in defeat.

Roderick Strong def. Hideo Itami in a WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match

I was extremely excited for Strong's main roster debut here and he did not disappoint. It helped that he had the perfect opponent to go up against in Itami, and these two had exceptional chemistry together. The bout was every bit as hard-hitting and as physical as I hoped it would be, and better yet, they took an exhausted/dead crowd and made them care about what they were doing. I also loved that they were given the time they deserved and produced an encounter that felt like it belonged in the Cruiserweight Classic. Strong scoring the surprise upset victory (considering he isn't a 205 Live regular) was the cherry on top, and I truly hope he goes all the way in the tournament,

Overall Show

What a difference two weeks can make, eh? 205 Live is now instantly more must-see than it has ever been before thanks to the Cruiserweight Championship tournament and the incredible in-ring action we've witnessed so far. Furthermore, Drake Maverick as the new general manager is a breath of fresh air and the video packages being played for a few of the competitors are a huge help. Honestly, Enzo Amore getting released was the best thing to happen to the Cruiserweight division, so fingers crossed they can maintain this momentum going forward.