WWE 205 Live Review - January 21, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Lash Legend def. Fallon Henley

I don't think there's anyone in wrestling right now whose matches are more hit or miss than Legend's. I know that's due to her inexperience, but it's crazy how she'll look super impressive in some matches (like she did here) and not so great in others. This was one of her better outings and having a talented opponent in Henley (whose work as an enhancement talent stood out to me during the time she spent on AEW Dark) obviously helped. If Legend is going to compete on TV, it's better that she's on 205 Live and not NXT. Ideally, the house shows would be the best place for her right now and I have no idea why they're not running them anymore.

Draco Anthony def. Javier Bernal

This marked Bernal's 205 Live debut. Reportedly he was advised to cut his hair for some reason, though I'm not really sure what difference that makes. He and Anthony had the best bout on the show by a long shot. Anthony is a talented dude, so that shouldn't be all that surprising. Bernal looked solid and showed some promise. Hopefully he gets more opportunities to be showcased soon.

James Drake def. Bodhi Hayward

We got our first look at Hayward in the ring last week on 205 Live, but the bout was so basic that it was hard to get a good grasp on what he's capable of. I thought him being in there with a veteran like Drake would help, and I guess it did to an extent, but this was still relatively short and Drake was on offense for a majority of it. Hayward didn't embarrass himself, but he didn't overly impress me, either. At the very least, this hyped up Hayward and Andre Chase against Grizzled Young Veterans in the first round of the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic next week on NXT.

Overall Show

I say this most weeks, but this isn't an edition of 205 Live you need to seek out. It was an improvement over last week in that they actually filled the full show with original matches, but the matches are still short and don't feature much of anything. It's really just a platform for the new guys and girls to get better and work their way toward NXT TV. This wasn't the worst episode I've seen lately, but it was more middle-of-the-road than anything.

SEE MORE: 205 Live Reviews