WWE 205 Live Review - July 18, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mustafa Ali def. Drew Gulak in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

The one thing I hate about these type of matches is that the first two falls are almost always rushed to give the third fall the most amount of time. How is it realistic to think that a match would be over so quickly if it wasn't two-out-of-three falls? Nevertheless, the matchup started off slow, but they picked up the pace in the third fall and really went all out with some cool spots. The crowd wasn't exactly red-hot for the in-ring action, but it was entertaining enough to hold my interest. The finish played well off the story they've told up to this point with Gulak going outside of his comfort zone and attempting to go high risk only for it to backfire and led to a victory for Ali.

The Brian Kendrick def. Devin Bennett

Not only was Kendrick's opponent an unknown enhancement talent, he hailed from England much like his arch-rival Gentleman Jack Gallagher. Therefore, Kendrick was extra aggressive in hitting him with his offense and ensuring he suffered. Gallagher was nowhere to be seen, but this was a simple way to give Kendrick some heel heat. Their feud hasn't been lighting the world on fire so far, but it is a good use of both men for now.

Akira Tozawa def. Ariya Daivari

You would think based off how he won on Raw this week and his pre-match promo here that officials are looking to position Daivari as a top heel on 205 Live. All I have to say to that is that it's too little, too late. He's already been branded as a loser and fans have been conditioned to not care about him, so I have little interest in seeing him receive more of a prominent push going forward. This match was fine for what it was and at least they told a story that made sense with Daivari targeting Tozawa's injured shoulder throughout.

Overall Show

I realize Tozawa is next in line to challenge for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, but there was no reason why Tozawa vs. Daivari should have headlined over the 2-out-of-3 Falls match, which was excellent by 205 Live standards. Definitely go out of your way to watch Ali vs. Gulak, but Kendrick's short showcase and the main event can easily be skipped.