WWE 205 Live Review - July 30, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Akira Tozawa and The Brian Kendrick def. The Singh Brothers

Although I don't think the outcome to this contest was ever really in doubt, this was a decent tag team match while it lasted. The Singhs' attempt to use their awards against Tozawa and Kendrick backfired and ended up costing them the victory. The Singhs are a fine tandem, but it's clear they're on 205 Live simply to fill a roster spot. Tozawa and Kendrick continue to work well together and with this win, they can move on to something new.

Lince Dorado def. Ariya Daivari

We were told that Daivari has been on vacation since losing to Oney Lorcan in that Anything Goes match a few weeks ago. I assumed this would be a quick showcase for him to get him back on track, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was fairly competitive instead. Plus, Dorado scored the big win. I'm honestly not upset about that, simply because Daivari has never done much for me and I have no desire to see him back in the WWE Cruiserweight Championship picture any time soon. At least Dorado coming out on top switches things up a bit.

205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick def. Mike Kanellis in an Unsanctioned Match

As seen during his time in IMPACT, Maverick obviously has wrestling experience (and is quite good), but I think WWE wants us to believe that he doesn't. He's been bullied by Kanellis on 205 Live for many months, so this was a long time coming. Kanellis attacked Maverick before the bell even rang, so it looked like he had no chance pretty much from the get-go. Kanellis was on offense for a majority of the match and it was the most aggressive I've seen him in years, which made sense because his wife Maria has been scolding him for being a coward in recent weeks. Maverick is very likable, so it was easy to feel for him while he was getting brutally beaten down by Kanellis. He withstood the punishment, rallied back, got the crowd behind him, and scored the win that many figured was impossible. This reminded me a lot of Maverick's matchup with EC3 in IMPACT years ago and that's probably why I loved it.

Overall Show

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kanellis vs. Maverick made this episode of 205 Live, if only for its strong storytelling. 205 Live has had some stellar main events in the last few weeks between Chad Gable vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak vs. Isiah "Swerve" Scott, and although it wasn't on the same level as those from an in-ring standpoint, it was still entertaining in a different way. The other two matches were well wrestled, making this a solid show on the whole. Gulak's SummerSlam opponent will be named next week, and if I had to guess, I assume it will be Lorcan.