WWE 205 Live Review - March 28, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rich Swann def. Ariya Daivari

I thought the feud with Jack Gallagher a few months ago would help solidify Daivari as an upper-echelon heel in the division, but he's been utilized as an enhancement talent ever since it ended. Swann is a likable, charismatic competitor, but I found it difficult to care about this contest because I'm not interested in this love angle with Alicia Fox at all. It was well-wrestled from an in-ring standpoint, but it lacked meaning beyond that.

Mustafa Ali def. Brandon Scott

It's apparent officials see something special in Ali, as they should because he's a hell of a talent. They'll give him a handful of victories every now and again and even showcase him on Raw on occasion, but then he'll lose when it matters most. That said, he had a stellar showing versus Neville last week and this was a solid follow-up. I just hope he'll have some sense of direction after WrestleMania.

The Brian Kendrick def. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa has gradually been getting over with the audience, so the crowd engagement in this match definitely helped. Kendrick also played his role as the nefarious role well, so I enjoyed this match. As for the outcome, it was questionable. On one hand, I'm fine with Kendrick winning because it keeps the feud alive a little longer. On the other hand, I don't know how much good it's doing Tozawa to be clearly outsmarted by Kendrick at almost every turn.

Austin Aries Interrupted WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville

I continue to be disappointed that this match won't be on the WrestleMania Kickoff show because it has been one of the better built matches on the entire card. In fact, Aries brought up that fact and said they would steal the show, regardless (which is true). I loved how he respected the Cruiserweight division as well as Neville's abilities but came across as confident that he'll be walking out of WrestleMania as the new champion. Again, I can't say enough good things about how well this match has been built up and I'm looking forward to it more than anything else at the event.

Overall Card

Swann vs. Daivari was a fine albeit unspectacular opening, but the other two matches seemed to serve a purpose. Ali's squash match was nothing fancy, but it allowed Ali to build momentum while Tozawa and Kendrick furthered their feud. It would have been an average edition of 205 Live had it not been for the stellar segment with Aries and Neville, which has been by far the best thing going on the program since it started.