WWE 205 Live Review - May 9, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Austin Aries and Gentleman Jack Gallagher Brawled with WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville and TJP

Having the England native Gallagher kick off the show was extremely smart to ensure fans didn't leave the arena like they usually do after SmackDown Live. In fact, putting the four biggest stars in the division in one segment at the start of the show was wise. Aries and Gallagher played off each other well, Neville cut a solid promo and the brawl that followed was hot. I'm really looking forward to Aries vs. Neville III at Extreme Rules, regardless of what stipulation they're given.

Mustafa Ali def. Tony Nese

Ali and Nese may have ill-defined characters, but they're both great wrestlers, so there is that. There were some pretty cool spots in this match that kept me engaged in the action, and it was a good match on the whole, but I can't shake the feeling that these guys are merely spinning their wheels right now and trading victories back and forth does them no favors. At least Ali has his program with Drew Gulak, whereas Nese hasn't had a real rivalry since the dawn of the division in the fall.

Akira Tozawa def. The Brian Kendrick

Tozawa seemed to be slowly building momentum when he initially arrived on the scene three months ago, but he surprisingly isn't as over as he once was, possibly due to how this feud with Kendrick has overstayed its welcome. I've thoroughly enjoyed it personally, but I understand I'm in the minority because the crowd largely didn't care for this contest, even though it was well-wrestled. I would say I'm happy the feud has finally reached its end, but I thought the same thing about Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar and apparently that program isn't over, either. And it doesn't look like considering Kendrick attacked Tozawa following his win.

Overall Show

The ever-electric English crowd definitely made this show less of a chore to watch than usual, or at least for the opening segment. By the end of the episode, they were no different than any other 205 Live crowd, which further proves that the current formula for this show simply isn't working. Tape it out of Full Sail University, dammit! This was actually a solid show by 205 Live standards, but there is no buzz surrounding 205 Live whatsoever at the moment. I honestly wouldn't be shocked if WWE either scrapped it or made some drastic changes in the near future, but time will tell. On a side note, a brief vignette aired promoting Cedric Alexander's pending return to the ring, so it'll be great to have him back soon.