WWE 205 Live Review - October 1, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dante Chen def. Malik Blade

This was our second look at Chen following his debut on NXT last week. His entrance is still as cool as it was when I first saw it. Blade has appeared a few times on 205 Live in recent months and he's been impressive as well. Chen's in-ring debut was basically a squash against Trey Baxter, so this was his first competitive contest and we got to see a bit more of what he's capable of. I was expecting more from these two, but it was decent while it lasted and kept Chen's momentum going.

Amari Miller def. Valentina Feroz

This was a rematch from a few weeks ago. That original encounter was not very good at all and this was barely an improvement. Both women are very much works in progress when it comes to their in-ring work and I think NXT's house show circuit (whenever they return if they haven't already) would be a better place for their matches than 205 Live, at least in my opinion. I will say that Feroz stands out more than Miller, who comes off like a generic babyface.

imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) def. Trey Baxter and Ikemen Jiro

It's hard to take Baxter seriously when he's shown getting squashed on NXT every other week, and I don't think a superhero gimmick (if that's where his recent interactions with his girlfriend Cora Jade are leading) is the answer to his recent woes. Nonetheless, he's a talented dude, much like everyone else in this match and thus it was entertaining. They were given an ample amount of time and they worked an energetic pace. Imperium is an actual team compared to Baxter and Jiro and needed this win more, even though it feels like they're stuck in no man's land at the moment.

Overall Show

Shorter matches are more effective for the enhancement matches (and for those featuring inexperienced competitors) than longer ones, but I can safely say I prefer the two-match format we were getting previously. The action was far better, but I realize that's not what this show is about anymore. Those first two matches were nothing special, but the above-average main event (by recent 205 Live standards) salvaged this show from being completely skippable.

SEE MORE: 205 Live Reviews