Tonight’s episode of 205 Live features a decent amount of in-ring competition. After Titus O’Neil threw in the towel for Akira Tozawa on Raw, Tozawa asked for a rematch against Ariya Daivari. Also, Drew Gulak and Mustafa Ali will compete in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match.
Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali – 2 Out of 3 Falls Match
For weeks, Drew Gulak has been antagonizing Mustafa Ali over his use of high-flying and risk-taking moves. Gulak has launched a campaign “for a better 205 Live,” where ground-based offense would be enforced and high-flying would be banned. Both men have two wins over the other, and this match will settle the score.
In a bit of a surprise, Mustafa Ali throws some impressive technical wrestling into his arsenal early on in the match. Drew Gulak clearly does not anticipate this strategy out of the high flyer and Ali wraps him up in a unique pinning combination to score the first fall. Score: Mustafa Ali (1) | Drew Gulak (0)
Ali has Gulak set up for the inverted 450 Splash, but Gulak pulls him off of the second turnbuckle. Gulak then drives Ali’s face into the second turnbuckle before forcing him to tap out to the Dragon Sleeper. After Ali tapped, Gulak did not break the hold until the referee’s count of four to apply maximum damage. With the score tied, they are essentially just competing in a normal match now. Score: Mustafa Ali (1) | Drew Gulak (1)
Gulak fails to put Ali away with all of his brutal ground-based offense, so he attempts to go to the top rope again. Just like when he did this a few weeks ago, Gulak is going against everything he believes in. He realizes this and starts to go down the turnbuckle, but Ali recovers in time to hit him with a super Hurricanrana. Ali then finishes Gulak off with the inverted 450 Splash to prove that once and for all, his high-flying style is superior to Gulak’s technical wrestling. Winner: Mustafa Ali
Devin Bennett vs. The Brian Kendrick
For the past few weeks, The Brian Kendrick has been feuding with Gentleman Jack Gallagher. Kendrick has mocked the way Gallagher dresses and acts by impersonating him. Kendrick believes that Gallagher is a joke and a caricature of what English people are. Kendrick is even more hateful towards Gallagher because he believes the Englishman has never worked hard, while also taking opportunities away from hard-working Superstars like himself.
Devin Bennett has not had a previous match on 205 Live and his first (and maybe only) match is against a former Cruiserweight Champion. It doesn’t help that Bennett is from Manchester, England, which is the same town that Gallagher is from.
Interview w/TJP
Last week on 205 Live, Rich Swann had a physical and competitive match against
According to TJP, Rich Swann is the only person who is upset that he “came in second place” to him in their little competition. TJP says that Swann is still his friend and that he has devised some “real competition” for next week in the form of a tag team match. TJP will pick a partner and Rich Swann will pick a partner, then the two teams will face each other.
Ariya Daivari vs. Akira Tozawa
It is great that Ariya Daivari is proud of his home country, Iran. What is not great is that this is clearly being used to get some jeers from the crowd. If you compare this to Rusev, Kevin Owens, and Jinder Mahal, WWE has a problem with using country pride as a reason to hate somebody. This gimmick is slightly different, however, since he is using his Iranian pride to insult Japan’s Akira Tozawa. Daivari even references an Olympic wrestling victory where Iran defeated Japan to win a gold medal.
Last night on Raw, Daivari and Tozawa squared off. Tozawa has been suffering from a wounded shoulder and Daivari took advantage throughout the whole match. Titus O’Neil, who represents Tozawa through Titus Worldwide, decided to step in and throw the towel. O’Neil was looking out for Tozawa’s best long-term interests, but Tozawa still wants to fight. Lo and behold, there is the rematch tonight.
Daivari hits Tozawa’s back with a Frog Splash, but the Stamina Monster kicks out. Somehow, Tozawa is able to roll-up Daivari with one arm to get the surprising victory. After the match, Daivari attacks Tozawa and stands tall. Winner: Akira Tozawa
