Snatch the Crown from your Dome – The Other Two Hours – May 9-10, 2017 205 Live/NXT

I’m really hopeful going into this one that the crowd has more fire to them than they did through the majority of Smackdown.  I think the idea of having another hour a week about the United Kingdom Championship division sounds great, the crowd on these European tours is normally nuts.  I’d really just like to see a crowd get as amped up as these guys deserve to have the crowd every time they take to the ring.  So let’s see if they can live up to my expectations.

• 205 Live opens with Jack Gallagher, as it should in London to get the crowd started, who reminds us all that a night earlier he got jumped after his match by TJP.  He then asks Austin Aries to the ring to thank him for coming to his aid as he was getting beat down.  The crowd seems to like A Double a good bit, so I’m excited.  He and William are now pledged to defending Aries and ensuring he arrives safely at his Championship match at Extreme Rules.  Then he attempts to toast with him, having a ringside official handing him a pair of pints.  This wouldn’t get too far before The Man That Grav….The King of the Cruiserweights felt the need to ruin the revelry.  Neville brought the distraction long enough for TJP to attack Aries from behind.  Neville and TJP would then go on to beat Gallagher and Aries pretty good before Aries was able to turn the tide.  Aries and Gallagher would finish their toast after dispatching of their attackers.
• The Premier Athlete Tony Nese vs Mustafa Ali:  A fast paced match with some quality technical wrestling included.  As would be expected, Mustafa put on a high flying display and Nese displayed his strength and physical dominance.  Just an incredibly well worked match with loads of big spots, and quite a lengthy match for the 1 hour show.  I truly expected Gulak to play into the finish, but Ali hit the reverse 450 Splash and picked up the win.  Mustafa Ali wins via pinfall.
• Akira Tozawa vs The Brian Kendrick:  Match showed more aggression from Kendrick, and really displayed why he is so valuable on 205 Live and in the Cruiserweight Division as a trusty veteran and a quality performer.  Even though Tozawa would eat Sliced Bread (pun intended) off the steel steps onto the floor and take a beating for the vast majority of this match, HAH HAH HAH HAH grunting would charge him up like Hulk Hogan taking slaps across the chest from Ric Flair, Shining Wizard (Kinshasa) would only draw a two count.  Honestly, for an episode with only these two matches, they worked them like PPV contests, which is good considering they never get much time to work on PPVs except in the title match.  Kendrick would hit a Dragon Suplex and use the momentum of Tozawa’s kick out to transition into a Captain’s Hook, without the appropriate leverage to get the finish.  Tozawa would then go for a Senton off the top and miss, allowing for another Captain’s Hook with appropriate leverage, but Tozawa fought back.  An attempt at another Sliced Bread would be countered into a roll up.  Akira Tozawa wins via pinfall on a roll-up.  Kendrick wouldn’t take the loss gracefully, beating Tozawa down on the outside and guaranteeing us that we haven’t seen the end of their exchange, not by a long shot.  Honestly, and I don’t say this often, fight forever.  The Last Lesson: Nobody messes with The Brian Kendrick.  The payoff there was actually pretty good, even though I know it doesn’t read that way.

Why aren’t you watching 205 Live?  Please start.  If they decide to cancel this hour of programming it may break my heart, and I can’t have Pro Wrestling do that to me again.

Far from Jolly Ol’ London, NXT continues to fill the Full Sail Arena with Rage.  I feel like my brother should get free passes to shows at that Arena, considering his wasted tuition to that garbage school is what financed it’s construction.  Anyway….

• Sportsmanship is not lost in professional wrestling:  I’m not doing this one in order.  Hideo Itami and Roderick Strong had their No. 1 Contenders match, and it was a beauty (not quite either of the 205 Live matches listed above).  Following the loss, Roderick held Itami’s hand high, congratulating a worthy foe on a hard fought battle.  I like this.  I loved when it was going back and forth between the Hardyz and Cesaro-Sheamus.  I liked when they shook hands before each Cruiserweight Classic bout.  It didn’t last long, as Sanity showed up to beat the living hell out of Strong, setting up the likely battle between Strong (read as: New Dillinger) and Young.
• Video Packages Galore:  
  • The two contenders not named Asuka in the Triple Threat Match were given an opportunity to talk about themselves.  I really like Nikki Cross the more time they give her to just be.  Ember Moon even got one to talk about how disappointed she is but promise that she’ll be back better than ever soon.
  • Oh yeah, there’s a UK belt on the line next weekend.  Tyler Bate takes on that mean sumbitch Pete Dunne for the United Kingdom Championship, so they both got a video.
• Apparently Drew McIntyre and Wesley Blake will be a thing, very briefly, as McIntyre will completely maul that dude.
• #DIY defeated Sabatelli and Moss – Let’s hope this sticks.  I think this is a solid use of both these guys by putting them together.  They need some build, but I could see them having a solid run when #DIY goes main roster.  DIY gets another shot at AoP next weekend for the belts in a ladder match, which Paul Ellering promises will cost Gargano and Ciampa their careers.
• Allistair Black def. Cezar Bononi – I may be mistaken, but this was the first time I can remember seeing Bononi.  He has a good look and could go far in NXT.  Not against Black though, as that dude is essentially being built like a tattooed, tiny Braun Strowman, which is ok because he’s Braun’s little brother (don’t argue, look at them side by side).  Black won’t be in NXT long, as Cageside reported today that officials are incredibly high on him and want him up sooner rather than after any sort of NXT run.