Running the Gauntlet, Sort of…..But not really at all – 205 Live Recap and Reaction – April 25, 2018

With Buddy Murphy failing to make weight last week and temporarily suspended from cruiserweight competition as a result, Cedric Alexander needs an opponent for the Greatest Royal Rumble event that I swear they’ve mentioned more times than they felt the need to remind you that new subscribers would get to watch Wrestlemania for free.

Last week, GM Drake Maverick announced that a gauntlet match would take place to pick that contender.  That was your episode for this week, a gauntlet match, and I’ve already spoiled the ending, but let’s look through this thing.

• Mustafa Ali (1) eliminated TJP (2) with the 054.  It was a pretty great showing from both, with TJP focusing heavily on a knee injury that Mustafa was working throughout, especially after a wicked dropkick from the top rope by TJP.  It wasn’t quite enough as the “heart of 205 Live” fought back into it with a massive DDT to set up the CruiserGreat for the beautiful 054.
• Drew Gulak (3) eliminated Mustafa Ali (1) via referee decision because an unconscious Ali can’t tap to the GuLock.  As Mustafa went for the 054 again only to have Gulak push him off the top rope to the outside where he crashed face first into the ring steps.  I’m sort of glad that Ali didn’t work his way through this whole thing with an injured knee almost guaranteeing that he’d lose another one to Cedric.
• Drew Gulak (3) eliminated Tony Nese (4) via the GuLock submission.  Nese got to look strong (like that’s hard), not even counting his abs en route to beat the hell out of Gulak for a while.  Drew would turn the tide, and as any self proclaimed man of 1,000 holds will do, he locks in the submission maneuver to pick up the tap from his hard bodied ex-friend.
• Kalisto (5) eliminated Drew Gulak (3) with a Solida Del Sol Outta Nowhere.  Nese did the majority of the heavy lifting (I can’t decide if I intentionally made the pun there), but Lucha stuff and whatnot.  Some part of me wishes it wasn’t Kalisto, if it was going to be a luchador.  I’ve grown quite fond of both his Lucha House Party faction mates, and while I would be a little happier seeing Gulak finally get his shot or Tony Nese getting the push that any man who does bicycle crunches as part of his offense truly deserves, I hate when the final entrant picks up the win in a gauntlet match more than anything.  What the hell was the point of a gauntlet match if you’re just going to have the last guy come out fresh and beat a guy that’s fought back from the sort of ass kicking Gulak escaped in sneaking in the submission hold.  In any event, Kalisto will challenge Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship on Friday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (which is available for free on the WWE Network as part of your introductory month as a new subscriber).
• Cedric Alexander came out the congratulate Kalisto.  Some part of me wanted to see Buddy Murphy show up and just start destroying people but no go.

The crowd in Kentucky cleared out quickly, which seems shitty considering the show would have ended at 10 PM CT.  Even the people in the ringside seats opposite hard camera were leaving just after Smackdown closed out.  I’m going to chalk it up to one of two things.  One: Kentucky.  I mean, aside from Jack Daniels have you ever really gotten anything you’ve enjoyed from Kentucky.  And no, KFC doesn’t count because we both know the price you pay the next morning.  Two: Some part of you can’t keep watching a middle aged dude get clocked in the junk without it taking a toll on your soul.