By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE 205 Live on the WWE Network
Streamed live on August 20, 2019 from Sioux Falls, South Dakota at Denny Sanford Premier Center
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak opened the show by speaking about each member of his team in the Captain’s Challenge elimination match. Gulak said this is his 205 Live and he is the law. Oney Lorcan checked in from a locker room and spoke about his team members and said the match will be the biggest fight in 205 Live history. Lorcan said Gulak’s days as champion are numbered…
The 205 Live opening aired… The broadcast team of Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, and Aiden English checked in from ringside and spoke about the elimination match…
Ring entrances for the match took place with Gulak’s team out first. The wrestlers received separate introductions, but waited for their teammates halfway up the aisle and then all headed to the ring together. All ten wrestlers entered the ring and a fight broke out. Lorcan’s team cleared the ring. Gallagher gave his teammates umbrellas and they all went to the top rope. “Ready, go,” Gallagher said before the wrestlers leapt from the top rope with their umbrellas open and onto various opponents below…
Powell’s POV: Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, the match is a Survivor Series elimination match that has been renamed a Captain’s Challenge elimination match. By the way, I’m filling in for Anish V this week, but he should be back in this role next week.
1. Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza, and Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo, and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in a 10-man Captain’s Challenge elimination match. Gulak’s team returned to the ring and referee started the match. There was a nice early sequence with cousins Carrillo and Garza. Yes, Garza ripped his tearaway pants off. Garza offered Carrillo a handshake, which Carrillo accepted. Garza took a cheap shot and left Carrillo to be beaten up in his team’s corner.
A short time later, Tozawa tagged in and performed a missile dropkick on Gulak, who landed in his corner and tagged in Kanellis. Tozawa applied an octopus while Maria Kanellis was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Kanellis ended up free of the hold and shoved Tozawa into Gallagher, then performed a neckbreaker style move and pinned him. Maria was shown smiling.
Akira Tozawa was eliminated by Mike Kanellis (Gulak’s team was up in the man count 5-4.
Gallagher entered the match after Tozawa was eliminated. Gallagher immediately headbutted and pinned Kanellis. Maria was not happy.
Mike Kanellis was eliminated by Jack Gallagher (the man count was even at 4-4).
Tony Nese entered the match. Gallagher ended up tumbling to ringside when Daivari held the ropes down. Joseph said he didn’t think Nese was aware of what happened. Nese hit a sunset driver on Gallagher and pinned him.
Jack Gallagher was eliminated by Tony Nese (Gulak’s team was up 4-3.
Isaiah Scott replaced Gallagher. There were some “Swerve” chants. They cut backstage where Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, and Brian Kendrick were talking. Gallagher was unhappy about something Kendrick did the week before, which led to Kendrick challenging him to a match for next week and Gallagher accepting.
Scott was isolated for a stretch and was run into the ring steps by Garza before being placed back in the ring where Daivari picked up a couple of near falls. The isolation continued. Eventually, Nese suplexed Scott into his corner. Lorcan made a quick tag unbeknownst to Nese and got a quick near fall. Nese came back and set up for his finisher, but Lorcan caught him with a half and half suplex and pinned him.
Tony Nese was eliminated by Oney Lorcan (Lorcan’s team evened it up 3-3).
Lorcan looked at Gulak and motioned for him to enter the match. Garza entered the match instead. Carrillo called for a tag and Lorcan complied. Carrillo performed a standing moonsault for a two count, then Carrillo tagged in Scott. They teamed up for a cartwheel into a double dropkick. “No, no, not to the face!” McGuinness yelled. Funny.
Scott double stomped Gulak off the apron, then tied up Daivari in a tree of woe and double stomped him. Scott capped it off with a double stomp on Garza and ha him pinned, but Gulak broke it up. “Way to captain your team,” McGuinness said. Gulak tagged in and took advantage of a Daivari distraction and hit his finisher on Scott and pinned him.
Isaiah Scott was eliminated by Drew Gulak (Gulak’s team had a 3-2 man advantage).
The Lucha House Party trio were shown in a small box in the corner of the screen. Kalisto said he would beat a confession out of Ariya Daivari. They all said “lucha” together like dorks. Joseph noted that they were over 30 minutes into the match. Lorcan took a hot tag from Carrillo and worked over all three opponents. Lorcan performed a dive over the top rope and onto Gulak, then tossed him over the broadcast table. Lorcan fought off Daivari and Garza. Gulak hit Lorcan with a chair and was disqualified.
Drew Gulak was eliminated by DQ (the teams are 2-2 in man count).
Gulak hit Lorcan with a chair a few times at ringside and then hit him with it one more time in the ring before the referee took it away. A split screen ad aired for Wednesday’s NXT television main event of Killian Dain vs. Matt Riddle. McGuinness touted NXT moving to USA Network on September 18.
With Lorcan down, the remaining heels Garza and Daivari took turns working over Carrillo. Lorcan eventually returned to his corner and took yet another hot tag from Carrillo. Lorcan worked over Daivari while selling a back injury, then ran into a superkick. Daviari went up top and went for a splash, but Lorcan avoided it. Daivari avoided Lorcan’s finisher and then Lorcan ducked a lariat and rolled up Daivari and pinned him.
Ariya Daivari was eliminated by Oney Lorcan (Lorcan’s team has a 2-1 man advantage).
Lorcan rushed over to his corner and tagged out, then rolled to ringside (and ended up staying there). Carrillo and Garza went at it while Joseph said the match had now lasted over 40 minutes. Carrillo went up top and ended up leaping into a dropkick thrown by Garza, which led to a near fall. Garza picked up a couple more near falls and then showed frustration over not being able to put his cousin away. Carrillo rallied with a missile dropkick, then went to the other corner and performed a corkscrew moonsault and scored the pin to win the match for his team.
Oney Lorcan, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo, and Isaiah Scott defeated Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza, and Tony Nese in a Captain’s Challenge elimination match.
Lorcan returned to the ring afterward. Joseph closed the show by questioning whether Lorcan or Carrillo were next in line for a WWE Cruiserweight Championship match…
Powell’s POV: A fun match that suffered from playing to a flat crowd. I’d love to see this same match in front of an audience that is familiar with the wrestlers and the storylines. This crowd was respectful and applauded Carrillo afterward, but it was a lot to ask of them to sit through a 40-minute match featuring wrestlers that most of them seemed unfamiliar with. Carrillo and Garza really stood out at various points during the match and so it was nice to see the match come down to the two of them. That said, everyone had at least a moment to shine.
It’s hard not to wonder what the future holds for 205 Live with the NXT move to USA Network and Smackdown moving to Fox. They could simply move the show to Full Sail University and air it on Wednesdays (though the last thing that night needs is another hour of pro wrestling) or move it to Fridays after Smackdown. Or they could simply merge the 205 Live talent back into NXT to help with the extra hour. I prefer a merge. I’ll explain more in my Dot Net Members’ exclusive audio review, which will be available shortly for Dot Net Members.
I prefer they keep 205 Live going so I don’t have to cancel my WWE Notwork subscription.