By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Contributor
WWE 205 Live (Episode 200)
Orlando, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center (WWE PC)
Streamed October 9, 2020 on WWE Network
Vic Joseph checked in from the commentary table alongside Nigel McGuinness. Joseph asked McGuinness what he thought of the Capitol Wrestling Center. “It’s absolutely incredible,” McGuinness exclaimed. Ariya Daivari made his entrance.
1. Ariya Daivari vs. Jake Atlas. A recap of their match from two months ago aired. Daivari landed a few punches before Atlas leveled his opponent. The action spilled outside and Atlas threw Daivari back and forth between the walls on each side of the entrance.
Back inside the ring, Daivari hit a throat chop to get back on the offensive and then landed a hanging neck-breaker. Daivari hit Atlas with a kick for a one-count and then worked a chin lock. Atlas tried to get up but Daivari threw him back down to return to his double-arm chin lock.
The wrestlers traded elbows after Atlas made it to his feet. Daivari got the best of Atlas and hit a basement dropkick through Atlas’s legs. Daivari got a two-count and used the ropes to choke Atlas with his knee. Daivari eventually hit a series of chops that echoed throughout the CWC.
Coming out of the corner, Daivari hit a DDT for a two-count. Atlas got in a crucifix for a surprise one-count, but Daivari got back on the offensive with a clothesline. He then toyed with Atlas by slapping him on the back of his head. The wrestlers traded strikes. Atlas came out of the corner with a vicious forearm that knocked Daivari to the ground.
After a cartwheel, Atlas hit a back-body drop and a German Suplex. “Jake Atlas could be on the verge of the biggest victory of his WWE career,” Joseph noted while Atlas covered Daivari for a two-count. Atlas went on the offensive but Daivari caught him with a neck-breaker in the center of the ring. Daivari then hit a frog-splash for a near fall.
Daivari set Atlas up for his Hammerlock Lariat but Atlas countered and eventually hit a pump kick. Atlas fired up but Tony Nese ran into the ring to hit his Running Nese on Atlas.
Jake Atlas defeated Ariya Daivari by DQ in 9:23.
After Nese left the ring, Daivari smiled and hit Atlas with the Hammerlock Lariat. As he made his way up the ramp, Daivari stared back at a hurt Atlas.
McGuire’s Musings: Atlas showed more edge than he has in previous outings and that worked well for him here. And while it never quite felt like he would beat Daivari (if only because Daivari took the bulk of the match), Atlas didn’t come across as weak as he had before. The DQ finish was a mild surprise, but a Nese/Atlas program could work well, as long as Atlas keeps his aggressive attitude. As an aside, maybe I’m in the minority, but the Capitol Wrestling Center feels like the right home for 205 Live. It only took them 200 episodes to get here.
A video aired recapping The Brian Kendrick beating Ashante “Thee” Adonis twice in the last two months after Adonis got a little too cocky both times. A WWE Shop ad and a WWE Draft video aired. A Bollywood Boys package then appeared, saying they were coming soon to 205 Live. Finally, a highlight package from NXT Takeover 31’s Cruiserweight Title match recalled Santos Escobar’s successful title defense. Ashante “Thee” Adonis made his entrance for the main event.
2. Ashante “Thee” Adonis vs. The Brian Kendrick. The two locked up and Kendrick backed Adonis into the corner as Joseph noted how Kendrick was in the first-ever main event of 205 Live. Adonis hit a series of forearms and uppercuts and sinked in a headlock.
Adonis landed a standing dropkick. Kendrick was slow to get up before Adonis hit a backdrop and a clothesline to take Kendrick to the floor. Adonis got caught in the ring curtain and Kendrick went for a leg sweep into the barricade outside the ring. Once the two got back in the ring, Adonis got back on the offensive quickly and eventually got a two-count.
Kendrick took control with a kick and a two-count of his own after going for the Captain’s Hook. Kendrick landed a butterfly suplex, got a two-count and then wore Adonis down with an elbow to the face. Adonis fought to his feet and punched his way out. Adonis climbed to the top rope and landed a cross-body block.
Joseph hyped up how this would be the biggest win of Adonis’s career. Adonis got in a DDT and eventually followed up with a spine-buster for a two-count. Adonis pulled Kendrick up and yelled “This is my time.” Kendrick slithered out and hit Adonis with four boots to the head. Kendrick got a two-count and went into his Captain’s Hook. Adonis countered for a two-count and hit Kendrick with a kick as Adonis began bleeding from the mouth.
Before long, Adonis fired up and hit his Long Kiss Goodnight (a superkick) for the win.
Ashante “Thee” Adonis defeated The Brian Kendrick via pinball in 8:30.
“Is the teaching job done from Kendrick to Adonis?” Joseph questioned. The two shook hands in the middle of the ring as the show closed.
McGuire’s Musings: The third time was a charm for Adonis and, in all honesty, good for him. It seems like he’s poised for somewhat of a push after his involvement in the cruiserweight title match at Takeover, and if you’ve been reading these reviews for the last two months, you probably already know that I, for one, support it. Bringing back Kendrick to advance Adonis’s story over the course of more than a month was a nice touch.
In all, this was a good episode of 205 Live. We saw a story between Jake Atlas and Tony Nese ignite and the tale of The Brian Kendrick and Ashante “Thee” Adonis most likely come to an end. As I said earlier, the Capitol Wrestling Center feels like the right place for 205 Live, and considering how this was the 200th episode, the purple brand could do worse than to use this as a reboot/jumping-off point for where we go from here. The intimacy of the venue sure does help a show like this. Where we go now, only time will tell.
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