By Anish Vishwakoti, ProWrestling.net Staffer, (@AVX_9001)
WWE 205 Live (Episode 214)
Orlando, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center (WWE PC)
Streamed January 15, 2021 on WWE Network
There was a slightly different opening this week, as we got a recap of the start of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic from Wednesday’s NXT. Highlights were shown of the Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Ever-Rise, the debut of MSK and their victory over Jake Atlas and Isaiah Scott, and Roderick Strong and Adam Cole beating Tyler Breeze and Fandango. The Dusty Classic continued on this episode, and the promo previewed the two matches…
Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary. They welcomed everyone and emphasized the honor and importance of the Dusty Classic, a nice touch. Joseph also promised that he would dance with the Bollywood Boyz if they won the tournament (big pop)…
1. “The Bollywood Boyz” Samir Singh and Sunil Singh vs. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first-round match. Sunil and Mendoza started the match. They circled and locked up cagily with Mendoza looking the more in control in the opening stages of the match. Sunil used a headlock for a second, but Mendoza kneed him in the gut and forced a running exchange in which he knocked Sunil down with a shoulder block.
Sunil half hit a Monkey Flip on Mendoza before clotheslining him out of the ring. Sunil tagged in his brother and they hit a double elbow on Mendoza before Samir use an armbar to try and keep Mendoza down. Mendoza shot him to the ropes, but Samir tried for a Crucifix pin, earning a two count.
Samir once again took Mendoza down and used an armbar. Mendoza forced Samir into his corner and allowed Wilde to tag in, but Samir was able to maintain control and counter a clothesline from Wilde into another armbar and keep the upper hand. Samir now pushed Wilde into his corner and tagged in his brother. The two tagged in and out and worked in tandem on Wilde.
Samir was able to maintain control until a distraction from Mendoza from the apron allowed Wilde to catch him with a DDT and take charge of the match. Mendoza tagged in and chopped Samir before he and Wilde repeatedly rammed Samir with clotheslines and corner splashes. They then hit Samir with a double suplex for a two count. Wilde then tossed Samir to the outside where he corked his head off the announce table and rolled Samir back into the ring.
Wilde locked in a cravat to try and put Samir out but the younger Singh bro fought to his feet, only for Wilde to whip him into the corner for a great turnbuckle bump. Wilde and Mendoza attempted a double Backdrop, but Samir managed to direct Mendoza into Wilde and break up their momentum. Samir crawled to his corner and tagged in Sunil who launched himself at Mendoza with strikes and a Backdrop followed by an Atomic drop and a spinning Heel kick.
Wilde tried to intervene, but Sunil just rammed his head onto the announce table on the outside, and then did the same to Mendoza. Sunil then found Mendoza alone in the ring and hit the top rope Axe Handle for a close two count. Samir tagged in and continued to pile it onto Mendoza, propping him on the top rope. Samir attempted a superplex, but Wilde held on to his partners leg to block it. Sunil knocked him off, allowing Samir to hit the superplex and himself to follow up with a top rope elbow for a pinfall which Wilde broke up at two and a half.
Mendoza and Wilde then tossed Samir into the steps and went to work on the isolated Sunil. Mendoza launched Wilde off his shoulders into Sunil for an Electric Chair Lungblower which only half landed. They followed up with the Russian Leg Sweep and running Dropkick combo to get the pinfall victory.
Legado Del Fantasma defeated The Bollywood Boyz to advance in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Anish’s Thoughts: A really awesome match between these two teams. No story needed in a tournament like this which has been built up so well in WWE. Legado Del Fantasma did a fantastic job making The Bollywood Boyz look strong and dominant for most of the match, making it a real nail biter at times when the Singhs really looked like they might steal one. In the end, Wilde and Mendoza out-heeled The Singhs and you know that’s exactly how I like my tag team matches, so this was a fantastic way to open the show.
Before the main event we saw a backstage segment between Killian Dain and Drake Maverick discussing their entrance music, which Maverick assured Dain was different tonight.
2. Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs. Curt Stallion and August Grey in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first-round match. As Dain came out it seemed like he got his wish with the theme music, but as soon as Maverick appeared their regular whistling pop punk ballad kicked in, much to Dain’s dismay. Stallion started the match against Maverick, immediately grabbing a headlock and knocking Maverick down to the ground with a shoulder block.
Stallion went back to the headlock, forcing Maverick to shoot him off the ropes and goad him to get tossed to the outside on both ends of the ring, dancing all the while in the center of the ring, frustrating Stallion. Maverick continued to prance around the ring and goaded Stallion into a pair of arm drags.
Maverick did not hold on however, allowing Grey to tag in. Grey called for Dain to enter, and he obliged. Grey tried to tiptoe around Dain, however Dain got a hold of him and forced Grey to take some unsound risks, going for a running cross body, which ended up in a slam, followed by Maverick tag teaming with Maverick for a running Senton and a scoop slam of Maverick onto Grey.
Dain then lifted Maverick on his shoulders and used him like a Fireman’s battering ram to take out Stallion on the apron and Grey in the ring. Dain tried to do the same using Grey, but Grey got off his shoulder and he and Stallion tried to double team Dain, however and Dain just tossed them both to the ramp. Maverick tried to convince Dain to do a tandem Suicide Dive with him, however Dain instead tossed him at Grey and Stallion to wipe them out. Maverick was hurt from this throw however and could not take control of Stallion in the ring. Grey was able to tag in and hit Maverick with a back suplex for a two count.
Grey used a cravat before trying for another back suplex, which Maverick flipped out of, allowing him to tag in Dain who completely battered both Stallion and Grey, ending his lariat spree by dropkicking Grey into Stallion in the corner. Dain followed up with an impressive Slingshot Senton on Stallion and a running cross body on Grey for a two count.
A four-man brawl ensued in the ring, ending with Dain hitting Grey with another running senton. Stallion then came up from behind him and tried for a German Suplex, which Grey assisted with a superkick. Stallion and Grey tried to isolate Maverick in their corner, but he was able to instead get to his own corner and hit a double head kick on Stallion with Dain. To finish it off, Dain powerbombed Maverick onto Stallion to get the pinfall victory.
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick defeated Curt Stallion and August Grey to advance in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.
Anish’s Thoughts: Another really great match in the main event. This was such a fun way to contrast with the earlier heel versus heel match with this face versus face match. It really played into the almost annoying character of Maverick to frustrate his opponents and his own tag team partner, making for a fun story and one in which Dain was able to get over his own annoyance to take advantage of how out of their element Grey and Stallion seemed.
Nothing to complain about from this show, the Dusty Cup is always given a lot of importance and I think it made sense to have some matches on 205 Live. Obviously, Dain was the standout, very literally considering he is probably closer to 405 pounds, however this was a fun break from the norm and I think all four teams on this show did a great job to create contrast between the two matches, which is the most important thing. I might like face versus face matches as much as heel versus heel matches. If the 205 Live gods are reading, I am eager to find out. A solid show. And if you are keeping up with the Dusty Classic, this is a show you should not miss.
Be the first to comment