By Anish Vishwakoti, ProWrestling.net Staffer, (@AVX_9001)
WWE 205 Live (Episode 257)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed November 12, 2021 on WWE Network
Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness welcomed everyone to the show and we went straight into the entrance of Andre Chase…
1. Andre Chase vs. Malik Blade. Chase entered and waved to his student section, starting the match in his college sweatshirt and all. The two engaged in a lockup that saw then exchange wrist locks withBlade tossing Chase to the floor before taking his back. Chase elbowed Blade to knock him off balance, but Blade countered with a pair of arm drags. Blade tried for a dropkick but Chase dodged a dropkick and hit a swinging neckbreaker for a two count.
Chase went for a chin lock and dropped an elbow as well to keep the offense varied. Chase stomped on Malik while spelling out his own name and really getting the crowd to rail at him. Blade was met with a scoop slam and some more stomps before Chase hit him with a neckbreaker again for another two count. Chase then hit Blade with a gut kick and tried for another slam but Blade rolled him up and forced a kick out and a running boot to ground Blade again.
Chase went back to the chin lock but Blade was able to roll through and dodge an elbow drop before hitting a series of forearms and a dropkick to lay Chase out. Blade then hit a corner clothesline and a splash pin but only got a two count. Blade tried for a jumping maneuver but Chase countered and hit a big elbow followed by a quick Flatliner to get the pinfall victory.
Andre Chase defeated Malik Blade.
Anish’s Thoughts: This was an unexpectedly raucous match that was very fun. Blade’s offense when he was in control kept the match interesting and when Chase was in control it was pretty fun to see how he interacted with the crowd, especially his ‘student section’ which makes for an interesting dynamic as a heel has his own section made to cheer for him making for a fun battling crowd environment in what was otherwise a standard opener. A nice way to elevate a simple match.
2. Indi Hartwell (w/Persia Pirotta) vs. Valentina Feroz. The match started with Hartwell tossing Feroz around and easily shucking off a bck take attempt before hitting a pair of hip tosses. Hartwell then picked up Feroz and after a quick airplane spin, dunked her onto the top turnbuckle. Hartwell then tried for an apron running knee but Feroz draped her arm across the apron and turned the tables. Feroz grabbed a wrist lock in the ring but Hartwell got to her feet after some struggle and used some strikes to try break the hold.
Hartwell was able to toss Feroz off but Feroz backed her into the corner and hit a series of strikes to keep control, going back to the wrist lock. Hartwell was able to momentarily get control off the distraction from Pirotta, but Feroz quickly worked back to an arm attack and armbar. Hartwell had to pick Feroz up and shove her into the corner before hitting a series of clotheslines and a bulldog for a two count. Hartwell was able to avoid another armbar attempt and kicked out of an athletic rollup from Feroz before hitting a surprise Spinebuster to get the pinfall victory.
Indi Hartwell defeated Valentina Feroz.
Anish’s Thoughts: This was another fun match, very similar to the opener in that I think the crowd made it due to their investment in Hartwell. It was fun to see Hartwell almost working as a heel, especially with the presence of Pirotta, but still get a face crowd reaction. Feroz did a great job using some interesting moves whenever she was on offense, and sold well for Indi’s few but strong moves, giving her a believable, impactful win.
Before the main event, Diamond Mine all walked to the ring and Malcolm Bivens hyped them all up, declared it Roddy versus the world and said anybody can get it. Bivens introduced the debuting Draco Anthony as a lamb to the slaughter for Roderick Strong.
3. Roderick Strong vs. Draco Anthony. The match started with a wrist lock from Strong before Anthony reversed into one of his own. Strong didn’t stay in it and quickly countered to take Anthony’s back. Strong and Anthony countered each other’s hip toss attempts quickly and went back to dueling headlocks. Strong was shot off the ropes but held on to the headlock forcing Anthony to shoot him off again and hit a series of shoulder blocks.
Strong kicked out of the subsequent pin attempt and went to the outside before running back in and catching a chasing Anthony with some stomps into the corner. Strong followed up with big chops and a backbreaker for a two count. Strong then went for an abdominal stretch forcing Anthony to muscle to his feet with a hip toss and a big dropkick to ground him.
Anthony forced Strong into the corner with clotheslines and hit an overhead toss for a two count. Anthony set Strong up for a running knee, but Strong ducked and hit one of his own to get the pinfall victory.
Roderick Strong defeated Draco Anthony.
Anish’s Thoughts: I appreciate these squash matches for Strong which almost see him and Diamond Mine force himself into a corner before pulling it all together and making it seem easy right at the finish. It allows his opponents to shine for a second before taking back control and using that quick knee to dominate and show that whatever it may look like on the surface, it is Diamond Mine’s world underneath. It’s a fun setup for a squash match and Bivens promo beforehand just accentuates that.
A solid show overall with three good matches that were each slightly different and I think everybody on the card came out of it looking better than they went in so that’s all you can ask for on a thirty minute wrestling show. Props to all the performers for making the most of tonight’s 205 Live.
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