By Anish Vishwakoti, ProWrestling.net Staffer, (@AVX_9001)
WWE 205 Live (Episode 255)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed October 29, 2021 on WWE Network
Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness welcomed everyone to the show on commentary and immediately we saw the entrance of Mei Ying with Boa to kick things off.
1. Boa (w/Mei Ying) vs. Jeet Rama. The match started with the two circling and a strong lockup that saw Rama push Boa into the corner. The two re-engaged and Boa tried to take Rama’s back but actually gave up a headlock to Rama for a second. Boa reversed into a headlock off his own and took Rama down with a Judo toss, only for Rama to scramble into a cravat type maneuver, forcing Boa to stand up and disengage. Rama got the better of their subsequent lockup, hitting a pair of shoulder tosses and forcing Boa to hit the outside.
Rama chases him to the outside and then back into the ring where he was able to catch Boa with a Belly to Belly Suplex. Boa got right back up however and tossed Rama into the middle rope and pushed his neck against it to drag the air out of him. Boa switched it up and hit some kicks to set Rama up for a Back Suplex, getting a two count.
Boa continued to lay in some kicks and grabbed a chin lock before trying for a roll up, however Rama reversed int and forced Boa to kick out. Boa didn’t relent and hit a neckbreaker for another two count before kicking at Rama again. Boa then tried to whip Rama across the ring a few times into his knee before hitting a straight right to knock Rama down and into a reverse triangle submission attempt.
Rama was able to muscle out of the hold and hit Boa with a series of Suplexes, including a big German. Rama then tried to hit a Powerslam but Boa reversed into a reverse DDT to get the pinfall victory…
Boa defeated Jeet Rama.
Anish’s Thoughts: This match showed that somehow or some way that NXT crowd is behind Rama. He gets a reaction and I guess he has been likable enough thus far that despite not having any barn burner matches, or many wins, he does have the support of the crowd. The match tonight wasn’t anything special either, but it did reveal something to us that Rama can get the crowd behind him, so let’s see if they do anything with him in the future.
2. Sarray vs. Katrina Cortez. The two rallied the crowd before getting into a test of strength which saw them switch positions a few times and ended up with Sarray hitting a sweet body scissors takedown into a stomp. Cortez rolled out of the ring and goaded Sarray in, whipping her arm onto the ropes to break Sarray’s momentum before locking in a Camel Clutch. Cortez wasn’t able to hang on strong enough and Sarray got to the ropes, breaking the hold. Cortez let Sarray get up and then went right into a standing Surfboard Stretch before tossing her into the bottom rope for a two count.
Cortez then went into a double arm lock with her knee in the back of Sarray. This didn’t hold Sarray long however and she was able to get to her feet and prompt a running exchange, rolling up Cortez and instead of going for a pin, she went for an insanely painful looking Single leg Boston Crab with a bridge. Cortez got to the ropes in the nick of time but stumbled right up into a Fisherman Suplex from Sarray.
Sarray then rallied the crowd behind her and hit a strong dropkick from the middle rope for a two count. Sarray picked up Cortez and tried for a German, but Cortez elbowed her and hit a quick scoop slam. Cortez then went for a modified Swanton, but Sarray rolled out of the way and kicked Cortez into the bottom rope, allowing Sarray to hit the running Basement Dropkick to the head to get the pinfall victory…
Sarray defeated Katrina Cortez.
Anish’s Thoughts: Cortez more than held her own against Sarray. She played a little more of a babyface than in previous matches and it worked to the benefit of the match, as it allowed Sarray reason to play the respectful hero and work with her to put on an interesting exchange of skills as opposed to a brawl. Sarray’s offense was fun and they played up a fun transition from grappling to all out running and striking that benefited Sarray, allowing her to get the win.
3. Ru Feng vs. Xyon Quinn. A staredown kicked the match off before a lockup, which saw Feng push Quinn to his knee for a second before the two disengaged. They circled and lockup up again with Feng using his height to get a headlock and then a takeover but Quinn didn’t stop struggling and worked to his feet. Feng switched strategy and shot off some strikes including a gut kick before whipping Quinn into the corner. Feng hit a corner elbow and a suplex for a one count before sounding off a series of knees.
Feng whipped Quinn to the ropes but Quinn bounced back and hit an insane looking leg lariat into sling blade combo for a two count. Feng got right back up and tossed Quinn into the corner before trying a straight jacket submission. Quinn whipped him straight off and hit Feng with some strikes and a clothesline before following up with a corner shoulder strike and a hip toss. Quinn then hit a Samoan drop and a running ax handle to get the pinfall victory.
Xyon Quinn defeated Ru Feng
Anish’s Thoughts: Feng did his job for the most part and exchanged some good offense with Quinn before eating the loss and Quinn’s dynamic moves. I have never seen that type of crazy sling blade variation before, but I think Quinn should watch this show back and figure out exactly what he did there because that’s a way better finisher than a running ax handle. If anything, Feng could have sold more and maybe just stayed down after the end of the match to really reiterate Quinn’s dominance. Aside from that the two told the exact right story.
Overall this was a good show. There were some steps taken forward in the building of Rama and Quinn’s characters which is funny since one is on a losing streak and the other a winning streak but I guess that’s Wrestling. Sarray was dominant and had the best match of the evening, I wonder if that would have been better served as the main event, but regardless was definitely the highlight of the show.
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