G’day lads and happy Australia Day! Back in 2011, my first year of teaching, I remember a conversation with my good mate and mentor Matty Brown where he proposed that Australia Day should be moved to the last Friday in January rather than being locked in to the 26th to ensure we always got a bank holiday long weekend for the occasion.
I agreed with him and said I’d make it a policy if I ever ran for Prime Minister. I’m officially still standing by this policy, and am firmly behind a date change for my favourite day of the year, but until then, this year, I’m celebrating with tinnies, twisties and German Wrestling as a proud Australian, in London.
This week’s 205 Live recap will also encompass the Cruiserweight Championship match from the pre-show at the Royal Rumble. The article was written in 2 parts, before and after the Rumble so if I make any outlandish predictions in Part A don’t hold it against me.
Previously on 205 Live
Last week we saw the debuting Humberto Carillo answer the open challenge of Cruiserweight champion, Buddy Murphy. Tonight ‘Bert’ tries to build on a decent first up start with his first official contest as a rostered superstar.
Additionally, this week, we look forward to the go home match before our title match at the Royal Rumble with a triple threat between our three qualified challengers for Murphy’s purple strap. Look for Hideo Itami to continue to build momentum in our main event a little later on.
Finally we got the big announcement to start the program that Aiden English has taken over from Percy Watson on colour commentary. He promises to bring “a fresh perspective” and make 205 the “Most dramatic hour on television.” That’s it Aiden, get your shit in brother.
Humberto Carillo vs. Gran Metalik
English (that’s Aiden, not a xenophobic nickname for Nigel McGuinness) puts over Carillo by describing the scene backstage for his match last week as a sell out at the monitor. Apparently even WWE champion Daniel Bryan was front row centre and very impressed. Fickle!
This match is complete and utter Lucha Overground. All of your favourites are here, like: hitting the ropes without being whipped, contrived ways to get in to arm drags and slapping someone on the back as they run past you to allow them to maintain momentum rather than hitting or tripping them.
Berto Car moves really smoothly in the ring but he has a little skip step before he hits the ropes which really stands out as unique. With the performance centre now producing a factory line of young wrestlers, it’s strange to see a young WWE superstar doing a fundamental skill like this in such a fashion.
The viewer is treated, as you’d expect, to a hatful of high spots here. My favourite sees Metalik leaping over the top rope, with a Bilko style no hander and catching Carillo, who was standing on the apron, with a ‘rana to the floor.
Carillo’s finish is a top rope headstand, Ala English (that’s Nigel McGuinness to you), in to a split legged moonsault. He employs it to kill the Metal Licker off and gives the audience a much better taste of what he’s about this week than last.
Promo Pourri
Team Alliteration are in G.M. Maverick’s office, seemingly annoyed at Carillo’s debut. I guess he wasn’t on the list of potential stars they gave Drake a fortnight ago.
The Gym Bunny Tony Nese is in and wants Noam Dar tonight but the G.M. is not having any of it. Nese threatens to “shut Dar’s mouth,” outside the ring instead. The highlight of the promo (as there is no protein shake cup) is the use of the metaphor “running his mouth.” If you go back and have a look at last week’s review, I think you’ll find Dar said a grand total of 2 words which is hardly “running.” Obviously Nese doesn’t go anywhere near the treadmills when he’s in Gold’s.
Tozawa is up next and says he didn’t come to America to be a joke. Maybe he came to kickass and chew bubble gum?
Kalisto follows up by enlightening the audience to the fact that if he wins the Championship on Sunday they (The Lucha Heel Party) all win. This is more lovely heel promo work from the Luchadores who foreshadow an abuse of their numbers advantage in the no disqualification match on Sunday.
Finally it’s Hideo Itami speaking in Japanese and sounding like an absolute badass. The way they’ve repackaged him with Daivari is actually quite remarkable. I was sceptical at first but as a viewer now I actually feel that there’s a chance he could win the title on Sunday and become the 205 Live main eventer going in to Wrestlemania. (That chance is still slim, but I’d say he’s second favourite)
Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto vs. Tozawa
It’s main event time and my Australia Day viewing is brightened by the Melbournese Ranga at ringside; by gee, by jingo, by crikey!
Itami dominates early doors with strikes and his methodical pace. This is the beginning of what is a fairly formulaic three-way (not that I’d have any idea, I’d be lucky to organise a twosome at the moment) with not much of a narrative. There’re plenty of moves, but I’m hopeful for more of a story Sunday when we have the juggernaut involved as well.
Speaking of the champ, Murph does a run in to be the catalyst for a Tower of Doom spot when his 3 challengers are on the top rope. Tozawa and Kalisto see him off and the main event continues.
There are no surprises with the finish as the man with the most momentum continues to roll downhill towards the Rumble. Itami gets the win with his hangman’s knee.
The question remains, can the juggernaut charge through his 3 opponents and particularly the in-form “Japanese legend?” Only time will tell. Time, or an extra 2 minutes reading the second half of this review right now. Until then though, enjoy your Australia Day, drink lots of water and look after your mates.
Royal Rumble 27/01/19
Fatal Four Way for the Cruiserweight Championship
We know the narrative heading in here is the unstoppable juggernaut Buddy Murphy having his toughest numerical challenge since year 7 maths put in front of him. This story continues in the early stages here with Itami making a timely exit and Murph dominating the 2 “faces,” (use that loosely) with his power.
Clearly they have laid a fistful of this one out ahead of time with the amount of movement and innovative, multi-man manoeuvres through the middle.
The fans, who are colder than my ex-girlfriend’s heart throughout the majority of the match, finally stop sitting on their hands for the home stretch after a classic 4 men down spot in the middle of the squared circle.
Aiden English pulls out an early contender for best line of the night on commentary with “kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.”
Murphy ends up hitting about 48 V-Trigger style knees and a Murphy’s Law on Itami (who already kicked out of the SDS from Kalisto earlier) for the win. This was a tasty little sprint to crack the top on the ice cold tinnie that is the Royal Rumble and a frothy way to end Australia Day weekend for the Victorious, Victorian.
DVD
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