G’day lads and welcome to a brand new chapter point for 205 Live. This week begins an 8 man tournament to decide the number 1 contender for Buddy Murphy’s Cruiserweight Championship at Wrestlemania.
It’s got me thinking a little bit about the popularity of tournaments in wrestling in the last few years. From independent annuals like BOLA in California or SSS16 here in London, to the WWE’s single eliminations of The Mae Young Classic or UK Championship and let’s not neglect the round robin styles popularised by the G1 (and She1).
205 Live has not been neglected either with the Cruiserweight Classic and the championship tournament which culminated at last year’s showcase of the immortals. All of these series have provided some of the most emotional, memorable moments in our great sport over the last few years but what makes them so engaging?
Eric Bischoff says the most important ingredient in to a successful story (in this case a match) is stakes. Meaning there has to be something to be gained or lost in a contest for it to capture an audience. This principle is what gave us some of the most famous stories in WCW history, like Crow Sting’s title chase; then even some of the most infamous, like Judy Bagwell on a pole.
The older I get and the more (thousands of) hours of wrestling I consume I can’t help but agree with Easy E and I think the need for stakes in a story is a decent indicator in to why a show like Raw, which is filled with fantastic wrestling each week, is continually drawing widespread criticism from fans and the “times 16 fast forward” treatment from me.
The 50/50 booking style with wins and losses being traded between superstars in rematch after rematch means that the audience doesn’t really see any sustained value in victory. At the end of the day, athletic wrestling is amazing and we all love a strong style, back and forth match with a contested closing stretch and loads of false finishes but I think wrestling is still at its best when there’s an emotional connection to the story and characters.
Stakes in the outcome of a match are one of the easiest ways to create emotional connection and this is why tournaments are so popular with promoters and fans alike in 2019. In a tilt like this, every single match has stakes and there’s a reason to care who wins. I can’t wait to share this, most recent, instalment of a 205 Live tourney with you in the coming weeks.
Previously on 205 Live:
Tony Nese has been cemented as the pre-series favourite to go on and face his training partner at the Spring time classic. Tonight we look forward to his first round match with Kalisto.
The opening monologue by GM Maverick reminds us that there are “high stakes” (he actually said the phrase twice before our opening bell on this episode) in the main event as we get a renewal of the rivalry between Brian Kendrick and Drew Gulak. This viewer is eagerly awaiting the fresh spin these boys can bring to their story this time out.
TONY NESE v KALISTO
The luchador is out first without his buddies in the Lucha Heel Party; guess he’s foolishly going this one alone. Nese follows him to the ring and splits his focus between his own flexed bicep, apparently he works out a bit, and the Wrestlemania sign.
“This is not your tournament to win, it’s mine to lose,” exclaims the Premier Athlete as he overpowers Kalisto in the early going.
The match is highlighted by the evasion sequences of both men. A bag full of cartwheels, Matrix moves, flips, nip ups and stand offs. It’s been billed as power vs. speed but in reality, Nese gives nothing up in agility to Kalisto.
The crowd is flatter than the wicket in Hamilton this week and even the “Lucha, Lucha, Lucha,” rally call from Kalisto falls on deaf ears. Apart from one absolute legend on the hard camera that is, who moved his pint from hand to hand expertly as the non-drink supporting claw punched the air in time with the chant. This is just more proof that alcohol makes wrestling better.
The crowd in attendance might be as sober as a Second City Saint but the finishing stretch lives up to this fantastic contest. Nese moves on to round 2 when he finally caught Kalisto with some brute strength, the Running Nese and the 1,2,3.
GENTLEMAN JACK REMONSTRATES
Backstage we have Gentleman Jack Gallagher showing a clip of Humberto Carillo’s match from last week to the double denim clad rookie sensation himself. The clip shows Carillo hitting the Frosby Flop, which is quickly becoming a new Spanish Fly, and Gallagher admonishes him for the risk he took. “I’m not angry, just disappointed.” Gallagher reminds H.C. Woke that he “could have inflicted just as much damage with a perfectly applied wristlock.” This is great stuff.
Drew Gulak vs. The Brian Kendrick:
Spanky is clean shaven but his eyes show fire. He stares at the Wrestlemania sign without reprieve before finally shifting his steely gaze to the Philadelphia Stretcher when the bell tolls. “Careful boys for it is a knell, that summons thee to Heaven or to Hell.”
The fans’ first involvement in the entire show is to chant “This is boring.” In 2006 I probably would have summoned my best American Dragon Bryan Danielson here and yelled, “What the Fuck do you know about wrestling?” But these days I like to think that I’m not an elitist wrestling fan by any means. I love flips and death matches and comedy and beer and nudity and babyfaces. But imagine the entitlement of a “fan” to chant “boring” at any wrestler who has ever stepped foot in the ring. (Professional Fuckwits) Have a day off!
The ironic thing though is that the “boring” chant actually livens the crowd up for the rest of the match and the pace in the squared circle quickens.
This match is a complete contrast to our opener but every bit as entertaining. Kendrick fights from underneath and shows phenomenal babyface sympathy and fire but the former CZW champion gets the Gulock for a referee stoppage and a fast pass to round 2.
This was undisputedly the best in ring episode of the program for a good month (maybe this year) and again, it’s all to do with stakes. Next week our tournament continues with Oney Lorcan vs Humberto Carillo and Cedric Alexander vs Akira Tozawa.
Until then, drink lots of water and look after your mates.
Dom Van Dam
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