On this week’s episode of 205 Live, we had three matches and not one of them were squash matches! To open the show, the combination of The Singh Brothers and Akira Tozawa and The Brian Kendrick was once again on display, only this time The Singh’s battled their new rivals in a tag bout. Lince Dorado took on Ariya Daivari, and in our main event, the bitter rivals Drake Maverick and Mike Kanellis finally went to war in an unsanctioned match.

Although none of the wrestling on this week’s show could compare to the thrilling main event between Chad Gable and Jack Gallagher from two weeks ago, having two competitive bouts and a well-told story in our main event was quite refreshing. The execution of the unsanctioned match may have been the highlight of this show, but the other superstars on the show did their part to make this a fairly smooth (all be it, not very memorable) episode of 205 Live.

The Singh Brothers vs. Tozawa & The Brian Kendrick

Considering Tozawa and Kendrick won their singles contests against The Singh’s, I didn’t need a tag match for Tozawa and Kendrick to pick up yet another victory. Unfortunately, that’s what we got. Much like their singles matches; everyone put their best foot forward and did a fine job ensuring this tag bout flowed. The Singh’s were on the back foot early on, until they tripped Tozawa and began beating him down on their side of the ring.

Eventually, Brian Kendrick got the hot tag to shift the momentum in his team’s favour. The Singh’s took back their Bollywood award during the contest and tried using it on Kendrick. But Kendrick managed to avoid the trophy shot as Sunil hit his brother “below the belt” with the trophy. Kendrick then hit his sliced bread, and Tozawa delivered a senton bomb for the win. It was a short and sweet affair, but hopefully, one that we do not have to see again soon, as this rivalry has run its course.

Nigel McGuinness brought the entertainment as he does so often during The Singh’s appearances on 205 Live. The highlight of his comedic lines came when Sunil sent the trophy into his brother’s privates, which led Nigel to utter the line “Right in the chapattis!” A perfectly timed and humorous call from the Brit.

Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado

Before Dorado vs. Daivari, a backstage interview with The Lucha House Party showed Lince Dorado taking shots at Humberto Carrillo, claiming Humberto is not a true “Lucha” wrestler. So a lot of the announcers’ focus during this match was linking those comments with Dorado’s actions in the ring, and of course, planting more seeds for a possible showdown between Dorado and Humberto.

As for the match itself, Dorado started things off fast, getting the better of Daivari early on. The early exchanges between the two seemed a tad off, making it a little challenging to get into the action. However, once Daivari sent Dorado flying off the top turnbuckle to the outside, things did not just swing in Daivari’s favour, but both men found their groove.

With each passing moment, the action became more entertaining, and as Dorado tried getting back into the match, we had some strong near falls as well. A well-timed mid-air superkick from Daivari looked like it was going to seal the deal, yet Dorado somehow managed to survive. Daivari continued searching for a path to victory, and before he found one, Dorado rolled up his opponent, picking up a win that will likely set up a match with Humberto Carrillo down the road.

Drew Gulak helped promote the main event with a backstage promo when he said he would be keeping an eye on the main event as Kanellis could be a potential contender.  It was a clever way to insert the champion into the show. On the other hand, I’m not a fan of WWE booking a cruiserweight title match only a week before one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year.

Mike Kanellis vs. Drake Maverick (Unsanctioned Match)

The main event was never going to be a competitive contest (and nor should it have been), as Drake Maverick is the General Manager and not an active wrestler. However, both men did excellent in their respective roles. Due to how heated this rivalry has become, it only made sense that Mike Kanellis attacked Drake during his entrance and unleashed a vicious beatdown on the helpless general manager before the match officially started.

Kanellis showed a lot of intensity throughout this match. One of the highlights was when he shoved Drake’s face next to the 205 Live sign on the announcer’s table, claiming he is fighting for the brand while Drake is letting them down. He also did a great job interacting with the crowd by blowing kisses to them and ripping up signs.

Drake took a wonderful beating, selling the moves brilliantly. There were times it looked like he was genuinely broken in half, most notably when Kanellis swung him into the barricade. He was an effective underdog, which was highlighted by the crowd’s reaction to his comeback and eventual victory when he hit a Spike Dudley inspired modified bulldog.

Both Drake and Kanellis kept the fans engaged and told an intelligent story, with a somewhat surprising conclusion. I hope this loss does not kill Kanellis off, but it’ll be interesting to see where we go from here. All in all, this week was by no means a show to remember. If anything, it served as an easy one-hour viewing for wrestling fans.

All images are courtesy of wwe.com