By Jon
COMMENTATORS: Vic Joseph & Nigel McGuinness
Ashante “Thee” Adonis looks to finally defeated The Brian Kendrick this week on the 200th episode of 205 Live.
LINEUP
- Jake Atlas vs. Ariya Daivari (***)
- The Brian Kendrick vs. Ashante Thee Adonis (***1/2)
*****
–205 Live is celebrating its 200th episode and has moved venues to the Capitol Wrestling Center, the absolute perfect fit for the band given the Cruiserweight division is NXT-exclusive now for the most part. Also they can now finally say more fans watch them live than RAW or SmackDown.
Jake Atlas vs. Airya Daivari
Daivari defeated Atlas thanks to nefarious methods in their first meeting two months ago. Daivari starts the match off with jabs, angering Atlas who unleashes a flurry of strikes. Atlas pulls Daivari to the floor and throws him into the aisle barricades, Daivari turns the tide with a well-placed chop to the throat (and various to the chest, which bruise the sh*t out of Atlas’ chest). Daivari dropkicks Atlas through his legs and follows up with a Slop Drop (McGuinness even calls it that!) for a two-count. Atlas mounts a comeback, connecting with a backdrop, dropkick, German suplex, and corner pump kick in short order but can’t put him away. Daivari ducks a clothesline and hits a neckbreaker, followed by a top rope frog splash for the 1…2…NOT YET. Atlas sends Daivari to the floor, Daivari runs from a splash attempt but Atlas changes gears and belts him on the other side with a tope suicida. Atlas rolls Daivari in looking to finish things but gets blindsided by a running knee from Tony Nese to end the match.
Jake Atlas defeated Ariya Daivari via pinfall (9:19)
- Good match until the finish; I guess Nese lost to Atlas at some point and this was his revenge. Besides that though I dug it a lot, loved Atlas’ rage and fire and Daivari squirming to find his offensive spots. (***)
Daivari adds insult to injury, drilling Atlas with his Hammerlock Lariat to stand tall.
-2 MONTHS AGO: Brain Kendrick defeats Ashante Thee Adonis via pinfall. They shake hands, Kendrick offers advice.
-1 MONTH AGO: Kendrick beats Adonis again, this time via submission. Another handshake/advice session. Third match happens next.
-TAKEOVER MONTAGE: Santos Escobar retains the NXT Cruiserweight Championship over Isiah “Swerve” Scott after shoving the back of his head into…what I guess was supposed to be the ring post but he didn’t hit much of anything. They’re still going with it for the story though, respect.
“The” Brian Kendrick vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis
Adonis takes control early, slapping away a kick and connecting with a dropkick of his own. Kendrick sent to the floor, Adonis gets caught in the ring skirt sliding out of the ring and gets sent into the barricade via Side Russian Legsweep. Somebody on the ring crew is getting fired. Back in the ring Adonis avoids the Captain’s Hook but eats a leg lariat from Kendrick for a two-count. Adonis dodges Kendrick in the corner and hits a flying crossbody but doesn’t go for the pin, instead opting to hit a DDT after but Kendrick still kicks out. Adonis gets another two-count off a spinebuster, Kendrick levels Adonis with four well-placed kicks for the 1…2…Adonis kicks out and Kendrick immediately locks in the Captain’s Hook. Adonis struggles, getting pulled back into the center of the ring at one point, and shifts his weight into a pinfall attempt so Kendrick has to kick out and release the hold. Adonis finds his second wind and hits the Long Kiss Goodnight (superkick) for the 1…2…3. ADONIS HAS DONE IT.
Ashante Thee Adonis defeated Brian Kendrick via pinfall (8:27)
- I absolutely love the story they had going into this one, Adonis learning a little from each loss, and his finally putting everything together to defeat Kendrick for the first time. Really simple stuff but very effective. Match itself didn’t have a lot of OMG moments or anything but it was a great back and forth and Kendrick selling a mix of frustration and almost admiration for Adonis bringing his A-game was nice. (***1/2)
Kendrick shakes hands with Adonis after the match, leaving the ring so he can celebrate…for half a second before the WWE Network cuts it off.
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS: With no Cruiserweight Championship on the brand anymore 205 Live lost its big selling point, but judging by this episode it’s still a good show that does have a few storylines going on. Both matches were good to great, and I loved the story of Adonis putting it all together to finally remove the albatross of Brian Kendrick. Not a bad way to kill 30 mins.
