1 Up & 4 Downs From WWE 205 Live (January 17, 2017)

In which the show forfeits its recent upturn in form.

by Michael Sidgwick
Drew Gulak Cedric Alexander
WWE.com

Responding to the Hardy’s ‘Expedition of Gold’ challenge - in which the BROKEN brothers called out an array of teams across an array of promotions - those pesky Young Bucks levelled a diss in the direction of 205 Live in a video tweet.

“I really, really hope to God Ring of Honor’s cool with it, because we’ll wrestle you at the Impact Zone, we’ll wrestle you on your compound, we’ll do it here. And if they’re not cool with it, we’ll quit. We’ll go to NXT, we’ll go to the CWC, we’ll go to 205 Live…ok, maybe not 205 Live.”

Was this fair? Is 205 Live really awful enough to warrant such derision? On this evidence, yes. Yes it is. With no appearance from leading man Neville, there was no gripping focal point. With the strict regulation on freedom of performance still in place, the dynamic and eclectic action seen in the Cruiserweight Classic might is a distant memory. Most of the performers work in a similar, relatively safe style - as many cynically, but quite rightly, predicted.

WWE being WWE, the solution to the show’s inherent problem - i.e., attempting to get several performers over at the same time - has seen the company cast the likes of Noam Dar as stock caricatures.

That approached reached an equally predictable nadir last night…

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!