1 Up & 4 Downs From WWE 205 Live (January 17, 2017)
2. As Heated As Alaska
In the second match, Tony Nese fought Mustafa Ali in an entirely forgettable affair. It was structured to flatter Nese - who, to be optimistic, is as deserving of a push as anybody - but neither man was over. Played out amid library silence, it was an indictment of the show’s inexplicable post-SmackDown slot.
Fans would be more invested in the cruisers if they were afforded creative freedom and performed before the familiar blue brand faces. As it stands, fans are expected to invest in unfamiliar acts they are literally tired of before they even make their way through the curtain.
It was a decent enough performance from Ali. He again demonstrated his smoothness and agility, but his transition to the babyface role - if that is indeed what is happening, and not some way of justifying a foreign menace act with a losing streak deal - is slightly awkward. In one of his few stretches of dominance, he grinned smugly and flexed his bicep like a sort of TJ Perkins-meets-a-stereotypical-80s-heel hybrid.
It’s hard to blame Ali for this. He’s new to the role. His heritage saw him cast, automatically, as a terrorist on the independent circuit. Once a member of a faction monikered, somewhat on-the-nose, “Team Taliban”, Ali needs time to adjust. Whether he gets it is another matter. WWE have already given up on Perkins, it would seem.