4 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE 205 Live (Jan 3)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Is Neville The Real Most Must-See Superstar In WWE?

Neville Perkins II
WWE.com

Neville’s heel character is a revelation - and what’s more astonishing is that it’s so fleshed out. His body language is so expert that it looks as if he’s been preparing for months. Stopping short of running up to the turnbuckle to appeal to the crowd, he instead remonstrated with himself. The character transition isn’t an unrealistic, incongruous 180 - there’s still a babyface lurking underneath his skin.

His main event match, opposite TJ Perkins, wasn’t quite as gripping as last week’s excellent offering against Rich Swann - the smarmy Perkins struggled to generate the requisite sympathy - but, if nothing else, it was great character-building. The knee bar into a deadlift German suplex spot was sold excellently by Perkins, to give the man credit. Falling agonisingly backwards, he looked like the final girl in a horror flick, at the mercy of some unspeakable horror.

Neville’s tributary adoption of Dynamite Kid’s superplex is another masterstroke. He has recovered its original awe, and in doing so, literally adopted the role of originator. As the original King of the Cruiserweights, it could not be more apt.

The roster of 205 Live original existed as an indeterminate swarm. Now that the anchor is in place, they’re no longer drifting across the water.

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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!