5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (April 6)
4. 205 Is Alive
If we'd written in January of 2018 that the following match, taking all factors into account, would approach genuinely awesome territory, you would have called me a c*nt in the comments section. Well, some of you do anyway (and thank you for continuing to enable my life, incidentally), but you get the idea.
It paired Kalisto (a figuratively Sid-sized botch merchant) opposite Buddy Murphy (an also-ran from the NXT Tag Team division before it got good) on the 205 Live stage (a show less popular than Osbournes Reloaded). It was as missable as a Shane McMahon worked punch, except it wasn't: deftly weaving awesome, brutal and unique spots around a gripping story of strength versus speed, this (deservedly) generated the searing heat once elusive to the show through its gruesome joint work, gorgeously fluid escapism, and a wincing running release suplex apron spot. Not all of the players involved were at their best. Nigel McGuinness on commentary stated that "If you're a high-flier, you gotta be able to breathe", which is something of a prerequisite for all animal life. But, since the Tennessee crowd couldn't hear him, they weren't removed from the action.
A novel and vicious monkey flip onto the announce table spot flipped the reaction from enthused to rabid and the match itself, as it reached its blinding crescendo, earned a standing ovation from a crowd that once refused to even sit down for the show.