The dust has settled, and with two weeks left 'til Clash of Champions we've got a new #1 contender to the Cruiserweight Championship in Humberto Carrillo.
Now, I get what they're trying to do with the title match, making it a straight-up one-on-one feud that should theoretically carry itself the same way a New Japan match between two top-notch workers would, but... hear me out: this would've been better served as a triple threat.
205 Live has been doing a stellar job lately of telling interweaving stories, if the Captain's Challenge match was any indication. Would it have truly hurt Drake Maverick's intangible standings if he just rewarded both guys with the title shot—and get a better matchup out of it in the process?
Here's my worry: Drew Gulak is good. Oney Lorcan is good. Humberto Carrillo is great. But audiences just haven't been responding to any of them the way they should, for whatever reason there is. And when you've got a solid 205 Live main event playing to crickets and your Cruiserweight Championship match at the PPV is merely going to be under-10-minutes kickoff show fodder, maybe your best bet to get more eyes on the show is to have a spotfest sprint featuring all three guys hovering around the title picture right now.
While Humberto Carrillo and his high-flyin' good looks have a much better shot of making a more memorable kickoff match than a Gulak/Oney brawl that would need more time, I can't lie and say I've got high hopes. They're relying on whatever strength the Gulak/Carrillo teacher/student angle from earlier this year had, and to be honest, it was too short and thin to lend this feud any gravitas. They've got two weeks to make this work, and with Bertie finishing his business with Lince Dorado next week, I'm not sure what their game plan is.
205 Live 8/27/19 Final Grade: The two-match format was brought back this week, and honestly, only the main event deserved the extra time. A brutally quiet crowd douses the action for this episode. B+
Short stops
- I do like that Lince Dorado is finally going to get a singles push, as it's getting clearer and clearer that he's being primed for a heel turn. It's been a long time coming, as you don't paint a guy as the hothead without delving into his culero tendencies.
- We're also about to get some much-needed character development from Tony Nese, who's had to deal with a lukewarm run as a babyface Premier Athlete. I don't know what it means exactly, as he's only turned face earlier this year; I also presume it's going to be a more badass side a la Drew Gulak, but there's already a Drew Gulak playing the role Murphy and Neville used to. So I'm not sure how they're going to back themselves out of this corner.
Photo from WWE
*****
Romeo Moran (@roiswar) is the Editor in Chief of Smark Henry, one of the three hosts of the Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast, and is associated with Philippine Wrestling Revolution. He gets by in this hard knock life through working in publishing. Smark Henry was his and Stan Sy's original vision of a watering hole for local wrestling fans. He roots for the undersized guys who hit hard, but really hates Davey Richards with his entire soul. He likes taking your wrestling questions over on his Curiouscat account.
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