#205Live – Cruiserweight Corner Monthly: July (@xterblack)

Welcome once again to Cruiserweight Corner – A lot has happened in the land of the high flyers since Money In The Bank so let’s get into it.

New Kid On The Block
The Man Of The Hour Lio Rush became the latest NXT alumni to join the 205 Live roster on the June 26th edition of the show and was successful in defeating local talent Dewey James before following that up with a victory over former WWECW talent Colin Delaney. While these matches were simply functional in their purpose to introduce Rush to the show’s audience and showcase his agility and athleticism, the Man Of The Hour has now been propelled into a rivalry with Cruiser mainstay Akira Tozawa. It’s difficult to see the appeal in a feud that is based on Tozawa asking Rush ‘what have you done’ and Rush simply replying with cocky one-liners but there’s no denying the talent of both and we’ll how well they mesh together when they face off on the post Extreme Rules episode of 205 Live.

Return Of The Supernova
Towards the end of June, we saw the return of the Scottish Supernova Noam Dar during the UK Championship Special on the WWE Network. Dar was successful against UK Division standouts Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster and Travis Banks to obtain a future United Kingdom Championship match. My initial thoughts that Dar had been moved from 205 Live to NXT UK were quickly silenced as Dar returned to the Cruiserweights on the 4th July episode of 205 Live quickly defeating the self-proclaimed ‘Cruisergreat’ TJP. It will be interesting to see where Noam Dar fits in on the show now but there’s no denying he is in great physical shape – possibly the best of his career – following his injury and is still extremely young (he’s about to turn 25), it seems the sky is the limit for Dar.

Mustafa Ali Vs. Buddy Murphy
The absolute MVPs of this past month of 205 Live have been former number one contenders for the Cruiserweight Championship – Buddy Murphy & Mustafa Ali.

Both men have been able to demonstrate their capability to carry the brand should the time come for them and their No Disqualification match on the July 4th episode was evidence of that. They tore the house down once again in a high stakes match which, due to the lack of any championship related stipulation, went without materialistic reward for the victor.

They seem to be preparing Murphy for a move away from singles competition by introducing an alliance with Tony Nese, a move which would make sense if there were Tag Team Championships on the show, but seeing as there aren’t any I can only assume it means an indefinite stay in 205 team purgatory along with Gallagher, Kendrick, Gulak and Lucas House Party. To steal from Murphy’s own moniker, he is the best kept secret on the main roster at the minute and a position in a team with nothing to do will only hinder his potential – an individual programme with Kalisto or Noam Dar (Who is the real ‘star’ of the show?) would be preferential from my point of view.

Cedric Alexander Vs. Hideo Itami
I LOVE the way Cedric Alexander is being booked on 205 Live. For a guy who seemingly wasn’t on WWE’s radar during the CWC until his tournament stealing match with Kota Ibushi (if you haven’t seen it, it’s on the network – there is no excuse), Alexander has found himself in the position of 2015 Live’s ‘Final Boss’ a presence that is felt on the show each and every week even if he’s not wrestling on the show. Both he and the championship are positioned on a pedestal and in the aether but can be brought to the forefront if and when they are needed to be. The same cannot be said for Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Just do one my friend and leave the big red belt here.

My biggest issue with his program with Hideo Itami is how the former KENTA has been fast-tracked to number one contender for the championship. On the same show where the aforementioned Ali & Murphy are beating the absolute tar out of each other trying to prove why they should be next in line for the championship, the former NXT star is dropped from his confusing pairing with Akira Tozawa and thrust straight into a programme with the champion simply based on the fact he feels that he deserves more respect. Negatives aside, Itami’s championship match against Cedric Alexander from the July 10th episode of 205 Live was a solid affair successfully showcasing what both men do best. That being said, where do we go from here? There was no dusty finish or assault from Itami after the match so are both men moving on to new programs or is this just chapter one in their rivalry? Time will tell.

How I’d Book The Cruiserweights At Extreme Rules
Once again the 205 Live roster is nowhere to be seen on this month’s PPV, pre-show or otherwise. Whilst I’m inclined to think that this will be the commonplace decision from now on, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were included in the pre-show of Summerslam given the now 7+ hour runtime of the ‘Big 4’ PPVs. Going back to Extreme Rules and while Alexander is fresh of a successful title defence against Hideo Itami, the most fulfilling match we could have seen at the PPV would have been Cedric Alexander Vs. Hideo Itami Vs. Mustafa Ali Vs. Buddy Murphy in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match for the Cruiserweight Championship. No DQ rules by proxy, this would have been a thrilling inclusion in the show and a great time to pull the trigger on any of the three contenders becoming champion (while keeping Alexander strong) and flowing naturally into a one on one rematch for 205’s presence at Summerslam.

What are your thoughts on the current 205Live product? Comment below or tweet @SLTDWrestling. Make sure you come back for Cruiserweight Corner Monthly: August. Dropping just before SummerSlam.