The Best Shows to Watch on the WWE Network: December 2nd – 8th
This week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown left the WWE Universe questioning the moves of the company and caused Raw to draw the lowest ratings in the show's entire history. It doesn't help that the main roster is missing a handful of its top talent, but fans are still scratching their heads wondering what's going on with the WWE's two big shows.
Well, if you're one of those who are wanting more, the WWE Network has what you're looking for. And this week, the subscription service continued to deliver on all fronts. Comedy, classic matchups, weekly wrestling programming, and special December collections kept us entertained throughout the week.
So if Mondays and Tuesdays on the USA Network just aren't doing it for you at the moment, maybe these programs will give you what you need.
#5 205 Live: December 5th
205 Live has a pretty solid routine that has worked since the Cruiserweight Title Tournament ended earlier in the year. A stellar opening match, a quick dominant bout showcasing one of the underutilized guys in the middle, and a fantastic main event that leaves you wanting more. The formula never changes, but the shows are always exhilarating.
For the most part, this was true this week. Minor nitpicks aside, it was a pretty entertaining episode of 205 Live, even if it didn't feature the core top trio of the brand. Mustafa Ali gave us another promo about working towards his dream while Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy and his opponent Cedric Alexander hyped up next week's episode.
That meant the rest of the roster was going to have to deliver, and they did. The opener of the night saw The Brian Kendrick face off against Drew Gulak in a one-on-one matchup. I think most people look at guys like these two, who don't do a lot of flashy high flying maneuvers and overlook them. And that's disappointing because both of these guys are two of the best in terms of technical ability on the roster.
Seriously, look at this beautiful tiger suplex from Kendrick. These two know how to get the fans on their feet without having to leave their own.
Kendrick, accompanied by new friend and former rival Akira Tozawa, and Gulak, alongside Jack Gallagher, gave the crowd an impressive show this week. While we didn't get a clear finish to this match, it definitely built up the ongoing feud between the four men and continues to keep fans interested.
Ariya Daivari made his in-ring return this week, absolutely demolishing his poor opponent. With repeated lariats, he continued to pick up his victim so he could keep pounding him into the dirt. Thankfully, he eventually would fall over unconscious, unable to stand up on his own, ending the carnage.
The main event pitted the Lucha House Party's Kalisto and Lince Dorado against the antagonistic force of TJP and Mike Kanellis, accompanied by the devilish Maria Kanellis. With Maria in their opponents' corner, Lucha House Party had a difficult hill to climb.
Throughout the bout, TJP and Kanellis continued to hold the upper hand, usually knocking one of the LHP members out for a while, forcing a 2-on-1 situation repeatedly. Thanks to this, we're able to see both Kalisto and Lince Dorado climb an uphill battle, successfully I might add, sending the villains into each other or speeding around the ring, confusing TJP and Kanellis.
The only issue I had with this match, really, and you'll feel this way if you've hated the way LHP has been used on Raw, is the use of a bag of mini piñatas. At a certain point in the match, Kalisto and Dorado pulled out a red Christmas sack full of them, pouring them in the ring before sending TJP crashing down onto them with a superplex.
Moments like this will remind 205 Live viewers of the earlier years of the show, where we got more slapstick comedy than actual wrestling whenever a match featured a special stipulation.
Aside from that, though, it was another great week on the Purple Brand.