It’s a new day for WWE 205 Live with new stars stepping to the forefront. Who will step up and become #1 contender for Tony Nese’s WWE Cruiserweight Championship?

With Ali, Murphy, and Alexander gone, how will the rest of the Cruiserweight division fare on 205 Live?

Drew Gulak vs Humberto Carrillo: We started with Drew Gulak giving one of his stump speeches and proving that he still has delusions of grandeur, vowing to become Cruiserweight Champion when he wasn’t even in the conversation.

I did like Gallagher’s explanation for his seeming turn on Gulak, he managed to stay heelish by not making it about Carrillo, but about himself, which was really nice.

The match with Carrillo was AMAZING! I so enjoyed watching it! I was actually surprised that Carrillo won, but there were so many good spots, such as Carrillo standing on the turnbuckle post like a kid on a very high branch daring ‘Dad’ (Gulak) to come up after him. I’m not sure where this feud is going for either man, but that match was super fun.

Drake Maverick and the Kanellises: I’m not sure what to make of this segment. I’m still hoping that Mike Kanellis is going to be re-made into a babyface, but Maria’s interference is going to be a problem. I LOVED her clapping back at Brian Kendrick, but I’m not really sure who the feud is going to be with: Tozawa or Kendrick. I did find Tozawa’s sneak attack fun, but we’ll have to see with this feud.

#1 Contender’s Match – Oney Lorcan vs Ariya Daivari: This was a HELL of a main event for 205 Live. Daivari has been largely in the shadow and on the injury list, so seeing him getting to shine in the main event was so much fun. Lorcan adaption to 205 has been a real surprise to me, I honestly thought he’d have more trouble with it than he has, but that’s not to say the match didn’t have a lot of awkward spots, but that could also be the different styles of Daivari and Lorcan not gelling.

Overall Thoughts: The first 205 Live without the pillars of Murphy, Alexander, and Ali actually went much better than I thought it would. The matches were great, as usual, and there was a lot of storyline building for next week, just like with SmackDown.

I’m NOT thrilled about David Otunga being part of the 205 Live announce team. Otunga has the ‘super smart guy’ creds, but he doesn’t really have any of the chops to be a good commentator. He doesn’t have the gift of gab, the long career experience, or the broadcast experience to be good at calling wrestling, which makes his commentary really hard to listen to. Aiden English is still learning too, which is another problem, but he definitely has the experience and the gift of gab to make it work.

One problem I notices was there’s definitely a lack of top babyfaces, there’s really no one for the audience to cheer for against the heels. Carrillo and Lorcan COULD be those guys, but it’s not quite there yet. Kanellis is another possibility, but he and Maria will need a major revamp to get them there.

I’m honestly excited about Nese vs Daivari, it’s definitely a fresh match up and will definitely signal how 205 will do without its OG top guys.

So, that’s it for tonight! Tune in tomorrow as I tackle the NXTs. Always Use Your Head, and not as a battering ram!