WWE Big 3: Lorcan, Gallagher, Gulak 10/27-11/2 + Bonus 2019 Gulak

205 Live 11/1/19

Jack Gallagher vs. Ray Jazikoff

ER: Only a 3 minute sampler this week, but I will always be tickled by WWE giving 3 minutes of TV time to a pale British guy working slow paced holds in a squash match. I like how Gallagher takes the full 3 minutes to ramp things up, not so much worrying about displaying flash but peppering it in short bursts. He worst some stuff around limbs and works a slow leveraged recline into a pinfall attempt, aiming for legitimacy as the smallest stretcher on the roster. He runs into a Jazikoff shoulderblock but the rest is all Gallagher laying in a stiff attack. He slams into Jazikoff with the Gentleman's Headbutt that sends Jazikoff into cool backwards bump through the ropes to the floor, then Gallagher slides out past him and tosses him upside down into the barricade. Gallagher lays in two really high speed flipping dropkicks, smooshing Jazikoff into the barricade and into the turnbuckle, and I always like how Gallagher has several ways to end a match and doesn't do most of them per match. Gallagher showcases are always cool, but we're overdue for a 10 minutes Gallagher singles.


NXT 1/30/19 (Aired 2/6/19)

Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle

ER: Not too surprising that, given 10 minutes to work with, these two would go out and crush it. This was a helluva short scrap, with Gulak almost writing off Riddle at the start and immediately regretting it when Riddle almost catches him in an armbar. The fights over Riddle's armbar attempts were always dangerous, and both get tangled up good. This whole match was nothing but cool stuff, like Gulak working a crossface into a chickenwing, Riddle landing a couple of big punts (with him hitting a seated senton after one while Gulak was still sitting up), Riddle running into a big Gulak kick, and I loved when it was time for Gulak to punish Riddle for making him look desperate against those armbars earlier. He gets hold of both of Riddle's arms and drives his knee into Riddle's back, and Riddle pays that back with a tight sleeper. I love Riddle's delayed German; he doesn't hit it the same every time, seems to change the delivery depending on when he catches his opponent. Here Gulak tried to weigh his soles back to the mat, but Riddle froze him in midair and whipped him over. And that wasn't anywhere near as mean as the deadlift powerbomb Riddle hit to set up the finishing sub. I had no clue whether Riddle was going to dump Gulak directly on the top of his head or directly on vertebra C1-C3, and yet he somehow muscled him up into an awesome folding powerbomb. So far this is the only Gulak/Riddle match we've seen in a WWE ring - and really it's not a match that's been run a ton - and obviously I want more.