WWE Big 3: Lorcan, Gallagher, Gulak 2019 Catch-Up

ER: None of the three made any of the shows this week (feels like I've had to type a variation on that sentence every other week for the past couple months) which just gives me a chance to check out matches of theirs I missed earlier in the year. And there's still some gold to be found, so let's dive back into 6-8 months ago, which feels like 3 years ago.

Oney Lorcan vs. Jaxson Ryker WWE NXT 3/13/19 (Aired 4/3/19)

ER: Lorcan moving more to 205 Live kind of made me forget how much I love Lorcan against big brutes, and this match has been on my dream "Lorcan vs. Brute" match list. And it rules. It only goes about 5 minutes, but Lorcan is great at working these 80/20 matches, and Ryker focuses a really nasty attack to Lorcan's back and ribs. Every single thing Ryker brings to Lorcan is a hard attack at his torso, with a couple of pants shitting low running knees, a gutbuster tossed with absolute fury, even Ryker just dropping huge clubbing shots right into Lorcan's ribs and sternum. Lorcan fights at the bell with great chops but gets smothered easily, and this is a match after my heart as Ryker grabs a great bearhug. Lorcan is the outright best in the WWE at fighting out of a bearhug, really taking you through all the levels of pain before he starts grabbing at Ryker's beard, trying to break free by covering Ryker's nose and mouth, and finally building to grabbing that beard and punching Ryker several times in the face. Then we get that explosive Lorcan comeback we love, him launching his full weight into all his attacks, chopping that brute down, getting nearly horizontal with his flying uppercuts and adjusting the attack lower and lower and Ryker gets more and more slumped in the corner. Of course it all ends with a big chokebomb, and I would have liked just one Lorcan kickout before being put away, but this is a match type I wish we saw way more often.

Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo 205 Live 4/23/19

ER: A fun match, but another in a string of good 15 minute 205 Live match that would have been much better as a 10 minute match. These things are a little long in the tooth for the crowd to stay invested, and it's endlessly amusing to me that WWE is making crowds sit through two 15 minute cruiserweight matches before getting to the people they presumably want to see. Did any of us ever think we'd say stuff like "I like that WWE is giving TV time to the cruiserweights, but why does it have to be *this* much time?" Carrillo uses flippiness to frustrate Gulak early, and I dug the spot where Carrillo climbed all the way to the top of the ringpost and waved to Gulak on the floor, with Gulak yelling at him to get down from there. Gulak shows him who's boss by grounding things, working a cool figure 4 variation and really tangling up Carrillo's knees with his legs, really locking in leg holds so he can move Carrillo at will by leverage: either roll over with me or your knee will be popped out. Gulak works a nice armbar, and then a genuinely great ankle lock (catching the leg out of the air after Carrillo tried a spin kick). We spent so many years watching Angle just stand there like a doof holding someone's foot, and here's Gulak working different points of manipulation, really gripping the toes while twisting at the ankle, trying gamely to hold on while getting kicked in the face, and a killer moment where Carrillo rolls through to a convincing nearfall, leading to Gulak powering up with his core into a nastier ankle lock, never letting go. Carrillo hits a nice tope en reversa and a great missile dropkick right to the collarbones, finishing with a sunset flip bomb and the Aztec press. I really liked most of the stuff they did here, it just would have benefitted from lopping a couple sections off.

Jack Gallagher/Humberto Carrillo vs. The Singh Brothers 205 Live 5/21/19

ER: You come here for the Singh Brothers content, I'm gonna give you that Singh Brothers content. Tired of arguing with your friends about which Singh Brother is better? Tired of parties devolving into rooms split between Samir supporters and Sunil sustainers? Well, it's Samir. The answer is Samir. Samir cuts way low on a lariat, hits a great cheapshot on Gallagher for the floor that sets up a convincing false finish, takes a big chest first bump in the corner, just a cut above Sunil. And this match is worked at a nice clip, with the Singhs cutting Carrillo off from Gallagher, and the Singhs are good at fast bumps and roll up pins that looks like they might actually finish a match, and when Gallagher does get in, hits his great delayed vertical suplex and grabs a half crab, Sunil comes in with a lariat right to the back of his head. The match wrapped up oddly quick, like they suddenly realized they had to get the hell out of the ring in 20 seconds - and by now I am accustomed to these 205 matches going their full damn course. The better finish actually would have been the Singhs winning off outside interference and a roll up, the finish here (Carrillo hitting an ugly Aztec press) didn't really feel like it went with any of the story they were telling.