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

Another week, another TV absence from the B3. Gulak had a dark match on Smackdown, that doesn't help me much.

Oney Lorcan vs. Kalisto WWE 205 Live 4/2/19

ER: These two aren't very frequent dance partners, and its kind of a style clash match up that wasn't always on the same page, and yet it felt like there was a potential great match here. Kalisto missed moments and there were a few spots that didn't come off as clean, but it didn't feel like Lorcan was the guy responsible for that. In fact, Lorcan took some of Kalisto's offense better than I'd seen anyone take it, really felt like Cesaro getting an unexpectedly great match out of some Chikara undercard goof. Kalisto's problems were the kind that won't necessarily be there one match from the next, things like a couple ropes slips that he normally doesn't do. I don't think he falls off the ropes too often doing armdrags, or slips off the turnbuckle doing a Salida del Sol, so those things just felt like unfortunate mistakes rather than flaws in the match. Lorcan is a great underdog, but this is a great showcase for Lorcan as the dominant asskicker, the guy who hits way harder but doesn't steamroll. His chops and uppercuts looked cruel, but then he would do stuff like take Kalisto's tornillo better than anyone (the way he sprung across the ring was perfect), and he's someone who can ground an exciting guy like Kalisto with a body vice and choke, and have it all build to something. Fans were excited for Kalisto to come back, not just bored with Lorcan holding him down. This felt like a Darby Allin match at times, with Kalisto in the Darby role, peppering in exciting comebacks before eating death. There was a fun thread of Lorcan going for the half nelson suplex but Kalisto getting out of it, while Lorcan kept avoiding the Salida del Sol. Eventually Kalisto hit it on the apron, but couldn't get Lorcan pushed back into the ring in time to finish him. That's a thing WWE doesn't do enough, allowing someone to hit their finisher in a decisive way, but not being able to get the win due to physics. Instead they opt for guys just kicking out of finishers, or more commonly they would have just have Kalisto sell for a long time, apparently completely wiped out by merely hitting his finisher. These two have only been in the same ring three times in WWE, but this match really made me think they have something potentially awesome in this match-up.

Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese WWE 205 Live 4/30/19

ER: I don't think this was the best Tony Nese performance of 2019, but I think it was the best instance of working all of Tony Nese into the most compelling match possible. I think the best Nese match we have is his Brian Kendrick bout from the CWC, and that took an all time great "veteran hanging on" performance from Kendrick. Kendrick lifted Nese to another plane, and here's Gulak trying to do the same. And really, outside of one stretch where Nese was hitting a bunch of really bad strike combos, and typical Nese stuff like whiffing on his split legged moonsault, this was laid out to give a long Tony Nese match that maximum amount of success possible. There were going to be Nese moments, but they came at the best possible moments of the match. Nese did hit hard when a couple moments called for it (there was a great rolling elbow on the floor after a silly cartwheel off the apron that really stood out), and his comebacks were fit in nicely. His offense runs were kept small, so that he wasn't out here hitting 5 moves in a row, each looking more dodgy that the last. Gulak controlled this tough, so Nese would pop up with some flourishes, including some clever learned behavior shots. His biggest offense run came after the no good very bad strike combo, but it ended with Nese wiping out Gulak with a great Fosbury Flop dive that crashed his hip right into Gulak's face. And the learned behavior wasn't cutesy dance party stuff, it was stuff like Nese sidestepping Gulak when Gulak goes for his flying sunset flip, then kneeing Gulak in the chin. Gulak worked a couple of sick gutbusters in, and we had this gorgeous pro wrestling shot of the slo mo replay of Gulak hitting a middle rope gutbuster on Nese. Just planting that knee on the mat while flipping Nese into that femur, really highlighting the risky and savage nature of that move. Nese's best attribute is his ability to miss, as his big faceplant on a 450 is always welcome, and adds a great moment of Gulak snagging him directly into the Gu-lock, Gulak desperately holding that even if it meant taking Nese's scalp with him. Nese's nearfall when finally managing to flip off the ropes while in the Gu-Lock was really strong, great false finish, and the running knee in the corner after a German to the buckles looked like something that should finish. Gulak looked glazed and it felt like a good time to wrap up. I don't find Tony Nese matches engaging. Tony Nese is a guy who has been shackled to our damn ankles just because of how often he is paired with a guy we actually love...but this was a long Tony Nese match that was engaging, and that's why we spend so much time writing about Drew Gulak.