Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

By Nicholas Jason Lopez

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 12/13/16)

Still Feeling Lucky 

– The opening video recapped last week when WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann successfully defended against Brian Kendrick in their rematch. There was some accidental physicality between the “good friends” of TJ Perkins/Swann, as we ended with Swann laid out with a superkick meant for Kendrick. As we know, we’ll get a Triple-Threat for the Title at Roadblock: End Of The Line. One has to assume that we’ll get more build. The main event would be Swann-Perkins.

– The “Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher-Drew Gulak match was a logical way to retain momentum for the entertaining Gallagher while Gulak got to showcase fancy aggression in front of his hometown Philadelphia crowd. There was actually a decent pop for Gulak, who seems to tread water. We were reminded of when Gallagher interfered in Ariya Daivari’s match against Lince Dorado the night before in a “gentlemanly” manner. The bout took on a technical tendency, as both men exchanged rolling crucifixes for about 15 seconds. Gulak’s Cravat Lock looked painful with an extra twist. Our one gripe with Gallagher’s matches is that now they’re predictable, as he did his Windsor Knot/Rear Kick and turnbuckle handstand spots again. Points to Commentator Mauro Ranallo for his name-drop of Katsuyori Shibata. As expected, Gallagher won with his headbutt/running corner dropkick. We were surprised that Daivari made no revenge appearance.

– The Perkins/Swann backstage segment hyped the main event, as Perkins got more out of the exchange. He came off heelish as he called Swann’s recent wins “lucky” and that on Sunday, kicks to his face wouldn’t be accidental because “luck always ran out.” Perkins can get away with those lines because he blurs the pandering babyface/brash heel borderline.

– The Tajiri hype video put over the well-known kicker’s career highlights. Fortunately, no mist. Tajiri was a welcome addition to the Cruiserweight Classic, so it’ll be cool to see him as a veteran.

– The Gallagher/Daivari backstage segment was the followup we sought earlier. Gallagher tried to bury the hatchet since he made things even, only for Daivari to reject it because he was humiliated. It was good to hear more from Daivari that wasn’t angry Persian. The feud advanced with that and we can only hope a payoff match is in the wings. Gallagher has surely benefited.

– The Dorado-Mustafa Ali match served as both men’s 205 in-ring debuts, as we got separate pre-taped promos. Dorado promised to bring Lucha Libre, while Ali aspired to erase stereotypes, ignorance and pre-conceived ideas of what he was on name alone. Ali has one of the more interesting characters, since he’s well-spoken and a charismatic heel. He’s almost like what you’d get if Perkins went full-fledged heel. Athleticism aplenty to cater to both men’s styles as they bounced off one another. Dorado showcased lots of offense – hard slaps, Frankensteiner, handspring stunner, an apron huracanrana to the floor and a springboard moonsault all in rapid succession. Just when it picked up and the crowd began to invest, it went downhill when both men were counted out. Liked how they gave Dorado an excuse, as he fell backwards and hit his head on the ramp on the way down from the moonsault. Still a flat ending that did nothing for both men. The post-match angle where Ali slapped Dorado and ate a spinning heel kick was okay. We’ll see what develops.

– The Noam Dar/Alicia Fox backstage segment continued their angle from last week, where Dar teased Fox with match dedications and came off stalker-ish when he said he’d see her around when she mentioned she had a boyfriend now, who was Cedric Alexander. Strangely enough, a “creeper” label works for Dar.

– The Perkins hype video was a well-done package that again told his story of a hopeless upbringing to find success and eventually gold as the first Cruiserweight Classic winner and Champion. Mixed in was some EVOLVE footage, as he backed up his urges to do things with style and flair. Perhaps it was cocky to call himself “the model of greatness,” but one can’t argue that wasn’t Perkins to a tee. The video game references were obsolete and they finished with a line where he said he felt it was his responsibility to lead the generation. That was the most babyface thing he said all hour.

– The Perkins-Swann main event with Kendrick on commentary rightfully pushed the Roadblock Triple-Threat in a way that fit all their characters. Funny that they finally took the belt off Perkins in his 8-bit stage entrance graphic. The two engaged in flashy offense while Kendrick put himself over as a veteran trained by legends in the business. The match’s story consisted of Perkins working over Swann’s leg, which eventually affected the latter’s ability to hit the Standing 450 Splash and led its way to the kneebar submission that made the Champ tap out. Good time to show some vulnerability for Swann. The post-match angle was good, as both Swann/Perkins saw through Kendrick’s intentions to “congratulate” them, though he never actually did anything to warrant getting superkicked by Perkins. Great ending with the superkick tease to Swann to show that the same could happen at Roadblock. They continue to tell a nice story with this three-way feud, the smartest way to go with the Cruiserweight Championship, a match with the first three Champions.

Quick Results

• “The Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher def. Drew Gulak via pinfall 
• Lince Dorado and Mustafa Ali to a double countout 
• TJ Perkins def. Rich Swann via submission