WWE 205 Live: Tony Nese Can Now Start Fresh And Shine

For months, Tony Nese toiled on the WWE 205 Live roster as a boring heel who had more “go away” heat than anything else. But after ostensibly turning babyface, the future is finally bright for the Purple Brand’s “Premier Athlete”.

It didn’t take long for new WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick to make his mark on the division, and one of his first orders of business, after beginning the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, was to motivate the wrestlers on the roster. He chastised Jack Gallagher for wearing clothes inappropriate for wrestling, he challenged Drew Gulak to become more fear-inspiring than goofy, and he absolutely tore into Tony Nese for basically being a joke.

Because Nese was a joke. Since 205 Live started, he was honestly the absolute worst character on the entire show. A caricature of a male fitness YouTuber (or something like that), Nese would confidently strut into the arena, boasting about his physique, and pointing at his abs, stating that the has “8 reasons” why he’s better than everyone else there.

Nese’s nickname was “The Premier Athlete”, but there was nothing “premier” or athletic about him. And no, having a great physique doesn’t make you an elite athlete. 205 Live never showcased Nese’s in-ring work or athleticism, as he was forced to be a boring heel in all of his matches. So, naturally, his matches stunk. They absolutely stunk. I can’t even remember a single match Nese had, because they all blended together and only served one purpose: to show that Nese was generic outside of his physique.

When Nese was just another cog in the ‘Zo Train, the WWE teased a face turn at one point when Gulak, Enzo Amore, and Ariya Daivari ganged up on Nese to beat him up for essentially no reason. Yet nothing came out of this, even though Nese was clearly a sympathetic character and going absolutely nowhere with his run-of-the-mill “I’m jacked therefore I’m an arrogant heel” character that had absolutely no development.

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But last week, Nese showed something. Mark Andrews won the opportunity to face Gulak and get revenge on 205 Live’s resident deranged dad, so Nese “confronted” him backstage.

Instead of getting in Andrews’s face, he offered the United Kingdom Superstar words of encouragement, stating that he wanted Andrews to get revenge against Gulak on his behalf. After Andrews lost and Gulak was still trying to maim him, it was Nese who came in and made the save.

Prior to that, Nese had a showcase match against an enhancement talent, and while these matches are rarely of note, in this particular instance it was extremely critical for Nese. Not only did it help build him back up a little bit, but the match itself showed that Nese can “go”.

He was able to execute all of the moves that make him stand out as an elite athlete instead of just doing bicycle crunches in the corner. It was an easy victory for Nese, but it was a necessary one that reminded fans of what The Premier Athlete can offer 205 Live. In that way, it was the appropriate “showcase” match for Nese.

I believe the fans have been waiting to get behind Nese for some time, because he never really got heat as a heel. He was never portrayed as a heel that the audience should take seriously, which is something Maverick (read: the writing staff at 205 Live under Triple H’s direction) picked up on quite quickly.

As a babyface, Nese has a chance to start fresh. He has a new direction and a new character in a completely revamped show that finally appears to be headed in the correct direction. Moreover, Nese now has the leeway to shine more as an in-ring competitor, in addition to getting this renewed vigor to be a more nuanced character that offers something the crowd might actually want to see.

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The stereotype of a physical specimen as a heel can work well, as it does in the case of NXT’s resident heat magnet Tino Sabbatelli. But it just didn’t suit Nese and it showed. Nese may have something to sink his teeth into here, and hopefully 205 Live gives him some chances to tear the house down as an in-ring competitor in the near future. After all, that is the heart of what makes 205 Live so special; it’s the home of breath-taking wrestling that is difficult to find on a weekly basis, even in today’s more saturated wrestling market.