WWE: Ranking The Top Five 205 Live Matches Of 2018

5. Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali, Jan. 23

Before the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament began and Drake Maverick was appointed as the 205 Live General Manager, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali started the post-Enzo Amore era of the Cruiserweight Division by waking up the Washington D.C. crowd in the main event.

Before 205 moved to Wednesday evenings in order to give Season 2 of the Mixed Match Challenge a better timeslot after SmackDown Live for Facebook Watch live viewers, the cruiserweights had to work in front of worn-out crowds. This led to their excellent matches being received lukewarmly by fans, many of whom could be seen visibly using their cellphones during comeback sequences – including fans in the front row.

At the beginning of this match between Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander, this general apathy in the crowd response could be observed. But as Ali and Alexander started showing the WWE Universe why they are capable of being big stars for the company, the crowd started to wake up, eventually giving the two superstars in the ring their full support. They noticed how hard Ali and Alexander were working and realized that this was about to be a new future for 205 Live.

One week later, Daniel Bryan presented the fans with the new GM, Drake Maverick, and the rest followed from there. But Alexander vs. Ali was a match between two good friends and elite competitors who respectfully tore the house down in front of an initially reluctant crowd and illustrated what 205 Live would become just months later. In a lot of ways, this is the exact moment when the new era of the show began.