[2018-05-29-WWE-205 Live] Cedric Alexander vs Buddy Murphy

[nivvad]

An awesome culmination of an almost half a year long build. This match was very great with both Buddy and Cedric bringing out the best of themselves to this big time match. Hell, I would even say it's arguably the best match in 205 live history so far. That said the crowd was probably the biggest negative; no they weren't dead, but they weren't as loud as I would've hoped. Put this match in front of a hot crowd, and many would be calling it a MOTY candidate. In a WWE ring though, I would say it's the best WWE match this year, ****1/2.

[ShittyLittleBoots]

For most of it, this was a complete Buddy Murphy carryjob in my eyes. His targeting of Cedric's back was wonderful & his strikes actually looked good unlike those of his opponents. Shitty selling by Cedric & the awful thigh slapping "epic" strike sequences during the finishing stretch brought the match down a notch, but it was still a good one & a great showing from Buddy Murphy. What an absolute lovely revelation that man has been in his 205 run. ***

[Cap]

I drove over to Raleigh for SD and 205Live and this match in particular made the trip completely worth my time and money. I thought this was really top notch stuff on the whole. There was a good, deliberate build with lots of good offense, but it wasn't overdone. I thought Murphy did a wonderful job being the sort of glue that holds everything together. I like Alexander as an offensive wrestler, but I do agree that his selling is still developing a bit. That said, i did think this was one of his better performances. The escalation near the end and the cut offs were fantastic. One of my tells for a great match is if it gets me to bite on false finishes despite being pretty sure I know who is going to win. This did that. I would give this 4.5 if Murphy would have caught him off that handspring off the ropes near the end and went right into his move instead of having to readjust. I don't mean that as a criticism - honestly - because I thought they recovered beautifully there. It is just that is a spot that would have really cranked up the intensity in the moment (felt that way watching live and on tape). I still thought this was probably my favorite match from either man and a top contender for 205's top match so far. ****1/4

[Boss Rock]

Excellent title match and adds to an already impressive resume for Mr. Murphy. I know most folks (myself included) would rather Ali be in this spot than Cedric, but Cedric absolutely proved once again he can deliver in a big match setting like this. Great back-and-forth action, awesome escalation, and some absolutely vicious-looking strikes. One of the best if not the best TV match of the year.

 

****1/4.

[Maciej]

I guess the thigh-slapping stuff doesn't really bother me that much, because the strike exchange at the end felt to me totally appropriate. And I thought they did a good job of throwing in some details that were pretty distinct, like Murphy sliding back into the ring to try to catch Cedric off guard after his dive feint (which in itself is unusual) and then Cedric being too alert to let him, leading to a stand off. Or, and this is a tiny thing, Murphy grasping to catch Cedric by the tights while Cedric ran to the ropes and missing. I guess I feel like wrestlers don't (kayfabe) fail at enough things they try without consequence. Not every mistake you make should lead to a move reversal; sometimes things should just not work and you move on, right? Good stuff.

 

I was also a big fan of Murphy's diving knees the back of Cedric's head in the corner and the superkick counter on the second attempt. The aforementioned strike exchange got the crowd more into it an important point, the dives were big, and the execution, minus that one Murphy counter, was solid. This was definitely my fav 205 live match of the year so far and up there with my fav non-NXT WWE matches for sure.

[SmartMark15]

This match was awesome and incredibly well laid out with Buddy Murphy being the big bruiser and striker trying to take down the flashier Cedric Alexander. It certainly helps that this might have been the hottest 205 Live crowd in the history of the show as North Carolina went all out to support Alexander here. That gave the match a real sense of importance and stakes. Thought Murphy looked fantastic on offense and this performance certainly puts him in the upper echelon of 205 Live performers. Wonderful stuff.

 

****1/4

[cactus]

That hometown reaction Cedric Alexander received as he entered the arena was pathetic. I felt sorry for him.

 

Great, but a complete Buddy Murphy carryjob. This is the first I've seen off since he's arrived at 205 Live. He's come leaps and bounds since he was in that obnoxious dub-step cowboys tag team. He carries himself in a legit manner and I loved the way he was teeing off on Alexander with soccer kicks after taking control of the match after dumping him onto the announce table and ring apron in a brutal fashion. Cedric didn't detract from this match, but any cruiserweight could of taken his place. The only thing that impressed me was how great his elbow strikes sounded.

 

Give it a watch. Even the half-emptied arena eventually came around and started getting invested in this after seeing how hard these guys were trying.

 

★★★★