Ariya Daivari Says 205 Live Had AEW Vibes

Ariya Daivari spent several years in WWE as a performer on the 205 Live brand as a cruiserweight. His long run with the promotion ended when he was released from his WWE contract in June 2021. After debuting his Trust Buster faction in AEW, it was reported that Ariya had signed a deal with the company.

Given that he has performed for both WWE and AEW, Daivari is able to draw comparisons between both promotions. He recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast where he compared the behind-the-scenes vibe of 205 Live to AEW.

“We were very proud of that show. Even though it didn’t get the love from the fans or even the office that it should’ve, that roster of guys, we got really tight. A lot of us are really close friends to this day.

“We just always busted our ass to make sure we had the best matches, and honestly, it’s the vibe that I get a little bit from AEW. The tightness of the roster and how well we want to perform, because in AEW maybe a lot of people do look at us as, ‘Oh, we’re the second company.’

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“In WWE in “205,” at that point we were like the third or fourth brand. So, I love that our roster has this mentality, our roster at “205” has the mentality like, ‘We’ll f**king show you, we’ll show you guys.’”

205 Live changed into NXT Level Up earlier this year, and the show airs every Friday. NXT Level Up provides NXT talent with more screen time so that they can further develop their ring skills. Still, 205 Live will hold a special place in the hearts of many.

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