1st Match: “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese vs. Lince Dorado
Dorado is a great performer, unfortunately he’s been caught in the crosshairs of other guys in the start of pushes. Nese is on fire right now.
Dorado gets a little bit of offence in early, but Nese soon grounds him and shows off his power by keeping the Luchador from using his speed. Nese tries to unmask Dorado to no avail, but he quickly finishes him off with his Premier Knee Strike.
Your Winner: Tony Nese, by pinfall, following the Premier Knee Strike
Following the match, Nese continues his assault on Dorado, with his launching German Suplex firing Dorado into the turnbuckle. TJ Perkins music hits and he rushes the ring to Dorado’s aid, as Nese scatters.
205 Jive: Tony Nese continues his push, showing off power and savagery with stunning athleticism. He and Perkins have history from their days in Evolve last year, so this could be a sleeper feud that steals a few shows.
We get a preview for Gran Metalik (the performer formerly known as Mascara Dorada in NJPW and CMLL), who is making his 205 Live debut soon. He was last seen in last year’s Cruiserweight Classic and a few NXT showcases.
2nd Match: Akira Tozawa vs. Aaron Solow
Brian Kendrick comes down to join the commentary team, eager to watch the debut of Akira Tozawa. Oddly enough, the first time we saw Tozawa back in the WWE Universe since his CWC run and NXT showcases was at the NXT special from Japan a few weeks back, where he tagged with Kendrick’s current (injured) foil, Tajiri.
Tozawa is facing indie wrestler Aaron Solow (WrestleCircus), who was actually an alternate for the Cruiserweight Classic last year.
Quick and hard hitting match, Tozawa got the win in under five minutes with a convincing win.
Your Winner: Akira Tozawa, by pinfall, from a bridging German Suplex
Austin Aries comes in the ring and asks Tozawa if he has anything to tell the crowd. Tozawa answers in Japanese and leaves. Kendrick is still sitting at the commentary, looking stunned at what he saw.
205 Jive: Somewhat underwhelming debut for Tozawa (again, the Samoa Joe hangover), but it served it’s purpose. He looked strong and finished off a lesser opponent in under five minutes. Clearly Tozawa is taking over from Tajiri in the feud with Kendrick, which should lead to a far better showcase of his skills to the WWE Universe.
3rd Match: WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville & Noam Dar vs. Jack Gallagher & Cedric Alexander
Both teams make their entrances, with Neville unimpressed with his partner. Neville starts off first, facing fellow Englishman Jack Gallagher across the ring. After trading a few holds, Noam Dar comes in to replace Neville.
Gallagher and Alexander work quickly trading tags, working Dar mercilessly around the ring. Finally Neville nails Gallagher in the corner, tags himself in, and begins to brutalize Gallagher in the middle of the ring. Following a brutal double stomp to the back of Gallagher’s head, Neville stares down Alexander in the opposite corner, before returning to his prey in the center of the ring.
He continues to work on Gallagher, with himself and Dar making quick tags, similar to how the opposing team worked earlier in the match. Neville gives Dar a stare as Dar keeps tagging himself in when Neville isn’t paying attention.
Gallagher smashes Dar with a nasty looking headbutt that appears to rattle both guys and Dar nearly tags the loss. Neville comes in and berates Dar for tagging himself in when Neville had the match won. Gallagher continues to work over Dar and when Dar goes for the tag, Neville walks away, leaving him by himself.
He turns into a flying lariat from Cedric Alexander, now the legal man, followed by a Lumbar Check, and Cedric and Jack pick up the win.
Your Winner: Cedric Alexander and Jack Gallagher, when Cedric Alexander pins Noam Dar, following the Lumbar Check
205 Live: It would not surprise me in the least if Gallagher has a concussion from that headbutt. That was savage looking. Neville continues his nasty streak, being an equal foil to face and heels alike. Dar is dangerously close to becoming the Santino Marella of 205 Live, so hopefully he and Cedric get some real time down the road to show what both are truly capable of.
