Sterling (formerly known as Alex Zayne) and Hale (Anthony Henry) are both new additions to the 205 Live roster. Sterling was part of the group of signees that joined the WWE Performance Center last December, while Hale joined the Performance Center this February.
Sterling made his WWE debut by defeating Samir Singh on 205 Live three weeks ago. He lost to Nese the following week but then defeated Hale on last Friday’s show.
Hale’s WWE debut was a loss against Cameron Grimes on NXT three weeks ago. On 205 Live, Hale has defeated Daivari but lost to Sterling.
In storyline, Nese and Daivari are the veterans of 205 Live who don’t like newcomers to the brand. Nese & Daivari were most recently in action on NXT last week, losing to Hit Row’s Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis.
This was a fine match. Sterling applied his selling inconsistently, which his standard moveset demands. Hale’s performance was quite good.
The match started with Sterling trying to match Hale’s grappling prowess, and unsurprisingly Hale gained the advantage. A kick to the back of the knee of Sterling worked to ground him for about two seconds. Sterling hit a rana, ignoring the leg he was limping on, before sending Hale to the outside. Sterling tried for moonsauce, but Hale avoided the attack. Hale slammed Sterling into the barricade to reassert his control.
Back inside the ring, Hale hit Sterling’s knee with a dropkick. Hale, now laser-focused, lifted Sterling onto the ropes before hitting a figure four dragon screw, furthering the damage done to the limb. A bridging Indian deathlock forced Sterling into the ropes.
Sterling tried for a quick rollup, followed by another, then another. A pump knee strike from Sterling opened Hale up for a flipping facebuster, then covered Hale for the win.
Ikemen Jiro & August Grey defeated Sunil Singh and Samir Singh (The Bollywood Boyz)
This wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t bad.
Grey and Samir engaged in some basic grappling to open the match. Sunil and Jiro tagged in soon after, allowing Jiro to connect with some compelling offence. After a Jiro springboard moonsault, Grey tagged back into the match but lost control almost immediately.
Samir and Sunil took turns picking apart Grey, causing a call for rally from Jiro. Grey finally tagged out of the match after being dominated for minutes. Jiro unloaded with palm strikes, taking out both Singhs. A second moonsault left Jiro with a near fall.
Jiro missed a senton, causing both of his opponents to hit the ring. After Grey ran off Samir, Jiro connected with an incredible rana from the top rope. A knee strike to Sunil awarded Jiro a pinfall victory.
– A pair of matches have been announced for the NXT UK episode that will air two weeks from today.
The Thursday, June 3 edition of NXT UK will feature Ilja Dragunov vs. Noam Dar and Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey. Brown vs. Coffey is a rematch from when Brown defeated Coffey this February.
On this week’s NXT UK, Dragunov appeared as the guest on Dar’s Supernova Sessions talk show. Dar mocked the anger issues that Dragunov has dealt with since losing to NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER last October. Dragunov said he’s not that person anymore but can still hurt Dar very, very badly. Dar claimed that Dragunov was scared of WALTER and is scared of him.
Brown defeated Coffey’s Gallus stablemate Wolfgang on this week’s NXT UK.
Nathan Frazer (formerly known as Ben Carter) vs. Sha Samuels has been set up for next Thursday’s NXT UK episode but hasn’t been officially announced.
– Two matches have also been announced for this Friday’s episode of 205 Live. Ikemen Jiro & August Grey will face The Bollywood Boyz in a tag team match, while Ari Sterling will take on Asher Hale in singles action.
Jiro (formerly known as Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio), Sterling (Alex Zayne), and Hale (Anthony Henry) are all recent additions to the 205 Live roster. Jiro made his 205 Live debut by teaming with Grey to defeat Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari two weeks ago. Sterling also debuted on that show, defeating Samir Singh of The Bollywood Boyz. Sterling lost to Nese on last week’s 205 Live.
Hale made his 205 Live debut by defeating Daivari last week.
– WWE has announced that a new limited-series event titled “The 50 Greatest Tag Teams” will premiere on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else on Wednesday, June 2. It will be hosted by Breezango and will be narrated by WWE’s The Bump’s Matt Camp.
New episodes of The 50 Greatest Tag Teams will premiere every Wednesday leading into the final episode on Wednesday, June 30. The series “will count down WWE’s top tandems over the course of five episodes.”
“The series launch coincides with Tag Team Week, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the World Tag Team Championship taking place across WWE social channels May 31-June 6,” WWE wrote.
“The show is the second installment of The 50 Greatest series that premiered earlier this year. The first installment focused on WWE’s best female Superstars, a list topped by WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.”
I hate to repeat this for a second week in a row, but this was the best episode of 205 Live I’ve watched. Both matches delivered and then some. This show also had more character than a typical 205 Live episode. Compared to the rest of pandemic era 205 Live, this felt like a show with a purpose.
Asher Hale defeated Ariya Daivari
This was an above-the-mark match and an all-around fun watch.
Continuing the streak, the man formerly known as Anthony Henry made his 205 Live debut. Asher Hale, as he is now known, delivered a strong performance in his debut.
Hale and Daivari had a simple exchange to open the match made up of basic grappling and groundwork. As the match continued, the opening grappling quickly dynamized as more exciting and impactful moves entered the fray. Daivari ended the back and forth by sending Hale to the outside and cutting him off before he could come back.
Daivari, now in control, locked in a sleeper hold; Hale struggled but eventually freed himself. Hale followed his escape with an impressive snapping power slam. A strike exchange followed. Hale emerged from the clash ahead, connecting with a suplex triad (two exploders and a northern lights).
Daivari kicked out of a DDT and interrupted a now frustrated Hale who had scaled to the top rope. Daivari threw Hale to the mat before climbing to the top himself and hitting the Persian splash; Hale kicked out. Daivari then pulled Hale into position for a hammerlock lariat, but Hale ducked the move, allowing him to slip into an O’Connor Roll pin. Daivari was unable to escape, leaving Hale victorious in his debut.
All four members of Bolly-Rise discussed Ever-Rise Live, a Facebook show featuring, you guessed it, Ever-Rise. This was a short but lively segment that didn’t hurt the show in any way.
Tony Nese defeated Ari Sterling
This was a fantastic match. The pace was blisteringly quick when it needed to be and calm when necessary. Despite its glitzy outermost layer of paint, the match was filled with genuine dramatics—what a showing from both men.
The match started with a ton of athletics; flips from both men filled the opening moments in a contest of pride. Nese ended the borderline ostentatious competition by connecting with some basic strikes.
Sterling regained some control, which he used to connect with a senton. Nese rolled to the outside but stopped Sterling from leaping to the outside by grabbing his feet. The pair brawled outside for a moment before Nese re-entered the ring. Nese captured Sterling with the ring’s apron before connecting with a dropkick. A substantial period of Nese offense followed.
Sterling connected with an enziguri to break up Nese’s control. He then tried for a sunset flip, but Nese met him with a firm boot to the jaw. Nese was allowed to slow the match for the first time in a while, locking in body scissors. Nese followed this by throwing Sterling into the corner and trying for a superplex. Sterling freed himself from the threat and connected with a head-scissor throw.
Nese rolled to the outside, allowing Nese to connect with a springboard Arabin moonsault to the outside. Nese caught Sterling upon re-entry enabling him to try for a 450, but Sterling rolled to safety. Sterling could not follow up, as Nese connected with a running knee and a sit-down back-to-belly driver.
Nese wasted time after the failed pin, which allowed Sterling to connect with a devastating powerbomb. Sterling climbed to the top rope but overshot whatever move he was going for. Nese caught Sterling with a German suplex into the corner, which he followed with a running knee. Nese pinned Sterling to end this great match.
Henry was part of the group of signees who joined the WWE Performance Center this February. He formerly wrestled for EVOLVE and is a former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion.
Henry debuted as Asher Hale on NXT last week. He lost to Cameron Grimes on the show.
“Old guard vs. new guard” matchups will be the theme of this week’s 205 Live episode. The show will also feature Ari Sterling (formerly known as Alex Zayne) facing Daivari’s tag team partner Tony Nese. Zayne made his WWE debut as Ari Sterling on last week’s 205 Live episode. He defeated Samir Singh.
Ikemen Jiro (Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio) also debuted on 205 Live last week, teaming with August Grey to defeat Daivari & Nese. Zayne and Kuroshio both joined the WWE Performance Center in December 2020.
This was, without a doubt, the best episode of 205 Live I’ve watched. Both matches were tons of fun and had high-speed cruiserweight action. The debuts excite me to no end, as both of these men have all the potential in the world. If this is the future of the brand, it might have a reason to exist.
Ari Sterling defeated Samir Singh (w/ Sunil Singh)
Ari Sterling, formerly Alex Zayne, made his debut tonight. While Titan will tone down the fantastically insane moveset of Sterling ultimately, tonight he delivered an exciting match filled with athletics. Whether he is in Kingsport TN’s Civic auditorium or the WWE’s Capitol Wrestling Center, it’s hard to understate how exciting this man is.
Samir started the match with a headlock takedown, but Sterling proved capable moments later after escaping the hold. Sterling hit a few moves in quick succession before delivering a flipping springboard dive to the outside dubbed the “Moonsauce.”
Samir sidestepped a dropkick before launching Sterling with a reasonably typical catapult; Sterling flew outside the ring. Once back inside the ring, Samir locked in a Boston crab. After Sterling freed himself from the crab, he connected with an up kick to reset the match.
Sterling rallied with some basic strikes followed by a front flip into a kick. Sterling then hit an awkward slam with a flip, a different move from his former finisher, for the win.
August Grey and Ikemen Jiro defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese
In another debut, Ikemen Jiro, formerly Jiro Kuroshio of Wrestle-1, showcased his atypical persona in a superb match. The pacing was excellent, and the action was exciting, but Jiro’s presence shined through.
The match began only after Jiro refused to remove his signature jacket; he would wrestle the match with the sports coat. Jiro got the best of Nese in the opening exchange and tagged in Grey, who immediately lost all the control Jiro gained in the opening moments.
Daivari and Nese dominated Grey, leaving him desperate for a tag. After the tag came, Jiro took out both Nese and Daivari before showing off his jacket to the CWC; A solid strike to the back of the head stopped his fashion show.
Daivari and Nese were back in control, this time with Jiro tag desperate. Jiro transformed a sleeper into a belly-to-back suplex, creating enough time for a hot tag. Grey connected with everything but the kitchen sink, taking out both of his opponents. After a failed pin following a crossbody, Grey tried to tag in Jiro, but he was nowhere to be found.
Nese grabbed Grey’s leg, allowing Daivari to club Nese into the ground. Jiro hit the ring in time to save Grey from sure doom, causing a four-way brawl. Daivari and Nese, in the end, won out, lifting Grey into a double team move that Jiro was forced to break up.
Jiro tagged into the match, connecting with everything in his arsenal. To punctuate his rally, Jiro hit Nese and Daivari with a moonsault. Jiro followed up with a beautiful senton and a pin that Daivari broke up. Grey hit Daivari with a dive to stop his interference, which Jiro followed with a dive of his own. Jiro then hit a “leg slash” to pick up a win.
Jake Atlas and August Grey defeated Sunil Singh and Samir Singh (The Bollywood Boyz)
This was a stereotypically forgettable 205 Live match; I’m not even sure why it exists.
Sunil started the match by taking Grey to the mat via headlock. After Grey escaped, both Samir and Atlas tagged in. Atlas kicked free from a rollup attempt so forcefully that Samir found himself outside the ring, leaving Atlas in control. Grey maintained this momentum following another tag.
A hot tag allowed Sunil to gain control—a spinning heel kick led to a Singh favored near fall, and a neck breaker followed by an elbow drop led to another.
Atlas stopped a double team maneuver, allowing Atlas to tag Grey into the match. Atlas hit his distracted opponent with a devastating superkick that Grey followed with a crossbody. Grey was successful in the pin that followed.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese
This was a compelling match. formatively unique. Matt Martel played both a victim in need of rescue and conquering hoss in a convincing fashion. Nese and Daivari delivered as always.
The opening exchange saw Nese connect with a quick elbow which he used to take full advantage of the match; Nese and Daivari traded tags, picking apart Martel. After a minutes-long, utterly one-sided beatdown, Martel finally created some separation after a moment of distraction provided by Parker. Nese prevented the tag, restarting the destruction of Martel.
Parker broke up a tag following a Nese moonsault. Nese paid his attention to Parker, allowing Martel to tag into the match for the first time. Parker connected with a barrage of offense, punctuated by a Gory bomb. After Nese kicked out, Parker tried tagging out; Martel was understandably still regaining consciousness outside the ring. Martel tagged in once he could, only to fall victim to a Nese/Daivari double team once more.
Martel managed to sidestep Nese and tag in Parker again. Following an Ever-Rise double team maneuver, Martel tagged in once more, hitting a powerbomb before nearly submitting Nese with a crab; Daivari hit Martel with a superkick to break up the hold. Martel ducked the Daivari hammerlock lariat before hitting Nese with a double stun gun with help from Parker. Nese was pinned, leaving Ever-Rise with a win.
Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh & Sunil Singh)
This was an enjoyable match. It was well-paced and focused on a simple formula that worked between the ropes.
Nese gained early control after a distraction from Daivari in the opening moments. Nese and Daivari traded tags while working on cutting the ring in half. After an extended stint in isolation, Samir finally connected with a DDT, but Nese prevented the tag.
Finally, Sunil tagged in after a float over. The following hot tag saw Sunil run the table, convincingly taking out both Nese and Daivari. A double team back elbow from the Bollywood Boyz lead to a near fall, as did the Bollywood Blast; Daivari broke up the latter, opening the door for Nese. Nese clubbed Samir, setting him in perfect position for the running knee. Nese then pinned Samir for the win.
Ashante Adonis defeated August Grey
Not bad, but far from great. Grey still hates count-outs.
The match started with a show of jest. Adonis pulled Grey’s headband off to finish the first tie-up, and Grey responded by rubbing said headband back in his face moments later. Adonis connected with an elbow to end the games.
Grey gained momentary ground control, targeting Adonis’s arm. As Adonis fought to his feet, he pushed Grey into the ropes, sending him crashing to the outside. Adonis stomped away at Grey after he returned to the ring.
After a dropkick, that looked as if it missed by a mile, Adonis went for ground control. Enter Ariya Daivari. Grey fought to his feet and connected with a neckbreaker and a bulldog before momentarily turning his attention to Daivari. Grey hit Adonis with a beautiful twisting crossbody, crashing into Adonis on the outside. Grey had his third opportunity for a count-out victory, but he rolled Adonis into the ring. Daivari distracted Grey after returning to the ring, allowing Adonis to hit a superkick for the pinfall victory.
This was a breezy match. It had a simple structure and a fine execution—nothing exceptional, but not bad.
Atlas started the match by securing the arm of Adonis and taking him to the mat. Atlas’s control was short-lived, and Adonis connected with a heavy clothesline after escaping. Adonis then took the match completely into his favor, stuffing a cartwheel DDT attempt before slamming Atlas into the CWC chain link barricade and ring steps. Adonis turned his attention to Atlas’s arm.
Atlas escaped an armbar before connecting with multiple kicks, uppercuts, and a suplex. He then climbed to the top rope but was met by Adonis, who threw Atlas to the mat and delivered a crossbody of his own.
After a failed Adonis pin attempt, Atlas delivered a quick knee dazing Adonis. Atlas then tried for another cartwheel DDT, and this time it connected, allowing Atlas to pin Adonis for the win.
August Grey defeated Tony Nese
The new story on 205 Live: August Grey hates count outs. Again this was fine. It was awkward at times, and this finish was kind of silly, but this wasn’t an awful match or anything approaching that.
Grey gained an early headlock which he used to set the pace of the match. He took Nese to the ground multiple times, all the while maintaining control of the head. Nese eventually broke the hold by dropping Grey on his back.
Nese hoisted Grey into position for a pump handle, but Grey wiggled free. Grey hit Nese before climbing to the top, only for Nese to cut him off. After slamming Grey to the mat, Nese connected with a gutbuster and a suplex. Nese then successfully hit the pump handle for a near fall.
Grey stuffed Nese’s running hotshot with his boot; this allowed Grey to slam Nese into the ropes. Grey followed up with a dive, destroying Nese—the referee’s count climbed to 9 before Grey broke the count, just as he did for Mansoor last week. Grey rolled Nese into the ring before Ariya Daivari gained his attention. Nese tried for a rollup that Grey reversed into a pin of his own for the win.
This was one of my favorite 205 Live matches to date. It flew by despite its long runtime. There were highs and lows, all of which worked well.
Grey controlled Mansoor’s head and neck moments into the match. Mansoor tried for some pins but continually fell into Grey’s headlock. A rollup attempt from Mansoor finally provided him with a moment to capitalize; a moonsault left Mansoor ahead for the first time.
A clothesline resulted in a near fall for Mansoor. His offense continued, both on the ground with some basic holds and standing with some nice strikes.
While standing, Mansoor tried for multiple haymakers that Grey ducked. In fact, Mansoor’s strikes were so out of his control that he went flying to the outside. Grey connected with a dive and a crossbody in quick succession.
A fast scramble for control broke out. A German suplex from Mansoor ended the exchange. However, Mansoor was too slow in his follow-up as Grey connected with a boot and a springboard Russian leg sweep.
Mansoor landed on his feet following a toss. He then failed a moonsault overshooting Grey but landing on his feet. Grey caught Mansoor with a superkick and a devastating slam for a convincing near fall. Grey was quick to follow up with an unprettier, but Mansoor rolled outside the ring before Grey could pin him.
The referee’s count climbed to 9, with Mansoor lifeless and Mansoor’s winning streak all but over, but the ever honorable Grey rolled to the outside, breaking the count. For some reason, the fans booed. Grey rolled Mansoor into the ring and was immediately caught in an inside cradle, leaving Mansoor with a win and his streak intact.
Chase Parker and Sunil Singh [Bolly-Rise] (with Matt Martel and Samir Singh) defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese
Other than this being Bolly-Rise’s first victory, there’s nothing special about this one. It had its fun moments and wasn’t bad by any means, but this was mediocre compared to the match that took place prior.
Nese gained an early lead over Sunil, but a quick arm drag left Sunil in control. Parker and Sunil then traded tags, working the arms of Nese. Bolly-Rise seemingly had Nese’s number until a distraction from Daivari allowed Nese to catch Sunil with a clubbing blow.
Daivari tagged in and reasserted his team’s dominance. Nese and Daivari traded tags, slowly picking apart Sunil. After some time, Sunil escaped from a choke and succeeded in a hot tag. Parker took out both Daivari and Nese before hitting the latter with a Gory Bomb. Sunil tagged in and hit an elbow drop; Daivari broke up the pin.
After some chicanery, Nese was left alone in the ring with a distracted Sunil. Nese hit a running hotshot and moonsault before tagging in Daivari, who then hit the Persian splash; Parker broke up the pin.
More trickery ensued, allowing Samir Singh to slide a chain to Daivari. The referee got onto Daivari, providing the perfect distraction for Sunil. Sunil rolled Daivari up for the upset victory that finally got Bolly-Rise into the win column.
“Against the better judgement of those much wiser than myself, I’ve yet to miss a booking in my entire career because of an injury,” he wrote. “That is until now. Last week whilst training, I fractured virtually every bone in my left wrist. With that said, I found out yesterday I will be having my first ever surgery to put in plates and screws this following Wednesday.”
“Thanks for the continued support,” he added. “The best is yet to come, I promise.”
Since signing with the WWE last year, Stallion has worked mainly on 205 Live. He recently received a NXT Cruiserweight title match, losing to Santos Escobar back on February 3. His most recent match aired on 205 Live on March 12, when he and Mansoor defeated The Bollywood Boyz.
August Grey and Jake Atlas defeated Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari
The match started with some typical heel work. Nese and Daivari distracted Grey from the apron multiple times, preventing him from getting started. Finally, Grey escaped from the isolation, tagging in Atlas who took out both of his opponents in an exciting offensive sequence. However, Daivari soon pulled Atlas’s legs out from under him, leaving the dastardly pair back in control. Nese and Daivari continued picking apart Atlas as the match played out.
Atlas ducked Nese’s spinning kick, creating enough separation to secure the tag. Grey now connected with an offensive flurry of his own, taking out both Daivari and Nese. Daivari interfered with the sequence, allowing Nese to catch Grey with a cradled back to belly piledriver; Atlas broke up the ensuing pin attempt.
Atlas hit Daivari with a tope in the chaos that followed. Nese chased Atlas, delivering a running hotshot to Grey and a crossbody to Atlas. Back in the ring, Grey and Nese struggled for control. Grey eventually won out, connecting with his unprettier before pinning Nese.
This match was fun, content dense, and generally exciting—one of the better 205 Live matches in some time.
Curt Stallion and Mansoor had a brief interview prior to their match to decide on a team name. Stallion suggested “CurtSoor,” and Mansoor suggested “ManStallion.” Mansoor then bragged about his 40-0 record; Stallion then made it known he was not a part of that 40. Stallion pledged to be 1 in 40-1 in following the main event.
The Bollywood Boyz then cut a short promo, calling out Ever-Rise, the other half of Bolly-Rise.
Mansoor defeated Curt Stallion
Stallion and Mansoor traded some grappline early, both standing and on the mat. A gut-wrench suplex from Stallion marked an end to the extended feeling out process.
Mansoor secured some momentum of his own with a clothesline. Mansoor took the match back to the mat, but this didn’t last long. Stallion landed a double foot stomp following a momentary opening which he followed with an air raid crash neckbreaker. A dropkick and DDT to the bottom turnbuckle left Stallion with a near fall.
Stallion tried to end the match again by rolling Mansoor into a pin; Mansoor rolled through the attempt, initiating a struggle. Mansoor connected with a double underhook slam before trying for a pin.
Mansoor tried and failed to hoist Stallion to his feet. Stallion popped up from his slump with a quick headbutt sending Mansoor crashing to the outside. Stallion hit a crossbody before sending Mansoor back inside the ropes. Stallion then climbed to the top rope and lept to meet Mansoor’s knees on his descent.
Mansoor climbed to the top rope himself; Stallion met Mansoor at the top, producing a struggle that concluded with a one-man Spanish fly from Stallion. Mansoor broke the pin that followed with a desperation rope break. Mansoor then evaded a headbutt attempt, sending Stallion crashing into the turnbuckles. Mansoor then lept into a neckbreaker followed by a pin for the victory.
This was another strong match. The drama of Mansoor’s streak, which is now being mentioned regularly, added to the near falls. Stakes, believe it or not, can significantly improve a match’s aura.
All in all, this episode of 205 Live was better than any other in recent memory. There was atypical, fun character work and the matches had more meaning.
Mansoor and Ashante “Thee” Adonis defeated Samir Singh and Chase Parker
Bolly-Rise made their in-ring return, this time with the pairing of Samir Singh and Chase Parker.
Singh and Mansoor started the match in typical fashion. After some light offense favoring Mansoor, Parker and Adonis subbed in. Adonis and Parker traded some light offense of their own before Adonis was lured into the Bolly-Rise corner, allowing Singh to steal control. Parker and Singh traded tags, picking apart Adonis in the process.
Adonis fought for and eventually succeeded in tagging in Mansoor. Mansoor connected with multiple atomic drops on both of his opponents, but Parker and Singh proved to be too much in tandem. Singh landed an elbow drop for a near fall.
Parker and Singh set up for a double team maneuver before being interrupted by Adonis; this allowed Mansoor to connect with a falcon arrow. After a brief four-man brawl, Adonis hit a superkick and Singh and pinned him.
Mansoor remains undefeated as Bolly-Rises continues to be winless. This was an inoffensive match. Nothing special about it, but it wasn’t bad.
Jake Atlas defeated Tony Nese
Immediately following the opening bell, the music of Ariya Daivari played and out walked Daivari. Nese took advantage of this distraction, clubbing Atlas. Nese maintained his newfound control with a variety of strikes.
Time after time, Atlas gained some separation, only to lose it. Atlas finally fought Nese to the floor and connected with a moonsault. Back in the ring, Atlas connected with a lariat, which resulted in a near fall.
Nese stopped Atlas from following up by grabbing his hair. Nese used his fist full of locks to deliver a running hotshot followed by a moonsault. Atlas kicked out of the pin attempt that followed.
Atlas fought free from a suplex to buy separation. Atlas landed big move after big move before trying for pins resulting in near falls; this prompted Daivari to toss his chain into the ring behind the referee’s back. Before Nese could act, August Grey ran out from the back and grabbed the chain. In the chaos, Atlas rolled Nese up for the win.
There isn’t a lot to say about this match. Even with the interference, it felt by the numbers. Again, not bad per se, just plain.
Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese defeated Sunil Singh (with Samir Singh) & Matt Martel (with Chase Parker)
The bizarre pairing of Martel and Sunil is part of a new alliance dubbed “Bolly-Rise.”
Nese and Sunil took turns in the opening moments trading light advantage and occasional taunts; Daivari and Martel subbed in for more of the same. Sunil and Martel tried for a double team strike, but Martel blindsided Sunil, leaving the door open for Nese and Daivari.
Daivari and Nese traded tags, picking apart Sunil. Sunil struggled for and finally achieved a tag of his own to reverse the flow of momentum. Martel took out both Nese and Daivari with suplexes. Martel tagged Sunil back in, allowing the pair to deliver a successful double team maneuver.
A four-way brawl broke out, leaving the match in a state of chaos. Nese subdued Sunil outside while Daivari tried to deliver a chain-wrapped fist to Martel on the inside. The referee caught Daivari before he could connect with the loaded strike. As the official disposed of the chain, Nese hit a running knee on Martel, allowing the legal man Daivari to score the pin.
This wasn’t great, but it certainly beats Sunil and Martel wrestling each other. As for the future of Bolly-Rise, only time can tell.
August Grey defeated Jake Atlas
Atlas and Grey traded ground control following the initial bell. After a stalemate, the two went at it. Atlas won the strike exchange that followed, allowing him to connect with some significant offense for the first time. A neckbreaker left Atlas with a near fall.
Grey took match control for himself by connecting with a rana after a moment of separation. A dropkick opened Atlas up to a few thunderous chops from Grey.
Atlas caught Grey with a boot, which he followed with an elbow drop. A standing moonsault, German suplex, and lariat left Atlas with a near fall.
Grey snuck in a forearm that left Atlas in a daze, falling to the outside. That allowed Grey to connect with a tope. Back inside, Grey hit a spinning crossbody for a questionable three count.
Following the match, Daivari and Nese hit the ring, destroying both Grey and Atlas.
This match was not fantastic either. Nothing felt like it was building to a finish, and when the finish arrived, it was completely flat.
A three-way staredown eventually broke down into a fight that momentarily favored Daivari. After Daivari established a lead, both Grey and Atlas targeted him, leaving Daivari to retreat to the outside. Grey then landed a tope to keep him there.
Back inside, Grey and Atlas had a typical wrestling exchange. Daivari tried to make a splash by diving on his competitors, but he missed both. Grey and Atlas continued their grappling. Daivari interrupted Atlas on the top rope. A superkick left Daivari back in control.
Daivari controlled both of his opponents before a belly to back suplex from Grey left him laying. Atlas tried to steal a pin, rekindling a prolonged three-way fracas. All three men had significant offense, followed by near falls.
Daivari tried for and failed a hammerlock lariat before being ejected to the outside. A stunner followed by a cartwheel DDT left Atlas in a winning position. Daivari pulled Atlas to the outside and blindsided him with chain-wrapped knuckles. Daivari then crawled into the ring and hit Grey with the hammerlock lariat for the pinfall victory.
This was a good match with decent structure and plentiful action.
Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defeated Marina Shafir and Zoey Stark
Stark got the best of Blackheart in the opening moments. Moon hit the ring but also lost an exchange to Stark. Shafir and Stark began trading tags, picking apart Moon. Moon finally escaped, hitting a kick alongside Blackheart before tagging out.
Blackheart connected with a barrage of strikes before an illegal kick from Stark stopped the momentum. Stark and Shafir began trading tags again to chip away at Blackheart. A knee strike forced Moon to save Blackheart from a pin.
Blackheart connected with a boot prompting a hot tag. Moon followed the tag with a double underhook suplex to establish match advantage for the first time. A top rope double knee facebuster forced Shafir to break up a pin attempt, triggering a Blackheart/Shafir brawl. Moon then locked in a modified stepover sleeper, causing Stark to tap out.
This match was a little awkward at times. Not saying the match was horrible or anything close to that, but it did lack polish. Also worth noting, Stark had a few shining moments in her performance. In the end, the last of round one played out exactly how one would expect.
