Tag: Akira Tozawa

WWE 205 Live results: Neville takes on Rich Swann

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Neville continued his never-ending dominance, while a new alliance between Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher teased a darker edge for both men. The Titus O’Neil and Akira Tozawa story took a slight turn this week, and the Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander feud refuses to end.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann chatted backstage and Swann bragged about being in the main event before Titus O’Neil said that he is impressed by Swann — but he isn’t The Weeknd, and he can’t get away with that hair.

O’Neil awkwardly put Tozawa over and talked about finalizing their deal tonight. Tozawa said no, and O’Neil offered five percent more on “Tozawa Powah” merch. Tozawa turned this down, so O’Neil gave him until Raw and did his “cha-cha-cha-cha-ching” thing.

Corey Graves and Vic Joseph welcomed us to the show and ran down the card. Mustafa Ali faces Drew Gulak and Neville takes on Swann. But first, Jack Gallagher came out for a match against Tony Nese after a recap of the Nese-Austin Aries confrontation from last week. 

Tony Nese defeated Jack Gallagher

Nese tried to overpower Gallagher, who used tomfoolery like the corner handstand to get a bit of an advantage. Gallagher got tied into a tree of woe and Nese did a sit-up while bicycle kicking him.

Gallagher recovered and hit a forearm and a series of dropkicks before a headbutt got two. Nese charged after him, but Gallagher sidestepped and Nese hit the post. Nese played possum and used a schoolboy into the buckle before hitting a charging knee for the win.

Noam Dar talked with Alicia Fox on Facetime before Cedric Alexander came in and said that this is all over for the thousandth time. Dar said that Alexander needs to quit 205 Live or it will never be over. Dar told Alexander to fetch because he threw his bag in the river, but Alexander grabbed his bag and then Ariya Daivari ran in because his bag is missing and it cost $15,000. Daivari’s shirt is outstanding.

They hyped up Drew Gulak and his videos before doing a long recap of the Gulak-Mustafa Ali feud. Ali came out to face Gulak, who got no reaction with his megaphone.

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

Ali hit a baseball slide and a corkscrew dive before the bell. He went up top, but Gulak tossed him to the floor. Ali’s elbow smacked the apron hard and he ate a forearm. Gulak targeted the arm with a hammerlock and slammed it into the buckle, but Ali landed a dropkick and a corner high kick. Ali got a cradle to pick up the win.

Backstage, Gallagher met with Aries, who said that being a gentleman hasn’t worked well for him. Cutting corners has worked for Neville and TJP, but Gallagher said he’s not comfortable cutting corners. Aries said that they can be allies and Gallagher agreed.

TJP and Swann had an awkward conversation about being friends and Graves hyped up the WWE 2K18 cover reveal with the Seth Rollins trailer.

Tozawa got his own intro because O’Neil bought him a ticket and got him his own little purple velvet rope area. Neville came out first, followed by Swann.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Rich Swann in a non-title match

Swann came in and Neville jumped him to make use of his better positioning. Neville ate a tilt-a-whirl rana and Swann landed a giant dive to the floor. Swann tossed him in and went for a rolling thunder splash, but he ended up taking a pair of knees to the gut.

Neville continued his dominance on the floor by ramming Swann into the barricade and then the announce table. Neville angrily picked him up, but Swann connected with a superkick.

Swann landed a series of kicks before a high kick got two. He went for the Phoenix splash, but Neville locked on the Rings of Saturn for the win. Neville stared at Tozawa to close the show.

WWE 205 Live results: Akira Tozawa vs. TJP

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway — 

Titus O’Neil played babyface by cheering on Akira Tozawa and believing in him, while Cedric Alexander’s never-ending issues with Noam Dar continued.

Austin Aries said that he’s out of action due to neck and leg problems that weren’t fully explained, and Jack Gallagher saved him from an attack by Tony Nese.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa taped up and Titus O’Neil said it’s time for cha-cha-cha-ching! O’Neil said he’s pulled some strings and got Tozawa in the main event tonight against TJP. O’Neil cut Tozawa off and said it will be raining yen.

Corey Graves introduced Vic Joseph as his new commentary partner and we were told that Austin Aries will talk to the fans tonight. Cedric Alexander came out with his rather slick rash guard and we got a recap of last night’s awful Facetime stuff with Alicia Fox.

Ariya Daivari entered and was basically playing his brother’s Lucha Underground character.

Cedric Alexander defeated Ariya Daivari

Alexander and Daivari started off with a striking stalemate. Alexander landed a big apron punch, but he got tripped up and ate the buckle. Daivari locked on a chinlock before turning it into a flying neckbreaker for two.

Alexander landed some nasty chops and uppercuts before eating a big knee that got two. Alexander hit the leg-catching spinning back elbow and a springboard Hart Attack for a near fall — with the ref’s hand briefly slapping down for three.

Noam Dar came down with Alicia Fox on the tron via Facetime. Alexander is one of WWE’s smarter babyfaces and chose to beat up Dar. He then finished Daivari with a Lumbar Check. Fox called him a loser and Alexander teased destroying the phone, but he instead just hung up the call. Thank goodness.

Austin Aries made his way to the ring and we got a recap of his losses to Neville. Aries said he’s glad to be back in New Orleans, but he works hard to be a champion and is disappointed. He said that when it counted most, he didn’t get the job done, but that’s okay, everyone’s been there. You just get up and keep going.

He mentioned that there are rumors that he’s stepping away. He said that due to his knee and neck, he isn’t medically cleared. Tony Nese came out in a ridiculous looking neon green pair of trunks and tattered vest. They went back and forth before Jack Gallagher came out to help Aries. He told some jokes before beating up Nese with his umbrella.

Rich Swann told TJP that he looked good against Neville, but he took too many shortcuts. He wants TJ Perkins to be back and take care of business since TJP doesn’t.

A Mustafa Ali video package showed him looking outstanding before a Drew Gulak video aired that buried dives. Ali will face Gulak next week and Nese will face Gallagher as well.

TJP was out first for the main event, followed by Tozawa. 

Akira Tozawa defeated TJP

TJP went for a sunset flip, but he ate a buzzsaw kick for two. O’Neil was backstage actually watching a TV in a way that a human being could view it. TJP choked Tozawa and raked his face. He got two off of a back springboard forearm.

TJP grounded him with a modified standing Indian deathlock before working on the arm. Tozawa recovered enough to send TJP to the floor and hit a suicide dive headbutt variant. TJP landed the double chickenwing gutbuster for two before locking on the kneebar.

Tozawa got a cradle, then ate a jumping spin kick before spiking TJP with a Saito suplex. He landed the senton off the top to win the match. O’Neil sung that it’s raining yen before Neville gave him the evil eye and said he’s spouting drivel and setting Tozawa up to fail.

Neville said that Tozawa isn’t on the Neville level, and O’Neil said that the Titus Brand is about the future and Tozawa is the future of 205 Live.

This was a damn good babyface manager promo by O’Neil.

My Favorite Wrestler (This Week): Dunne, Orton, Tozawa, more

Posted on by Zach Dominello

This week in wrestling, the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors continued on, Jinder was unhindered and became WWE Champion, and the UK stars stole the show at NXT TakeOver. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —

Brie Bella

By Zach Dominello

Five minutes of being a mum and Brie Bella already wants back in the ring. Yes, folks, parenting is harder than pro wrestling. In a recent video posted on the Bella Twins YouTube account, Brie had her first workout since giving birth, starting her journey back to the WWE ring.

Now, I don’t mean to imply she wants to go back to work to avoid parental duties or anything like that. I’m sure she’s a tops mum. It is pretty funny, though.

Akira Tozawa

By Jeremy Peeples

Akira Tozawa stole the show this week with an outstanding match on 205 Live. Brian Kendrick and he have had fantastic chemistry in their skits, but Tozawa himself hasn’t been given many chances to shine on the main roster. This week, he was given the main event slot and despite being in the final match of a long taping night, he got the crowd into it and had the best match of any WWE TV show this week.

He and Kendrick told a solid story with Kendrick trying to survive by any means necessary, including logically using duct tape to try and subdue and then choke out Tozawa — which was a bit surprising to see on WWE TV. It was a great hero vs. villain story, and as it should be, good triumphed over evil.

It was the best episode of 205 Live I’ve ever seen as well and made the show feel like a worthwhile addition to the WWE schedule.

Randy Orton

By Arya Witner

My favorite wrestler this week is someone who has gotten very little, if any, recognition in the Jinder Mahal push, my favorite wrestler this week is Randy Orton.

Is he the most exciting wrestler in the world? No. Hell, is he the most exciting wrestler on SmackDown? No. But what he is is an established main eventer who came off a lackluster feud with Bray Wyatt and instead of whining and complaining, he did everything in his efforts to make someone who was a step above an enhancement talent into a credible threat.

He didn’t go out there and slip on a banana peel or purposely have a bad match. He went out and did his best to have the best match possible before putting Mahal over for the title. While this article will rightfully put over people who had amazing matches this week, I thought it would be unfair to not recognize Orton.

Flash Morgan Webster

By Alan4L

The King of the Mods is starting to provide one of the true feel good stories in wrestling right now. Returning earlier this year from multiple serious injuries sustained in the biggest match of his life last April, Flash has very quickly gone from feeling his way back into things to being full steam ahead and producing some outstanding matches on recent PROGRESS shows.

At Chapter 45, Flash put in an incredible shift against Nathan Cruz with the result being one of the best pure face vs. heel matches in indie wrestling in years. It was really heated; Flash got tons of sympathy from the crowd and Cruz gave the performance of his life by totally zoning in on his victim and really destroying him at times in the match. They built so well to a crescendo at the finish.

Webster did it again at Chapter 46 against his trainer Mike Bird. This was a similar match in that it was very much face vs. heel, but Bird is a different style of heel than Cruz. More rugged and impactful and they built some fantastic sequences throughout what felt like a real gritty fight. In both contests, and also in his match with James Drake, the babyface qualities of Flash really shone through like never before.

His great comeback story was depicted brilliantly in his documentary The Road Back To Malice, and that only adds to the recipe that has made Flash Morgan Webster one of the best pure babyfaces plying his trade on the European scene.

Pete Dunne

By Joseph Currier

Last week’s TakeOver: Chicago show was my favorite NXT special in a long time. Every match exceeded expectations and the angle that closed the show was perfectly done.

Hideo Itami had his best match since signing with WWE against Bobby Roode. The women’s triple threat did a good job of leading to what’s next for Asuka. The main event ladder match was even a lot of fun before Tommaso Ciampa crushed everyone’s souls.

But nothing on the show lived up to Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne. It is comfortably my favorite WWE match of the year so far and isn’t far off from the top spot on my overall list. Both Bate and Dunne were trying to put on the performances of their lives in front of a crowd that treated them like huge stars.

I’ve always been somewhat skeptical of what WWE is doing in the UK, mostly because they’ve yet to fully outline what their plans are. It’s also felt like the project was happening a little too late with some of the country’s top-tier stars under contract elsewhere. But Bate and Dunne are guys that you can build a brand around. They’re both impossibly good for how young they are and fit in their roles so well.

Switching the title was absolutely the right move, with Dunne now becoming the person that everyone is chasing. It’s almost a shame that he and Bate aren’t on the main roster already, but WWE needs performers of their quality to carry the UK brand if it’s going to be successful.

WWE 205 Live results: Tozawa faces Kendrick in a street fight

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Brian Kendrick looked great with a show-starting promo, while Rich Swann and Ariya Daivari had an outstanding short match. Cedric Alexander looked sharp in a fast squash match, and the issues between Austin Aries and Neville were recapped in a satellite interview by both men.

Akira Tozawa had his best main roster match to date with Kendrick, who showed that he can still go as a crafty veteran.

Show Recap —

Brian Kendrick started the show with an excellent video package running through Akira Tozawa’s career and telling the story of their paths crossing through his eyes.

He talked about being disrespected and still trying to teach Tozawa lessons. He had him beaten in their match, but Tozawa rolled him up — but he is the man with the plan, and he had one last lesson and it just happened to involve stomping his head into the steps.

Cedric Alexander’s return tonight was hyped up alongside the main event of Kendrick vs. Tozawa.

Rich Swann came out dancing and we got shots of fans grooving to his theme. Ariya Daivari came down looking slick in a shirt right out of The Rock’s early 2000s. We saw Swann prank Daivari with a gift covering him in powder last week, leading to this match.

Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari

Daivari yelled that he’s owed a shirt, and got a dropkick to the jaw instead. Great, now he needs a new shirt and a crown on his tooth. Swann hit another dropkick off a tumbling exchange. Daivari attacked the arm with an armlock, a divorce court Codebreaker, and a grounded cobra clutch.

Swann dropkicked him into a 619 position and punched away mid-ring before hitting the somersault famouser. Swann kicked Daivari’s face off for a near fall before a phoenix splash ended it. This was short, but it was good.

Noam Dar attacked Swann after the match and paraded around with Alicia Fox.

Austin Aries vs. Neville was hyped up for Extreme Rules by showing their WrestleMania match and then Neville cheating to retain at Payback before concluding with last week’s 205 Live attack with the kneebar and last night’s win by Aries and subsequent Rings of Saturn by Neville to Tony Nese. 

Corey Graves interviewed Neville and Aries via satellite. Neville talked about defeating everyone, including Aries twice. Aries said he’s delusional and he won their last match by DQ and said the WWE Universe sees now as the time for Aries to win the title.

Aries recapped the cheating by Neville at WM and then Neville pulling the ref. Neville called it a fairytale and said he won’t be held responsible for what happens at Extreme Rules.

Alexander then came down to no reaction at all to face Johnny Boone.

Cedric Alexander defeated Johnny Boone

Alexander caught Boone’s foot and landed a nasty back elbow. He followed up with a springboard Hart attack and ended it with a Lumbar Check — short and sweet.

Drew Gulak was shown beating up Mustafa Ali last week. He was then shown with a green screen saying that cruiserweights are some of the best technical wrestlers and mocked those who flip. All righty. 

Akira Tozawa defeated Brian Kendrick in a street fight

Kendrick strolled outside, but he ate a baseball slide and was tossed over the desk. Tozawa rushed at Kendrick on the apron but got low bridged. He recovered and went for a suicide dive before Kendrick threw his jacket at him and suplexed him to the floor.

Kendrick grabbed some of the purple rope tape to tie Tozawa’s hands up and taped his mouth shut while locking in the Captain’s Hook. Tozawa got to the ropes, but they only gave him leverage, which worked well enough for him to dump Kendrick outside.

Tozawa pump kicked Kendrick on the ramp, but Kendrick taped up Tozawa’s wrists to the post and whipped him with his belt. Kendrick set up a table, but Tozawa freed himself and whipped Kendrick, which Graves tied into the lessons now paying off.

Kendrick avoided a dive and got the headlock takeover and the Captain’s Hook, though Tozawa fought out. They battled on the steps and Tozawa hit a gourdbuster to the floor before a Saito suplex on the floor. Kendrick was put on the table before Tozawa climbed up looking like a total badass, giving out his battle cry before posing and climbing atop the ring post to hit a sick senton bomb through the table.

Tozawa threw him into the ring before covering and getting the win. This was an excellent match. Tozawa managed to regain the crowd’s interest after a long night and won his first big program in WWE definitively.

Final Thoughts —

This was an outstanding episode of wrestling television and a must-watch for the week. Tozawa looked strong, while Swann certainly showed that he’s worth putting back in the title mix at some point.

WWE 205 Live results: Kendrick teaches Tozawa one final lesson

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Akira Tozawa scored a win over Brian Kendrick, but the final lesson was taught by The Man With a Plan. Mustafa Ali showcased his high-flying skills by beating Tony Nese, which didn’t sit too well with Drew Gulak.

Jack Gallagher informed Austin Aries he has his back on the road to Extreme Rules, and together they were able to ward off TJP and Neville in a sneak attack.

Show Recap —

The opening package dealt with what went on last night on Raw. TJP said he met his end of the bargain by taking out Austin Aries at Payback, so now he wants a title shot. Neville said no, because he lost recently, but if he can beat Jack Gallagher on Raw maybe he will be in line for one. TJP not only beat Gallagher, but laid him out with the kneebar until Aries came in for the save.

Gallagher started the show, coming out to surprisingly little reaction. He said Theodore James Perkins assaulted him on Raw and even laid in his kneebar submission. The results may have been disastrous if it wasn’t for this man, Austin Aries.

Aries arrived, complete with a banana peel. Gallagher thanked Aries, with Aries replying it was no problem as TJP had it coming. Gallagher said honor dictates he and William (the umbrella) will make sure Aries makes it to Extreme Rules.

Gallagher said he’s here to toast him. They broke out the beer (Aries said he prefers red wine, which the crowd booed) as Gallagher started to sing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” but all of a sudden Neville arrived to ruin the festivities.

Neville said he always had Gallagher pegged as a caricature of the English, but England has now become a parody of itself and it’s disgusting. He asked if the people have lost their dignity. Aries said Neville shouldn’t be talking about dignity as he got himself disqualified at Payback.

Neville said nobody asked for his opinion. If you’re so desperate to have a little toast…here’s to you, Aries, for having your last appearance on 205 Live. At that moment, TJP came in from behind and clipped Aries’ leg.

Gallagher jumped in to gain an upper hand, but Neville grabbed him and threw him into the barricade. Aries saved Gallagher and took out both TJP and Neville, throwing the latter over the announce table. Neville came in to save TJP from Gallagher, but Aries drove him out with the fivearm discus punch.

Gallagher brought in their drinks from earlier as the two finally had their toast.

Rich Swann was walking through the back when he ran into the reunited Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. Fox said she threw Swann and Cedric Alexander aside, but she’d never break up with Dar as his plan with the gifts backfired (I don’t remember it happening like this, but okay).

Swann said fine, they deserve each other anyway. He tried to make an exit, but Dar stopped him and said he won’t forget what he did to them, trying to break them up.

Mustafa Ali defeated Tony Nese

This had a bit more heat than the usual match you’ll see on 205 Live so it was pretty good. I’m not sold on the Drew Gulak/Ali gimmick just yet, but they are setting up the foundation of the feud pretty well as Ali looked acrobatic here and showcased himself well.

After working on him for a bit, Ali cut Nese off with a knee to the corner and took him out with a hurricanrana to the floor. He soon followed with the tornado DDT, then pinned him with the imploding 450 splash for the win.

Gulak, watching from the back, didn’t look too happy about this result.

Ariya Daivari was complaining to some guy backstage about him not shining his boots the right way. He bumped into Akira Tozawa, which sent him off again about getting sweat and grease all over his fancy shirt. Tozawa yelled at him as Daivari made his exit, not too pleased.

A video showcasing Cedric Alexander aired, as he’ll be returning to 205 Live soon.

Akira Tozawa defeated Brian Kendrick

Kendrick got the heat early by taking out Tozawa with a Sliced Bread #2 using the stairs on the floor. Tozawa shot back with a hurricanrana and unleashed a big suicide dive to the floor. Kendrick came back with a dragon suplex, then went for the Captain’s Hook. Tozawa escaped and laid out Kendrick with a backdrop driver.

Tozawa missed a senton off the top rope, allowing Kendrick to lock in the Captain’s Hook once again. Kendrick went for the Sliced Bread, but Tozawa fell under instead of taking the impact and rolled up Kendrick for the win. I think the previous match was better, but this was also a pretty solid back and forth match.

Kendrick jumped Tozawa after it ended and rammed his back into the steel steps. He then put Tozawa’s head between the steps and stomped on the top part of the stairs, seemingly injuring Tozawa.

Kendrick grabbed a mic and said he’s through, this is the last lesson he’s going to give Tozawa — no one messes with Brian Kendrick.

Final Thoughts —

I think this was a better show than usual just because the crowd was a bit more awake for things. The action, which is usually solid on any given week, felt better as a result.

But if that was the blow off to the Tozawa/Kendrick feud, then it’s pretty lame as it does nobody any favors. Tozawa feels like he lost by winning, which never works out well. Then again, they could just wrestle again next week and none of this will end up mattering in the end.

And that’s the folly of making wins and losses not matter — you can do things as long as you want, but no one will care as a result.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville & Austin Aries continue their feud

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville showed us what 205 Live would be like without him. Brian Kendrick once again gained the upper hand against Akira Tozawa. Alicia Fox likes to eat perfume.

Show Recap —

We opened with footage from last night’s Raw, where Austin Aries and The New Day ran down Neville. Dasha Fuentes interviewed Neville, who said Austin Aries made a crucial error last night — he disrespected the Cruiserweight Championship.

Neville said that everyone wants to see his reign as King of the Cruiserweights end on Sunday, so tonight he’s going to give people what they want — a 205 Live without Neville.

Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari 

Swann was in control early until Daivari lifted him up and slammed him on the outside onto a table. Swann rallied back and hit a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Daivari shoved Swann into the ref and came back with a neckbreaker, then hit a frog splash for another close near fall.

Swann took out Daivari from the top rope with a hurricanrana, then pinned him after a phoenix splash. This was a solid match, but nothing to write home about.

Tom Phillips noted after the match that Daivari was the replacement for Noam Dar, who is out due to injury.

Alicia Fox was backstage being interviewed about Dar’s recovery when Swann said it was a shame he couldn’t face Dar. A package then came in, and it was perfume. Fox sprayed it on herself, then when no one was looking, except the camera in front of her, ate it.

Mustafa Ali was backstage warming up when Drew Gulak walked up to him and said that his in-ring ability will put him on the map, but is it the right way? Ali said that yeah, it’s worth it because of the 205 Live fans being behind him whenever he’s doing high flying impact moves. Gulak started to go on a long speech about a grassroots approach back to traditional wrestling, but Ali frustrated Gulak by leaving before he could finish. 

Mustafa Ali defeated Brandon Scott

This was mostly a showcase for Ali, who looked good while the match lasted. Gulak observed the match through the monitor backstage. Scott had a brief comeback but missed a punch off the top rope. Ali pinned him with the inverted 450 splash. Gulak didn’t like that.

They ran a video package on the Cruiserweight title match for WrestleMania.

Brian Kendrick defeated Akira Tozawa

Tozawa unleashed early with a fierce tope suicida, wiping out Kendrick on the outside. He then followed with a giant senton on the inside for a near fall. Tozawa went for the snap German suplex but Kendrick escaped to the outside. Tozawa unleashed another tope suicida. Kendrick finally got the upper hand after a drop toe hold onto the steel rampway.

Tozawa made it to the ring, but Kendrick gained dominance, grinding down Tozawa with a crossface. Tozawa came back with a standing hurricanrana. Kendrick hit the Sliced Bread #2, then followed with the Captain’s Hook, but Tozawa grabbed the bottom rope.

Tozawa caught Kendrick on the top rope as he was undoing the turnbuckle but got shoved off. Tozawa countered him with a kick and went to charge into the corner, but Kendrick dodged as Tozawa ate the turnbuckle. Kendrick rolled him up for the pinfall.

Lesson number nine, Kendrick said, is that everything can be used as a weapon. 

Neville arrived to the ring to do some talking. Five days away from WrestleMania, he’s at a crossroads. He’s not somebody who takes it easy. He’s someone who’s belittled time after time. Last year, he broke his ankle and missed his first opportunity at WrestleMania. He picked himself back up again and landed on 205 Live and carried this division on his back. 

But instead of cheering him, he said the fans would rather cheer for a commentary clown. He showed footage of a world without Neville on 205 Live. The screen was blank. Neville said that’s right, without him 205 Live is nothing and WrestleMania is not about you, it’s about Neville and having Neville’s moment.

Austin Aries came out. He said this right here is the difference between you and me. Neville wanted to point his finger at the WWE Universe simply to feed his own ego. He’d never say Neville isn’t amazing; but Aries is just that much better. He has jokes for days, but if he didn’t use jokes, he’d just be as angry as Neville.

He continued, saying for years we’ve had to prove everyone wrong. We had to take because no one handed anything to us. We have a big ego and chips on our shoulders. The thing we have in common more than anything else is that we are the main attraction.

Neville jumped him in mid-sentence and threw him face-first on the floor. Neville went to leave, but paused. He came back to finish things. Aries instead smacked Neville with a microphone and sent him reeling as the show ended.

Final Thoughts —

The last segment was really good, with Neville continuing to showcase how remarkably improved he is at cutting promos, something he was never good at on NXT. Aries is at least making people interested in this match, which is really hard for 205 Live, but they managed to do it. 

The rest of the show was usual fare. No idea why Tozawa lost here, but maybe that just means the feud will continue. Or it won’t. Not much matters in the WWE midcard.

WWE 205 Live results: Fatal five-way elimination main event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Aries won a fatal five-way elimination match, earning a Cruiserweight title shot against Neville at WrestleMania. Alicia Fox continues to get gifts from a mysterious benefactor, all while Noam Dar attempts to claim the gifts as his own. Mustafa Ali continued to build momentum, scoring a win over an increasingly frustrated Drew Gulak.

Show Recap —

Neville started out the show, talking about how he was robbed of his WrestleMania moment last year, and to top it all off he had been forgotten by each and every member of the WWE Universe. He said people in the five-way tonight vying to win a shot at his title are irrelevant. At WrestleMania, he will make them regret having such foolish ambitions.

Mustafa Ali’s music hit, and he glanced at Neville as he headed to the ring to start off tonight’s in-ring action.

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

This had quick action and was mostly just a backdrop to showcase Ali. He comes off as someone they can do something with — he has some charisma, a unique moveset, and has a cool finisher. He picked up the win with the inverted 450 splash.

Gulak wasn’t happy after the match, taking a mic to vent. He said week after week he does his best work in that ring and that he’s tired of being frustrated. He’s not the problem, he is not the one that needs to change. The problem is 205 Live, and this needs to change.

Ariya Daivari was getting ready backstage when Noam Dar walked in, saying he’s tired of Rich Swann getting the one up on him, hence why he requested a rematch tonight. Daivari said he doesn’t need a motivational speech. Dar said they need to win this tonight.

Noam Dar & Ariya Daivari defeated Jack Gallagher & Rich Swann

This had good action, especially when Swann was in, but the crowd was just dead for this match. Swann was distracted by Daivari and walked right into an enzuigiri by Dar for the win.

Dar said each week he spoils Alicia Fox with beautiful gifts. The real gifts, however, cannot be bought — they come from the heart. And tonight, his gift to Alicia was this win…and a teddy bear that was randomly delivered right in the middle of the sentence. The mystery man mystery continues.

Austin Aries defeated Brian Kendrick, Akira Tozawa, Tony Nese, and TJ Perkins in a fatal five-way elimination match to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight title

The early part of the match had mostly everyone out of the ring while others traded submissions on the mat. Aries went up on the top rope but Kendrick shoved him down near the barricade. Nese followed that up with a running knee into Aries, his head smashing into the barricade.

In the ring, TJP eliminated Nese with the armbar. Nese didn’t like that and laid out TJP. Tozawa took him out, but Kendrick flew in, grabbed an unsuspecting Tozawa, and planted him with the Sliced Bread to eliminate him.

Kendrick continued his spree by sinking in the Captain’s Hook on TJP, but he escaped as they made their way to the top rope. Aries came in and took them both down. Kendrick soon managed to get TJP back in the Captain’s Hook and submitted him. Kendrick then put it on Aries but TJP broke it up. Aries tried to go for the roaring elbow but instead struck TJP.

Kendrick followed that by hitting Sliced Bread but Aries kicked out. Once again, the Captain’s Hook was applied by Kendrick. Aries made it to the ropes but it couldn’t be broken as it’s an elimination match.

They both got up on their feet, but Aries was the first to react, hitting the roaring elbow and pinning Kendrick to become the number one contender.

Final Thoughts —

This was a dead show for the most part; this was one of those weeks where the crowd just didn’t seem to care, though it picked up in parts for the main event. With the WrestleMania match for this program now set, I’m looking forward to seeing how momentum continues to build toward Aries heading into the grandaddy of them a-er, I mean, the Ultimate Thrill Ride, WrestleMania.

WWE 205 Live results: Akira Tozawa debuts

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway — 

After Neville abandoned him, Noam Dar fell to Cedric Alexander and Jack Gallagher in the main event. Akira Tozawa made his debut, with an intrigued Brian Kendrick looking on. Tony Nese continued to rack up momentum with another win, though TJ Perkins made the save when he went overboard after the match.

Show Recap —

Tony Nese defeated Lince Dorado

This wasn’t much. Just another match to get Nese over. Austin Aries brought up his interview from Raw last night, saying Nese is good but not great. Nese was in control early. Dorado mounted a comeback, including a springboard stunner. Dorado tried for something on the top rope, but Nese shoved him down face first, then eventually picked up the win with the running knee to the corner.

Nese wasn’t about to let things lie, going for another knee strike when TJ Perkins’ music hit and he made the save, sending Nese reeling with a kick.

They replayed Neville’s coronation from last night, specifically the parts where Rich Swann and Neville exchanged words, leading to Swann sending Neville off with a suicide dive.

Backstage, Tom Phillips brought up that Swann suffered an ankle injury last night. Swann explained that as soon as the adrenaline wore off, he took off his boot and found out he was injured. Swann said as soon as he is healed, he’ll come back for his title.

Neville showed up and asked when Swann is going to learn his place. He suggested that Swann stays down next time. Swann said bum ankle or not, Neville is never going to keep him down. Neville said “I’ll beg to differ” in response and shoved him down.

Gran Metalik is coming soon, taking the place of Akira Tozawa as the next guy to debut I guess.

The Brian Kendrick was on commentary for the next match.

Akira Tozawa defeated Aaron Solow

Nice highlight reel for Tozawa. He did a suicide dive to the outside, and soon after got the win with a snap German suplex.

Austin Aries, in ring, asked Tozawa if he can speak English and asked him to say something to the WWE Universe. Tozawa responded in Japanese. Kendrick, on commentary, congratulated him.

Neville was backstage when Noam Dar and Alicia Fox walked in. I watch this show every week and didn’t even realize they were a legit couple until now. Dar was going on about the match when Neville cut him off. He said he never asked Dar for his help and he doesn’t need it tonight, so don’t screw this up.

Dar said whatever he says goes. Neville added that he doesn’t care about his love life so leave the baggage at home. Fox didn’t like that.

Jack Gallagher & Cedric Alexander defeated Noam Dar & Neville

Pretty good TV main event. Nice story where everyone had their role. Gallagher escaped a headlock early by standing on his hands and walking away in a cool spot. Neville worked him over; good action as they have some good chemistry.

Dar came in and continued the assault. Gallagher finally laid out Dar with a headbutt. Dar made a comeback and tried to tag in Neville, but he bailed, saying he had his chance. Alexander was tagged in and cleaned house. Dar tried to escape, but Gallagher threw him back in and Alexander finished it off with the Lumbar Check for the win.

Final Thoughts —

This was a pretty solid show, though in the large scale of things it was a holding pattern episode. Tozawa looked fine in his debut, they started the hype for Gran Metalik, and the main event had some solid action.

It seems like Neville and Swann is still the program for now, so it makes sense to keep things on hold for a bit until he’s healed.

WWE NXT results: Matches from Osaka, Japan

Posted on by Arya Witner

The Big News: Shinsuke Nakamura has unbelievably won the NXT Championship…oh wait. I’ve said that before.

The Medium News: DIY defeated Akira Tozawa & Tajiri in the show stealer.

The Little Beaver-sized News: Nia Jax may be unstoppable on Raw, but Asuka easily stops her on NXT, as the Empress of Tomorrow beat Jax for the second time.

**********

So before we begin this week, will it ever be explained why the shows aired in the order they did? Why didn’t they air Osaka on the 14th, Australia on the 21st, and the shows that aired those two weeks afterwards? Instead, I get to review shows out of chronological order and whose results have already been talked about on TV.

**********

Oney Lorcan defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas

This is a rematch from the dark match from NXT TakeOver: Dallas, when they were known as Manny Andrade and Chris Girard.

Almas came out in his La Sombra mask before unmasking for the match. If you are a fan of chinlocks and headlocks, then the first half of this match is the match for you. Both men made excessive use of rest holds. Things picked up when they finally stood up. Lorcan hit a running blockbuster for a two count.

The fans were very much into this match once the men stopped with the rest holds. Lorcan did several corner charges, but on the third one he got hip tossed into the corner. Lorcan used an exploder suplex from the top rope to get the win.

That was surprising. Lorcan now has wins over Almas and Tye Dillinger.

**********

Peyton Royce & Billie Kay defeated Liv Morgan & Aliyah

This match seemed at times to be an excuse for Corey Graves to tell every New Jersey joke he knows. Morgan took Royce for a ride when she slapped on a body scissors and then rolled all over the ring, getting about a dozen one-counts during the second that Royce’s shoulder was on the mat.

The heels got the heat on Aliyah. After what seemed like hours of getting the heat, Morgan got the hot tag and ran wild on both ladies. Aliyah, who just got her butt kicked for two weeks, ran back in like a house on fire. It didn’t matter, however. Aliyah got thrown out of the ring and Kay pinned Morgan after a bulldog onto Royce’s knee.

Has anyone else noticed Aliyah fails at almost everything she tries on TV?

**********

NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated Tajiri & Akira Tozawa to retain their titles

This was the first match where it seemed like the wrestlers involved were going out of their way to have a great match, as opposed to a house show match.

Tozawa, who has yet to have a match on 205 Live, is here teaming with Tajiri to challenge for the seven pounds of gold. All four men worked as babyfaces. Tozawa at times was more of a tweener, but never a full blown heel.

Tozawa and Ciampa traded hard knife edge chops, much to the delight of the crowd. A four-way brawl broke out with Tozawa hitting multiple suicide dives to the champions on the outside. Tozawa actually took most of the match for his team. Tajiri would get in here and there, but it was mostly his partner. Tajiri did get Gargano down and go for the Kick of Death, but Gargano rolled out of the way and kicked Tajiri in the head.

Tozawa used a deadlift delayed German suplex and a bicycle kick to the back of Ciampa’s head, but Ciampa took his head off with a clothesline and a powerbomb onto his knees. Finally, DIY retained the gold with the running knees to Tozawa.

**********

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Nia Jax to retain her title

Jax was unsuccessful in her first attempt at defeating the Empress of Tomorrow, back at NXT TakeOver: The End, but will tonight be her night?

Spoiler: No. No, it won’t.

They tried to work a match that made you think Jax had a chance, but no one believed that she would be taking the title to Raw. The match was solid, but again, nothing you wouldn’t see at a house show. They did have a rough spot in the middle where Jax went for a Samoan drop but something went wrong and they fell on each other.

Asuka got on a kneebar that Jax sold like near death…until she got out of it. Then it was like it never happened. The Japanese crowd watches too much NXT, as when Asuka was being counted out they chanted “10” for each number.

Asuka went for every submission she knows, but Jax not only didn’t tap, but somehow turned a triangle choke into a powerbomb. Asuka moved out of the way of a corner splash and chopped down Jax, before winning with a roundhouse kick.

**********

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated NXT Champion Samoa Joe to win the title

They aired the full match this time, as opposed to the condensed version that they did three weeks ago. At one point, Joe removed the top half of the steps outside the ring, which wasn’t aired the first time and they eventually came back to it later. Joe worked over the knees of Nakamura, which made the match make more sense.

The match was better the second time around, as you got to see everything, as opposed to earlier. Nakamura won with the Kinshasa to win the NXT Championship for the second time.

Until next week, thank you all for reading and remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

NXT Newcastle, Australia, live results: DIY vs. The Revival

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Rimas Veselis

– TM61 defeated Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli 

Shane Thorne won with a roll-up at 7:21. Sabbatelli had good heat with the crowd in what was a basic tag match to start off the night. TM61 were cheered heavily due to being Australian.

– Patrick Clark defeated Wesley Blake

The crowd was quiet for most of the match. There were chants of “Tyler Breeze” at Blake due to his appearance. The crowd fired up towards the end and Clark won with the top rope elbow drop at 6:10.

– Ember Moon defeated Aliyah

This was a good, fun match. Neither worked the face/heel dynamic and both were getting chants. They worked really well together here and Moon won with the diving top rope stunner at 10:24.

– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Revival to retain their titles

The Revival got cheap heat before the match for faking the t-shirt throw into the crowd. A lot of playing to the crowd at the start of the match. Both teams took it pretty easy in this one, but it was still an enjoyable match. Johnny Gargano made Dash Wilder tap to the Gargano Escape to retain the titles at the 14:31 mark.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce to retain her title

Basic match. The crowd sung the Australian national anthem during the middle of the match. Asuka won with a kick while Royce was sitting up on the mat at 10:40. 

– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Akira Tozawa

Really fun match, it was the match of the night for me. The crowd was chanting throughout the match. Tozawa was really over with the crowd and got a reaction for nearly everything he did. He did two suicide dives to Almas which was the best action of the night. Almas won with the hammerlock DDT at 13.02.

– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger & Buddy Murphy defeated Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode & Elias Samson

The Drifter did his guitar stuff before the others came out. He started playing an ACDC song, then stopped and said that it sucked. Lots of comedy in this match with Murphy and Roode doing most of the work. Joe and Nakamura didn’t really do much, but it was a fun main event. Nakamura got the pinfall with the Kinshasa at 17:40. 

Buddy Murphy went around the ring to take photos with the fans to end the show.

NXT Tampa, FL, live results: Metalik vs. Almas; Gallagher vs. Tozawa

Posted on by JJ Williams

Images: JJ Williams

NXT was in Tampa, FL tonight in front of approximately 250 people.

– Jack Gallagher defeated Tozawa

This was the NXT Florida debuts for both CWC alums. It was an entertaining match that did all the comedy early, the hog tie spot, Gallagher standing on his head on the buckles, then they really got going. The finish was Gallagher winning with the corner dropkick.

– The Bollywood Boyz defeated Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi

Another NXT Florida debut with The Bollywood Boyz, who won with a double superkick on Jaoude.

– Macey Estrella defeated Sara Bridges

The former Crazy Mary Dobson made her NXT FL debut as well tonight. Estrella won via submission.

– Big Damo defeated HoHo Lun

A classic big vs. small match where Damo toyed with Lun until hitting his huge side slam finish.

– Kishan Raftaar defeated Blake

Raftaar caught Blake with a roll-up for a surprise win.

– Tommy End defeated Murphy

Physical match, End jumped Murphy before the bell and the ref had to regroup to ask Murphy if he wanted to wrestle. End won with a jumping knee to the face.

Mada, formerly of Tough Enough, cut an in-ring promo where he badmouthed America and talked about being from Egypt and his desire to make all our favorites suffer.

– Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss defeated Angelo Dawkins & Kenneth Crawford

Long back and forth match that picked up for the finish. Crawford hit a standing SSP for a near fall, but Sabbatelli and Moss hit a double team Gory Bomb for the finish.

– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Gran Metalik

Great match, there was back and forth action and both looked amazing. Metalik hit a dive to the outside, and Almas hit the running knees for a near fall. Metalik went for the driver to finish it off but Almas escaped and rolled Metalik up with his feet on the ropes to steal the win. Metalik ran off Almas after the match to send everyone home happy.

DR. KEITH PRESENTS: Tozawa-Juku graduation!

Posted on by Alan Counihan

With Akira Tozawa’s Dragon Gate career coming to a close, we here at the DKP couldn’t let the moment pass without marking it in the best way we can.

Alan recruited THE YOUNG BOY Case Lowe (don’t worry he went right back to his squats and kitchen chores afterwards) to discuss the journey of Tozawa to this point where he heads to America as WWE’s latest signee.

The lads discuss the Tozawa-Juku days, the Metabolic Brothers, Tozawa’s US excursion and the incredible matches he had in PWG & DGUSA, and his incredible portfolio of work put together in the last 5 years since he returned to Japan.

If you aren’t sure what to expect from Tozawa when he shows up on Monday (and Tuesday) nights, well this is the show for you! CHECK IT!!!

Right click save

WWE CWC quarterfinal results: Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick; Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa

Posted on by Bryan Rose

After the intros, it’s on to promos and action.

Gran Metallk says it’s a pleasure to represent Mexico in this tournament. He prides in trying to be as different as possible. His message to all of his fans is that he appreciates their support as they are his motivation. Tozawa says his biggest dream is to be in the WWE. He is the best in this tournament, and winning will be his first step in taking WWE by storm.

All quarterfinal matches have a 30 minute time limit.

CWC Quarterfinal: Gran Metalik def. Akira Tozawa

The last few minutes were pretty fun with the rest being good action. Tozawa has the charisma and ability to be here. I didn’t think Metallk looked as dynamic has he had in New Japan or CMLL, but he worked will with Tozawa here.

Metallk got the advantage early, working on Tozawa’s arm before wiping him out with a suicide dive on the outside. Metallik went for a handspring but Tozawa nailed him in the back with a dropkick and gave him a big boot to the floor. He had control for a while until Metallik started making a comeback which led to a back and forth affair. Metallk did a great step over senton dive to the floor, later crotching Tozawa on the ropes and hitting a hurricanrana from the middle rope.

Metalik floated over one German suplex, but Tozawa hit another and then went for a deadlift. It connected…but Metalik still kicked out! Tozawa went for another, but Metallik powered out and countered with the Metalik driver for the win.

**********

They replayed Brian Kendrick’s video, saying if he doesn’t win his dream is over. Ibushi says wrestling is not a job, it is something more important to him. In the first two rounds, he had showed the audience something he’d never seen before. He is going to win this tournament because he loves pro wrestling more than anyone else.

**********

CWC Quarterfinal: Kota Ibushi def. Brian Kendrick

Ibushi got the advantage early with a flurry of offense, sending Kendrick to the outside where he hit a giant Asai moonsault to the floor. Kendrick hit a neckbreaker on an exposed turnbuckle which was pretty unique and cool. Kendrick jumped him as he was getting into the ring. Ibushi made a brief comeback, but Kendrick wiped him out with a superkick. Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan kept putting over that Ibushi has a surgically repaired neck.

Kendrick hit the sliced bread, but Ibushi kicked out. An Ibushi kick sent Brian to the apron. He then grabbed him, deadlifted him through the ropes and hit a German suplex in a great move sequence. Kendrick came back and after a few counters, he hit the bully choke but Ibushi escaped, only to walk into a BURNING HAMMER. Ibushi landed right on his neck on impact.

Kendrick hit the ropes but Ibushi cut him off, slamming him on his back. Ibushi went for the phoenix splash but Kendrick dodged and hit the bully choke. Ibushi countered with a roll up, kicked him in the head and hit the press powerbomb for the win.

This was a great match. Ibushi continues to be one of the most outstanding performers pretty much anywhere, and Kendrick didn’t look lost being in there with him. He looked to be in equal footing in some parts of this match with lots of great nearfalls and some pretty cool submissions to boot. The two shook hands and hugged after the match.

Fans chant “Thank you Brian” as he is visibly moved by their reaction. Bryan enters the ring and they both hug to close out the show.

**********

Next week, we’ll see who faces Ibushi and Metalik in the semifinals as Zack Sabre Jr. takes on Noam Dar and Rich Swann battles TJ Perkins.

NXT & CWC video highlights: Akira Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NXT Video Highlights —

Hideo Itami vs. Mustafa Ali

Still without a TakeOver match after returning a couple weeks ago, Hideo Itami made quick work of Cruiserweight Classic competitor Mustafa Ali in his second televised match back from injury.

With the full TakeOver card announced, it would seem likely that Itami will wrestle on the TV taping before the main card this Saturday.

The NXT roster is ready to TakeOver New York City

A video aired with much of the NXT roster hyping their matches in Brooklyn and talking about how special New York City is.

Carmella, Liv Morgan & Nikki Glencross vs. Alexa Bliss, Many Rose & Daria Berenato

With Carmella and Alexa Bliss being called up to the main roster last month, they had their final televised match on NXT TV last night. And the match also featured some of the NXT women’s divisions new blood in Nikki Glencross, Mandy Rose, and Daria Berenato.

Ember Moon debuts this Saturday

Prior to her debut at TakeOver, the final vignette hyping Ember Moon’s arrival aired.

Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura sit down for an interview

With their main event NXT Championship match just days away, Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura sat down with Byron Saxton to talk about their rivalry.

Nakamura noted that this is his first big show main event in WWE, while Joe ranted about his frustrations with William Regal. The segment ended with security pulling Joe away.

Cruiserweight Classic Video Highlights —

Akira Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher

The second round continued on last night’s episode of the CWC with one of the round’s most anticipated matches kicking off the show.

Akira Tozawa withstood Jack Gallagher targeting his leg and picked up the win with a deadlift German suplex. Tozawa advances to the next round to take on Gran Metalik.

Noam Dar vs. HoHo Lun

Both Noam Dar and HoHo Lun entered this round with something to prove, and it was Dar who came out on top after submitting Lun with the kneebar. Dar will face either Zack Sabre Jr. or Drew Gulak in the next round.

Tony Nese vs. Brian Kendrick

In last night’s main event, Brian Kendrick continued his journey of redemption with a win over Tony Nese. Kendrick will hope to have similar success when he faces Kota Ibushi in the next round.

Akira Tozawa feels the effect of Jack Gallagher’s offense

Still selling the leg damage from earlier, Tozawa did an interview after the match. Tozawa said his experience in Dragon Gate has him prepared for Gran Metalik. And Tozawa was flattered at Daniel Bryan complimenting his German suplex.

Jack Gallagher quotes Ernest Hemingway

In typical Gallagher fashion, he summarized last night’s loss with an Ernest Hemingway quote.

Noam Dar wants Zack Sabre Jr.

Dar was asked who he wants to face in his next match. He noted his history with Zack Sabre Jr. and said he wants to face his friend in the next round.

HoHo Lun vows to shine again

Despite losing earlier, Lun said the experience was unbelievable and he vowed to come back again.

Brian Kendrick is ready for Kota Ibushi

After picking up a big win earlier, Kendrick said he was ready to move on to Ibushi and will enter that match with the mindset of victory.

WWE CWC results: Akira Tozawa vs. Kenneth Johnson; Tajiri returns

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo welcome us to the show. Ranallo puts over Bryan being the new GM of SmackDown. Bryan says it’s great, but the CWC is awesome. They throw it to Corey Graves who runs down the matches for tonight and the highlights from last week.

Tajiri (Japan) defeated Damian Slater (Australia)

Damian Slater is profiled before the match. He knows he’s an underdog but says he’ll come out the victor. He wants people to come in not knowing who he is. He’s not in it just to be involved, he wants to win this thing.

Tajiri looked good here. He did his typical spots, including the tarantula, and worked a pretty good technical style. At 46, Tajiri still looks good. Damian Slater did a cool dive to the outside and he didn’t look bad in this match either. Tajiri won with the buzzsaw kick.

Tajiri advances to the second round, facing Gran Metalik.

TJ Perkins (Philippines) defeated Da Mack (Germany)

TJ Perkins mentions how he started wrestling at 13 years old. He describes his in-ring style as versatile. There’s a lot of good wrestlers, but he likes to make it look easy. Da Mack calls himself the Urban German. He wants to be the Michael Jackson of pro wrestling and is heavily influenced by his style.

Da Mack came out to some fun music, kind of reminiscent of a Michael Jackson song. Perkins came across well as an established veteran, not only looking good in the ring but also showed great confidence.

Perkins sank in a Muta lock but Mack escaped and hit a corkscrew senton. Perkins got the win with a kneebar in another solid match.

Lince Dorado (Puerto Rico) defeated Mustafa Ali (Pakistan)

Mustafa Ali is introduced. He’s been wrestling for 13 years and considers himself the most well-rounded wrestler in the tournament. He says he can fly and wrestle better than anyone. He doesn’t see anyone on this list he can’t beat, it’s do or die for him.

Lince Dorado is next. He’s been wrestling for 10 years under this mask. Some of the setbacks he has suffered include him being injured, but being on the biggest stage shows his family where he belongs.

Ali worked over Dorado as a heel and looked pretty good. Dorado made a good comeback and laid out Ali with a big Asai moonsault, then followed it up with another moonsault off the top turnbuckle. There was a great near fall where Dorado hit a springboard reverse hurricanrana.

Ali came back with a Spanish fly for another near fall. Ali went for an inverted 450 splash but missed. Dorado capitalized with a shooting star press for the win. Really good match.

Akira Tozawa (Japan) defeated Kenneth Johnson (USA)

Tozawa says he’s very energetic in the ring and that it has long been his dream to be in WWE. “Tozawa? WWE? WOW!” he says. Johnson says he’s fought his whole life. He knows the heart and determination it takes to keep going. He wants to inspire and encourage others.

This was pretty solid. It was mostly a Tozawa match as he took control. Johnson looked fine but nothing out of this world. He didn’t look lost, but Tozawa looked better and threw some great suplexes. Tozawa looked on his game here. He won with a deadlift German suplex.

Next week: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyson Dux, Drew Gulak vs. Harv Sihra, Anthony Bennett vs. Tony Nese, and Raul Mendoza vs. Brian Kendrick will continue the tournament.

Final Thoughts: I thought Ali vs. Dorado stood out as match of the show, just solid work from both guys and both came across as people to watch. Overall, the show was pretty fun and easy to watch. Presentation wise this is one of the best shows WWE is producing.