Tag: Austin aries

Impact Wrestling results: Austin Aries collects another belt

Posted on by Dave Bath

Previously: Ethan Carter III made his final appearance on Impact after picking the fired briefcase in the Feast or Fired reveal.

Tonight: Impact World Champion Austin Aries takes on X Division/Grand Champion Matt Sydal. Plus, Brian Cage meets Bobby Lashley.

Show Recap —

– Earlier in the week, Austin Aries ran into Matt Sydal and Josh Mathews. Aries challenged Sydal to a match. He promised to put the Impact World Championship on the line if Sydal agreed to put Mathews’ Grand Championship up for grabs as well.

Petey Williams defeated Rohit Raju, Suicide, and Taiji Ishimori

Raju hit a suicide dive to the floor on Williams and Suicide. Ishimori followed up with the Golden moonsault to the floor, then all four guys rolled each other up and traded near falls.

Ishimori scored a very close near fall after hitting the 450, but Williams hit the Canadian Destroyer on Raju for the win. After the match, Williams announced he’s cashing in his Feast or Fired X Division title shot at Redemption.

– Eddie Edwards got into his car and drove to Ohio in search of OVE.

Su Yung defeated Amber Nova

Braxton Sutter did the ring introduction for Yung. She jumped Nova, dominated the match, and picked up the easy win after hitting the Panic Switch.

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Johnny Impact before Jimmy Jacobs interrupted. Jacobs promised to have a surprise for Impact.

– Backstage, Taya Valkyrie bragged about defeating Rosemary. Rosemary was on top of the indoor offices following Valkyrie, with her and Valkyrie having a wild brawl in the back. A bunch of people tried to separate them but failed. Rosemary dove off the top of the offices onto Valkyrie and the other guys.

KM defeated Fallah Bahh (from WrestlePro in Brooklyn)

Bahh was firmly in control until KM took over. Bahh made a comeback after hitting the Samoan drop, but he missed the Banzai Drop and KM rolled him up with his feet on the ropes.

Brian Cage defeated Bobby Lashley

They traded moves early on, including both hitting step-up hurricanranas. Lashley gained the upper hand and took over. Cage fired back and hit a huge flip dive to the floor.

They exchanged stiff shots in the middle of the ring. Lashley regained control of the match and wore down Cage, but Cage made a comeback and hit a springboard tornado DDT. Lashley hit the spear, but Cage rolled to the floor. The finish came when Cage hit the discus lariat for the win.

– In the back, Allie approached Gail Kim and asked for advice on how to deal with Yung. Kim motivated Allie to stand up to her.

Flashback Moment of the Week: AJ Styles defeated Petey Williams and Chris Sabin in Ultimate X

Williams set up for the reverse DDT on Sabin, but Styles hit the moonsault into the reverse DDT on Williams — taking out both. Styles climbed across the cables, but Sabin nailed him with a dropkick that knocked him off.

Sabin and Williams fought over the belt in the middle when Styles springboarded across the ring and grabbed the belt out of their hands for the win.

– In the back, Eli Drake approached Moose and attempted to switch briefcases. Moose turned him down and challenged him to a briefcase vs. briefcase match.

– In Ohio, Edwards invaded a Rockstar Pro Wrestling show and attacked a bunch of guys with a kendo stick. Edwards brawled with Sami Callihan and OVE. They hit Edwards with a bat and a version of the Meltzer Driver.

Impact World Champion Austin Aries defeated Grand Champion Matt Sydal (w/ Josh Mathews) in a title vs. title match

Alberto El Patron watched this match in the back while eating a steak. Aries was firmly in control early on. He attempted a suicide dive, but Sydal cut him off with a spinning heel kick.

Sydal attempted a standing moonsault, but Aries got his knees up. They traded stiff shots in the middle of the ring. Sydal scored a two count with a sliding German suplex. Aries attempted a suicide dive again, but Mathews grabbed his legs.

Mathews tried interfering again until Petey Williams ran down and held him off. Sydal missed the Shooting Star Press and Aries connected with the discus forearm. Aries then hit the brainbuster to win the Grand Championship.

Next Week: Moose takes on Eli Drake in a World title shot briefcase vs. World Tag Team title shot briefcase match.

Main event set for Impact vs. Lucha Underground

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A tag team match will headline the Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground show over WrestleMania weekend.

But instead of a team from impact facing a team from LU, it will be Austin Aries & Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron & Pentagon Jr. The match was announced by Josh Mathews on Facebook Live today.

Aries and El Patron have been involved in a feud on Impact, with El Patron set to challenge for Aries’ World Championship in the main event of the company’s Redemption pay-per-view on April 22nd.

The other matches that have been confirmed for Impact vs. Lucha Underground are: Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan (as Jeremiah Crane) in an I Quit match, Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against Killshot (Shane Strickland) & The Mack (Willie Mack), and Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Aerostar & Drago.

The show will take place at The Sugar Mill as part of WrestleCon’s weekend of events in New Orleans on Friday, April 6th and will air live on Impact’s Twitch channel at 9 p.m. Central time.

Austin Aries appears at ROH 16th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Bryan Rose

In a major surprise, Austin Aries returned to Ring of Honor tonight at their 16th Anniversary show in Las Vegas.

After Kenny King retained the ROH Television title against Silas Young, Aries appeared in the entranceway. He wasn’t billed as Impact World champion, and Impact was never mentioned by the announcers, but he did have all the championship belts he’s collected in the last year with him, which does include the Impact title.

Aries said that he’s held many titles in ROH, but never held the Television title and he wanted a title shot. King motioned like he wanted the match now, but officials went after Aries and the segment ended there.

The last time Aries appeared for ROH was in 2015, when he teamed with Jay Lethal and Moose in a losing effort against Dalton Castle, Jay Briscoe and Kyle O’Reilly. He has previously won the ROH World Championship twice and the ROH Tag Team titles once with Roderick Strong.

Impact Wrestling Crossroads results: Austin Aries vs. Johnny Impact

Posted on by Dave Bath

– Previously: Eddie Edwards defeated Sami Callahan in the main event and had his eye severely damaged.

– Tonight: Impact presents Crossroads featuring World champion Austin Aries defending against Johnny Impact and a slew of other title matches.

Show Recap:

Impact World Tag Team Champions LAX (w/Konnan) defeated Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley to retain

Konnan distracted the heels and LAX attacked from behind. They brawled around ringside for several minutes before the bell rang. Santana executed a senton off of Ortiz’s shoulders and followed with a Lionsault/legdrop combination. During the break, the heels took over and isolated Santana in their corner. Ortiz got the hot tag and ran wild. Konnan pulled Lee off the apron and LAX hit the Street Sweeper on Konley for the win.

Flashback Moment of the Week: NWA World Champion Christian Cage defeated Monty Brown from Destination X 2006

Brown was firmly in control and worked over Cage’s ribs. Cage made a brief comeback but Brown press slammed him onto the turnbuckle. Cage countered an Alpha Bomb attempt into the Un-prettier for the win.

Impact Grand Champion Matt Sydal defeated X Division Champion Taiji Ishimori for the title

Ishimori was briefly in control until Sydal took over and worked on the leg. Ishimori made a fiery comeback and scored a near fall after a double foot stomp. Ishimori hit the golden moonsault to the floor and hit a running step-up hurricanrana on the ramp. Sydal attempted the Shooting Star Press but Ishimori moved and hit the tombstone into the knees. Ishimori went for the 450 but Sydal got the knees up and hit the Shooting Star Press to win the X Division Championship.

Allie defeated Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness

They brawled on the ramp to start the match. Ness sent Allie into the ring post to take over. Allie made a brief comeback and nailed Ness with an elbow on the floor, but Ness regained control when she nailed Allie with the Un-Prettier on the floor. Ness tried to hit Allie with the belt but she ducked and hit the Allie Valley Driver. Allie then hit the superkick to win the Knockouts Championship.

In the back, Gail Kim congratulated an emotional Allie on her championship victory.

– A recap aired of Sami Callahan injuring Eddie Edwards last week. They showed the bat shot several times from different angles. Edwards was shown backstage with an ice pack over his bloody eye as he went to the hospital.

Bobby Lashley & Brian Cage defeated OVE (w/Sami Callahan)

Lashley is on his own because his partner Edwards is out due to the injury. Callahan hit Lashley’s leg with the bat to give OVE the advantage. Callahan continued to interfere throughout the match. Lashley made a comeback and gave Jake a belly-to-belly suplex into Dave in the corner. Brian Cage came down and tagged himself in. He dominated OVE and hit the Drill Claw on Jake for the win. Callahan tired to hit Cage with the bat, but Lashley took him out with a spear.

After the match, Lashley offered his hand for a handshake but Cage refused and walked away.

Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries defeated Johnny Impact

Aries was in control until he missed a forearm and hit the post. Impact took over and wore down Aries. He went for a springboard but Aries grabbed the legs and Impact took a nasty fall to the floor. Impact made a comeback and hit a springboard enziguri for a near fall. He hit a standing moonsault for another near fall. Aries countered into the Last Chancery. Impact made another comeback and hit a Spanish Fly for a two count.

They traded stiff shots on the apron until Aries nailed Impact with a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Aries hit the running drop kick in the corner and the Brain Buster for the win.

Alberto El Patron came out on the ramp and applauded Aries.

Next Week: The return of Feast or Fired.

Impact Wrestling results: Austin Aries takes on Eli Drake

Posted on by Dave Bath

Previously: Johnny Impact defeated Alberto El Patron, Ethan Carter III, and Moose to earn an Impact World Championship title shot.

Tonight: Impact World Champion Austin Aries defends against Eli Drake

Show Recap —

Bobby Lashley defeated Sami Callihan (w/ OVE) by DQ

OVE interfered to give Callihan the early advantage. They fought on the floor at ringside for most of the match. Callihan kicked Lashley in the face, but it just fired him up. Lashley hit the spear, but OVE jumped in for the disqualification.

OVE continued the beatdown until Eddie Edwards ran out for the save.

– At the LAX Clubhouse, LAX played a game of dominos. Konnan is sending Homicide to Mexico City to expand business. Ortiz and Santana will take care of Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley.

– In the flashback moment of the week, Braxton Sutter left Laurel Van Ness at the altar for bridesmaid Allie almost a year ago. This resulted in Van Ness’ breakdown. Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, Aron Rex, Sienna, and Rockstar Spud were all in attendance.

– Allie arrived at the Impact Zone and found a suspicious note from her secret admirer on her luggage. It told her to meet them at tunnel 22.

– Backstage, Alberto El Patron attacked Moose for costing him the fatal four-way last week.

Rosemary defeated Hania

Rosemary was in control until she missed a charge in the corner. Hania scored a near fall with a spin kick, but Rosemary countered a crossbody into a pin for the win.

Hania attacked Rosemary after the match, but Rosemary made a comeback and Hania ran off.

– Allie arrived at stage 22 and found a box of chocolates addressed to her. Laurel Van Ness jumped out of a large box, but Allie nailed her with the box of chocolates and stuffed her back in.

Ethan Carter III & Tyrus defeated Johnny Impact & Matt Sydal

The faces were firmly in control until Tyrus took over with a headbutt, then the heels isolated Sydal on their side of the ring. Impact got the hot tag and ran wild.

Sydal attempted a dive to the floor, but Tyrus caught him and rammed him in the apron. Impact set up for the Impact Kick on EC3, but Tyrus grabbed his legs and Impact hit the mat hard. EC3 rolled up Impact for the win.

– Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong went to Joseph Park’s empty law office. Kong trashed the office and smashed a picture of Grandma Park.

Brian Cage defeated Jon Cruz

Cage dominated his debut match and picked up the easy win.

– Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley searched for LAX but instead found Fallah Bahh eating M&M’s. They then jumped the Mumbai Cats and beat them down.

X Division Champion Taiji Ishimori defeated El Hijo Del Fantasma to retain his title

Fantasma wore down Ishimori until he made a comeback and hit a dive to the floor.

Fantasma came back and hit a suicide dive of his own. Ishimori connected with the golden moonsault to the floor. Fantasma attempted the tombstone piledriver, but Ishimori countered into the double knees. Ishimori hit a 450 to retain the X Division title.

Impact World Champion Austin Aries defeated Eli Drake (w/ Chris Adonis) to retain his title

Aries had the advantage before Drake nailed him with a boot to the face. Drake then missed a huge moonsault, and they traded stiff shots in the middle of the ring. Aries scored a close near fall with a missile dropkick.

Aries attempted a dive, but he hit Adonis instead. Drake took over after dropping Aries on the apron. Aries made a comeback and hit the brainbuster to retain the Impact World Championship.

Next Week: Johnny Impact defends his World Championship title shot against Ethan Carter III. Plus, Alberto El Patron battles Moose.

Impact Wrestling results: Austin Aries returns, wins World title

Posted on by Dave Bath

Previously: Impact World Champion Eli Drake defeated Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact in Six Sides of Steel.

Tonight: Austin Aries made his surprise return to Impact. Plus, Ethan Carter III & Alberto El Patron faced Moose & Johnny Impact in a tag match.

Show Recap —

– A mystery person was shown walking into the Impact Zone.

– The six-sided ring is no more and has been replaced by a traditional ring.

Grand Champion Matt Sydal defeated Fallah Bahh to retain his title

Prior to the match, Sydal mentioned that he has a spiritual advisor that has been guiding him.

Sydal was in control early, but Bahh used his size to take over. Sydal fought back and worked over Bahh’s leg. Bahh attempted the Banzai drop, but Sydal kicked him to the floor. Bahh missed a second Banzai drop and Sydal hit the Shooting Star Press to retain the title.

– Backstage, Caleb Konley was concerned that Trevor Lee is no longer the X Division Champion — but Lee told him he has a gameplan in place.

Bobby Lashley defeated KM

KM gained the advantage after Lashley missed a charge in the corner. Lashley made a fiery comeback and hit the spear to win the match.

– In the back, Joseph Park was on the phone with his grandma when Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong approached. Jacobs wants Abyss to show up next week.

– Backstage, Bobby Lashley announced that he’ll continue to focus on both mixed martial arts and pro wrestling. He had a brief interaction with Eddie Edwards.

Kiera Hogan defeated Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness in a non-title match

Van Ness was in control early until Hogan made a brief comeback. Van Ness used a curb stomp and set up for the Unprettier when Allie came out. Van Ness was distracted and Hogan rolled her up for the surprise win.

– LAX came out and mentioned defeating OVE in Barbwire Massacre III. This brought OVE to the ring. Sami Callihan said they hate everything but respect LAX.

Callihan promised they were coming for the tag belts, but he said they have bigger fish to fry for now and OVE walked away. Suddenly, Konley and Trevor Lee jumped LAX from behind and stole their flags.

– Eli Drake and Chris Adonis discussed the upcoming Facts of Eli Drake’s Life celebration backstage. Drake asked about the mystery person, but Adonis didn’t know what he was talking about.

Moose & Johnny Impact defeated Alberto El Patron & Ethan Carter III

After the faces had the advantage, El Patron distracted Moose and the heels took over. Impact scored a near fall after hitting Starship Pain as EC3 broke up the pin.

The heels isolated Impact on their side of the ring. Moose got the hot tag and ran wild, then scored a near fall with a hesitation dropkick. El Patron hit the double foot stomp on Impact, but Moose rocked Patron with a clothesline for the win.

– Chris Adonis and Eli Drake came out for the Facts of Eli Drake’s Life celebration. Adonis called Drake the greatest champion that ever lived, the greatest dresser that ever lived, and the greatest friend that ever lived. Drake called himself the greatest man that ever lived.

This brought out the returning Austin Aries. Aries pointed out that he is the greatest man that ever lived. Aries challenged Drake to a match — but Drake refused. Adonis jumped Aries from behind and Drake accepted the challenge.

Austin Aries defeated Eli Drake to win the Impact World Championship

Both guys wrestled in their street clothes. Drake scored a two count, then Aries made a comeback. Aries used a dropkick in the corner and hit a brainbuster to win the Impact World Championship.

Austin Aries released by WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

News of one of the more surprising WWE releases in some time came today, with WWE announcing in the late afternoon that Austin Aries is no longer with the company.

WWE posted a statement on their website: “WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Austin Aries. WWE wishes Aries the best in all of his future endeavors.”

Not long before the news of his release was announced, Aries tweeted: “It’s a beautiful day.” He followed up by posting three emojis (a banana, a smiling face with sunglasses, and a thumbs up) when the news came out. We can confirm that he asked to be released.

Aries had been scheduled to challenge for Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship at tonight’s house show at Madison Square Garden until recently. He was replaced by Cedric Alexander.

After his lengthy feud over the title with Neville ended, Aries’ last appearance on WWE TV came on the June 20th episode of 205 Live. He continued his partnership with Jack Gallagher, which was formed the week before when Aries claimed that he wasn’t medically cleared to compete due to neck and leg issues.

There was a situation before that where Aries seemed to indicate on an episode of Busted Open Radio that he was taking time off due to injuries, but he later denied that was the case when asked about it in an interview with USA Today.

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.

WWE 205 Live results: The final build to Extreme Rules

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville and Austin Aries had one final confrontation before Extreme Rules, with Neville getting the upper hand thanks to TJP. Drew Gulak once again scored a win over Mustafa Ali, continuing to prove that being on the ground works best.

Noam Dar and Alicia Fox gained momentum heading into their mixed tag match on Sunday, with Dar picking up a win over Rich Swann thanks to Fox’s help.

Show Recap —

Noam Dar and Alicia Fox came out to start the show. Fox said that Dar completes her and nothing could break them up. Rich Swann and Sasha Banks are nothing but yokes and jokes, she says (at least, I think that was the quote). They plugged their Extreme Rules mixed tag match, which will be on the pre-show.

As Fox was continuing to rant on about Banks, Swann came out, with Banks following. Banks said she and Swann share a lot of things in common, unlike Dar and Fox — they like to dance, and know about fashion. She and Fox exchanged barbs over their weaves before the match started.

Noam Dar defeated Rich Swann

Dar worked on Swann’s arm. Swann was mounting a comeback when Fox grabbed him by the leg. Banks and Fox had a brawl, with Banks snatching part of Fox’s weave. During this ruckus, Swann missed a charge in the corner which allowed Dar to lay him out with a knee strike for the win.

Dasha Fuentes interviewed Cedric Alexander about what just happened. He said Fox and Dar will get what’s coming to them at Extreme Rules. Rehabbing for three months doesn’t seem like a long time, but now he has to go out there and make up for lost time.

Cedric Alexander defeated Corey Hollis

Hollis honed in on Alexander’s injured knee, but Alexander made a quick comeback and pinned him with the Lumbar Check.

They showed a recap of what went down last week between Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick, where Tozawa defeated him in a street fight.

Drew Gulak defeated Mustafa Ali

Gulak came out to do his spiel about 205 Live becoming a No Fly Zone when Ali shut him up with a dive to the floor. Gulak came back with rest holds for heat. Ali made a comeback but when executing a crossbody attempt Gulak reversed the cover and got the win.

Gulak said that the victory wasn’t for him. It was for those who believe in his message for what 205 Live should be. Ali lost, and he needs to learn high flying doesn’t pay, staying on the ground is the way.

Austin Aries made his way to the ring. Ever since last night, people have been messaging him on social media. Not because of his new book, but because of the tap heard around the world. They showed footage of what went down on Raw, then they showed it again just in case anyone in the audience didn’t see. He said this may be the first time that Neville tapped, but only because the other two times Neville found a way to escape.

Neville came out and said last night he got lucky. This is how you carry yourself? You have no decorum. This Sunday, the King of the Cruiserweights will eradicate you once and for all. He claimed that 205 Live is his kingdom.

TJP jumped Aries from behind as Neville joined in on the fray. With TJP holding Aries, Neville kicked his knee in a bowing position, then took him out and locked in the Rings of Saturn. He stood over Aries as the show closed.

Final Thoughts —

This was an okay show that built well to Extreme Rules. The positive about 205 Live is that there are a number of storylines that are well highlighted and work well on paper. Problem is, the execution is super dry. Add in the uninterested crowd and standard WWE-style of work, and you have a solid but uninspiring program.

Stipulations added to two WWE Extreme Rules title matches

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Stipulations for two of the title matches at Extreme Rules were added on Monday night.

It was revealed that Neville would be defending his Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in a submission match at the pay-per-view. Aries submitted Tony Nese with the Last Chancery on Raw before Neville put Nese in the Rings of Saturn to build up the stipulation.

Matt Hardy and Sheamus also faced off with the winner getting to decide the stipulation for their tag title match at Extreme Rules. After Hardy won, he declared that The Hardys would be defending their titles against Cesaro & Sheamus in a steel cage match.

A double main event was announced for next week’s go-home episode of Raw as well. It will be Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Samoa Joe in a triple threat and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins before all five collide in the main event of the PPV on June 4th.

WWE 205 Live results: Austin Aries battles TJP

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Aries defeated TJP, but a leg injury made him prime game for Neville, who assaulted him until Jack Gallagher made the save.

Gran Metalik actually had a match on 205 Live, but he lost to Noam Dar. Speaking of, Dar tried to play Rich Swann’s own game by having a box with white powder delivered to him, but Swann instead managed to get Ariya Daivari to open it instead.

Brian Kendrick, after teaching Akira Tozawa his final lesson last week, will teach him again next week in a street fight.

Show Recap —

Dasha Fuentes started the show off by interviewing Austin Aries. She asked him about TJP tonight. Aries called him a lapdog for Neville, and said that title shot TJP thinks he’s going to get? Not going to happen. He brought up his injured knee, but injured knee or not, he claimed TJP will never be on the A Double level.

Noam Dar defeated Gran Metalik

Aside from a botched hurricanrana, Metalik looked good early on offense. Alicia Fox distracted Metalik, which allowed Dar to blindside him for heat. Metalik came back with a big springboard elbow. Metalik went to walk around the middle rope when Dar cut him off with a kick to the leg, then followed with a knee strike for the win. This was a good, competitive match.

It was announced that next week Brian Kendrick would face Akira Tozawa in a street fight. Fuentes interviewed Kendrick, who went over the rules of a street fight, and said a crafty mind like his could spell trouble for Tozawa. He wasn’t planning on Tozawa being so stubborn. This final lesson (as opposed to last week’s final lesson) might be the end of Tozawa’s 205 Live dreams.

A Cedric Alexander video package aired. He returns next week.

Mustafa Ali was coming out for a match against Tony Nese when Drew Gulak attacked him from behind, throwing him into the barricade. He threw Ali into the ring post hard, making a nasty sound.

Gulak threw Ali into the ring and told Nese to do the running knee in the corner — he obliged. Both posed in the ring, Gulak lifting up his No Fly Zone sign as Ali was left a complete mess.

Rich Swann was interviewed by Fuentes. She said Dar has claimed that Swann will get what he deserves for trying to break he and Alicia Fox up. Swann offered a rebuttal, but was suddenly interrupted by a guy with a package for a Richard T. Swann. Swann said that’s not him, you’re looking for the guy over there.

That guy over there happened to be Ariya Daivari, who was looking at himself in a mirror. Daivari accepted the gift, thinking it contained some fancy Persian glasses, but soon realized they weren’t, so he left them be as he exited.

Jack Gallagher came in and looked at the gift, but Daivari came back and told him to get lost. He opened the package, and soon enough white powder flew right into his face. He wasn’t too happy about that one.

Austin Aries defeated TJP

TJP spent the early part of the match working on Aries’ busted leg. TJP went to dab while working on a submission, allowing Aries to mount a comeback. He went for a suicide dive and landed it, but tweaked his leg in the process.

Aries went for something off the top rope, but TJP blocked it, clipped his leg, and took him down with the kneebar. TJP grabbed the ropes for leverage, which the referee saw and forced him to let go. TJP had him on his shoulders for the Detonation Kick, but Aries countered with a small package into the Last Chancery, making TJP quickly submit in a solid bout.

Neville blindsided Aries after the match, slamming his bad knee into the post and applying a heel hook. Gallagher ran in with his umbrella and struck Neville with it, sending Neville to the outside to close out the show.

Final Thoughts —

This was a good show. Both matches were pretty solid, and the angles in between were fine, though I thought we were done with the Kendrick/Tozawa stuff. But I guess that’ll be next week…or whenever WWE decides to end it.

Metalik should probably be on 205 more. He and Ali are the kind of guys they need to build around if they want to promote an exciting product. Building up stories is nice, but it can only go so far if you have guys that size that are merely okay.

WWE Zurich, Switzerland, live results: Aleister Black in action

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Thomas Gaggioli

– Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardys defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass and Cesaro & Sheamus to retain their titles

Cesaro got a fantastic pop returning to Switzerland. It was a good match. In the lead-up to the finish, Cesaro swung Amore like 20 times, Cass hit Cesaro out of the ring, Sheamus hit Cass with a Brogue Kick to send him out of the ring, Matt hit a Twist of Fate on Sheamus, and Jeff followed with a Swanton Bomb for the win.

– Sasha Banks & Dana Brooke defeated Alicia Fox & Nia Jax

Fox tapped out to the Banks Statement

– Golden Truth, Apollo Crews & Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins, Titus O’Neil, Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel

This match had a lot of comedy spots. Goldust pinned Hawkins to get the win.

– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Austin Aries and Aleister Black to retain his title

Almost nobody knew who Black was. This was a fantastic match with a lot of high spots. A security guy got hit by a flying Black at one point. Neville retained after pinning Aries with a roll-up where he appeared to be holding onto his tights.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz (w/ Maryse) to retain his title

Miz is a fantastic heel. Maryse tried to interfere a lot before being ejected from ringside, then Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds to win the match.

– Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley to retain her title

Bayley got a huge pop. Bliss won by pinning Bayley with both of her feet on the ropes before Bayley hit a Bayley-to-Belly after the match to make everyone happy.

– Finn Balor defeated Karl Anderson (w/ Luke Gallows)

This was a great match, with Balor winning after hitting the Coup de Grace. Balor got an awesome reaction.

– Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins defeated Bray Wyatt & Samoa Joe

Wyatt’s entrance is just awesome. Rollins got a huge reaction and Reigns got a lot of boos and cheers. There were dueling chants for him during the match. It was a solid main event. Reigns hit a spear on Wyatt to get the victory, then Rollins and Reigns shook hands after the match and Rollins posed with a Swiss flag.

WWE 205 Live results: Austin Aries and TJ Perkins battle it out

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

After beating TJ Perkins in the main event, Austin Aries was jumped by both him and Neville after the match, making it clear that he’s at a disadvantage at Payback with TJP in Neville’s corner.

Alicia Fox broke up with Noam Dar to hook up with Rich Swann, but Swann revealed his true intentions, leaving her in the dust. Tozawa and Kendrick continued their very long lesson session.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa came out for his match. As he did, they showed footage of what went down last week in the Tozawa/Brian Kendrick feud.

Akira Tozawa defeated Tony Nese

This was mostly just a match to further the angle — it wasn’t bad, but nothing you’d remember. Nese controlled a lot of the match. Halfway through, Kendrick came down to meddle. He started to hop on the apron, which got Nese’s attention and allowed Tozawa to roll him up for the win.

Nese was none too happy about this, and laid Kendrick out after sharing some words with him. Tozawa grabbed a mic on the outside and said this is lesson number three: you need to have eyes in the back of your head.

Rich Swann came out to talk about Alicia Fox, but was quickly cut off by Noam Dar, who wasn’t happy. He yelled at Swann about interfering in Dar and Fox’s relationship and called him a rat. Fox then came out. Swann asked who will it be, Foxxy? Dar, stunned, wanted to know what this was all about.

Fox first addressed Dar, dressing him down by saying his cologne stinks, he’s immature, and he can’t cook. She revealed that she never really cared about him, and was just using him as he seemed to have potential. She was also annoyed by the way he says “Alicia Foooooooooooooox.” She officially dumped him. The crowd halfheartedly at best sang the goodbye song as he left.

Fox then focused her attention on Swann, thanking him for all the gifts. Swann said they all came from the heart. She said she’s going to give him what he deserves, leaning in for a kiss, but he stopped her.

Swann asked if she remembered Cedric Alexander. He said she left Alexander high and dry; he’s one of his closest friends and for that you get what you deserve. He shunned her and made his exit.

Alicia said fine, being single is fine anyway. She went after the crowd over the “what” chants and started talking about Louisville being her city as she was eventually cut off.

Ariya Daivari came out wearing fancier new clothing. They’ve tweaked his gimmick a bit as he’s now rich and — as it was shown during his entrance — came into the arena today in a fancy new car (maybe a Jaguar?), and blew off the valet when he motioned for a tip.

Ariya Daivari defeated Mustafa Ali

Ali had the advantage early. He went for a tornado DDT but Daivari countered with a spinebuster. They had a pretty good back and forth match while it lasted. Ali was going for the imploding 450 splash when Drew Gulak came out with a megaphone and a sign saying “No Fly Zone.” This distracted Ali, allowing Daivari to ground him and lay him out with a hammerlock/lariat combo for the win.

Dasha Fuentes interviewed Gulak backstage. He said tonight we’ve seen the first steps of a bright future for 205 Live. Ali’s short-sighted high flying brand of competition — that has no future. He will stop at nothing to create a better 205 Live.

Austin Aries defeated TJ Perkins

I thought this was a solid main event. It probably would have been a better match with a hot crowd, but that can be said for virtually every episode of 205 Live.

Aries tweaked his knee when going for a 450 splash, giving Perkins the opportunity to work over that body part. Aries fought back and eventually did land the 450, but Perkins got his foot on the rope. Aries followed with the Last Chancery, but Perkins managed to make it to the ropes and bailed to the outside.

Aries went to throw him back in, but TJP cut him off and went for the detonation kick. Aries floated behind him and boxed his ears, then followed with the discus fivearm for the win.

Neville’s music hit as he came to the ring, looking for a fight. He tried to take Aries out but Aries countered with the Last Chancery. TJP came in and broke it up, then both of them stomped on the prone Aries. TJP laid him out with the detonation kick and Neville sealed the deal with the Rings of Saturn. 

TJP dabbed on the downed Aries as he and Neville made their exit, closing the show.

Final Thoughts —

Beyond the main event segment, which was pretty good, the rest of the show was subpar. This was a story-heavy episode of 205 Live, which means this episode in particular pretty much exposed that none of the stories are all that great right now. No one really reacted to anything going on, making everything feel flat and poorly executed. 

People can have all the talent in the world, but when you put them in scenarios that make it 10 times tougher to get over, most of the time even the most talented people can’t keep their head above water.

Between the predictable, flat ending of the Dar storyline they’ve been pushing for months, the Kendrick/Tozawa feud that feels like it’s never going to end, and the Gulak/Ali feud that already feels pretty bad, this episode was a perfect representation of that.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville’s next challenger is decided

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Aries defeated three other men to get another shot at Neville’s Cruiserweight title. Rich Swann, after defeating Oney Lorcan, said that he is the one sending gifts to Alicia Fox. Akira Tozawa turned the tables on Brian Kendrick, doing what he needed to pick up a win against him.

Show Recap —

They showed still footage of what went down at WrestleMania. Aries had Neville beat with the Last Chancery, but Neville took advantage of Aries’ injured orbital socket and picked up the win, retaining his championship.

Kendrick came out to start the show. He said he can’t believe Tozawa asked for this rematch. He claimed that rule number 10 is that it’s not about athleticism, but superior psychology. 

Akira Tozawa defeated Brian Kendrick

They had an alright match. Tozawa did a nice suicide dive on the outside at one point. He raked Kendrick’s eye while they were both on the top rope. Tozawa came back down but looked to injure his knee. Kendrick went to complain to the referee, then picked up Tozawa but he played possum and rolled up Kendrick for the win.

Tozawa told Kendrick he taught him lesson number one…which he didn’t explain. I guess that cheaters always prosper, or something.

Rich Swann defeated Oney Lorcan

Lorcan jumped Swann right at the bell, unleashing a big European uppercut to the corner. Lorcan went for a half nelson suplex off the top rope but Swann landed on his feet. Lorcan grabbed him and hit a running Alabama slam into the corner. Swann came back, hitting a hurricanrana off the top rope and then pinning Lorcan with a phoenix splash.

This was really good, with Lorcan showing some great, crisp offense.

Swann took a mic after the match and talked about how Alicia Fox has been getting presents for the last few weeks. Noam Dar has been taking credit for them, but it wasn’t Dar who was delivering those gifts — it was Swann. He left it at that.

Mustafa Ali was heading to the ring when Drew Gulak stopped him. Ali said he doesn’t buy what Gulak is selling. Gulak said all he wants to do is to give him one last chance to be on the right side of history. Ali walked past him, letting Gulak know how he feels.

Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne, and Tyler Bate all appeared on stage. They will be touring with the 205 Live crew in England on May 6th and 7th.

Neville came out and said there is no one on his level, and it feels good being right. He told everyone not to buy into the rumors about him gouging Aries’ eye out of desperation — he did it because he deserved it. He wanted to thank each and every person in the audience for never believing in him, they lit a fire in his belly and he became royalty. 

He thanked Aries, then the entire 205 Live roster because their futile efforts to take the title off him have only bolstered his reputation. He’ll take a ringside seat tonight to watch the number one contender’s bout.

Austin Aries defeated Mustafa Ali, Jack Gallagher, and TJ Perkins to earn a Cruiserweight title shot

Ali took everyone out with a triple neckbreaker, which was pretty cool. They followed that with a tower of doom spot. Aries went to suplex Ali but got out of the way so Gallagher could fly right into Ali’s temple, sending him careening to the outside.

TJP hit the detonation kick but Gallagher came back with a headbutt. Aries dispatched Gallagher to the outside then pinned TJP with the five-arm. There have been better multi-man bouts, but this was still pretty good and had its moments.

Final Thoughts —

This was a solid show following WrestleMania. No new programs seem to be on the horizon, save for whatever Gulak/Ali is developing into, which is kind of a shame. Lorcan is a nice addition to the roster, but it remains unclear if this was just a one time thing or a call up.

It was nothing revolutionary, but a serviceable show with a hotter crowd than usual.

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.