Prior to tonight’s SmackDown at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, three matches were taped for this week’s episode of 205 Live. The tapings were headlined by a tag match where WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy & Tony Nese teamed against Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander.
– Noam Dar defeated Mike Kanellis (w/ Maria Kanellis)
Dar won after a distraction from the Lucha House Party, who have been feuding with Kanellis and TJP.
– Hideo Itami defeated an enhancement wrestler
This was Itami’s first appearance on 205 Live since losing a falls count anywhere match to Ali last month. Ariya Daivari made his return to 205 Live after the match and attacked Itami’s opponent. Daivari then shook hands with Itami.
– Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy & Tony Nese
This episode of 205 Live will premiere on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Wednesday, November 28).
A tag team main event is set for next week’s 205 Live.
During last night’s episode, it was announced that WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy & Tony Nese will face Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander next week. Murphy retained his title against Ali at Survivor Series.
Murphy and Ali both cut promos on this week’s episode. Murphy appeared in front of the crowd and bragged about his win. Nese then defeated Noam Dar, with Murphy distracting Dar for the finish. Ali cut a selfie promo saying he isn’t running from the pain of the loss and wants to embrace it so he can use the pain, turn it into power, and become Cruiserweight Champion.
Murphy & Nese vs. Ali & Alexander was then announced for next week during a segment where Drake Maverick met with Alexander backstage.
It was also announced that Hideo Itami, who lost a falls count anywhere match to Ali last month, will return to television on next week’s 205 Live. The episode is being taped at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday before premiering on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
WWE has added a Cruiserweight Championship match to the card for Survivor Series.
On this week’s episode of 205 Live, it was announced that Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy will defend his title against Mustafa Ali at Survivor Series. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on November 18.
Ali defeated Tony Nese in a number one contender’s match on the October 31 edition of 205 Live to set up him getting the title shot. A taped promo with Ali aired on this week’s show, and Murphy defeated Mark Andrews in a non-title match.
After Ali won his match against Nese, there was an angle where WWE teased Cedric Alexander having Ali in position for a Lumbar Check as he was making the save for Ali and helping him up — but Alexander congratulated Ali instead of attacking him.
Murphy won the title from Alexander at Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia last month.
After SmackDown and Mixed Match Challenge, this week’s 205 Live episode was taped at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
– The Lucha House Party (Kalisto & Lince Dorado) defeated TJP & Mike Kanellis
TJP tried to take off Dorado’s mask, but it was revealed that Dorado had another mask under it.
– Lio Rush defeated an enhancement wrestler
Rush cut a promo on Cedric Alexander and set up an upcoming match between them.
– It was announced that Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy will defend his title against Mustafa Ali at Survivor Series. Ali won a number one contender’s match against Tony Nese in the main event of last week’s episode.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy defeated Mark Andrews in a non-title match
Murphy won with his pumphandle Death Valley Driver finisher.
The episode will air on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Wednesday, November 7).
With the tapings taking place in Manchester, England, there will be some involvement from WWE’s United Kingdom division on next week’s 205 Live.
It was announced last night that Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy will face Mark Andrews in a non-title match on next week’s episode.
Murphy’s next challenger was decided on this week’s 205 Live, with Mustafa Ali defeating Tony Nese in a number one contender’s match. When Ali will be getting his title shot against Murphy wasn’t confirmed.
After Ali defeated Nese, there was a post-match angle where Cedric Alexander made the save for Ali. WWE teased Alexander having Ali in position for a Lumbar Check as he was helping him up, but Alexander congratulated Ali and Murphy came out to stare them down as the show ended.
Mickie James & Bobby Lashley vs. Bayley & Finn Balor and Carmella & R-Truth vs. Naomi & Jimmy Uso are set for next week’s Mixed Match Challenge. Nothing has been announced for SmackDown.
WWE announced tonight that Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander will defend his title against Murphy at Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia on October 6. Alexander last defended the title against Drew Gulak on the SummerSlam pre-show, and their program has continued on 205 Live since.
Murphy wrestled in the main event of this week’s 205 Live, defeating Kalisto.
This is the seventh match to be announced for Super Show-Down. The show is taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and will air live on the WWE Network.
Here’s the updated card:
The Undertaker vs. Triple H (billed as the final time they’ll ever face each other)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
WWE Champion AJ Styles defending against Samoa Joe
Ronda Rousey, Nikki Bella & Brie Bella vs. The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (winner gets a future shot at the WWE Championship)
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander defending against Buddy Murphy
Another segment for SmackDown and two matches for 205 Live are set for tonight.
Ahead of their SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Money in the Bank on June 17th, WWE is advertising that Carmella will unmask Asuka by revealing a “never-before-told truth” about her. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, Naomi & Jimmy Uso vs. Lana & Aiden English, and a contract signing for AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura’s last man standing match at Money in the Bank will also take place tonight.
On 205 Live, Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy and Brian Kendrick vs. Lince Dorado have been announced. Ali and Murphy have been positioned as the two top challengers for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship. Murphy defeated Ali on the May 8th edition of 205 Live before losing a title match to Alexander last week.
Kendrick & Jack Gallagher have been feuding with the Lucha House Party and defeated Dorado & Kalisto last Tuesday with the help of Drew Gulak.
Following his win over Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy is set to challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship later this month.
In a video that was uploaded today, Drake Maverick announced that Alexander will defend the title against Murphy on the May 29th edition of 205 Live. The show is scheduled for the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is Alexander’s home state.
There was a storyline last month where Murphy was supposed to challenge for the title at the Greatest Royal Rumble but missed weight ahead of the show. Alexander instead defended the championship against Kalisto. When Murphy returned to 205 Live last week, he defeated an enhancement wrestler and brawled with Alexander after the match.
Murphy then defeated Ali on this Tuesday’s episode.
There will be two more episodes of 205 Live before the title match takes place. Next week’s show will feature wrestlers from the United Kingdom division as Raw and SmackDown are being filmed in London during WWE’s European tour.
Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik were hyped up as international stars in a pre-show package building up their match with Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher.
Tony Nese said he’ll show the world that he’s still the premiere athlete, while Buddy Murphy is facing Mustafa Ali and wants to make up for losing out on his Cruiserweight title shot at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, and Percy Watson talked about tonight’s card, and McGuinness discussed Murphy’s quest to become a champion once again.
The Lucha House Party came out to face Kendrick & Gallagher. Drew Gulak slapped hands with fans — but made sure to wipe his hands off on his suit afterwards. He joined commentary for this match.
Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik defeated Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher
Gallagher worked a headlock on Dorado before Dorado locked on a headscissors. We got some comedy with Gallagher doing headstands and trying to escape, so Dorado slapped him on the backside to break that up. McGuinness teased Cruiserweight Tag Team titles being a thing with all these tag matches.
Metalik tagged in and hit a double-jump dropkick for two. Kendrick got a blind tag and Metalik hit a flip dive. Kendrick connected with a jumping kick to the back of the head, then kicked Metalik before crossfacing him a few times. Gallagher tagged in and worked on the arm before Kendrick came back in to work on it more.
Metalik booted Gallagher off the apron and tagged in Dorado, who dropkicked Kendrick. Kendrick hit Sliced Breas and Gallagher got a near fall when Metalik made a save. The House Party hit a stereo superkick on the heels, with Dorado winning with a Shooting Star Press.
Mustafa Ali cut a selfie promo on a train track about how he’s built to go and Murphy’s built for show. Ali said it’s about clearing the way for his own path to success and Murphy can either move willingly or he’ll make him.
Murphy told Nese he needs to move on from the gauntlet match and Nese wished him luck. Murphy said Ali is his only blemish so far in this division and he’s had a tougher time getting used to weight cuts, but he wants to win tonight and hopes the champ is watching.
Nese came out to count his abs and destroy a jobber.
Tony Nese defeated Keith Clayball
Watson mocked Joseph for not being ripped, telling him to find a gym. Joseph said he knows one — his brother Jim. Nese was back to being a full-on heel by mocking the fans. McGuinness said that he’s heard some good things about Clayball before saying that Nese needs matches like this to get back on track. He quoted Winston Churchill about going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm for what he’s doing.
Nese did the crunch kicks in the corner, but Clayball avoided the corner knee and ate a boot. Nese rebounded and hit a big double-arm lariat to the jaw. A corner knee strike ended it and got the win for Nese.
There was a video showcasing Hideo Itami’s NXT run before Triple H, JBL, and Michael Cole put him over. Itami said he came here to prove what a superstar he is. He said he didn’t like teaming with Akira Tozawa, doesn’t need a partner, and Tozawa didn’t deserve him.
Drake Maverick and Cedric Alexander met, with Maverick letting the brawl Alexander had last week slide. Next week, 205 Live will face off and team up with the WWE UK division.
Buddy Murphy defeated Mustafa Ali
Murphy shoved Ali down but missed a big stomp. Ali avoided a powerbomb and chopped away. Murphy lifted him up off a rana attempt and went for a rana of his own, but he ate a rana from Ali anyway and went to the apron. Murphy was sent into the announce table, then made Ali go splat with a suplex on the floor.
Alexander looked on from backstage via a television as Murphy kicked away at Ali’s back. They each went for crossbody blocks and met in the middle. A sleeper was locked on and Murphy ran Ali back and head-first into the buckles.
Ali trapped Murphy in the ropes and hit a deja-vu tornado DDT for two. Well, that was nuts. Murphy hit a big punt kick and turned a powerbomb into a Yokosuka cutter for two. Murphy hit a trifecta of powerbombs, but Ali countered another powerbomb with a spike X-Factor. He went for a super rana to the floor, but Murphy tossed him off and Ali did a backflip, landing on his feet before hitting a superkick to the jaw. That was insane, and the crowd came alive as he tossed Murphy back in for two.
Ali went for a 450, but Murphy dropped a knee on his arm before slamming it into the buckle and slamming the arm down hard. Ali cradled him and went for a tornado DDT, but Murphy grabbed him, hammerlocked him, tossed the shoulder into the buckle, and took him out with Murphy’s Law. This was an outstanding match.
Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali’s match from the WrestleMania pre-show was recapped, with footage of their back-and-forth promo exchange tying some of the match’s threads together.
Vic Joseph was at ringside and said that Nigel McGuinness will be back in two weeks, but Percy Watson will be McGuinness’ replacement and will then join the announce team to make it a three-man booth. Joseph hyped up Mark Andrews vs. Drew Gulak as tonight’s main event, while Alexander will also celebrate his title win.
Kalisto came out and we got a weird video promo with him welcoming Tozawa to the lucha house party.
Kalisto defeated Akira Tozawa
Tozawa worked on one of Kalisto’s arms to start things off. Kalisto did a hand-walk headscissors before starting a lucha chant. Tozawa landed a nice snap jab that sent Kalisto down, with Tozawa then stomping a mudhole in him. Tozawa got two off a senton before getting a chinlock.
Joseph talked about the Superstar Shakeup and what that could mean for 205 Live. Kalisto superkicked Tozawa’s gut and got two off a basement rana. Kalisto hit a springing Spanish Fly for two, hit a variety of PKs to the arm, and charged in — but he got monkey flipped into the buckle.
Tozawa hit a suicide dive to the floor and sent Kalisto into the announce table. He went for the senton off the top, but Kalisto got his knees up. They went back and forth on cradles before Kalisto turned one into the Salida Del Sol for the win. Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado face Tozawa & Hideo Itami next week.
Mark Andrews talked to Tony Nese, who said that Drew Gulak was his friend — but now he’s a crazy egomaniac. He wanted Andrews to kick Gulak’s ass for him tonight, so it looks like Nese is a babyface now.
Gulak came out for his match against Andrews and asked for everyone’s attention as he showed off a new PowerPoint presentation! A giant “PowerPoint” chant broke out, so Gulak said there’s a time for those — but it’s not now, when he’s about to destroy Andrews.
Drew Gulak defeated Mark Andrews
Andrews took Gulak down quickly several times with arm drags, so Gulak went outside for a powder. Gulak came in and got kicked in the leg, so he took Andrews down to the mat with his arm and Andrews escaped with fancy flips. Gulak briefly got the dragon sleeper in, but Andrews cradled him for two.
A wheelbarrow bulldog hit for Andrews, with Gulak then going to the apron and tossing Andrews into the steel turnbuckle posts. Gulak stomped his back before hitting a backbreaker for two. He locked in a crossface chicken wing, but Andrews escaped and hit a standing enzuigiri.
Andrews hit a crucifix bomb for two. Gulak landed a nasty rabbit lariat for two, but Andrews hit the Stundog Millionaire. He went up top, but Gulak got to the other side and baited him in before smacking him into the buckle and earning a tap with the Gu-lock.
Gulak locked it on again after the match, but Nese made a save and hit a Fosbury flop to officially turn him face in front of the fans.
Drake Maverick told Brian Kendrick, who was returning to television, and Jack Gallagher that he has some reservations about them teaming up and wants to make sure there won’t be a vendetta against Hideo Itami. Gallagher said a vendetta is beneath them and Kendrick said that their issues are water under the bridge.
Maverick came out and put over the Cruiserweight title match as one that stole the show at WrestleMania. Alexander came down, thanked the fans, and thanked his family for always being there for him. Ali entered and said that there are a lot of people backstage who want a shot, but he wants one too. He got a “One more match” chant.
Buddy Murphy’s theme then hit. Maverick and Ali were looking at the entrance ramp as Murphy snuck in from behind and hit the Murphy’s Law on Alexander. Maverick yelled at Murphy while Ali checked on Alexander, with Murphy motioning that he’s going to be the next Cruiserweight Champion.
With the final first round matches set, the full lineup for WWE’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament has been revealed.
It was announced on 205 Live last night that former NXT Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy would be making his main roster debut against Ariya Daivari next week as part of the tournament. Mustafa Ali vs. Jack Gallagher will also take place on the episode as the first round comes to an end.
A video package spotlighted Murphy last night, with him talking about his past success in NXT and having to train to make the 205-pound weight limit. Murphy hasn’t appeared on television in over a year, but our NXT reporter JJ Williams named him as someone to watch in 2018 due to the quality of his house show matches.
As part of the storyline where general manager Drake Maverick is making changes to 205 Live, Maverick told Gallagher that he’ll no longer be allowed to wrestle in a suit.
Cedric Alexander, TJP, Kalisto, Roderick Strong, Mark Andrews, and Drew Gulak have advanced to the second round so far. The bracket for the tournament hasn’t been revealed, but the finals are scheduled for WrestleMania.
Much like last year’s Who could be NXT in 2017? column, we have a lot to look forward to as we move in to 2018 with an even more loaded Performance Center roster heading into the new year.
This year will also start out unique on the TV side as NXT will be holding their first quarter tapings at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA, before heading back to Full Sail later in the spring. This will give the TV talent a fresh chance to make impressions and that’s what we’re here to discuss. We all know and have seen great things from the top tier roster, so this is about who has shown the most potential on the Florida tour and who we could be discussing a lot come this time next year.
Buddy Murphy
While this is supposed to be about fresh talents who haven’t had major TV exposure, the former NXT tag champion has evolved into a top level singles wrestler. At 29, the former Melbourne City Wrestling Champion in his native Australia has been in the system since 2013 and to me, he would be one of the premier traveling wrestlers in the world right now if he was on the independent circuit.
The self proclaimed “Best Kept Secret” had countless main event quality matches against the likes of Aleister Black, Kassius Ohno, Lio Rush, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Roderick Strong, Tozawa, and Jack Gallagher this past year, on both the Florida and touring loops. I’ve raved about Murphy’s work in the past (like this) and it’s just a matter of time before he’s back on TV showing what he’s capable of.
Babatunde Aiyegbusi
As we’ve seen recently with the absolute physical marvels like Lars Sullivan and Braun Strowman, strength and size are still at a premium for WWE. There are a few big guys in wrestling, and then there’s Babatunde. Billed at seven feet tall and well over three hundred pounds, the former professional and international football player has only been in the system since 2016 and has already been impressive in his limited ring time.
As with most giants, what we would see on TV would definitely not be what you’d see at live events. Babs only had 18 singles matches this past year but much like Sullivan, I expect, well, giant things from Babatunde in the future.
Marcel Barthel
The former Axel Dieter Jr. of Ringkampf in WXW Germany, as well as PROGRESS in the UK, made his way to NXT and debuted on the Florida loop in June of 2017. In the short time he’s been down on the loop, Barthel has already had standout matches against the likes of Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, Roderick Strong and even a Full Sail dark match against No Way Jose.
A technical wrestling standout, Barthel is different than everyone who ususally comes through the system and that’s what makes him stand out from the crowd. His presence and ability will carry over to TV and his ability to make those around him better is something I am looking forward to seeing more of.
Dakota Kai
The former world-traveled Evie on the indies is a ten year veteran who was a standout in her native New Zealand, her second home in Australia, and on countless tours around the world that included Stardom Japan, SHIMMER, and SHINE in the states. 2017 was an absolute whirlwind as Dakota finished up with Melbourne City Wrestling in Australia before a debut on the NXT Florida loop and then competing in the Mae Young Classic, advancing to the quarter finals against the eventual winner Kairi Sane.
Soon afterwards in one of the rarest talent sharing situations, WWE allowed Kai to wrestle at a pair of PROGRESS shows in NY and Boston before returning to the Florida loop. With the recent main roster call ups in the women’s division leaving spots open in NXT, it seems like the perfect time for Dakota Kai to begin her TV journey.
Lacey Evans
In less than two years training at the PC, Evans has already become a Florida loop live event staple, and with her impressive resume, it’s safe to believe she’s also a leader. The former US Marine has made a few appearances on TV, yet her first true showcase was in the Mae Young Classic as she advanced to the second round against Toni Storm. With her classic pin-up looks and her impressive strength, Lacey is sure to be in the next wave of talent to be showcased in the womens division.
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The 2018 NXT roster is as deep as it has ever been and we’ve barely even scratched the surface on major breakout candidates here on the Florida loop like Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush, Rhea Ripley, and many more who have already had breakout appearances yet haven’t been properly launched such as Bianca Belair and Fabian Aichner.
The stockpiling of talent will continue on in the next few months as we are expecting a fresh class this January. Yet, as of this moment, these have been my top names you should watch in 2018 and beyond.
– Lars Sullivan defeated Steve Cutler (w/ Wesley Blake)
Sullivan destroyed Cutler with a big slam.
– Sonya Deville defeated Liv Morgan
An arm submission got the win for Deville.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Adrian Jaoude
Lorcan escaped an airplane spin and scored the pin with a roll-up.
– Killian Dain defeated Raul Mendoza
This was a great showing by Mendoza. He used flashy offense and took punishment from the powerful Dain. Dain eventually destroyed him with a shotgun dropkick and hit the One Winged Angel for the victory.
– Aleister Black defeated Cezar Bononi
Black has his match down perfectly. His work looks excellent and he won with the Black Mass kick.
– Eric Young (w/ Alexander Wolfe) defeated Montez Ford (w/ Angelo Dawkins)
A wheelbarrow slam by EY ended this one.
– Ruby Riot defeated Mandy Rose
Riot picked up the victory with her up-kick finish.
– Roderick Strong, No Way Jose & Buddy Murphy defeated NXT Champion Bobby Roode, Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
There was comedy early where Jose tried to trick the opposition into dancing until Roode declared there would be no dancing in his NXT. Jose taunted Roode with a “Glorious” pose of his own to stir things up.
Roode avoided Strong as much as possible in this match, and Murphy ran wild before getting pulled off the apron by Roode. The heels worked him over until the hot tag to Strong, who ran wild and hit his suplex into a backcracker for the win. His team celebrated to close the show.
