AEW President Tony Khan tweeted today that he has officially signed the 2point0 duo.
Khan tweeted:
After they arrived in #AEW and called out the toughest competition from day one and then survived a brutal Texas Tornado match last night on #AEWDynamite, there is no doubt: Matt Lee and Jeff Parker, #2point0 are #AllElite! #2forTheShow -@TonyKhan
Lee and Parker’s various tag team iterations go back to 2002, when they began teaming as Under Construction. They would later work as 2.0, Badd Boys, 3.0 and then Ever-Rise in NXT. Both were released from WWE on June 25, 2021.
Lee and Parker made their in-ring AEW debuts on the August 4 Homecoming episode of Dynamite, teaming with Daniel Garcia in a trios match against Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston.
Parker and Lee faced Sting and Darby Allin in a tornado tag team bout on this week’s Dynamite in another losing effort.
Parker and Lee have racked up three wins on AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation, but remain winless on Dynamite.
The team formerly known as Ever-Rise in NXT will make their AEW debut at Wednesday’s Homecoming, announced via a promo on social media Tuesday night.
Going by 2.0, Matt Lee & Jeff Parker will team with indie standout Daniel Garcia against Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston and Darby Allin as they said they wanted to call out the three baddest wrestlers on the roster.
Lee and Parker were released by WWE in June along with 12 other NXT and 205 Live talents. They had been in the company since 2019.
Garcia has been in AEW before as he’s worked four matches on Dark, both in singles and tag team action.
Here’s the card for Wednesday’s return to Jacksonville, Florida, as of now:
Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black
TNT Champion Miro vs. Lee Johnson title match
Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston and Darby Allin vs. 2.0 and Daniel Garcia
Five Labours of Jericho, pt. 3: Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera where Jericho must win with a top rope move
Christian Cage vs. The Blade
The Bunny vs. Leyla Hirsch in a no. 1 contender’s match for the NWA Women’s title
2.0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) have arrived in #AEW, & aren’t wasting any time! They’ve aligned with Daniel Garcia & challenged 3 of the top names in AEW @JonMoxley, @MadKing1981 & @DarbyAllin! GM @TonyKhan has just sanctioned this match for #AEWDynamite TOMORROW night Live on TNT! pic.twitter.com/Xcvd9vyPSQ
The rumored WWE releases coming Friday turned out to be accurate as the company continued their recent paredown of the roster, focusing on both NXT and 205 Live talents.
The final list as of Friday night: Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, August Grey, Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), Curt Stallion, the Bollywood Boyz (Sunil and Samir Singh), Arturo Ruas, Marina Shafir, Killian Dain, and Tino Sabbatelli.
The majority of the releases were first reported by Fightful or PWInsider.
The 39-year-old Fandango (Curtis Hussey) had been with the company since 2006 when he signed a developmental deal and started with Deep South Wrestling. Wrestling as Johnny Curtis, he won the fourth season of NXT with R-Truth as his mentor but was only up on the main roster for a short period of time.
He developed the Fandango character and was called up to the main roster in 2013, eventually forming Breezango with Tyler Breeze in 2016. They eventually found their way back to NXT in 2019 and won the Tag Team titles — his only gold in WWE over his 14-year run. He thanked Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque in a tweet.
Breeze had been in the system since 2010 and spent five years in FCW/NXT before being called up to the main roster, paired with Summer Rae in a feud with Dolph Ziggler. The 33-year-old had opened a Florida-based wrestling school with Shawn Spears in 2019.
The 35-year-old Nese started with WWE in 2016 as part of the cruiserweight division and held the Cruiserweight title in 2018-19. He was a 205 Live fixture with some NXT appearances sprinkled in. He did appear once on SmackDown in 2020, losing to Matt Riddle.
Similar to Nese, the 32-year-old Daivari was also a 205 Live and cruiserweight division fixture since starting in 2016. He never held a title during his five years. His brother, Shawn, was recently rehired in a producer role. He tweeted it was time to put sports entertainment behind him and get back to professional wrestling.
Parker and Martel (Jeff Parker and Matt Lee) signed in 2019. They had also been working in both NXT and 205 Live. After nearly two months off, they returned on this week’s NXT in a losing effort to Hit Row (Ashante Adonis and Top Dolla).
Grey (Anthony Greene) signed with WWE in August 2020 and also worked both 205 Live and NXT. In a bit of irony, he will be on Friday’s 205 Live in a match with Grayson Waller while the aforementioned Daivari will face Ikemen Jiro. Grey joked on Twitter that his match is now a loser-leaves-town affair.
Stallion was signed in October 2020 and also was featured on 205 Live. He had recently been cleared to return to action following a wrist injury.
The Singh brothers (Gurvinder Sihra and Harvinder Sihra) started in 2016 and were paired up with then-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal on the main roster in 2017. After nearly two years, they were back on 205 Live. They did each hold the 24/7 title in 2019.
A freestyle wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, Ruas (Adrian Jaoude) signed in 2015 and was in NXT for nearly his entire run, save an appearance on Raw Underground last year. He has been on the sidelines with an injured bicep and hasn’t been in action since last November.
Shafir, a friend of Ronda Rousey and part of the Four Horsewomen group, signed in 2018 along with Jessamyn Duke. Similar to Ruas, she was in NXT for nearly the duration of her run but made her own Raw Underground appearance. She is married to current NXT roster member Roderick Strong.
Ther 36-year-old Dain (Damian Mackie) signed in 2016 and was part of the Sanity faction that started in NXT and eventually called up to the main roster. After the group was disbanded, he returned to NXT in 2019. He tweeted a lengthy thank you and “see you in 90 days.”
Sabbatelli (Sabatino Piscitelli) was the final name reported Friday, released in his second stint with WWE. Signed in 2014, he was best known for teaming with Riddick Moss in NXT. He was cut in April 2020, re-signed in October but didn’t actually wrestle after he returned. In the between time, he worked one match on AEW Dark.
Sterling (formerly known as Alex Zayne) and Hale (Anthony Henry) are both new additions to the 205 Live roster. Sterling was part of the group of signees that joined the WWE Performance Center last December, while Hale joined the Performance Center this February.
Sterling made his WWE debut by defeating Samir Singh on 205 Live three weeks ago. He lost to Nese the following week but then defeated Hale on last Friday’s show.
Hale’s WWE debut was a loss against Cameron Grimes on NXT three weeks ago. On 205 Live, Hale has defeated Daivari but lost to Sterling.
In storyline, Nese and Daivari are the veterans of 205 Live who don’t like newcomers to the brand. Nese & Daivari were most recently in action on NXT last week, losing to Hit Row’s Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis.
Jake Atlas and August Grey defeated Sunil Singh and Samir Singh (The Bollywood Boyz)
This was a stereotypically forgettable 205 Live match; I’m not even sure why it exists.
Sunil started the match by taking Grey to the mat via headlock. After Grey escaped, both Samir and Atlas tagged in. Atlas kicked free from a rollup attempt so forcefully that Samir found himself outside the ring, leaving Atlas in control. Grey maintained this momentum following another tag.
A hot tag allowed Sunil to gain control—a spinning heel kick led to a Singh favored near fall, and a neck breaker followed by an elbow drop led to another.
Atlas stopped a double team maneuver, allowing Atlas to tag Grey into the match. Atlas hit his distracted opponent with a devastating superkick that Grey followed with a crossbody. Grey was successful in the pin that followed.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese
This was a compelling match. formatively unique. Matt Martel played both a victim in need of rescue and conquering hoss in a convincing fashion. Nese and Daivari delivered as always.
The opening exchange saw Nese connect with a quick elbow which he used to take full advantage of the match; Nese and Daivari traded tags, picking apart Martel. After a minutes-long, utterly one-sided beatdown, Martel finally created some separation after a moment of distraction provided by Parker. Nese prevented the tag, restarting the destruction of Martel.
Parker broke up a tag following a Nese moonsault. Nese paid his attention to Parker, allowing Martel to tag into the match for the first time. Parker connected with a barrage of offense, punctuated by a Gory bomb. After Nese kicked out, Parker tried tagging out; Martel was understandably still regaining consciousness outside the ring. Martel tagged in once he could, only to fall victim to a Nese/Daivari double team once more.
Martel managed to sidestep Nese and tag in Parker again. Following an Ever-Rise double team maneuver, Martel tagged in once more, hitting a powerbomb before nearly submitting Nese with a crab; Daivari hit Martel with a superkick to break up the hold. Martel ducked the Daivari hammerlock lariat before hitting Nese with a double stun gun with help from Parker. Nese was pinned, leaving Ever-Rise with a win.
Mansoor and Ashante “Thee” Adonis defeated Samir Singh and Chase Parker
Bolly-Rise made their in-ring return, this time with the pairing of Samir Singh and Chase Parker.
Singh and Mansoor started the match in typical fashion. After some light offense favoring Mansoor, Parker and Adonis subbed in. Adonis and Parker traded some light offense of their own before Adonis was lured into the Bolly-Rise corner, allowing Singh to steal control. Parker and Singh traded tags, picking apart Adonis in the process.
Adonis fought for and eventually succeeded in tagging in Mansoor. Mansoor connected with multiple atomic drops on both of his opponents, but Parker and Singh proved to be too much in tandem. Singh landed an elbow drop for a near fall.
Parker and Singh set up for a double team maneuver before being interrupted by Adonis; this allowed Mansoor to connect with a falcon arrow. After a brief four-man brawl, Adonis hit a superkick and Singh and pinned him.
Mansoor remains undefeated as Bolly-Rises continues to be winless. This was an inoffensive match. Nothing special about it, but it wasn’t bad.
Jake Atlas defeated Tony Nese
Immediately following the opening bell, the music of Ariya Daivari played and out walked Daivari. Nese took advantage of this distraction, clubbing Atlas. Nese maintained his newfound control with a variety of strikes.
Time after time, Atlas gained some separation, only to lose it. Atlas finally fought Nese to the floor and connected with a moonsault. Back in the ring, Atlas connected with a lariat, which resulted in a near fall.
Nese stopped Atlas from following up by grabbing his hair. Nese used his fist full of locks to deliver a running hotshot followed by a moonsault. Atlas kicked out of the pin attempt that followed.
Atlas fought free from a suplex to buy separation. Atlas landed big move after big move before trying for pins resulting in near falls; this prompted Daivari to toss his chain into the ring behind the referee’s back. Before Nese could act, August Grey ran out from the back and grabbed the chain. In the chaos, Atlas rolled Nese up for the win.
There isn’t a lot to say about this match. Even with the interference, it felt by the numbers. Again, not bad per se, just plain.
WWE has announced the first two matches for the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
This year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will begin with Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Roderick Strong) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) and The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel) taking place on NXT next Wednesday (January 13).
WWE has yet to reveal the full list of teams and the bracket for this year’s Dusty Classic. On tonight’s New Year’s Evil episode of NXT, it was announced that Curt Stallion & August Grey, Killian Dain & Drake Maverick, Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner), Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde), and Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory will also be taking part in the tournament.
The team that wins the tournament will receive the Dusty Cup and a shot at the NXT Tag Team titles. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch are the current NXT Tag Team Champions.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first took place in 2015. With the exception of 2017, the tournament has been held every year since then. It was announced on New Year’s Evil that the first-ever women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be taking place soon.
Finn Balor & Samoa Joe, The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar), Undisputed Era’s Cole & Kyle O’Reilly, Aleister Black & Ricochet, and Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne are the teams that have previously won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Atlas and Mansoor grappled as the match opened. Mansoor secured a single-leg crab. Atlas kicked Mansoor away, causing an awkward crash into the turnbuckles. A neckbreaker to a prone Mansoor and a forearm left Atlas with a pair of near falls.
Mansoor fought his way free from a headlock and landed a chop block. Mansoor landed two dragon screws and a spinebuster before locking in the scorpion deathlock. Atlas crawled into the bottom rope to break the hold. A surprise neckbreaker from Atlas gave him control.
Atlas tried for a suplex, but his leg gave way, allowing a quick pin attempt from Mansoor. Atlas powered through and landed a brainbuster before climbing to the top rope. Mansoor met Atlas with a dragon screw from the top rope to the mat. Mansoor maintained control of the leg and pinned Atlas.
This was a new side of Mansoor. This had some awkward moments but was well-executed.
Curt Stallion, Chase Parker, and Matt Martel defeated Sunil Singh, Samir Singh, and Ariya Daivari
Daivari gained the advantage for his team in the early going. He then taunted his tag partners, allowing Stallion to create some separation. Sunil stole a tag from Daivari. Stallion, with aid from Ever-Rise, maintained control.
Martel tried his hand at taking on all three of his competitors but fell short. After being overwhelmed by the numbers, Martel found himself on the receiving end of a double suplex. Martel then began his role as the punching bag.
A forced tag from Daivari stopped the Bollywood domination. Daivari immediately lost control of the match, allowing Stallion to tag in. Stallion unloaded on the now legal Samir; a gargantuan DDT left Stallion with a near fall. Stallion and Ever-Rise traded tags, taking out all three members of the opposition.
Daivari tagged back into the match, connecting with multiple strikes on Stallion. Daivari set Stallion up for a Samir dive, but Stallion missed, hitting Daivari instead. An enraged Daivari then announced he was leaving; the Singhs tried to console him. Stallion, not missing a beat, landed a beautiful dive, connecting with all three opponents. Stallion threw Samir back into the ring in time for Ever-Rise to connect with a double flapjack. On the rebound, Stallion connected with a leaping headbutt. Parker pinned Samir for the win.
This was fine enough, considering no one on Earth wants more Bollywood/Ever-Rise matches. Stallion has star potential.
This opened with Samir Singh gaining a quick advantage following an opening distraction. Sunil Singh’s interference from the offset forced Matt Martel to lay out the opposing manager. As soon as Chase Parker gained some footing, Sunil stole his attention, effectively reestablishing Samir’s advantage.
A suplex to the floor left Parker gasping for air. Samir transitioned into a short segment of ground control that ended following a quick boot from Parker. Samir didn’t allow momentum to escape his grasp as he locked in a deep sleeper hold that Parker narrowly escaped.
Parker connected with a few overhand rights and an elbow drop to establish his first lead. Samir then rolled to the outside and swapped spots with his brother. Mind you, Sunil has about a foot less in hair, one less tattoo, and trunks instead of tights. The referee took a few seconds of studying before determining that Sunil wasn’t legal. Sunil was then ejected.
Before Sunil could leave the ring, Samir tried to hit Parker with a clipboard while the referee was occupied. Samir instead hit his brother, expediting his trip to the back. Parker turned the distraction into opportunity as he lifted Samir and dropped him onto the turnbuckle, which led directly to the pin.
This match wasn’t fantastic by any means, but the absurdity of the Singh swap left a smile on my face.
Mansoor defeated Raul Mendoza
A collar-and-elbow tie-up led to a Mansoor favored scramble in the earliest moments of the match. The series of arm drag variations that followed left Raul Mendoza dazed on the outside. Mendoza drove Mansoor into the barricade and the ring apron to gain control. Mendoza dragged Mansoor into the ring and continued to work him over. Mendoza was dominant during this stretch, taunting Mansoor as he slowly picked away at him.
The long-drawn Mendoza domination ended as Mansoor sidestepped a would-be spear to the corner, sending Mendoza crashing into the ring post. Mansoor connected with a clothesline, an atomic drop, and a spine buster, all in quick succession. A nearly catastrophic suicide dive led to a near fall.
Mansoor hoisted Mendoza for his one-handed electric chair driver, now dubbed the Sands of Time. Mendoza rolled free into a pin attempt that Mansoor escaped. A moonsault to the back of Mansoor led to another near fall by Mendoza.
Mansoor landed on his feet from a German suplex. He dropped Mendoza and transitioned into a scorpion deathlock. Mendoza reached the bottom rope to break the hold.
Mendoza connected with a swinging neck breaker to regain control. Mendoza then started the slow climb to the top rope, but missed his target. Mendoza was able to land on his feet, but the landing caused damage to his leg. Mansoor took advantage, landing a slingshot neckbreaker for the win.
Two matches are set for this Friday’s Christmas Day edition of 205 Live.
WWE has announced that Mansoor vs. Raul Mendoza will air on 205 Live this Friday night. Ever-Rise’s Chase Parker vs. The Bollywood Boyz’s Samir Singh is also set for the show.
Mansoor is undefeated on 205 Live. Mendoza is part of Legado Del Fantasma with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar and Joaquin Wilde.
Ever-Rise defeated The Bollywood Boyz in a tornado tag match on last week’s episode of 205 Live. That was billed as a rubber match between the teams after they had each gotten wins against the other in recent weeks.
205 Live airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays.
Christmas Day will also feature SmackDown airing on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The episode was taped earlier this week and will include three title matches. Roman Reigns is defending his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in a steel cage match, Sami Zayn is defending his Intercontinental title against Big E in a lumberjack match, and Asuka & Charlotte Flair are defending their Women’s Tag Team titles in a triple threat elimination match against Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair and Bayley & Carmella. Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso is also set for SmackDown.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated Sunil Singh & Samir Singh (The Bollywood Boyz)
This rematch started with both members of Ever-Rise jumping the Singh brothers as the opening bell sounded. A brawl spilled the action to the outside. Back inside the ring, Chase Parker and Matt Martel traded tags to pick apart Sunil.
Sunil created an opening by shoving Parker into his corner. Samir tagged in before landing some big fists from the mount. The Singhs traded tags of their own, landing a two-man suplex after stomping a hole in Parker’s chest. Sunil locked in a choke that left Parker desperate for a tag. After Parker broke the hold, Sunil stopped the tag attempt with a spinning heel kick.
Samir tagged in and tried for an assisted diving elbow. Instead of hitting Parker, Samir leveled his brother, leaving Parker open to secure the hot tag. Martel planted both Bollywood Boyz before trading tags with Parker to further their new lead. Ever-Rise lifted Samir and hit him with a double snake eye, a move called “The French Connection” by the commentary team. Martel then hooked the leg and pinned Sunil for the win.
I assume that this match was better than their last. This might be because I forgot this was a rematch until tonight’s bout was nearly over. Ever-Rise’s new intensity should make this match more memorable compared to their leadoff from two weeks prior.
Curt Stallion defeated Ariya Daivari
Ariya Daivari and Curt Stallion traded a wrist lock in the opening moments.The two traded the advantage before Daivari left the ring. On the outside, Stallion landed a headbutt before slamming Daivari into every hard surface surrounding the ring. Stallion went for a dive, but Daivari, like a matador with a muleta, sidestepped Stallion, sending him crashing into the barricade. At the count of nine, Stallion re-entered the ring.
Daivari took full control back inside the ropes. Stallion, try as he might, was unable to string together anything meaningful for some time. Stallion fought free from the camel clutch and initiated a strike exchange, which allowed Stallion to regain some footing; a standing crossbody allowed Stallion to regain the lead. A dropkick to a seated Daivari and a DDT from the corner yielded Stallion the near fall.
Stallion climbed to the top, but Daivari sent him crashing back to the mat. Daivari tried for the hammerlock lariat, but Stallion ducked. Daivari hit a uranage for a near fall of his own. Daivari hit a superkick, which Stallion answered with an air raid crash neckbreaker. Stallion climbed to the top rope and landed a splash for another near fall.
A dropkick from Daivari sent Stallion crashing to the outside. Daivari tried for a splash of his own, but Stallion avoided the move. Stallion then jumped towards Daivari, landing a nasty leaping headbutt. Stallion then pinned Daivari.
This match was fun. Stallion has a real charisma about him, and Daivari’s work was strong. All in all, a good watch.
Samir & Sunil Singh (The Bollywood Boyz) defeated Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise)
The Bollywood Boyz danced together following the opening bell. Ever-Rise tried to copy the dance, but the Singhs blindsided them mid-boogie. Sunil, left as the legal man, lost the advantage. Parker and Martel secured some tags in quick succession that allowed them to form a lead.
Bollywood Boyz regained control, with Sunil and Samir trading tags. They dropped both Parker and Martel with basic double-team maneuvers.
Samir grabbed the camera he had brought with him to the ring, mockingly filming Parker. Parker snatched the camera away and threatened to break it. Martel sneakily tagged in while Samir was distracted and clubbed him with a clothesline to the back. Trading tags and double-teaming furthered Ever-Rise’s control.
Samir was able to sidestep both members of Ever-Rise, leaving him clear to make a tag. Sunil lept into action with a double axe handle from the top rope and an atomic drop. Samir tagged in now that Sunil secured control, and the pair together delivered the Bollywood Blast. Chase Parker, however, broke up the pin.
The Singhs tried to follow up, but the referee forced Sunil to return to the apron. With the referee distracted, Ever-Rise was able to connect with their lifting double-knee face breaker. The referee then turned his attention to Parker, missing both the pin attempt and Sunil striking Martel with the camera; Samil rolled Martel over and pinned him following the blow.
Ariya Daivari walked through the ramp and berated the celebratory Bollywood Boyz before joining the announce team.
This match was quite uninteresting.
Ashante “Thee” Adonis defeated Tony Nese
Nese met Adonis with chops in the middle of the ring as the match began. Adonis tried to fight back, but following an athletic evasion sequence, Nese left the ring and joined Daivari on commentary. Adonis ran after Nese as the referee continued to count, but Nese caught Adonis.
Adonis reverses an Irish whip with a clothesline. He then unleashed a power-based offensive sequence that sent Nese crashing to the outside. Adonis taunted Daivari while smashing the head of Nese into the announcer’s table. Nese stumbled away from the table, throwing blows at an opponent ten feet away.
Adonis threw Nese back into the ring and flexed to the Capitol Wrestling Center’s screens. In an act of punishment, Nese threw the ring apron over Adonis and landed a dropkick. Nese landed a moonsault and near fall.
Nese took the match to the mat, but Adonis powered up, lifting Nese onto his shoulders. Adonis dropped Nese flat on his face. He then began to connect with big strike after big strike, eventually landing a suplex for punctuation.
Daivari left the announce booth and aided Nese in evading just as Adonis had victory in sight. Even so, Adonis connected with a DDT for a near fall. Daivari yelled into the ring, distracting Adonis just long enough for Nese to roll through and connect with a swift kick. Daivari then wrapped his hand with a chain and waited for his time to strike.
Adonis hit a massive clothesline on Nese as Daivari hit the ring. Adonis ducked the chain loaded fist and planted Daivari with a spinebuster. Adonis lined up a superkick to flatten Nese, pinning him to win the match.
This was an impressive outing from Adonis, the cruiserweight powerhouse persona is awesome. Nese also pulled out a solid performance, as he always does, to round out this match. One of the better 205 Live matches in recent memory.
A collar-and-elbow tie-up started the match and set the pace in the opening moments. Curt Stallion gained control of the match with a side headlock; Ariya Daivari pulled the hair of Stallion to stifle his offensive gains. Stallion resisted Daivari with passion and speed, but Daivari’s relative veteran status left him continually in the driver’s seat.
A moment of separation allowed Stallion to connect with a spree of offense. A spinning forearm yielded Stallion a near fall. Daivari rolled to the outside, and Stallion followed. Tony Nese, who was commentating the match, gained Stallion’s attention, which allowed Daivari to blindside Stallion. Back inside the ring, Daivari took Stallion to the mat. As Stallion showed hopes of regaining momentum, Daivari had an answer.
After smashing the face of Stallion into the announce table, Daivari locked in a camel clutch inside the ring. Daivari dropped the grip momentarily; Stallion landed a low blow to a prone Daivari, which prompted a burst of Stallion offense. Daivari regained control by sending Stallion crashing into the ropes during a dive attempt.
Daivari rolled outside of the ring to gain his composure. Stallion landed a dive on Daivari. Nese again gained the attention of Stallion, but this time a Stallion headbutt left Nese laying. Daivari tried to capitalize on Nese’s distraction, only for Stallion to duck the hammerlock lariat attempt. Amidst the chaos, Stallion rolled Daivari up and pinned him.
This was a simplistic showing, but not a bad one. Stallion is showing more and more promise each week.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated The Brian Kendrick and Mansoor
Matt Martel squared off against Mansoor following the opening bell. Martel, with verbal aid from Chase Parker, took control of Mansoor. Parker tagged in and was immediately cut off. Brian Kendrick and Mansoor traded tags as they worked to gain a foothold. Parker earned a sneaky tag, which allowed Martel to blindside Mansoor with a clothesline, putting them back in control.
Martel whipped Mansoor across the ring, causing him to crumble, but as soon as Parker tagged back in, Ever-Rise’s power slipped. Kendrick, now legal, landed some forearms before trading tags with Mansoor once more. Martel had to pull Parker out of harm’s way to stop the other team’s momentum. Martel tagged back into the match and again gained control for his team.
While double-teaming Kendrick, a miscommunication sent Martel crashing into Parker. Kendrick, after two tries, secured the hot tag. Mansoor unloaded on both Parker and Martel, but both proved to be too much. Kendrick entered the fray to reset the in-ring action to its natural state. Mansoor hit sliced bread on Parker and secured the pinfall victory.
This match was fun. The work was clean, and the homage to Kendrick in the finish was neat.
All in all, the show was entertaining, especially considering its limited ambition.
Ariya Daivari defeated Eli Night, Bobby Flaco, and Jason Cade
Ariya Daivari took to social media promising $10,000 to any one of the three men he would face tonight. In what became a three-man gauntlet, Daivari’s money could be claimed by any of his competitors if they could pin or submit him.
Daivari wasted no time in clobbering Eli Night. Night was beaten and pinned exceptionally quickly with a hammerlock lariat being the impetus to the fall.
Bobby Flaco hit the ring with a headlock, but this lasted about two seconds. Daivari, for his troubles, obliterated Flaco. A clothesline followed by a hammerlock lariat allowed Daivari to pin Flaco.
Jason Cade sprinted to the ring which allowed him to land some quick offense on the off-guard Daivari. With dollar signs in his eyes, Cade took a risky dive which Daivari took full advantage of. A uranage flattened Cade and the night’s third hammerlock lariat allowed Daivari to secure the pin, keeping his money safe in his wallet.
Danny Burch defeated Tony Nese
Danny Burch and Tony Nese struggled for control via grappling in the early going. Neither man was proving to be superior prior to a Burch facebuster. As soon as Burch secured some kind of advantage, Ariya Daivari walked to the ring, gaining the attention of Burch. Nese blindsided Burch as Daivari joined the commentary booth.
Nese took to chopping Burch before grounding him with a chinlock. Nese continued his offense with a running hotshot before taunting Burch. Burch sprung up and delivered a chop of his own, but Nese was quick to land a dropkick, taking the match back to the mat in the process. At every point of Burch’s contention, Nese had an answer.
A Burch headbutt finally opened a window for Burch. Burch connected with a powerful offensive sequence that was punctuated with a second rope dropkick, a near fall followed. A colossal German suplex and a wind stealing lariat led to another near fall. Burch tried for a rollup, but a boot from Nese found Burch’s temple. Nese tried to follow up with a moonsault but a quick Burch caught Nese with a crossface during his descent. Nese made it to the ropes following a show of agony.
Nese and Burch entered a brief exchange following the rope break, but it was Nese who regained control. A pump handle driver led to a Nese near fall. Nese tried for a running knee, but Burch avoided it. Both Nese and Burch fell outside of the ring in the moments that followed. Burch once again became distracted by Daivari, entering a momentary squabble before kicking Daivari. Nese took full advantage once again, kicking Nese and landing a running knee once Burch was back in the ring. Nese pinned Burch for the win.
Nese and Burch are good enough together to carry what would otherwise be a trivial match. The flow was nice and the action was crisp. Overall a good match.
Ariya Daivari immediately took to striking Tehuti Miles who seemingly was unchanged following his loss to Brian Kendrick last week. Daivari, after besting Miles in a sudo-boxing exchange, called Miles trash. It was this comment that triggered a shift in Miles’s demeanor. Miles transitioned into a more brutish version of himself; a look of passion developed on his face and an uncharacteristic intensity found its way into his moves.
Daivari was able to suppress the offense following the shift in Miles’s mannerisms by ejecting him to the outside of the ring. After driving Miles into the announce table, Daivari continued his offense in the ring for some time. Miles took a flattening clothesline but mere moments later met Daivari with a DDT. Miles kipped up and let out a great roar. Daivari was then dropped with a spinebuster which almost left Miles the victor. Miles climbed to the top rope from where he lept, only for Daivari to avoid the attack and connect with a leaping forearm.
Daivari called Miles trash once again. Miles tried for a surprise roll-up, but Daivari kicked out. Daivari worked for a hammerlock lariat only for Miles to try once more for a surprise rollup which Daivari, once again, kicked out from. A Daivari superkick and hammerlock lariat followed a combination that allowed Daivari to pin Miles for the win.
Daivari extended his hand to Miles in the same way Kendrick did last week, but Daivari pulled his hand away before Miles could shake it.
This match was interesting. It, again, was playing to a new Miles, a Miles which we saw shades of tonight. A fun watch.
Mansoor defeated Colby Corino
Mansoor at every turn in the early match read Colby Corino as if he were a book. Mansoor, after an extended offensive stretch with only light resistance, climbed to the second rope. Before he could leap, Corino kicked Mansoor’s leg off the rope, resulting in a gross fall. Corino took full advantage of this opening as he laid in firm strikes and a 450 senton to a grounded Mansoor.
Corino locked in an abdominal stretch that Mansoor fought free from. A northern lights suplex from Mansoor preceded a sloppy rope assisted neck breaker. Mansoor lifted Corino for his still-unnamed one-handed electric chair driver. Mansoor pinned Corino for the win.
This match was not good. Not insultingly bad, just entirely uninteresting and occasionally sloppy.
[No Contest] Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise)
Matt Martel and Chase Parker took an early lead on Oney Lorcan with quick tags. This lead was continued following Danny Burch tagging in. Both Burch and Lorcan were met with team-based domination in the early going.
Lorcan made a hard-fought hot tag that finally moved the match into their favor. Burch completely moved the advantage back into his team’s favor. Enter El Legado Del Fantasma. The faction smashed all four members with chairs, kicks, and duct tape. In the end, only El Legado Del Fantasma stood tall
