Tag: Neville

The first NXT TakeOver: Where did everyone end up?

Posted on by Arya Witner

May 29, 2014.

No, it’s not the last time Adam Rose won a match. (Well, it might be, but probably not.)

Instead, for only the second time in their then-young history, NXT streamed a live special on the WWE Network. Following in the footsteps of a critically acclaimed NXT Arrival special three months earlier, the stars of developmental geared up one more time for something called NXT TakeOver.

Five years later, TakeOver has become the hottest regular special on the Network. Playing to sold out arenas in Brooklyn, London, Dallas, Toronto, San Antonio, Orlando, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Bridgeport, CT, this past Saturday, it has become an elite level event.

But, it had to start somewhere.

Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, had just passed the two-year anniversary of their relationship with WWE and believe it or not, once upon a time they not only had trouble filling that tiny little arena, they had trouble even getting people to stay for the entire television taping. Regularly, they would give out far more tickets than available since many free ticket holders didn’t even bother to show up. That would eventually cease to be an issue.

Now that 25 TakeOvers are in the book, what better time to go into the Wayback Machine and look at the very first TakeOver event and what eventually happened to the 12 men and women who graced the ring that night? 

Adam Rose pinned Camacho in 5:08
(Dave Meltzer’s rating: *1/4)

Rose was the repackaged Leo Kruger, who had just debuted on the main roster in a gimmick that didn’t have much of a chance; a more talented version of No Way Jose with only slightly more credibility. He would eventually turn heel and form the Social Outcasts with fellow NXT failures Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater before requesting his release in May 2016 following an arrest for domestic abuse. The charges were later dropped and Rose continued working independents for the next three years. He has since announced his retirement with his final match set for mid-June 14 against fellow NXT alum Bull James (Bull Dempsey).

This may not have been Rose’s last win, but it was the last televised match for Camacho who got fired that June. He spent a year in TNA before crossing the Pacific Ocean to join New Japan as Tanga Loa. He has since become a five-time IWGP tag team champion, a 3-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man tag team champion, and an ROH tag team champion. Needless to say, he is one of the successes, albeit inadvertent, coming out of this show.

With that said, the biggest stars in the match were not the people inside the ring, but a few of them outside the ring. As mentioned, Rose was the original No Way Jose and with it came his own band of weirdly dressed misfits who just happened to be a lot of developmental wrestlers and a few random locals. Mixed in with Justin Gabriel in a bunny suit and Simon Gotch, you also had Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, and one of only two people on the entire show to be in the main event of WrestleMania: Becky Lynch.

NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension defeated El Local & Kalisto in 6:17
(Dave Meltzer’s rating: *1/4)

Oh, The Ascension. They were tag team champions for an entire year, which sounds sort of impressive until you realize they literally were the only team in NXT for over six months. They had a weekly gimmick where they would issue an open challenge to any team in the world, which was usually just two random developmental guys teamed up. Long forgotten is that they also had a win over Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards and the hardest thing to believe, especially given how WWE is now, is that they didn’t offer contracts to either man, who eventually both went to TNA.

The Ascension got called up in December 2014 and it’s debatable whether or not they had the talent to go anywhere, but it can be argued that they were sabotaged from the start as the announcers were instructed to bury them from the word go. It didn’t help that they were scripted to mock the Legion of Doom which got the wrong kind of heat with a lot of people, especially those who should have known better. They would go on to be poster boys for NXT failures. Even more insane is since they teamed with Cody Rhodes to win a six-man tag on the 2015 Night of Champions pre-show, they have only won three matches as a team. At this point, neither has wrestled since the night after WrestleMania 35 where they lost a WWE Main Event match to Heavy Machinery.

El Local is a name that probably won’t ring any bells, but you know him better as Ricardo Rodriguez. After finishing up his run as the ring announcer for both Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam, Ricardo donned a mask and tried to take over the NXT tag team division. That didn’t work out and he was released two months later.

Kalisto had a bit of success after forming a team with Sin Cara. They were NXT tag team champions as the Lucha Dragons and had a decent run on the main roster. Kalisto would go on to become a 2-time U.S. Champion (including defending the title at WrestleMania) and cruiserweight champion.

Tyler Breeze pinned Sami Zayn in 15:54
(Dave Meltzer’s rating: ***1/2)

In some ways, Breeze’s run on the main roster is an even bigger disappointment than The Ascension’s. In NXT, he was a top of the card heel, almost always in the NXT title picture, and was the one chosen to face Jushin Thunder Liger when Liger came to NXT for that one-off performance.

Breeze would have one great match after another with just about everyone on the roster from Zayn to Neville to Finn Balor to Hideo Itami. After being called up to the main roster, he had a brief fling with Summer Rae and proceeded to go nowhere for over three years. The only whiff of success he had was when he formed a team with Fandango and was part of a seven-month long storyline in 2017 that paid off by being squashed by the Bludgeon Brothers. Can he reclaim what he had with his return to NXT?

Zayn was NXT’s Daniel Bryan: an incredibly talented, incredibly well liked, main event loser. He lost far more often than he won, but his failures and the story of him overcoming those losses made him even more beloved and sent the NXT crowd into a tizzy when he finally won the NXT Championship. He has had a decent amount of success on the main roster, but seems to lose his momentum with multiple injuries. However, he has wrestled on the main card of two WrestleManias, including in a top match at 34 when he was part of the aforementioned Bryan’s return match.

Before the next match, Lana came out and introduced Rusev to the world. He had just joined the main roster and began his year-long undefeated streak. As Lana put Vladimir Putin over, they were interrupted by beloved babyface Mojo Rawley. Mojo challenged Rusev to a fight, ran to the ring…and Rusev laid him out quite easily. Mojo couldn’t have been a bigger loser and even his biggest win on the main roster (the 2017 Andre The Giant Battle Royal) only happened so they could get on ESPN following Rob Gronkowski’s inclusion.

In the finals of the NXT Women’s Title Tournament, Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) pinned Natalya (w/Bret Hart) in 16:54
(Dave Meltzer’s rating: ****)

This is not to be confused with the 2016 embarrassment when they had the same match on the main roster and made Bret Hart stand at ringside as they re-enacted the Montreal Screwjob in front of him. Without exaggeration, this match, more than any other, is what led to the women becoming main event stars. Yes, Paige and Emma already had their match, but that was a better-than-average match in a world where WWE women’s matches were unimportant three minute affairs. Even when they would have a great match (see AJ vs Kaitlyn at Payback 2013), it led to nothing. This match led to change. Every great NXT woman’s match you saw since is a direct result of this match. On this night, it was the perfect match in front of the perfect crowd. You had Bret and Ric down there to add star power and while Ric was insane, he didn’t steal the spotlight from the girls.

Charlotte would go on to become one of the best women’s wrestlers on the main roster, having a two-year long PPV winning streak and winning nine women’s titles before main eventing WrestleMania against Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey. Natalya has had an 11-year (and counting) career on the main roster and while it can be argued that she should be used better, she has been a Divas Champion and SmackDown Women’s Champion.

There was a long forgotten plot hole with this match. Paige had been WWE Women’s Champion, but had been stripped of the title by GM JBL because no one could handle the schedule of being on the main roster and NXT at the same time. The problem is the ensuing tournament featured four women from the main roster…and Natalya had reached the finals. Using prior logic, if Nattie had won, she then would have been stripped of the title to set up a new tournament.

NXT Champion Adrian Neville pinned Tyson Kidd in 20:55
(Dave Meltzer’s rating: ***1/2)

With his career floundering on the main roster, Kidd moved to NXT for six months to refresh himself. In that time, he turned heel and became a top- evel star. He would return to Raw and SmackDown that fall, forming a team with Cesaro. However, just as Kidd started getting his biggest main roster push, tragedy struck as he was badly injured in a dark match with Samoa Joe. Kidd would be forced to retire, but continues to work with WWE behind the scenes.

Neville would go on to have a bizarre run on the main roster. He debuted by losing his first name while gaining a cape. He would go back and forth on either coming close to superstardom or being a forgotten member of the undercard. Despite his push (or lack thereof), he was always one of the more popular wrestlers. Even during his run in cruiserweight purgatory, he is the only champion to consistently get main roster crowds to react to his actual matches. However, cruiserweight purgatory is still cruiserweight purgatory and he joined the list of people to leave WWE instead of being the king of 205 Live. Of course, we know the story these days and he has since gone back to being PAC and is the current Dragon Gate Champion.

**********

The last 90 minutes of the show were especially well received as you can imagine, and it is one of only a handful of shows to receive a 100% thumbs up reaction in the subsequent Wrestling Observer Poll. Out of the 12 people to wrestle on the show, six of them went on to have bigger and better careers in wrestling, whether on the WWE main roster or worldwide

24 TakeOvers and 121 matches later, we have seen dozens of legendary matches and memorable moments which continues today and into the future. Where will the stars of this past weekend be in five years? It’s impossible to tell, but if history is any indication, it will still be just interesting to see what paths they take.

PAC appears at All Elite Wrestling rally

Posted on by Bryan Rose

PAC made an appearance at today’s All Elite Wrestling rally.

Hangman Page on stage and was talking about becoming the first ever AEW World champion when PAC’s Dragon Gate music hit. That was when he came out in full gear, sporting Dragon Gate’s Open the Dream Gate championship.

PAC said he was here in AEW and that he was already a champion. The two then had a staredown before PAC made his exit. Hangman said if that was meant to be some sort of challenge, he accepts. It isn’t clear at this time if PAC has officially signed with the promotion.

Formerly known as Neville in the WWE, PAC officially left the promotion last August after spending nearly a year at home due to contract disputes. Since then, he was wrestled mainly for Dragon Gate, winning their top title back on December 4.

During the rally, it was announced that the first show under the AEW banner, Double or Nothing, would take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 25.

OTT books WALTER vs. PAC for Homecoming II

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WALTER and PAC are set to face one another in February.

Over the Top Wrestling announced today that the two will square off at their Homecoming II event, which will take place on February 17 at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Floor seats have already been sold out.

It is an interesting match as the two are heading in different directions. WALTER has already signed a deal with WWE, and is expected to be a part of the NXT UK roster going forward.

Meanwhile, PAC, who was known in WWE as Neville, left the promotion in August after spending most of 2018 at home due to contractual issues. Since leaving WWE, he has mainly worked for Dragon Gate but is taking independent dates in the UK.

Another high profile match featuring PAC will see him square off against Will Ospreay, as the two are scheduled to meet on February 15 for Rev Pro’s High Stakes event.

PAC wins Dragon Gate’s Open the Dream Gate title

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The man formerly known as Neville was won gold in Dragon Gate.

PAC defeated Masato Yoshino today at Fantastic Gate 2018 inside Korakuen Hall to win the company’s top single title, the Open the Dream Gate championship. Yoshino had held the title for 177 days, winning it back on June 10. 

This comes after a long period where PAC’s contract was frozen by WWE after he walked out before an episode of Raw back in October of 2017. He remained sidelined with his contract situation up in the air until August, where it was reported he was no longer under WWE contract. He then resurfaced in Dragon Gate a few months later, aligning himself with the R.E.D stable on October 2.

PAC is scheduled for a number of dates in the United Kingdom. The most high profile bout is a match between him and Will Ospreay that will take place at a upcoming RevPro event on February 15.

Neville announced for European indie appearances

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Neville’s post-WWE career continues to take shape.

Big League Wrestling announced today that Neville (who is again going by the name PAC since departing WWE) will be making his United Kingdom in-ring return at their show at the Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil, England on Sunday, November 18. He’ll be facing Dean Allmark and Jake McCluskey in a three-way match.

Ireland’s OTT Wrestling also announced that Neville is coming to their promotion soon. A date for when Neville will debut for them wasn’t announced, but OTT noted that it wouldn’t be in November.

After nearly a year away from the ring, Neville resurfaced for Dragon Gate at the beginning of this month. He joined Dragon Gate’s R.E.D. stable and has continued to wrestle for them. Dragon Gate was also Neville’s home promotion before he signed with WWE in 2012.

It was confirmed this August that Neville was officially no longer under contract with WWE.

Neville returns to the ring for Dragon Gate

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Neville made a surprise return to professional wrestling this morning for a promotion that he’s very familiar with.

After nearly a year of speculation about his status, Neville — going by his old in-ring name PAC and wrestling as part of the R.E.D. stable — teamed with Eita to defeat Shingo Takagi & BxB Hulk in the main event of today’s Dragon Gate show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Eita cut a promo before the match, the lights went out, and Neville attacked Takagi from behind. Neville got on the microphone and told Korakuen Hall that he’s back. He then asked if the fans remembered him. He said they may think he resembles someone they once knew, but the man who stands in front of them today is very different — and that’s bad news for Takagi.

Neville said Takagi has overstayed his welcome and then attacked him as the match began. He eventually pinned Takagi after hitting the Red Arrow.

Neville cut a post-match promo where he told the crowd he’s there to obliterate their favorite wrestlers. It was announced that Neville will be wrestling in a four-team tag match at the promotion’s show at Korakuen Hall on November 6.

Prior to today’s return, Neville had stayed out of the public eye since his last appearance for WWE in October 2017. In August of this year, WWE confirmed that Neville was no longer under contract with them.

Neville debuted for Dragon Gate in 2007 and departed the promotion when he signed with WWE in 2012.

Neville no longer under contract with WWE

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Neville is out of his WWE contract after nearly a year of dormancy.

Pro Wrestling Sheet first reported last night that Neville is no longer under a WWE contract. WWE has since confirmed the news, with Dave Meltzer noting that Neville is free to wrestle elsewhere now.

Neville stopped appearing on television in October of last year and hasn’t been seen in pro wrestling since. Reports indicated early this year that negotiations to bring him back had stalled, with WWE opting to freeze his contract and keep him under his contract indefinitely until he either returned to WWE or negotiated a release from the company. 

Neville had been with the WWE since 2012, first starting out in NXT and becoming champion of that brand. He was called up to the main roster in 2015 and was moved to the cruiserweight division towards the end of 2016, winning the Cruiserweight title twice.

Figure Four Weekly 10/16/2017: Looking at Neville’s potential post-WWE life

Posted on by F4W Staff

While Neville’s situation with WWE remains unresolved a week after news broke that he wanted out of the company, his potential entrance into the global pro wrestling landscape would provide the most interesting test case yet of how successful someone could be outside of WWE in this era.

Neville being unhappy isn’t an isolated incident. It was only a few months ago that Austin Aries, another member of the cruiserweight division, was released after not being satisfied with his place in WWE. And Cody Rhodes has written the blueprint on how to handle life in pro wrestling in his time since leaving the company.

What level of success Aries will have remains to be seen, but he tweeted that he’ll be making more money in his first six weeks back on the indies than he did in his last four months working for WWE. Similarly, Cody has said that his time away from the promotion has been more financially lucrative for him.

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WWE Regina, SK, live results: Enzo references Neville’s situation

Posted on by F4W Staff

Reports submitted by readers Brandon Cain and Mike Doucette

– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto defeated Enzo Amore to retain his title

Amore worked hard to get heat by trashing the city, but it didn’t really work. He also said that he took out Big Cass and made Neville quit. Kalisto ended up retaining with the Salida Del Sol.

– Goldust & Darren Young defeated Curtis Axel & Curt Hawkins

Young sold for most of the match until Goldust got the hot tag and picked up the win.

– Elias defeated R-Truth

Before the match, Elias covered “Wonderwall” by Oasis while insulting the city and R-Truth. The crowd was really into R-Truth, but Elias won with the Drift Away.

– Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro & Sheamus and Heath Slater & Rhyno to retain their titles

Rollins and Ambrose were ridiculously over and retained with a flurry of finishers on Cesaro.

– Sasha Banks & Dana Brooke defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Alicia Fox

Emma was the special guest referee for this match and her favoring the heels was pretty funny. The crowd was most invested when Banks and Bliss were in the ring together, but the finish came when Banks submitted Fox with the Banks Statement.

– Intercontinental Champion The Miz defeated Jason Jordan to retain his title

Half of this match was a debate over two signs: one that said Miz sucks and one that said he’s awesome. Miz and Jordan ripped up each sign. Miz was really over here and retained with the Skull Crushing Finale after some shenanigans.

– Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman in a last man standing match

The crowd ended up being super pro-Reigns. He won with a spear through a table.

Neville’s future in WWE uncertain after walking out before Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The future of Neville in WWE seems to be uncertain.

Sources confirmed to us that Neville walked out before Raw on Monday and appeared to have quit the promotion, though WWE has officially denied that he’s quit. Monday’s Raw featured Kalisto winning the Cruiserweight Championship from Enzo Amore in a lumberjack match, with Neville not appearing as one of the lumberjacks. He also wasn’t on 205 Live this week.

Dave Meltzer noted on Monday night’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Kalisto facing Amore wasn’t originally planned for Raw and that the match was supposed to happen for the first time at TLC. Plans for the show had called for Amore vs. Neville in a non-title match before they were changed.

Neville’s last appearance on television was during the segment where Kalisto joined the cruiserweight division on Raw last week. His last televised match was against Ariya Daivari in the main event of the September 26th episode of 205 Live, though he worked a few house shows after that.

Whether Neville’s time in WWE has come to an end remains to be seen. We’ll have more on this story as it develops and in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WWE Raw video highlights: Neville ends Enzo Amore’s celebration

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After winning the Cruiserweight Championship at No Mercy, Enzo Amore turned heel on last night’s episode of Raw.

Amore closed the show with a celebration. He bragged about himself and insulted the entire cruiserweight division until Neville finally put an end to things by attacking him, with the cruiserweights and Braun Strowman laying out Amore after the show was over.

Amore had gotten Kurt Angle to agree to a “no-contact clause,” which would mean that Neville is unable to challenge him for the title in the future.

Elsewhere on the show, WWE teased a Shield reunion as The Miz and The Miztourage began a feud with Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman destroyed Curt Hawkins and faced Dean Ambrose, and Mickie James confronted Alexa Bliss to start a program between the two.

More coverage from last night —

WWE Raw video highlights —

Roman Reigns appears on Miz TV

Jason Jordan & Matt Hardy vs. Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas

Apollo Crews vs. Elias

Braun Strowman destroys Curt Hawkins

Dean Ambrose vs. Braun Strowman

Seth Rollins wants a match against Braun Strowman next week

Mickie James confronts Alexa Bliss

Asuka will make her main roster debut at TLC

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus

Goldust lays out Finn Balor

Roman Reigns vs. The Miz

Finn Balor vs. Goldust

Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Emma

Neville ruins Enzo Amore’s title win celebration

Raw fallout: Braun Strowman and the cruiserweight division attack Enzo Amore

Raw fallout: Jason Jordan wants to be an honorary Hardy Boy

Raw fallout: Titus O’Neil has a warning for Elias

Raw fallout: The Miz and The Miztourage already sent their message to Roman Reigns

WWE 205 Live results: Neville vs. Akira Tozawa

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Neville and Tozawa stole the show with an excellent main event, Jack Gallagher’s issues with Brian Kendrick continued with a clown being added to the mix, TJP bickered with Rich Swann for a bit, and Tony Nese and Drew Gulak endured another loss.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa’s win from last Monday night was recapped before his title loss at SummerSlam was shown. Vic Joseph and Corey Graves then hyped up the title match tonight before Cedric Alexander came out to team with Gran Metalik.

Drew Gulak still believes in a better 205 Live and will team with Tony Nese tonight. Nese showed off his eight-pack, and the new neon green gear he’s got on makes them shine. Nese buried the fans for being fat and eating pizza. Well, I can’t imagine the arena pizza is all that good — so good for him for encouraging better eating habits.

Cedric Alexander & Gran Metalik defeated Tony Nese & Drew Gulak

Nese and Alexander started things off and Nese took a break from a tie-up to pose. Alexander took Gulak down with a giant forearm strike. Metalik came in, but he got laid out by a forearm shot and the heels cut the ring off.

Metalik ducked under a baseball slide from Nese and hit a moonsault to the floor, then Nese talked smack to Alexander and got cradled for two. Metalik hit a crossbody from the ring post to mid-ring.

Alexander and Gulak came in and Gulak ate a springboard lariat for two. The faces hit a double team pop-up dropkick on Gulak before Metalik splashed down for a close near fall. Alexander followed with a Lumbar Check to win it.

Titus O’Neil talked to Tozawa about how he wishes he took a break before this rematch to rest up, but Tozawa remained confident. Tozawa gave him two claps and a Ric Flair.

A SummerSlam recap led to Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick in a duel. Gallagher ran down his issues with Kendrick and cut an intense promo on being doubted and how maybe there’s a grain of truth to him being a clown, but now he has someone in his life who needs knocking out.

Kendrick mocked Gallagher and said he has a suitable opponent for him — Sprinkles the Clown. Gallagher headbutted and stomped him. He went to powerbomb Sprinkles through a table, but Kendrick jumped him and beat him with an umbrella before sending Gallagher through the table. Kendrick challenged him to a no DQ match next week.

Rich Swann interrupted TJP’s game of WWE 2K17 and demanded his attention. TJP showed off his giant knee brace and said he hurt his knee beating him the week before. He logically pointed out that it’s not his fault that Swann was distracted by music.

Gallagher and Kendrick’s no DQ match was confirmed for next week. Neville walked backstage before his match, leading to Tozawa coming out before Neville entered.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Akira Tozawa to retain his title

Neville gave Tozawa a clean break to start before grinding him with a necklock. Neville went for a kick and Tozawa caught it. He chopped Neville in the corner and then rained down forearms in another one.

Neville recovered and began to work on the bad arm to gain an edge. He applied a Muta Lock on the elbow and snapped back. Neville sent Tozawa outside and hit a moonsault off the top onto the arm and slammed it into the LED board before flipping him into the barricade.

Neville got sent off the top and rolled to the floor — so Tozawa dove onto him. Tozawa hit a Saito suplex for a near fall.

Tozawa went up for the Drop Zone senton bomb, but Neville crotched him. Neville hit a superplex, but Tozawa cradled him for an unsuccessful pinning attempt. Neville kicked him down for two. Tozawa got a schoolboy and a kick for another two count.

Neville went for a flash Rings of Saturn that was turned into a cradle for two. Tozawa kicked him down for the Drop Zone, but it missed and the Rings of Saturn got the win for Neville. This was an excellent match and a return to form for the show.

Neville cut a promo on conquering everyone, then Enzo Amore debuted in one of his more ridiculous outfits. Amore did his sing-along promo with kids going crazy for him and got a huge “How you doing?” chant, which was amazing given how long everyone had actually been in the building.

WWE 205 Live results: Rich Swann vs. TJP

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Titus O’Neil hyped up Neville vs. Akira Tozawa nicely, while future contenders were built up with both Jack Gallagher and Rich Swann gaining victories.

Show Recap —

Titus O’Neil started things off walking backstage in a red shirt and wacky hat. He yelled and told Akira Tozawa that he’s going to make tons of money after the pay-per-view. He then chatted with Ariya Daivari about his wardrobe and told Mustafa Ali that he was impressed by him before doing the “ha-ha!” bit. Okay then, this was weird.

Corey Graves and Vic Joseph ran down the show tonight. Jack Gallagher faces Tony Nese and Rich Swann takes on TJP. O’Neil came out to a decent crowd reaction while the fans did the millions of dollars dance.

O’Neil was mid-ring with a Titus Worldwide podium and photos of Neville and Tozawa. He said that Neville has been dominant, but he’s no match for the Powah of Tozawa. Neville called Titus Worldwide a mere facade and showed Apollo Crews being demolished by Braun Strowman on Raw.

Well, he raised a valid point, but the fans chanted “you’re not Strowman!” Neville said that O’Neil doesn’t care about his clients, only money, and he’ll invite him to do commentary while he destroys Lince Dorado.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Lince Dorado in a non-title match

Neville locked on a headlock, but he got quickly cradled for two. Neville went for a German suplex, but Dorado flipped out. Dorado dove onto Neville, but got sent knees-first into the steps on the floor.

Neville methodically beat him up through two nine counts that he broke up to continue the beating. Neville hit a powerbomb before cranking on the Rings of Saturn to win it.

TJP wrapped his hands while Swann walked up in a smoking jacket. TJP said that Swann wanted the old TJP back, so he’ll bring back the old TJP that beat him in the Cruiserweight Classic.

We got a recap of Nese beating Gallagher two weeks ago to set up their match tonight.

Jack Gallagher defeated Tony Nese

Nese outwrestled Gallagher to start things off, but Gallagher spun him around a bunch with a Kiwi roll and got two. Nese lifted him into the ropes and hit knees to the spine for two. Nese ran him over with a flying crosschop for two.

Nese locked him in the tree of woe before doing the sit-up kicks. Nese locked on a sweet reverse torture rack, which looked a bit bizarre, but a few knees from Gallagher ended that. Gallagher went for a rolling armbar, but Nese locked the arms and got an easy Backlund lift before a Gallagher sunset flip got two.

A double jump moonsault resulted in Nese coming up lame and then trying to attack Gallagher, who hit the headbutt and the corner dropkick to win it. This was quite fun to watch.

Gallagher celebrated before Brian Kendrick interrupted with a history lesson of Great Britain in front of a green screen library. He talked about the British being cowardly and said that Gallagher will surrender to him. This got a big “USA” chant and then Gallagher got no reaction going to the back with his theme playing.

We got a recap of the Cedric Alexander vs. Alicia Fox rivalry. Noam Dar chatted with the trainer about his bad neck before Fox came in and complained about wanting him to go after Alexander — not the title. Dar knows he’s in hell and it’s great.

Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong for the title on NXT was hyped up before TJP came out for his match with Swann. 

Rich Swann defeated TJP

Swann outwrestled TJP on the mat to start before TJP locked on a modified headscissors. Swann sent him outside and faked a dive before dabbing. Swann grabbed TJP’s feet for a variety of kicks in the corner, but Perkins backdropped him to the floor.

TJP bent Swann’s fingers back on the mat before landing an outside-in tope con hilo for two. TJP went for a submission with the Muta lock, but Swann made it to the ropes. Swann recovered and landed a rolling thunder splash for two, then hit a Michinoku driver for a near fall.

They exchanged dives before Swann hit a spin kick. TJP landed the chickenwing gutbuster and went for the kneebar, but Swann escaped. They each went for, and landed, a double high kick — resulting in Graves immediately comparing it to Fedor vs. Matt Mitrione. Swann and TJP traded cradles, before Swann got one that ended it.

Neville vs. Tozawa was hyped up and will be on the kickoff show at Great Balls of Fire — probably due to the tag titles now being defended in an Iron Man match.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville addresses Akira Tozawa

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Brian Kendrick mocked Jack Gallagher and beat him half to death with an umbrella. Drew Gulak’s no fly zone cost him another win against Mustafa Ali, and the never-ending Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar storyline continued.

Neville and Tozawa also had an intense staredown and got physical for the first time ever to close the show.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa’s rise with the Titus Brand started things off thanks to an impressive highlight reel. A Neville highlight package then showcased his intimidating presence and deadly moves.

Vic Joseph and Corey Graves (in an outstanding used car salesman suit) welcomed us to the show. Neville will address the fans and Cedric Alexander will face Ariya Daivari.

Jack Gallagher chatted with Dasha Fuentes. Gallagher said that he let his guard down last week against Tony Nese, but he will not do that tonight against Brian Kendrick. Kendrick showed up dressed like Gallagher and called him a joke.

Jack Gallagher defeated Brian Kendrick by DQ

Kendrick wrestled in a suit and hit Gallagher with a cheap shot before locking on a headlock. A long Kendrick promo and a headlock may not be the hottest way to start the show.

Gallagher went into the corner, but Kendrick simply refused to move and ended that. Gallagher landed a big uppercut, but ate the buckle before Kendrick landed a big corner forearm.

Vic Joseph said that Kendrick has a plan, and Graves said yes, he calls himself that and not the man with occasional forethought. Kendrick beat Gallagher up with his umbrella for the disqualification. He then grabbed Gallagher’s umbrella to beat him with that one too. The crowd came alive thanks to all this, so I guess it worked. 

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali was hyped up, leading to Gulak being interviewed by Fuentes. Fuentes threw to a video package showing Gulak losing via cradle and Gulak said that the victory proved his point — Ali couldn’t beat him with something flashy.

Gulak yammered on the bullhorn before Ali asked why Gulak hates exciting moves. Ali said that high flying is something Gulak just can’t do — and he gave him a big grin and a thumbs up.

A drive-in movie-style ad hyped up Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns for Great Balls of Fire.

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

Gulak talked on the bullhorn to no reaction from the crowd. Ali took him down with a snap arm drag, so Gulak just punched him. Ali went for a dive, but he ate a kick to the gut. Gulak twisted his head on the mat before cranking on a chinlock.

Gulak hit a nasty snap suplex into the buckle for a near fall before raking Ali’s face against the top rope. Ali landed a slick spinning DDT to the sound of silence. He then landed a series of forearms before connecting with a high kick out of the corner.

A blockbuster got two for Ali, but Gulak sent him down and went for a Superfly dive. It missed and Ali cradled him to win. 

Alexander vs. Daivari was hyped up before Noam Dar apologized to Daivari for throwing his bag out. Dar told him it’s really all Alexander’s fault. Daivari said that the shirt was only $15,000 and he wouldn’t even bend over to pick that up. Dar told him that Alicia Fox has his funds tied up anyway, then took a call from her.

Daivari told him that he doesn’t owe him money — he just owes him. He then destroyed Dar’s phone. Thank God — maybe that’s it for the FaceTime gimmick.

Ariya Daivari defeated Cedric Alexander

Alexander and Daivari exchanged armlocks before Alexander hit a big dropkick. The big springboard lariat got two for Alexander. Alexander cleaned Daivari’s clock with a giant right elbow strike, but he got tossed into the buckle — giving Daivari an edge.

Daivari locked on a chinlock before turning it into a body vice variant that is a bit too similar to Samoa Joe’s finisher. Alexander got his foot on the rope and Dar came out to distract Alexander, with Daivari getting a cradle for two. Daivari hit a modified Rainmaker and won it.

Dar jumped Alexander with some dreadful punches from a side mount before asking for a mic. He told Fox that he would love to be on FaceTime, but the Cedric Alexander chapter is over and now it’s time to move on so they can focus on their love. He quoted the movie “Rocky” by saying they did it.

Neville walked backstage to prepare to talk to the crowd. His mere presence woke the crowd up and he told them that in two weeks, he will defend his title against another so-called challenger.

Him mentioning Tozawa’s name resulted in the crowd doing the “Ha!” bit and he called it cute before saying that Titus Worldwide is a smokescreen and Tozawa is a mere lamb being led to slaughter. As champion, he gives warnings and the second that Tozawa comes in the ring, he will be smacked with reality and he isn’t close to the Neville level.

Tozawa came down and Neville asked him if he understands what he’s saying before getting nonstop “Ha’s” in response. Tozawa kicked him down, which resulted in the fans doing the battle cry and then Tozawa doing it while Neville left with his tail tucked between his legs. They had an intense staredown to close the show.

Two more title matches added to WWE Great Balls of Fire card

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE continued to build to Great Balls of Fire on Monday night’s episode of Raw.

Two more title matches were confirmed for the pay-per-view, with Sasha Banks challenging Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship and Neville putting his Cruiserweight title on the line against Akira Tozawa. As was previously revealed, Brock Lesnar defending his Universal Championship against Samoa Joe will headline the show.

Banks won a gauntlet match in the main event of Raw to determine Bliss’ next challenger. Nia Jax dominated Bayley, Mickie James, Dana Brooke, and Emma before Banks entered last and submitted her with the Banks Statement.

It was Titus O’Neil who revealed that Tozawa would challenge for the Cruiserweight title at the PPV, with him also announcing that their storyline has resulted in Tozawa joining “Titus Worldwide.”

Bray Wyatt indicated that he’d be having a match with Seth Rollins at Great Balls of Fire as well. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in an ambulance match is the only other match that has been confirmed as of now. More will become official on next week’s go-home show before the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas hosts the PPV on July 9th.