Tag: Neville

WWE 205 Live results: Neville takes on Rich Swann

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

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

Show Recap —

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

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

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

Tony Nese defeated Jack Gallagher

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Favorite Wrestler (This Week): Samoa Joe, Neville, Shuji Ishikawa

Posted on by Zach Dominello

This week in wrestling, Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada once again won all the stars, New Japan’s Long Beach lineup was announced with an inexplicable Billy Gunn IC title match, and Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe continued building to their dream match at Great Balls of Fire. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —

Shuji Ishikawa

By Zach Dominello

It would have been way, way too easy to pick Kenny Omega and/or Kazuchika Okada this week. And usually I’m all for taking the easy option, but this week I finally caught up with a little bit of wrestling that didn’t involve New Japan.

I actually watched a couple of All Japan matches from last month (and last last month), including the finals of All Japan’s Champion of the Carnivals tournament and a Three Crowns Championship match (that sounds right). The winner of said tournament, and new Three Crowns Champion, is my favorite wrestler this week, Shuji Ishikawa.

For those not familiar, Ishikawa is kind of the king of the Japanese indies. He works for DDT as part of the world’s greatest stable, Damnation. He’s also a regular in BJW, and obviously AJPW where he’s the current top champion. At 6’5”, he’s a mammoth among men in Japan. He’s among a few wrestlers who truly exemplify a certain Japanese strong style of wrestling, like Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Yuji Hino, and Kohei Sato. And he has a shirt that says “Destruction ‘em all.” So in short, he’s awesome. He also dressed like a dog once.

While he’s had plenty of success in promotions like DDT, BJW, and AJPW, he’s not the most talked about wrestler among fans of Japanese wrestling. And that’s a shame because he’s the kind of wrestler who I think deserves more success and recognition than he gets. I’d love to see him on a US excursion, similar to what Shigehiro Irie recently did.

There are so many dream matches I can think of with wrestlers outside of Japan. Then again, he’s 41 years old and doing well where he is, so who even knows if he wants more? I just know that I do. I also really want that “Destruction ‘em all” shirt.

Neville

By Mike DellaCamera

Would the cruiserweight division and 205 Live even still exist if it wasn’t for Neville? I mean, the division existed for all of like 14 seconds on Raw this week, but where would it be without its King?

The King of the Cruiserweights character has done so much for Neville as a performer. He seems comfortable, confident, and he has been dominant in his role. So dominant that it raises a problem similar to what was happening with Asuka for almost a year in NXT — there really isn’t anyone that seems like they can beat him.

The feud with Austin Aries was good and they had some very, very good matches, but the “Neville Level” isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s absolutely a thing. No one on the roster, as currently presented, is anywhere near his level in terms of in-ring performance and character work.

I would love it, absolutely LOVE it, if Neville dropped the title to Cedric Alexander in a few months, then deemed the cruiserweight division unworthy to have him as its king…and move on to the non-purple ropes version of WWE. He’s certainly more physically imposing (but less beautiful) than Finn Balor, so his size shouldn’t be an issue.

Personally, I am very ready for Neville to move on and try and take the throne as the King of the WWE.

Samoa Joe

By Joseph Currier

I had written a couple of weeks ago in the Figure Four Weekly newsletter that I was worried that the Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar dream match was happening at a time when it couldn’t live up to expectations. While I still have my reservations about it, the build has been fantastic up to this point.

I’m still not sure that they’re capable of having a classic match together. I don’t even know if they’ll be allowed to. It could mostly just be a showcase for Lesnar before he faces Braun Strowman at SummerSlam. But the first two Raw angles to build the match have made Lesnar vs. Joe feel so important.

The brawl that they got into on last week’s Raw was must-see. Joe is being treated like the credible physical threat that he should be. And even if he loses at Great Balls of Fire, he’ll be helped so much going forward if he gets to look competitive against Lesnar.

Joe is one of the most important wrestlers to my pro wrestling fandom. His Ring of Honor title reign is what made me become a fan of ROH and independent wrestling as a teenager. And my horizons only broadened from there. It’s so great to see him having success in WWE, especially since it seemed unlikely that he would get the chance to back then.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville puts his title on the line against TJP

Posted on by F4W Editors

The Big Takeaway —

Neville and TJP shined brightly in an outstanding main event. Cedric Alexander looked strong, while Rich Swann was showcased in an excellent video package.

Show Recap —

The finish of the Cruiserweight title match at Extreme Rules was shown, followed by Neville’s beating of TJP on Raw.

Noam Dar came out while Corey Graves and Tom Phillips talked about Alicia Fox not being with him. The fans yelled “where’s Alicia?” and Dar talked about her for a bit before yammering about Cedric Alexander and saying that Fox is recovering at home.

Whoever decided to start the show off with a long Noam Dar promo should be fired. Alexander came out to thankfully save things and prevent Dar from talking more.

Cedric Alexander defeated Noam Dar

Alexander locked on an armbar before Dar desperately got to the rope and yelled at the ref to break it up. Dar went outside and ate a nasty forearm and a chop. Dar faceplanted him for two. Dar locked on a nasty armbar before punting the elbow — he’s got a sadistic streak to him that works well.

Dar went for a kick, but Alexander caught his leg and used his good arm for a spinning back elbow strike. Alexander hit the springboard lariat for two. Dar connected with a soccer kick to the knee to send Alexander on his face before cradling him for two.

A nasty punt to the ribs got two for Dar, and then a big kick to Alexander sent him back — but Alexander caught a rushing Dar into a crazy tossing Lumbar Check to win it. Dar’s corkscrew selling on this was incredible.

An in-depth video package on TJP showed him winning the Cruiserweight Classic and becoming the inaugural champion of this version of the title. TJP chatted with Dasha Fuentes about leading the generation and being great — so he’s still cocky despite somewhat being a babyface.

Louie Valle was in the ring to face Mustafa Ali. Valle has a fireplug appearance — he’s got a giant head, but he’s stout and built like a fireplug along with tribal tattoos and the generic look of a mid-2000s created wrestler in a video game.

Mustafa Ali defeated Louie Valle

Ali dropkicked him before flipping. He landed a series of hard forearms before landing a high kick on the apron. He hit his neckbreaker and went for the inverted 450, but Drew Gulak tried to distract him with his No Fly Zone stuff and Valle got a near fall off a distraction cradle before Ali won with a reversal.

Gulak said he’s proud of him for winning with a grounded move. He cut a promo on the megaphone before Ali flipped on him.

A Rich Swann video showcased his love of dancing and how his life has been hard, but this WWE run has made it all worth it.

Titus O’Neil chatted to Akira Tozawa about making the Titus Brand international. O’Neil’s pink sweater vest under a tie and a suit jacket is something else and he is perfect as a manager — not so much for a cruiserweight since he’s gigantic, though.

TJP came out to face Neville.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated TJP to retain his title

Graves compared Neville to Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at the start. Neville slapped TJP around a bit before his opponent gave him a taste of his own medicine.

They exchanged matwork before a half crab led to Neville scrambling to the ropes to escape. TJP went from one leg and back hold to another with a Tarantula in the corner to wear down Neville. Neville took TJP outside and slammed his jaw on the announce table before a hard mid-ring powerslam.

Neville got him in his sights before landing a missile dropkick and then landing an elbow to the jaw. TJP backdropped him to the floor before landing a corkscrew dive onto Neville. TJP landed the double chickenwing Codebreaker for two.

TJP went for the Detonation Kick, but Neville locked his feet in the ropes before faceplanting TJP. Neville landed a series of kicks before a sliding dropkick got two. Neville raked his boot on him before asking why TJ is making him do this. TJP started attacking the knee with dropkicks, but Neville recovered and went for a second rope phoenix splash.

It missed and TJ locked on the TJP Clutch! Graves talked about how this move gave TJP the title before, but Neville reversed it into the Rings of Saturn, which TJP turned into a cradle before Neville got a back-landing variant of the Rings of Saturn to win by submission.

This was an outstanding finishing sequence and this easily topped the PPV match.

WWE announces matches for tonight’s SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In addition to the Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura non-title match that was revealed previously, WWE has announced more matches for tonight’s SmackDown.

AJ Styles will once again face Dolph Ziggler on the show. That’s a rematch from last week’s main event, which Styles lost in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

There will be a six-woman tag team match on the episode as well, with SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch taking on Natalya, Carmella & Tamina. Aside from Naomi, everyone else in that match will be involved in the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match on June 18th.

The New Day will also return to in-ring action for the first time since Kofi Kingston underwent ankle surgery in April.

After SmackDown, there will be a Cruiserweight Championship match on 205 Live. TJP will challenge for Neville’s title after the storyline of their alliance reached its breaking point on Raw last night.

WWE 205 Live results: The final build to Extreme Rules

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

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

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

Show Recap —

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

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

Noam Dar defeated Rich Swann

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

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

Cedric Alexander defeated Corey Hollis

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

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

Drew Gulak defeated Mustafa Ali

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts —

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

Stipulations added to two WWE Extreme Rules title matches

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Thomas Gaggioli

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

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

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

Fox tapped out to the Banks Statement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WWE 205 Live results: Neville vs. Jack Gallagher

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville upped the momentum for Payback by beating Jack Gallagher in the main event, but Austin Aries made sure he was heard as well. Drew Gulak is increasingly becoming a pain in the side of Mustafa Ali, this time interfering in his matches directly. Brian Kendrick learned his 23,523rd lesson from Akira Tozawa.

Show Recap —

Akira Tozawa & Rich Swann defeated Brian Kendrick & Noam Dar

This was a solid, very well worked match but there wasn’t much of note. The crowd at least sort of seemed awake for it. The heels got the heat on Swann for a bit until Tozawa got the hot tag, laid out Kendrick, then pinned Dar with the shining wizard.

Tozawa said Kendrick chose a tag team partner tonight — but he choose poorly. Lesson four: always chose wisely.

Dasha Fuentes interviewed Neville, asking how he prepared for tonight’s match. He said he’s proven time and again Jack Gallagher doesn’t belong in the ring and tonight will be no different. He said aside from maybe TJ Perkins, no one is on the Neville Level. He wondered when people will realize the inevitable and place a knee on the floor for the King of the Cruiserweights.

Mustafa Ali and Tony Nese came out for their match when Drew Gulak arrived with the same picket sign from last week, “No Fly Zone.” He joined Tom Phillips and Corey Graves on commentary.

Tony Nese defeated Mustafa Ali by DQ

Another solid back and forth match here. Ali looked really good, even busting out a tope con hilo over the turnbuckle to the outside, sending Nese reeling. Gulak complained whenever Ali did a high spot and generally just talked about his dislike for Ali’s high-flying style.

Ali landed a tornado DDT and went for his finish when Gulak dragged him out of the ring for the DQ in Nese’s favor. Ali did not like that, and replied with another tope con hilo — this time wiping out Gulak. 

Neville defeated Jack Gallagher

This was another match that was in the solid territory, though it was clearly better than the other two matches on tonight’s card. Gallagher had the advantage early. Neville, on the outside, angrily responded by throwing Gallagher’s umbrella all the way to the stage entrance.

Neville gained control for the early part of the match until Gallagher blasted him with a headbutt. You’d think after what went down with Katsuyori Shibata that people would cut it out, but nope. Neville caught Gallagher with a palm strike, did a running stomp on the corner, then submitted him with the Rings of Saturn. 

Neville jumped Gallagher after the match and dragged him to the rampway. He was looking for the Rings of Saturn until Aries came in and hit him with the discus fivearm. He locked in the Last Chancery, then left him laying as he stood tall in the ring to close out the show.

Final Thoughts —

A just there show with a just there build to Payback. Hopefully next week there will be a new program or two to sink my teeth into because none of them right now are really doing it for me in terms of interest or intrigue.

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

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

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

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

Show Recap —

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

Akira Tozawa defeated Tony Nese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ariya Daivari defeated Mustafa Ali

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

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

Austin Aries defeated TJ Perkins

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts —

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

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

Show Recap —

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

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

Akira Tozawa defeated Brian Kendrick

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

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

Rich Swann defeated Oney Lorcan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts —

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

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

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

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

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

Show Recap —

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

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

Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari 

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

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali defeated Brandon Scott

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

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

Brian Kendrick defeated Akira Tozawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts —

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

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

WWE 205 Live results: Neville battles Mustafa Ali

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville cemented his status as King of the Cruiserweights by defeating Mustafa Ali in convincing fashion, much to the chagrin of Austin Aries. Brian Kendrick continued to gain the upper hand on Tozawa through mind games. Noam Dar tried to find the source of Alicia Fox’s gifts while claiming them as his own, and Tony Nese defeated TJP in a one-on-one bout.

Show Recap —

We started off with Neville being interviewed by Dasha Fuentes. She asked why he requested a match against Mustafa Ali tonight. He said that the locker room needed to know why Neville was the King of the Cruiserweights.

He then ran down Austin Aries, saying that he probably wouldn’t learn tonight’s lesson, but at WrestleMania he will make him bow down to the King of the Cruiserweights. 

Tom Phillips and Corey Graves are on commentary for tonight’s show.

Tony Nese defeated TJ Perkins

TJP controlled early, wiping out Nese on the outside with a corkscrew. Nese countered with a gutbuster and worked over TJP. To say this wasn’t exciting would be an understatement. TJP eventually floated over Nese and landed a neckbreaker.

Some good back and forth followed until Nese cut off TJP and went for the running strike in the corner. TJP countered with an armbar, but Nese escaped. Nese German suplexed TJP into the exposed turnbuckle, which Nese undid earlier, then followed with the running knee for the win. This improved as time went on, but felt a little long and the crowd wasn’t that into it.

Drew Gulak was backstage with Dasha, who asked him about his comments last week about 205 Live having a problem. He said there is, and it needs to change. He said the WWE Universe are directly at fault for this, cheering for all the high level action. Athletes act like glorified stuntmen, and so on. He eventually thanked Dasha for her time.

Akira Tozawa defeated Alex Reynolds

Tozawa pinned him quickly with the German suplex.

Tozawa wanted Kendrick after the match. He started to leave, but Kendrick jumped him, dressed as a security guard. Kendrick planted him with the Sliced Bread off the apron as he told him about rule number eight, which is appearances can be deceiving.

Rich Swann and Jack Gallagher were backstage when Noam Dar and Ariya Daivari showed up. Dar was wondering about a dress. Swann said hey, whatever you do in the privacy of your own home is none of our business. Dar said he stopped a courier from delivering this to Alicia Fox, saying that one more gift from him would be overkill.

Swann asked what that has to do with them. Dar said he’s trying to sort this out like gentlemen, but Swann is being annoying so next week he’ll take care of him. Swann said fine, but Dar can’t handle this.

Austin Aries came out. Since last night’s interview with Neville went so poorly, tonight he’ll eliminate the one thing that made it go poorly — Neville.

He proceeded to ask himself his own questions. Why do you think Neville repeatedly calls himself the King of the Cruiserweights? He thinks he’s overcompensating. Why do you think you’re on Neville’s level? Well, he’s not — he’s above him. What is the most embarrassing thing he discovered about Neville while being a journalist?

We never got that answer as Neville made his way out. Aries called him a Debbie Downer, and said that’s why no one likes you. This got a “Debbie Downer” chant. Neville told him to scuttle off. Aries started to oblige, but came back and said he’s been invited to do color commentary for the main event.

Neville defeated Mustafa Ali

Neville dominated early until Ali hit a twisting crossbody off the turnbuckle onto the outside. Ali went for a tornado DDT but Neville held on and instead crotched Ali on the ropes. Ali springboarded across the corner of the ropes and hit a standing Spanish Fly off the top rope in a really cool spot.

Ali went for something off the top rope, but saw Neville recovering and instead spiked him with a DDT. He went for the imploding 450 again but Neville made it to the apron. Neville caught Ali on the top rope again and hit a German suplex off the top rope, with Ali landing face first.  

Neville paused, then dragged Ali to the outside where he swung him into the ring post. He dragged Ali over to Aries, said “this is you,” and threw him back in the ring where he quickly submitted him with the Rings of Saturn. This was a pretty good match, with Ali looking strong while also cementing Neville as the man to beat at WrestleMania.

Final Thoughts —

This continued the build towards WrestleMania, as well as the feuds going on and off over the last few weeks. They’re also doing something with Gulak, but I didn’t really get an impression of what they’re doing with him yet, which makes me not care all that much.

The rest of the programs going on right now on 205 Live aren’t revolutionary, or even hot for that matter, but the main event was pretty decent and none of the work tonight felt like it dragged for too long.

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

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

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

Show Recap —

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

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

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

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

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

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

Noam Dar & Ariya Daivari defeated Jack Gallagher & Rich Swann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts —

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

My Favorite Wrestler (This Week): Goldberg, Owens, Honma, Neville

Posted on by Zach Dominello

Welcome to My Favorite Wrestler (This Week). Each week, the Wrestling Observer team chooses, you guessed it, their favorite wrestler of the week.

Fastlane was a drag, NJPW’s 45th anniversary show was great, the Hardys have joined ROH, and Rick Rude’s going into the WWE Hall of Fame. It was another week of ups and downs in pro wrestling. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —

Tomoaki Honma

By Zach Dominello

My favorite wrestler this week is one of my favorite wrestlers in general, Tomoaki Honma.

On March 3rd, Honma took a routine draping DDT and had to be carried out of the ring as he was, in the words of NJPW medical trainer Takeshi Misawa, quadriplegic. Fortunately, he’s since regained some movement in his legs and can grip objects, and is reportedly making progress.

It’s a terrible reminder of just how quickly things can go wrong, and not just for wrestlers in the ring, but for all of us. Sometimes fans like you and me get too caught up in our opinions about booking decisions, who should be getting pushed, or who’s not being utilized, that we sometimes take for granted just how dangerous pro wrestling really is. It’s important to appreciate the good things in wrestling, and in life in general, which is basically the whole point of this column.

Speaking of good things, in typical, amazing Honma fashion, Misawa also said that Honma apologized for making fans worry, and is basically in good spirits and keeping positive. I’m pretty sure if I was in the hospital and could barely move, positive would not describe my mode. I guess that’s the power of kokeshi.

Also huge props to last week’s My Favorite Wrestler Satoshi Kojima for his awesome Honma tribute during his match at New Japan’s 45th anniversary show.

Here’s to a full and speedy recovery. Kokeshi is happy!

Neville

By Arya Witner

Sometimes it’s hard to pick one person as the best of the week, but this week it took me four seconds to realize it is your reigning, defending, undisputed Cruiserweight Champion of the world: Neville.

The cruiserweight division returned in September, and with very few exceptions the matches and segments have been forgettable and played in front of dead crowds. Neville returned in December, doing great heel promos and showing more personality than he has in the four years he has been under contract.

This week Neville managed to have two great matches, one with Jack Gallagher and one with Rich Swann, both of which took crowds accustomed to sitting on their hands and made them incredibly excited and were arguably the two best matches on their respective shows.

Now after the division seems to have finally gained some traction, we are going to get Neville vs. Austin Aries, which should be even better.

Goldberg

By Ryan Frederick

I can remember the days of being in middle school during the Monday Night Wars, and every Tuesday everyone was talking about what happened on Raw and Nitro. Goldberg was one of my favorite wrestlers during that period, and here we are in 2017, and he is the new WWE Universal Champion.

It’s a crazy world we live in, isn’t it? I know fans are upset that it was a 21-second squash of Kevin Owens, but it played perfectly into the stories of both mens’ WrestleMania future. It also brought back memories of when Goldberg used to squash random opponents on his way up the WCW ladder.

For those memories alone, and for Goldberg being champion and heading into the WrestleMania main event for what could be his last career match, I’m going with him as my favorite wrestler this week.

Kevin Owens

By Alan Boon

My favorite wrestler this week is Kevin Owens. The world of wrestling is unique — one where the loser in any contest plays as big a part as the winner, and never more so than when a competitor is requested to be a part of a momentous loss.

We can argue the merits — or lack of — of the Goldberg title win, and the 21-second match that brought it, but for a professional wrestler to engage in such career-threatening fantasy with the aplomb with which Owens approaches everything he does is notable.

He regained his heat the next night — as much as that is possible on a show on which everything seems intent on leaving everyone involved a lukewarm nothing (unless they are a part-timer from a previous era) — and will play a big part in WWE going forward.

But for this week, if you’ll excuse my rather business-exposing indulgence, Owens’ professionalism and sheer joy in anything he does wins him the award for me.

WWE 205 Live results: Austin Aries returns to the ring

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Aries made the transition from announcer to in-ring competitor, taking on and defeating Tony Nese in the main event. He’s made it clear that he wants Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship, but Neville has his own plans for the title match at WrestleMania.

Alicia Fox continues to get lovely gifts, and while Noam Dar says they’re from him — are they really? Brian Kendrick continued to play mind games with Akira Tozawa, who again was denied a match against Kendrick.

Show Recap —

They opened up with the big Raw angle from yesterday, where Austin Aries sent Neville reeling after being constantly berated by him during an interview.

Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves are calling the action tonight. 

Austin Aries started the show, conducting his own interview. He talked about how as a kid he was told if you wanted to make a statement, go to the strongest guy in the room and punch him in the face. That guy now? Neville. He declared that Austin Aries, expert journalist, is no more as the expert in-ring competitor is here.

This brought out Neville. He thought last night was a lapse in judgment, but now thinks Aries has gone off the deep end. He asked if Aries thinks he’s on his level. Aries said he doesn’t think he’s at his level, because Neville is at the A level while he is at the double A level.

Neville said think of your next career move wisely. Aries said he doesn’t need to be at the commentator’s table, in fact Neville can come down here to the ring and make it two days in a row where he got punched out.

Neville said Aries doesn’t have the right to share the ring with him, in fact he doesn’t even need a finger to lay a hand on him. After all, Aries has made plenty of enemies in the back. Neville won’t fight him, but said there’s a locker room out there ready to do just that. Aries said he makes plenty of checks and cashes them in every time, so he’s calling out anyone who feels that way.

Rich Swann and Jack Gallagher were backstage when Noam Dar walked in, saying their gestures were cute, but not as cute as Alicia Fox. Dar was wondering who bought those flowers for Fox last week. Swann said he thought Dar bought them.

Dar walked that back, saying of course he did, he just wanted to make sure they take notice about his match later tonight, because one day they might just come across someone as wonderful as Alicia Fox. 

Jack Gallagher & Rich Swann defeated Ariya Daivari & Noam Dar 

This was pretty decent, but just a standard WWE tag team match. Gallagher headbutted Daivari then laid him out with a running dropkick. Swann followed that with a kick and the phoenix splash for the win. 

After the match, a guy walked out and delivered a heart-shaped box of chocolates to Fox. Dar frantically took a mic and said the guy was late, then said no chocolate in the world was sweeter than Alicia Fox. It seems like they’re building up some sort of mystery admirer gimmick. 

Brian Kendrick was interviewed, saying that if Akira Tozawa wanted a fight, he was going to get one.

Akira Tozawa made his way to the ring. Brian Kendrick followed, but remained on the outside. He said he was a man of his word, saying Tozawa would fight a Brian Kendrick — but the guy he’s facing spells his name “Bryan Kendrick.” So he’s not fighting The Brian Kendrick, but A Bryan Kendrick.

Akira Tozawa defeated A Bryan Kendrick

Tozawa finished Bryan quickly with a snap German suplex.

Dasha Fuentes interviewed Neville, asking what he expects out there tonight between Austin Aries and his announced opponent, Tony Nese. Neville asked if she didn’t hear what he said out there earlier. He put down Aries again and brought up that Nese is no walk in the park. He said only one man will face him at WrestleMania, and next week that will be decided on 205 Live.

Austin Aries defeated Tony Nese

Aries controlled the match early. He hit his knee on the outside while landing, but quickly recovered. Nese caught Aries on the top rope, put him in the torture rack position, and laid him out with a gutbuster.

Aries came back and hit the pendulum elbow. Nese countered with a deadlift one-armed powerbomb. Aries took control again, hitting a suicide dive to the outside and finished off Nese with the roaring elbow for the win.

This was a good match and a great showcase for Aries as he instantly came off as looking like someone who should be in the top mix.

Final Thoughts —

This was a good show, doing a great job of transitioning Aries from a commentator to a top guy in this division looking for his title shot. 

It should be interesting to see how the WrestleMania match develops; it very much looks like it will be Aries vs. Neville, which sounds like the best match you can do for 205 Live’s biggest match of the year. The question is, where would that leave the other cruiserweights?