Tag: Neville

WWE 205 Live results: Neville & Jack Gallagher build to Fastlane

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Jack Gallagher and Neville furthered their feud going into Fastlane, ending 205 Live with a big brawl that saw Gallagher get the better of it. Akira Tozawa challenged Brian Kendrick, but Kendrick decided to fight on his own terms. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari emerged victorious over Mustafa Ali, TJ Perkins & Cedric Alexander.

Show Recap —

The show started with Tom Phillips interviewing Jack Gallagher, asking what he expects from Neville’s address later tonight. Gallagher said he’s expecting the usual, Neville berating the WWE Universe, things like that, but at Fastlane he’ll walk out the WWE Cruiserweight Champion.

Noam Dar defeated Lince Dorado

This didn’t last long, but was good while it lasted. It was all action. Alicia Fox had flowers at ringside. Dorado looked good on offense, but ate a kick and was pinned. 

After the match, Dar said these flowers can’t compare to the sweetness of Alicia Fox. 

Austin Aries introduced Akira Tozawa as they showed highlights of Tozawa turning down Brian Kendrick. Aries questioned Tozawa, who said that he wants to do it on his own. They then showed footage of Tozawa being jumped by Kendrick. Aries asked Tozawa what he’s going to do about it, and Tozawa said he wants to fight him right now. 

This brought out Kendrick. He said, “What makes you think I’ll fight you on your terms?” Kendrick claimed that he’s the man with the plan, and will fight under his own terms. He called Tozawa a brat for rejecting his offer.

Tozawa tried to respond, but Kendrick cut him off, saying he wants Tozawa to speak in English because he’s just like the rest of these Minnesotans who can’t speak it. He then bailed, ultimately rejecting Tozawa’s challenge.

Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari defeated Mustafa Ali, TJ Perkins & Cedric Alexander

Really good match, it had nothing but action throughout. Everyone looked good and the action never slowed. More matches like these need to be on this show as it separates them from everyone else.

Daivari and Gulak got dumped to the floor. Ali wiped them out with a crossbody off the top rope. TJP looked to follow with a big dive of his own, but Nese grabbed him, dragged him out, and slammed him against the announcer’s table. Gulak wore down TJP with a modified Gory special that looked pretty cool. 

Ali took out Gulak with a neckbreaker and went for the inverted 450 splash, but a distraction by Daivari allowed Gulak to take advantage. Alexander took everyone out with a big dive to the floor.

Ali hit a tornado DDT then followed with the inverted 450 splash, but Daivari put Gulak’s feet on the ropes. Ali was distracted enough that it allowed Gulak to lay out Ali with a German suplex to the ring post. Nese and TJP were tagged in. TJP got taken out from the top rope by Gulak, which allowed Nese to hit a running knee strike in the corner for the win.

An Austin Aries video package was shown once again.  

Neville came out to talk about Fastlane. He said we need a history lesson. Mediocrity reigned until he came in. He changed the landscape of 205 Live but has received nothing but resentment. They applauded people like Gallagher. He claimed that we will witness a public execution at Fastlane.

Gallagher then came out. He said this isn’t a history lesson, but more like a public meltdown. He asked if Neville would like some tea and biscuits. The crowd chanted for tea and biscuits, but Neville didn’t like that, saying he could take him out tonight instead of Fastlane.

Neville said that this is his ring. Gallagher disagreed, saying that this ring belongs to all of them, the WWE Universe. They eventually got into a brawl, ending with Gallagher landing a running dropkick to the barricade, sending Neville reeling as the show went off the air.

Final Thoughts —

Good show. There needs to be more six-man matches on this show as it was one of the better matches on 205 Live in a while, plus the crowd was into it (and the show in general) which is always nice. The confrontation at the end of the show was fine, and it all builds well to Fastlane.

By the way…has anyone seen Gran Metalik? Anyone?

WWE 205 Live results: Gran Metalik debuts

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville defeated TJ Perkins in the main event, continuing to further his momentum, though Jack Gallagher sent him packing to close out the show. Gran Metalik made his 205 Live debut, defeating Drew Gulak. Rich Swann returned from injury, and Akira Tozawa made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Brian Kendrick.

Show Recap —

Rich Swann took the mic before the opening match, mentioning Alicia Fox’s name and telling her you can’t handle this. Neither Fox nor Dar liked that.

Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar

Very good match, and the last few minutes were great. This was the best Dar has looked since joining WWE.

Swann controlled much of the match early. Dar kicked Swann in the knee, which sent him tumbling off the middle rope to the floor. Dar gained the advantage until Swann took him out with a kick. A good back and forth contest went on until Swann laid out Dar and hit a phoenix splash for the win.

TJ Perkins and Neville were seated backstage as Corey Graves conducted an interview. Graves asked if Neville really does think Perkins is more of a threat than Jack Gallagher.

After some back and forth banter about the Cruiserweight Classic, Neville said that Perkins isn’t at his level. TJP said Neville’s arrogance will be his downfall. Perkins said he was making a name for himself while…well, was Neville even on Raw at all then? He doesn’t seem to remember. Neville said by the end of tonight, he’ll regret those words.

Next we saw a highlight reel for Gran Metalik, including him losing to TJP in the finals of the CWC. He said Perkins was a great wrestler, but he was disappointed in how things turned out. He said this is a beautiful opportunity, and the best is here.

Gran Metalik defeated Drew Gulak

This was a mixed bag, as for the most part it was fine with Metalik doing some good stuff and he did fine in showcasing his work, but there were spots in this match that were pretty rough.

Gulak jumped Metalik early. Metalik slipped on the ropes and Gulak took advantage. Metalik came back and did some good offense. Gulak cut him off with a boot as Metalik was coming off the turnbuckle. Metalik came back with the brillo Metalik, a step-over senton. He followed with the Metalik Driver to end the bout.

Akira Tozawa was backstage when Brian Kendrick came up to him, mentioning how he might be a bit intimidated being mentored by a legend like him.

Kendrick wanted to know if he would be his protege. Tozawa said no. Kendrick said that he realizes there might be a language barrier, so he asked him again. Tozawa said he understands, he just doesn’t like him. He walked off as Kendrick fumed.

Neville defeated TJ Perkins

This was just as good as the opener, but the crowd was absolutely dead for this match, except at one point during the bout where they chanted “Austin Aries.” The work was there, but the crowd wasn’t.

There was some good back and forth early until Neville gained control and wore down TJP. He floated over Neville and laid him out with a neckbreaker, dropkicked Neville on the apron, and leapt off the ropes with a springboard DDT. TJP tried to work an arm, but Neville deadlifted him and countered with a sit-out powerbomb.

Neville caught TJP on the top rope and tried for the superplex, but TJP threw him off. Neville caught him coming off and tried to lock on his new submission but TJP countered into a roll-up. Neville drilled him with an enzuigiri, then laid him out with the double arm submission and TJP had no other alternative but to tap out.

Jack Gallagher came out with his umbrella, running to the ring. Neville jumped him as he slid in. Neville threw out the umbrella, but this allowed Gallagher to make a comeback, sending Neville reeling with a headbutt. He seethed as the show closed.

Final Thoughts —

Good show with a lot of great action, especially in the opener and main event. I think the guys are becoming more comfortable with doing what they can under WWE parameters as the match quality has improved noticeably in recent weeks.

Not everything was smooth in Metalik’s debut, but he was still pretty over, at least as over as you can be on 205 Live. It should be interesting to see how Gallagher fares in a big time title match.

WWE adds more matches to the Elimination Chamber & Fastlane cards

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE continued building to its next two brand-exclusive pay-per-views on Tuesday night by adding matches to both the Fastlane and Elimination Chamber cards.

Jack Gallagher capped off the night on 205 Live by becoming the number one contender for Neville’s WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Gallagher defeated TJ Perkins, Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander, and Noam Dar in a fatal five-way elimination match to get the title shot and will challenge Neville at Fastlane.

Earlier in the night on SmackDown, two more matches were added to the Elimination Chamber card as well. It was announced that Randy Orton would be facing Luke Harper at the PPV as part of the ongoing storyline with the Wyatt Family. Dolph Ziggler will also be involved in a handicap match at Elimination Chamber as he takes on both Apollo Crews & Kalisto.

Elimination Chamber and Fastlane are WWE’s final two PPVs before WrestleMania 33. Elimination Chamber will take place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona this coming Sunday, while the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will host Fastlane on March 5th.

WWE 205 Live results: Fatal five-way determines a number one contender

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Jack Gallagher bested four other men to get a title shot against Neville at Fastlane. Brian Kendrick has taken a liking to Akira Tozawa, a swift reversal from last week, but still faces problems with Tajiri.

Show Recap —

It was announced by Austin Aries tonight that Tony Nese tweaked his knee on Raw, and therefore was out of tonight’s main event. Corey Graves said that they promised a fatal five-way, and they’ll deliver as the winner of the upcoming Mustafa Ali vs. Ariya Daivari match will advance to the fatal five-way later tonight.

Mustafa Ali defeated Ariya Daivari

Solid back and forth match. Daivari did a cool hammerlock clothesline at one point for a near fall. Ali hit a tornado DDT, then followed with the imploding 450 splash for the pinfall.

Gran Metalik arrives next week. That was quick!

Brian Kendrick came out for his match against Lince Dorado. Kendrick said he is here to snuff out people’s dreams, but made an exception for the young upstart of Akira Tozawa. He said he better be watching in the back, because someday he could be the protege for The Brian Kendrick.

Brian Kendrick defeated Lince Dorado

Good, competitive match. Dorado went for a springboard stunner but when he went for the shooting star press Kendrick got his knees up. He followed with a crucifix, then when Dorado kicked out followed with the Captain’s Hook for the win.

Austin Aries wanted to know why Kendrick changed his mind on Tozawa. Kendrick said there’s just something different about him, and wanted to bring him out. Instead, Tajiri’s music hit. As Kendrick was distracted, Tajiri snuck in from behind and misted him when he turned around.

Neville cut a promo. He ran down everyone in the fatal five-way. He said he’s taken care of TJ Perkins, Jack Gallagher is an embarrassment to England, Mustafa Ali still has a long way to go, and so on. He said no matter who wins, they will bend a knee and respect the King of the Cruiserweights.

Jack Gallagher defeated Cedric Alexander, TJ Perkins, Mustafa Ali, and Noam Dar in a fatal five-way elimination match

Great main event, it was full of action and high spots which you don’t see too often on 205 Live. As a result, the crowd was into this more than any other cruiserweight match in some time.

Gallagher wiped out everyone early by grabbing his umbrella and flew off with a senton off the top rope. Alexander looked good early, eliminating Dar with the Lumbar Check. Ali kicked out of a standing Spanish Fly. Perkins caught Alexander on the top rope and hit a detonation kick to eliminate him. Ali missed the imploding 450 splash on Gallagher and Perkins capitalized by submitting Ali with an armlock.

Perkins put Gallagher in the kneelock but he made it to the ropes. Perkins hit the detonation kick but Gallagher followed with a headbutt for a near fall. Gallagher landed another headbutt, then hit the running dropkick in the corner for the pinfall.

That makes it Jack Gallagher vs. Neville for the Cruiserweight title at Fastlane.

Gallagher was celebrating when Neville made his way to the stage, staring down at Gallagher. He held the title high as the show closed.

Final Thoughts —

This was a really good show, with the crowd getting into the fatal five-way match and making it one of the better matches on 205 Live thus far. We also saw some nice progression with the Kendrick/Tajiri/Tozawa storyline. It will be interesting to see how Gran Metalik’s debut goes next week as well.

WWE 205 Live results: Akira Tozawa debuts

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway — 

After Neville abandoned him, Noam Dar fell to Cedric Alexander and Jack Gallagher in the main event. Akira Tozawa made his debut, with an intrigued Brian Kendrick looking on. Tony Nese continued to rack up momentum with another win, though TJ Perkins made the save when he went overboard after the match.

Show Recap —

Tony Nese defeated Lince Dorado

This wasn’t much. Just another match to get Nese over. Austin Aries brought up his interview from Raw last night, saying Nese is good but not great. Nese was in control early. Dorado mounted a comeback, including a springboard stunner. Dorado tried for something on the top rope, but Nese shoved him down face first, then eventually picked up the win with the running knee to the corner.

Nese wasn’t about to let things lie, going for another knee strike when TJ Perkins’ music hit and he made the save, sending Nese reeling with a kick.

They replayed Neville’s coronation from last night, specifically the parts where Rich Swann and Neville exchanged words, leading to Swann sending Neville off with a suicide dive.

Backstage, Tom Phillips brought up that Swann suffered an ankle injury last night. Swann explained that as soon as the adrenaline wore off, he took off his boot and found out he was injured. Swann said as soon as he is healed, he’ll come back for his title.

Neville showed up and asked when Swann is going to learn his place. He suggested that Swann stays down next time. Swann said bum ankle or not, Neville is never going to keep him down. Neville said “I’ll beg to differ” in response and shoved him down.

Gran Metalik is coming soon, taking the place of Akira Tozawa as the next guy to debut I guess.

The Brian Kendrick was on commentary for the next match.

Akira Tozawa defeated Aaron Solow

Nice highlight reel for Tozawa. He did a suicide dive to the outside, and soon after got the win with a snap German suplex.

Austin Aries, in ring, asked Tozawa if he can speak English and asked him to say something to the WWE Universe. Tozawa responded in Japanese. Kendrick, on commentary, congratulated him.

Neville was backstage when Noam Dar and Alicia Fox walked in. I watch this show every week and didn’t even realize they were a legit couple until now. Dar was going on about the match when Neville cut him off. He said he never asked Dar for his help and he doesn’t need it tonight, so don’t screw this up.

Dar said whatever he says goes. Neville added that he doesn’t care about his love life so leave the baggage at home. Fox didn’t like that.

Jack Gallagher & Cedric Alexander defeated Noam Dar & Neville

Pretty good TV main event. Nice story where everyone had their role. Gallagher escaped a headlock early by standing on his hands and walking away in a cool spot. Neville worked him over; good action as they have some good chemistry.

Dar came in and continued the assault. Gallagher finally laid out Dar with a headbutt. Dar made a comeback and tried to tag in Neville, but he bailed, saying he had his chance. Alexander was tagged in and cleaned house. Dar tried to escape, but Gallagher threw him back in and Alexander finished it off with the Lumbar Check for the win.

Final Thoughts —

This was a pretty solid show, though in the large scale of things it was a holding pattern episode. Tozawa looked fine in his debut, they started the hype for Gran Metalik, and the main event had some solid action.

It seems like Neville and Swann is still the program for now, so it makes sense to keep things on hold for a bit until he’s healed.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville vs. Cedric Alexander

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville defeated Cedric Alexander in the main event, continuing to build momentum towards his Cruiserweight title match against Rich Swann on Sunday. Brian Kendrick continued to pick up wins over local competitors. TJP has found a new rival in Tony Nese, who made it perfectly clear that it wasn’t over between them. Akira Tozawa will be making his 205 Live debut next week.

Show Recap —

We started off with a look at last night’s Raw, where Rich Swann attacked Neville after Neville backed down from a challenge. Backstage, Tom Phillips asked Neville if he was afraid Swann was gaining too much momentum.

Neville said him being attacked was his mistake, he let it happen and he wouldn’t make that same mistake twice. When Phillips mentioned Neville’s match against Cedric Alexander tonight, Neville said he’s looking forward to it, as we will kneel tonight to the King of the Cruiserweights.

TJ Perkins defeated Tony Nese

Solid match. TJP looked good early. Nese grinded him down and did WWE heel work 101 (rest holds). TJP came back with a spinning heel kick. Nese was looking at a turnbuckle when TJP rolled him up out of nowhere for the win.

Nese, not happy about getting pinned out of nowhere, laid Perkins out with a German suplex to the ring post and a running knee strike. Looks like a program is starting between these two.

Akira Tozawa will be making his debut next week. Sami Zayn, sporting a black eye for some reason, put him over.

TJP was being helped away by officials as they showed another replay of Nese attacking him.

The Brian Kendrick came out, ready to face a hometown hero named Tripp Bradshaw. Kendrick said this is a cold, harsh world and he’s ready to snuff out other people’s dreams. He did it to Sean Maluta, he’ll do it to Tajiri if he ever returns from injury, and it’ll happen to Tripp tonight in his hometown.

The Brian Kendrick defeated Tripp Bradshaw

This didn’t last long. Kendrick took him down a few times. Tripp tried a comeback, but Kendrick laid him out with a kick and submitted him with the Captain’s Hook.

Swann said that Neville thinks he’s unstoppable, that he’s a king. Cedric Alexander said don’t worry about it, he’s got it. Swann told him to save a piece of Neville for him for Sunday.

Neville defeated Cedric Alexander

This was actually a really good match, but the crowd brought it down a notch. Regardless, the last few minutes of this were really great. Neville just “gets it” as a heel and Alexander is really good.

Alexander got some shine early. He landed a brutal kick to Neville’s chest that laid him out, but he took too long and Neville recovered, grabbing and throwing Alexander into the barricade. Alexander came back with a handspring kick and launched off with a tope con hilo to the floor.

Neville responded by taking down Alexander and hitting the deadlift German suplex. They went to the top rope where Alexander went for a sunset flip powerbomb but Neville landed on his feet. Alexander caught him and went for a kick but Noam Dar came in to interfere.

Alexander tripped off the middle rope, which led to Neville latching out a double arm scissors hold and quickly tapping him out.

Dar wanted to lay out Alexander with Neville, but Neville threw him out and continued the assault until Rich Swann hit the ring. Alexander and Dar brawled to the back while referees broke up the situation going on in the ring.

Final Thoughts —

This was a pretty solid episode. You have something to look forward to next week in Tozawa’s debut, the start of a new program between TJP and Nese, and you also had a pretty good main event in Neville and Cedric Alexander.

I wish the crowd was a bit livelier, but that’s the folly of 205 Live — the enthusiasm for the show might be a lot better if this were taped instead of broadcast live.

Rich Swann vs. Neville set for the Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For the first time since turning heel and joining the division, Neville will be getting a shot at the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

It was announced at the end of tonight’s episode of 205 Live that Neville would challenge Rich Swann for the title at the Royal Rumble on January 29th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Following Swann’s win against Tony Nese in his first match back after being injured by Neville in their storyline, Swann accepted Neville’s challenge to a title match and told him to name the time and place. Neville responded that it would be happening at the biggest stage possible at the Rumble.

Tonight’s SmackDown also saw two additions to the upcoming Royal Rumble match, with Dean Ambrose and The Miz announcing that they would be entering it. Dolph Ziggler later announced on Talking Smack that he would be entering the match as well.

Before the Rumble takes place, Alexa Bliss will put her Women’s Championship on the line against Becky Lynch in a steel cage match on next week’s episode of SmackDown. That match was announced tonight after “La Luchadora’s” involvement in the Bliss vs. Lynch feud over the last few weeks led to the stipulation.

WWE 205 Live results: Swann vs. Nese; Alexander vs. Dar

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville will challenge Rich Swann for the Cruiserweight title at the Royal Rumble. After Alicia Fox cost Cedric Alexander a big match against Noam Dar, Alexander dumped Fox, causing her to have a meltdown.

Brian Kendrick had more trouble taking out Sean Maluta than Tajiri did, but also vowed to take care of Tajiri when the time comes. The parley between Jack Gallagher and Ariya Daivari was nothing more than a contract signing for an “I Forfeit” match at a future date.

Show Recap —

They opened with highlights over the last few weeks concerning the Cedric Alexander/Noam Dar/Alicia Fox angle, including last night where Fox kissed Dar, then rejected him, saying he couldn’t handle a real woman.

Noam Dar defeated Cedric Alexander

They had a long match. It wasn’t bad, but really just your generic long WWE match with nothing flashy or substantial. Dar is just there as a worker, not to mention the storyline of the match as a whole doesn’t make sense at all.

Dar gained control and did stereotypical heel rest holds and grinding down, working on Alexander’s arm. Alexander made a comeback and went for a springboard but Dar caught him with an armbar. Dar left Alexander’s arm prone on the apron and was going to do a running dropkick to the outside when Alicia Fox stopped him.

That allowed Alexander to hit a baseball slide and a clothesline off the top rope. Alexander was going for a moonsault when Fox pulled Dar’s leg out of the ring. Dar responded with a dropkick on Alexander for the win. Fox looked stunned by this. Um, you just cost him the match.

There was an Akira Tozawa hype video. Kalisto put him over huge. Tozawa will supposedly be coming soon.

Brian Kendrick came to the ring, and he wasn’t too happy over the events of last week where he was misted by Tajiri. He called him a sneaky snake and a sneaky sneak. He said that rest assured, next time he sees Tajiri, he’ll be choking on that mist. He pointed to his opponent, Sean Maluta, and said that if Tajiri can beat him, he’ll be lucky to survive 30 seconds with Brian Kendrick.

Brian Kendrick defeated Sean Maluta

This was what you’d expect. Kendrick underestimated Maluta’s ability and as a result Maluta got some good shine in, hitting the three amigos suplexes and a shining wizard for a good near fall. Maluta went for a frog splash, but Kendrick countered with knees and submitted Maluta with the Captain’s Hook.

Backstage, Fox couldn’t explain why she did what she did. Alexander said it wasn’t an accident and eventually said that they were done. Fox tried to explain but he wouldn’t hear it and left. Fox then proceeded to throw a fit.

It was now time for the parley, or “a gentlemanly way to end things” as Corey Graves put it. Gallagher said quite frankly, this needs to come to an end. He claimed that Ariya Daivari has besmirched his honor. Daivari said he doesn’t want peace. Gallagher said he doesn’t want that either. He pointed to a contract on the table for an “I Forfeit” match, which is basically an I Quit match.

Daivari said it’ll be his pleasure to make him forfeit. They both got up as Daivari threw away William (Gallagher’s umbrella). Gallagher then said he hoped the Queen wasn’t watching this as he attacked Daivari, leading to a pull apart. For all the weeks of buildup, this really got no response, except for when they got rid of the umbrella.

Rich Swann defeated Tony Nese

This was solid stuff while it lasted, but nothing out of this world. Nese did a good job in the match and looked impressive in spots. He had control of a lot of the match, but Swann pelted him with a kick to the temple to get the win.

Swann said for the past couple of weeks there’s been a man who resembles a gargoyle calling himself the King of the Cruiserweights. He said that’s wrong, as he’s the Cruiserweight champion. Neville came out, saying it isn’t Swann’s show and he begs to differ. Swann said he has ears like Dumbo and if he has a problem with that, come to the ring so we can solve it.

Neville called him an ignorant American and won’t step into the ring with him until he gets a title shot. Swann said fine, name the time and the place, because you can’t handle this. Neville said he can’t think of a better coronation than at the Royal Rumble. The two have a staredown as the show closed.

Final Thoughts —

This was a pretty bland show. The two major storylines being touted feel way past their expiration date and feel like they need to end, which at least they seem to be alluding to now by the way things went down tonight. The main event angle was fine, and at least sets up a big match for the Royal Rumble.

WWE 205 Live results: Neville takes on TJ Perkins

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway —

Neville continued his onslaught towards the top, defeating TJ Perkins in the main event. Ariya Daivari jumped Jack Gallagher as revenge for last week’s duel that didn’t exactly go his way. Despite defeat, Noam Dar still has his eyes on Alicia Fox, and Tajiri made his return, leaving a lasting impression on Brian Kendrick.

Show Recap —

They opened the show by saying that due to attacks by Neville, Rich Swann has not been medically cleared to compete. Instead, TJ Perkins will square off against Neville tonight.

Tajiri defeated Sean Maluta

This was just a match highlighting Tajiri and his moveset, doing all his trademark spots, including the tarantula and the handspring elbow. He scored the win with the buzzsaw kick.

Brian Kendrick came out after the match with a mic. He welcomed Tajiri back, saying that he hasn’t lost a step and was even better than he was back in the day when they were on SmackDown. He said Tajiri brings prestige, and together they can rule 205 Live. He extended his hand, and Tajiri proceeded to shake…but then the green mist returned, blinding Kendrick as Tajiri slithered around.

Dasha Fuentes caught up with Neville. He said people like and respect TJ Perkins, but he has gotten nothing but discrimination. He’s tired of hearing about Perkins’ struggles — what about his? He’s never been taken seriously because of how he talks and how he looks. When the system is broken, you create your own system. He doesn’t care what anyone on planet Earth thinks of him, and that is dangerous. Tonight TJ Perkins’ fifteen minutes are up, as there can only be one King of the Cruiserweights.

A video package on Tony Nese was shown. He noted how he’s had previous tryouts in the WWE. He made sure to mention he doesn’t see that person who was rejected so many times anymore.

Jack Gallagher defeated Tony Nese by DQ

This didn’t last long. Gallagher did all of his trademark spots, which sent Gulak to the outside. This allowed Ariya Daivari to come in and clip Gallagher’s knee for the DQ. He wrapped it in the tree of woe position and attacked him until referees came and broke it up.

Cedric Alexander and Alicia Fox were backstage contemplating what’s been going on. Alexander said he hasn’t been winning lately. Fox said it’s all her fault, but Alexander played it down, saying to just be a bit more careful in the future.

Mustafa Ali defeated Noam Dar

Dar struck Ali while he was entering the ring and worked on an arm. Ali came back and hit a tornado DDT and followed with a rolling neckbreaker. Ali springboarded off the middle rope but Dar grabbed him and applied an armbar. Ali managed to escape, then gave Dar a boot in the corner, taking him down and allowing Ali to hit the imploding 450 splash for the win.

Dasha interviewed Dar. He said don’t worry about his 2017, all he needs is lady luck, and that is Alicia Fox. Alexander might not be much of a man, but Alicia Fox is always welcome in his corner.

An Akira Tozawa package aired. It mostly had Cesaro talking about him. Cesaro put him over by saying he is different than any other competitor.

Tom Phillips was with Perkins, who said he gives Neville credit, but he’s whining too much and accused him of being a bully. And when it comes to being a bully, sometimes all you need to do is kick them in the face.

Neville defeated TJ Perkins

Good TV main event match. Perkins rejected the traditional handshake before the match. Some pretty nice back and forth action to start. Neville tried to go for the phoenix splash but Perkins dodged, giving him control of the match. Perkins followed with a corkscrew splash to the outside, then followed with a diving crossbody. Neville made a comeback and hit the deadlift German suplex. Neville went for the superplex that got him the victory last week, then landed it and scored the win.

Neville sulked in the ring as the show went off the air.

Final Thoughts —

With Neville as one of the top stars on 205 Live, this show has finally found something to go with, and it’s going very well. Neville always had the workrate to be a star no matter where he’s at, but this new heel persona is working wonders for him, creating an aura he never had until now.

The rest of the show was perfectly fine (Mustafa Ali looked really good, despite being snubbed after his match when Dar was interviewed instead of him), but it’s clear Neville is becoming the star to watch on this show.

WWE 205 Live results: Rich Swann vs. Neville in a non-title match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway — 

Neville, taking an anti-American stance, defeated Rich Swann to cement himself as the number one contender for the Cruiserweight title.

Jack Gallagher defeated Ariya Daivari in a duel, Mustafa Ali scored a big win his hometown of Chicago, and Noam Dar is intent on winning the heart of Alicia Fox against Cedric Alexander’s best wishes.

Show Recap —

The show began with recap of the events from last week, where Brian Kendrick and Neville stood tall over Rich Swann and TJ Perkins. Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, and Austin Aries welcome us to the show.

They recap last week’s events between Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander, as the latter comes out for the first match.

Tony Nese defeated Cedric Alexander

Nese got the upper hand by shoving Alexander off the top rope and onto the apron. Alexander derails Nese with a kick, then hits a top rope clothesline for a near fall. Alicia Fox and Drew Gulak quarreled outside the ring, leading Gulak to fall to the floor and pretend like he got hit with Fox’s heel. The ref sent Fox to the back, distracting Alexander. Nese walloped Alexander with the shotei palm strike and pinned him.

Fox looked upset backstage over Alexander’s loss. That led to the appearance of Noam Dar. He knows Christmas was Sunday, but he got her a present: mistletoe. He, of course, wanted a kiss. Alicia Fox responded by slapping him. He wanted another, and she obliged.

They throw it to a backstage interview with Renee Young sitting down with Neville. He said him not being on 205 Live initially was because of discrimination. Not from the WWE, but from the people of the United States of America. He feels that when Americans feel threatened, they lash out, so he will use that cruelty to rise to the top. Young asks if that’s why he calls himself the King of the Cruiserweights. Neville scoffs, saying doesn’t call himself that, he is that.

Neville goes on to talk about Rich Swann, about how he was his young boy in Japan and cooked and cleaned for him. He’s above everyone in this division as he’s used to wrestling 300 pound men. Young asks him to repeat something (because you know, the accent), and Neville becomes upset, saying the interview is over.

Mustafa Ali defeated John Yurnett

John Yurnett is more well known as Mr. 450, who normally wrestles in Puerto Rico and has done tours in Japan. Ali got a big reception for being from Chicago. Yurnett favored his knee, telling the referee he wants to continue. I think he injured himself here legit, which is a shame. Ali takes him down and hits an imploding 450 splash off the top rope for the win.

Dasha Fuentes interviews Mustafa Ali, who says Chicago made him. For so many years, he had to put up with assumptions based on his name and look. He thought he had to prove them all wrong, but truth is they proved him wrong. This isn’t a perfect world, but he’ll let the victories pile up and speak for themselves.

They aired a package on Ariya Daivari, talking about his older brother’s run in the WWE (he says he’s already surpassed him). He talks about his rivalry with Jack Gallagher, saying his loss was a fluke and was something that would never happen again.

Jack Gallagher defeated Ariya Daivari in a duel

There is a table out full of weapons as Daivari and Gallagher come out for their duel. Daivari chooses a lead pipe; Gallagher chooses an umbrella. Daivari likes these odds and wants to start, but Gallagher wants to explain the rules: they take five steps back to back, then they’ll turn around and duel.

Gallagher starts the duel, but Daivari wants to jump him immediately. Gallagher catches this and quickly takes him out with the umbrella. Daivari uses the table to attack Gallagher, but Gallagher makes a comeback and drives Daivari out of the ring with a running dropkick.

The announcer declares Gallagher the winner via forfeit, leaving Daivari mad.

Tajiri makes his 205 Live debut next week.

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

There were hot exchange early. It’s pretty clear that in terms of sheer athleticism, there’s few above these two. Neville throws Swann into the LED apron screen. Neville takes out Swann with the fosbury flop. Neville focuses on Swann’s back, hitting a standing shooting star press.

Swann comes back with a hurricanrana, taking Neville to the outside. Swann takes out Neville with a corkscrew senton to the floor. Neville throws Swann out of the ring and hits the ropes but Swann derails him with a superkick and a falcon arrow. Neville takes him out again and goes for the Red Arrow but Swann rolls out of the way and superkicks Neville again for a close near fall.

Swann goes to the top rope but Neville meets him there with a forearm. Swann sends him back down, but Swann takes too long and Neville makes a comeback, hitting a big time superplex and pins Swann.

Swann gets back up to his feet after the match, but Neville assaults him, hitting a release German suplex. Refs break it up as Neville shouts “Bring me my crown!”  to end the show.

Final Thoughts —

It seems like this show is finally finding its own groove after several weeks of “just there” shows. Matches moved quicker and were better paced, with the main event being pretty darn good save for the anti-climactic finish.

We have several angles going on here that are starting to catch a bit of steam, so it should be interesting to see how they develop leading to the Royal Rumble, where it seems clear a Neville/Rich Swann title match is in the pipeline.

WWE 205 Live results: Rich Swann & TJP vs. Neville & Brian Kendrick

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Big Takeaway — 

Neville & Brian Kendrick were dominant against WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann & TJ Perkins. Ariya Daivari called Jack Gallagher a scoundrel, and Noam Dar has set his sights set firmly on Alicia Fox.

Show Recap —

They showed clips of what went down at Roadblock: End of the Line. Rich Swann retained the Cruiserweight title, but was ambushed by a returning Neville, who laid waste to him and TJ Perkins. On Raw, Neville said that he wanted respect as the King of the Cruiserweights — Swann disagreed. Brian Kendrick came out for a two-on-one beatdown, only for Swann to be rescued by Perkins, leading to tonight’s main event.

Ariya Daivari defeated Lince Dorado

Mostly a WWE style match with perfectly fine back and forth action. Dorado springboarded into a stunner, sending Daivari to the outside. He went for a flying swanton bomb and nearly landed on top of his head, but corrected himself at the last minute. Daivari blocked a top rope maneuver by Dorado, laid him out, then pinned him with the frog splash.

Daivari talked in Farsi after the match, then said Gallagher wasn’t a gentleman, but a scoundrel.

Neville was backstage scowling when Kendrick came in and said some pleasantries. Neville cut him off, saying he respects his accomplishments and they built the foundation of this division. But as far as tonight is concerned, he is his partner, not his friend, and there is only one King of the Cruiserweights.

Tajiri is coming soon.

Cedric Alexander (w/ Alicia Fox) defeated Drew Gulak

Gulak had control until Alexander landed a kick and followed with a springboard clothesline. Alexander suplexed Gulak to the outside but both of them fell to the floor. Gulak shoved Alexander into Alicia Fox, with Fox then grabbing her ankle. This led to Dar coming to the outside to tend to the injured Alicia Fox, helping her to the back. That distracted Alexander momentarily, as Gulak scored a near fall with a roll-up, but Alexander fired back with the lumbar check and scored the win.

Dasha Fuentes interviewed Gulak after the match. He complained about Alicia Fox, saying women shouldn’t be on 205 Live.

A video package on Jack Gallagher aired.

Dar was with Fox backstage when Alexander came in, saying he was glad Fox was okay, then turned to Dar and said he’s got it from here. Dar told Fox if she ever needed help again, he would be there.

Brian Kendrick & Neville defeated TJ Perkins & Rich Swann

This was good, but the crowd was dead for it. This was one of those cases where if it were taped before SmackDown, this would probably be a lot better. Good back and forth to start. The heels started working on Swann, including Neville hitting his deadlift German suplex. TJP came in, along with Kendrick, and laid him out with the dodon. He laid out Kendrick with a kick then went for the kneebar but Neville stopped it.

TJP evened things up, then laid out Kendrick with a double superkick. A missed sliding dropkick on the apron gave Neville the opportunity to lay out TJP with a superkick. Kendrick drove Swann into the turnbuckle then sunk in the Captain’s Hook. TJP managed to save Swann just in time, but it was a moot point as Neville took out TJP and grabbed the win following the Red Arrow.

Final Thoughts —

This was an average show with a pretty solid main event. I’ve said my piece on the style before, but it really is making 205 Live seem pointless. If smaller guys are doing the same style the heavyweights are, plus or minus a few dives, then what is the point? There was nothing wrong with this show but it only feels slightly above an episode of Main Event or Superstars at this juncture.

WWE Superstars results: Dudleyz vs. Sin Cara & Jack Swagger, Neville vs. Axel

Posted on by F4W Editors

Neville defeated Curtis Axel

Superstars starts off with an intro that amusingly includes Brock Lesnar, then Neville and his cape come down the aisle to face Curtis Axel. Tom Phillips and Corey Graves are on commentary, and that team should be outstanding given their work in NXT.

Graves says that Axel wants to be the best Mr. Irrelevant ever. Neville starts with a schoolboy for two. He hits a step-up enzuigiri and sets Axel up for the Red Arrow, but Axel rolls out and eats a moonsault off the top.

Axel slows things down with a variety of armlocks, including one that showcases his ever-expanding bald spot. Axel has quite the Heyman hairdo in the works now. A step-up kick and Red Arrow get the win for Neville. 

The rise of Finn Balor on Raw is chronicled. A Cruiserweight Classic video showcases that tournament nicely before they air the entire segment with Balor and Seth Rollins from Raw. The US Title match between Mark Henry and Rusev from Raw is shown as well. It’s a shame they didn’t air Henry’s promo — it was excellent.

The staredown between Rusev and Roman Reigns is shown, as well as their brawl from Monday night. Rusev has some of the best facial expressions in the business, and that comes through wonderfully here.

The Dudley Boyz defeated Sin Cara & Jack Swagger

The Dudleyz come down to face the bizarre team of Sin Cara and Jack Swagger. Phillips gets a chuckle out of me when he says the Dudleyz are here to “make an impact.” Sin Cara and Swagger are out, with Sin Cara in new black and gold gear.

A big takedown by Bubba leads to him bullying Sin Cara around, but Sin Cara hits a spingboard crossbody and tags in Swagger. Swagger dominates a bit, but D-Von tags in and punches away in the corner. Swagger tosses Sin Cara onto the Dudleyz on the floor for an ad break.

Post-break, D-Von provides a chinlock which leads to Swagger playing the face in peril. Swagger hoists Bubba high and chucks him down to escape, then tags in Sin Cara who dives around and hits both guys.

A back elbow hits D-Von before the Asai moonsault gets two. The Dudleyz hit the 3D and that’s it for Sin Cara.

Sasha Banks highlight video airs, and then we see the Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton segment from Raw to close out the show.

Neville returns to action at WWE SmackDown tapings

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For at least the moment, the WWE roster is closer to getting back at full strength.

Neville made his return to action on Tuesday in a dark match against Bo Dallas at the SmackDown tapings in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The former NXT champion had been out of action since March after fracturing his ankle in a match against Chris Jericho. It was a freak accident as the normally graceful acrobat fractured it on a failed baseball slide.

His return comes at a good time with the WWE draft happening on the first regularly live edition of SmackDown next Tuesday. And he should be one of the roster members that benefits most from the newfound need for depth.

With his return to action, it would seem likely that Neville would be selected in the draft.

After starting out in the United Kingdom, Neville had a lengthy run with Dragon Gate in Japan from 2007-2012 before signing with WWE. He made his debut on the main roster in 2015 after a successful stint in NXT where he had a nearly 10 month reign as champion.

Possible injury during WWE RAW dark match

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

There was what looked to be an injury after Raw went off the air in a dark match with The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose & Dolph Ziggler & Sami Zayn.

Multiple reports have come in that Harper took a spill onto the floor and grabbed his right leg.  Those at ringside believed he blew out his knee but as of this moment we don’t have anything official past the point the WWE medical staff came out immediately.  He left under his own power but was helped to the back by the other members of the Wyatt Family.

This possible injury adds to a string of WWE injuries going back over the last few months. The most recent injury was to Neville.

Also during the dark match a fan attempted to attack Braun Strowman. It’s not clear exactly what happened but Strowman was attacked in some form and told security who dragged the fan out of the building.

We’ll update this if we hear more details tonight.

WWE Main Event Results: Rusev rages at flag malfunction, The Usos vs. The Ascension

Posted on by F4W Editors

Rusev w/Lana def. Neville by submission (15:00)

Fortunately, The Miz was shown backstage watching this on TV (at a preposterous angle of course) with megaphone in hand, rather than shouting through it at ringside. An admission here that that particular piece of this promising nascent Neville storyline did not work on Monday night.

Lots of Neville using his speed to avoid Rusev and employ some trusty arm-wringers to start here – before the Bulgarian caught him off a cross-body attempt and fallaway slammed him leading into the break. Back with Rusev continuing to get the heat, working a slow methodical pace that fails to hold the interest. Neville manages an enziguri to start his comeback and follows up with a missile dropkick and a superkick to set up the Red Arrow.

Rusev rolls to the floor to avoid however, so Neville hits him with a moonsault to the outside instead, before rolling Rusev back into the ring for a second bite at the Red Arrow apple. This is Lana’s cue to climb the ringsteps and point at Neville, which is apparently enough of a distraction to cause him to hesitate and allow Rusev to recover. Rusev slams Neville off the top, before hitting the kick to the head and locking on the Accolade for the submission finish.

Pretty boring heel offence from Rusev here. The match was briefly enlivened by the moonsault highspot, only for it to eventually fall victim to the dumbest of dumb distraction finishes.

Post-match, Rusev shows exactly why he’s so awesome by ad-libbing a fantastically furious reaction to his flag failing to unfurl properly from the ceiling. He grabs his own handheld version and waves it furiously, before handing it off to Lana and cussing out the WWE staff at ringside in Bulgarian instead. Fantastic stuff.

Jack Swagger def. Bo Dallas by submission (12:08)

Alas, Vince McMahon did not appear to call a premature end to this clash of the titans. Bo shows off his jiggle with an early victory lap, before Swagger takes control leading into the break with a vicious running clothesline on the outside.

Swagger is still dominant when we return, only for Bo to kick off his heat with a double sledge off the ropes. Dallas then continues his gimmick of shouting “BOLIEVE!” while applying restholds. One too many Bolieves allows Swagger to recover and shoot for an anklelock, which Bo escapes, only to eat yet another running clothesline.

Bo gets the knees up off a Swagger Bomb attempt, but gets thrown to the outside, where he trips Swagger on the apron and throws him into the steps for a close nine-count. Bo signals for the Bodog, but Swagger reverses it into the Patriot Lock for the submission, to put a merciful end to this disjointed and dull affair.

– We get our obligatory RAW recap, focusing on Roman Reigns’ one-night ascension to the top of the company. Worth noting that they did not show the Brogue Kick kick-out here, but did show the post-match celebrations with the Usos and Dean Ambrose. Still no explanation as to where those guys were on Sunday night, though.

The Usos def. The Ascension by pinfall (5:55)

Jimmy gets the shine on Konnor to start us off, before tagging in Jey – your babyface-in-peril for the evening – who immediately gets caught with a flapjack to start the heat. Viktor tags in and hits an excellent looking STO to Jey on the outside. He applies a headlock inside the ring, before neatly swatting away an attempted dropkick from the Uso. A damn crisp worker is our Viktor.

Konnor comes in and ruins everything by eating a Jey elbow off an attempted corner charge. Enziguri from Jey leads to the hot tag to brother Jimmy, who runs wild on Viktor – hitting him with the usual Samoan Drop and corner hip attack combo.

Double superkicks to both Konnor and Viktor follow, before Jimmy hits the Superfly Splash on the latter for the pinfall victory. Short, by-the-numbers and perfectly acceptable tag match, highlighted by Viktor’s contribution.

Final Thoughts

A pretty bleh show this week, highlighted by Rusev’s ability to think on his feet and react to the overhead flag malfunction. As for the actual wrestling, there’s not much to recommend here. An eminently skippable outing for Main Event, I’m afraid.