Del Toro is part of Legado del Fantasma in NXT alongside Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Elektra Lopez.
Mendoza was using his real name prior to the name change. He debuted for WWE as an entrant in the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, losing to Brian Kendrick in the first round. Mendoza then signed with WWE in 2017.
Legado del Fantasma (Del Toro & Wilde) were part of a five-team gauntlet match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles on this week’s NXT. The Creed Brothers defeated Del Toro & Wilde at the start of the match. The gauntlet match was eventually won by Pretty Deadly.
The other members of Legado del Fantasma haven’t been given new names.
Marcel Barthel and Raquel Gonzalez both debuted with new names when they were called up to SmackDown last Friday. Barthel is now Ludwig Kaiser, while Gonzalez is Raquel Rodriguez.
On tonight’s NXT, Bron Breakker teams up with the man who he defeated to win the NXT Championship.
Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa will face Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde on tonight’s show. The match comes after Ciampa stood side-by-side with Breakker last week to save him from a beatdown by Legado del Fantasma.
An NXT Championship match with Breakker defending against Santos Escobar looks to be on the horizon, but Escobar has said that they’ll do things on his time.
A big six-man tag match is also set for tonight, with Diamond Mine’s Roderick Strong & The Creed Brothers taking on Imperium’s Gunther, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner.
Plus, Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez and LA Knight vs. Joe Gacy will take place tonight. Gonzalez has refused to team with Jade in the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, denying her requests over each of the past two weeks.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show opens with the entrance of Gunther and the NXT Tag Team Champions. Imperium is here, ready for a trios match against Diamond Mine.
Imperium (Gunther, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) defeats Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Julius Creed & Brutus Creed with Malcolm Bivens and Ivy Nile)
Gunther pins Brutus Creed to win a six-man tag team slobberknocker.
Gunther blindsided Strong before the bell with a boot to the face, kicking off a melee between the two factions. Strong sold the sneak attack for several minutes.
Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner are hopefully well paid, because they sure earned their money here tonight. The Creed brothers appeared to be harvesting potatoes. Then Gunther tags in, and he shut that down.
Hot tag to Strong, and he runs wild right up until the commercial break. Strong is cut off as the show cuts to commercials. During the break, Strong fires up. Still selling the big boot from earlier, a disoriented Strong wilts in the ring.
Just as stiff with themselves as others, the Creed Brothers slap each other in the face. Double team powerbomb by the Creeds for a near fall. Gunther in to break up the count, and he squares off with Strong.
Strong is able to chop and knock down the tree that is Gunther. Soon thereafter another melee develops. Smoke settles and Gunther is attempting to catch Brutus Creed in a sleeper.
Creed escapes the sleeper, but Gunther blocks a lariat with an overhand right. Gunther chops down Brutus, and Gunther follows up with a powerbomb. Gunther then covers Brutus for a pinfall.
LA Knight in a pre-tape skit is cutting a promo on Grayson Waller when he is confronted by Joe Gacy and Harland. Gacy offers Knight to help him with the restraining order against him. So, Knight cuts a promo on them too.
Housekeeping by commentary team as they plug tickets for the Raw after WrestleMania. Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett also mention NXT airing on SyFy the next two weeks.
Kay Lee Ray confronts Toxic Attraction
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose is flanked by the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne, as Toxic Attractions enter the soundstage for an in-ring promo.
Dolan and Jayne cut promos on their challengers for Vengeance Day, who are Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta.
Kay Lee Ray, carrying an aluminum baseball bat, interrupts the speech. KLR goes to get into the ring while pointed the bat in a threatening manner.
Mandy Rose promises KLR that the tag champs will leave the ring, but only if KLR puts down the bat. KLR does, so her and Rose are one-on-one in a face-to-face showdown.
KLR tells Rose that KLR herself is the longest reigning women’s champion of the modern era. Rose scoffs, saying she does not care about any of that. Rose would rather talk about herself.
Rose says she is used as part of international marketing campaigns, including seven magazine covers. Rose also says she is a bikini world champion.
KLR again puts over her own title reign, and she buries Rose for sucking face with Otis.
All of the talent in the world will never replace this,” Rose says as she points to her own body.
KLR says she will get her title match booked by the end of the night. Rose scoffs. KLR slaps Rose in the face. Toxic Attraction run in to save Rose.
During a commercial break, Toxic Attraction is leaving the building. They are stopped for an interview, and they remain arrogant. Dolan and Jayne get into the back of a SUV. Rose tries to open the driver’s side door, but it is locked. The window rolls down, and KLR is behind the wheel. She speeds away, seemingly kidnapping the Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Raquel Gonzalez defeats Cora Jade
Gonzalez pins Jade to win the match, but Jade manages to win the respect of Gonzalez in the process.
The backstory is Jade wants to prove to Gonzalez that Jade would make a good tag team partner in the Dusty Classic. So, they have a singles match against each other where Gonzalez bullies Jade. Not exactly the best team building exercise, but it somehow works to bring them together in the end.
The match is all Gonzalez until Jade eventually counters her way into a comeback. Jade leapt off the top rope into the waiting arms of Gonzalez, who went for a Black Hole Slam. Jade with a counter catches Gonzalez in a Black Widow.
Gonzalez breaks the hold, but she misses a high risk move. Jade with another counter to roll up Gonzalez for a two count. Jade fires up, and she springboards into a hurricanrana.
Jade was on a roll, but not for long. Gonzalez catches Jade in mid-air, and Gonzalez then drives Jade down to the mat with a powerbomb. Gonzalez pins Jade, but the story is not yet over.
Before leaving, Gonzalez grabs Jade by the hand and tells her, “Let’s go win this.” Looks like Gonzalez and Jade will team together in the women’s Dusty Classic tournament.
Sarray defeats Kayla Inlay
Sarray pins Inlay in what is Sarray’s triumphant return to NXT.
This was mostly a showcase for Sarray, although Inlay did get some offense. Sort of relaunch for the Sarray character, and she wins handily as the crowd chants her name.
Cameron Grimes confronts Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes is joined by Trick Williams for an in-ring promo. Williams and Hayes are great together.
Cameron Grimes interrupts their promo. Grimes get into the ring, and he trades barbs with Williams. Hayes gets serious as he threatens Grimes ahead of their title match at Vengeance Day.
Grimes concludes the segment by getting in his catchphrase, as they continue the build to Vengeance Day.
Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are backstage trying to think of a team name. They throw out some ideas, and Enofe says they should ask Mandy Rose. Blade has a crush on Rose, so Enofe asks Blade what he would say to Rose if she walked in right on.
Blade beings to think what he might say. Suddenly, a panicked Rose bursts through a door, and she falls into the arms of Blade. A thrilled Blade thanks the good Lord above.
Rose tells Blade she needs help. Kay Lee Ray with a bat in hand enters the room, and she attacks Rose. They fight there way out of the room.
Enofe tells Blade they should follow them. Blade implies he cannot get up because he has an erection. That was supposed to be comedy.
Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt a backstage interview with Diamond Mine. Lots of trash talk.
Joe Gacy (with Harland) defeats LA Knight
Gacy pins Knight after outside interference by Grayson Waller and his bodygaurd.
Knight was a house of fire at the start, but he gets cut off. Gacy works over Knight for a while.
Knights begins a comeback when Grayson Waller’s new bodyguard appears at ringside. It was a trap as Waller runs in to deliver a cutter on the floor. Knight is laid out.
Knight barely gets back into the ring to break a ten count. He is met by Gacy doing a handspring into a clothesline like he was Kushida. Gacy then hooks a leg and covers Knight for a pinfall.
Waller gets into the ring after the match, and he cuts a promo on Knight while standing over him. Knight fires up on Waller, but Knight is given a chokeslam by the bodyguard, who is named Sanga.
Waller reveals the name when he says Knight will face Sanga in a match next week.
Robert Stone gives off Harvey Wippleman vibes while dressed with style like Slick. Stone cuts promo alongside his new charge, Von Wagner.
Wendy Choo defeats Amari Miller
Choo pins Miller after Miller is distracted by Tiffany Stratton.
Stratton, who is feuding with Choo, encourages Miller to “take out” Choo tonight in the match. Stratton told Miller would take her shopping afterwards as a reward, but Stratton gave Miller a credit card in a skit before the match.
In the match they do a lot of spots based around Choo sleeping on the mat. This gimmick reminds of something out of the New Generation era alongside such luminaries as The Goon and TL Hopper.
Choo uses a sleeper hold, because of course she does. Miller counters to deliver a cobebreaker for a near fall.
Stratton comes to ringside, which distracts Miller. Choo with a Tito Santana flying forearm smash, and she covers Miller for a pinfall.
An angry Stratton demnds that Miller return Stratton’s daddy’s credit card, but Miller no longer has the card. Wendy Choo now has the card, and she leaves with it. Off to buy more pajamas no doubt.
A vignette hypes the upcoming debut of Nikkita Lyons, who’s gimmick is she is a singer.
Sarray is being interviewed backstage when Dakota Kai interrupts Sarray. This appears to set a singles match between the two.
Andre Chase (with Bodhi Hayward) defeats Draco Anthony
Chase pins Anthony in what is probably the most boring segment on the show.
Chase fights from underneath, playing on what he calls a “teachable moment.”
Hayward is ringside waving a Chase University sign. Anthony takes the flag from Hayward, and Anthony stomps on the flag.
Despite not being an accredited university, Chase takes great pride in his flag. He hulks up on Anthony. Chase executes a hammerlock flatliner, and Chase covers Anthony for a three count.
Chase screams into a handheld camera at Von Wagner. Chase declares that next week he will give Wagner a “Chase University-size ass whopping.”
Mandy Rose is still running from Kay Lee Ray. Rose ends up in a kitchen somewhere in the Performance Center. A decorated cake with frosting, but no inscription, sat on the table. You might can already see where this is headed.
KLR sneaks into the kitchen, and she dumps a bowl of spaghetti on Rose. KLR then smashes the cake into the face of Rose. Not exactly a concession stand brawl in Tupelo, but a food fight of sorts. This apparently builds to a title match.
Matches announced for next Tuesday on NXT:
Dusty Classic semifinal: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Creed Brothers
Dusty Classic semifinal: MSK vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe
LA Knight vs. Sanga
Wendy Choo vs. Tiffany Stratton
NXT Champion Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa defeat Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde with Elektra Lopez & Santos Escobar)
Brekker pins Mendoza to win the match. Good match, and the story of the bout continues the build to a title match between Breakker and his first challenger, Santos Escobar.
Ciampa and Breakker at one point lift their opponents for stereo vertical suplexes. The babyface team is firmly in control as the show cuts to a commercial break.
Escobar at ringside interferes by sending Breakker crashing into the ring steps. The heels then begin to work over Breakker.
Hot tag to Ciampa, and he cleans house in the ring. For some tandem offense, Ciampa catapults Wilde into a spinebuster delivered by Breakker.
Escobar jumps on the apron to distract Breakker. Mendoza nails Breakker with a missile dropkick. Mendoza then executes a beautiful Phoenix Splash for a near fall on Breakker.
Mendoza misses a springboard, and he is gored by a spear from Breakker. Wilde breaks up a subsequent pinning attempt.
A brief melee erupts. Wilde climbs to the top turnbuckle. He looks ready for a dive, but is seemingly facing the wrong way. Except it was the right way for a spot, as Ciampa shoves Wilde off the top turnbuckle. Wilde crashes into the announce desk.
Meanwhile, Breakker lifts Mendoza into a gorilla press. Breakker then drops Mendoza into a powerslam. Breakker then pins Mendoza to win the match, much to the dismay of Santos Escobar.
The show ends with an angle unrelated to the main event, but it concludes story that develops throughout the episode.
Kay Lee Ray chases Mandy Rose to the ring. They brawl in the ring with KLR pummeling Rose.
KLR agrees to drop the baseball bat. Instead of using the bat, KLR opts to give Rose a Gory Bomb. The show closes with KLR holding the women’s title belt over a fallen Rose.
Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner will face Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde on NXT this Tuesday night. The match was announced after the two teams went back and forth on social media.
WWE posted a tweet over the weekend asking fans who they’d like to see be the first team to challenge for Imperium’s NXT Tag Team titles. When Wagner said he and O’Reilly should get the title match, Mendoza called Wagner out for wanting a title shot when he’s only been in NXT for “five minutes.”
O’Reilly responded by pointing out that he’s the only three-time Tag Team Champion in NXT history. Mendoza then tweeted that this isn’t 2018 anymore and Legado del Fantasma will show O’Reilly & Wagner who the best tag team right now is.
The partnership between O’Reilly & Wagner started to form after Wagner made the save for O’Reilly when he was attacked by Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland on the premiere of NXT 2.0 in September.
Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner won the NXT Tag Team titles by defeating MSK in a Lumberjack-O’-Lantern match at Halloween Havoc last week.
Here’s the updated lineup for this Tuesday’s NXT:
Johnny Gargano & Dexter Lumis vs. NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner vs. Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde
Tony D’Angelo will appear on Lashing Out with Lash Legend
Cameron Grimes will enter Duke Hudson’s Poker Room
Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Gigi Dolin & Cora Jade
205 Live’s first women’s match began with a typical tag team open; a headlock and a pair of quick tags. Jade gained control over LeRae. LeRae took advantage following a Hartwell distraction. Hartwell tagged into the match, landed a sidewalk slam, and tagged LeRae back in.
Jade rocked LeRae with a forearm and secured the hot tag. Hartwell tagged in only to be on the receiving end of Dolin’s leg kicks punctuated with a punt. Jade then rejoined the match, but Hartwell immediately retook control.
LeRae, now legal, and Jade traded back and forth rollups. Jade’s last kick out sent LeRae crashing into her own corner, allowing Hartwell to tag back in. Hartwell then dropped Jade with a spinning sidewalk slam and pinned her.
This was a wholly ordinary match. It was entirely by the numbers with nothing special going on, but seeing as it only exists to further the tournament, it could have been worse.
Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Timothy Thatcher & Tommaso Ciampa defeated Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari
Thatcher started the match by taking Daivari straight to the mat. After being contorted in one hundred ways, Daivari managed to tag Nese into the match; Thatcher then took Nese straight to the mat. Ciampa tagged in and continued the ground work on Nese.
Nese forced Ciampa into his corner, and with aid from Daivari, took the advantage for his team. A quick takedown left Ciampa tied up against the turnbuckle post; Daivari relentlessly whipped the legs of Ciampa into the metal beam. A Daivari figure-four leglock in the middle of the ring left Ciampa in deep water.
Daivari lost control of the legs, which allowed Ciampa to gain a quick tag. Nese tried to maintain control for his team, but Thatcher hit the ring with ferocity. Suplexes and uppercuts left both of his opponents downed, but eventually, the numbers proved to be too much. Nese connected with a running hotshot followed by a moonsault. Daivari then hit the Persian splash for a near fall.
Following the kick out, Thatcher reached the corner for a tag. Ciampa then took on both of his opponents, just as Thatcher did moments prior, and again the numbers proved to be too much. This time things played out differently; however, as Thatcher joined in even the odds. After a quick locking of eyes and a look of understanding between Ciampa and Thatcher, Ciampa hit Willow’s Bell on Nese and pinned him in the middle of the ring.
This was a strong match. It played well off of everyone’s strengths and came together under a nice bow.
This opened with Samir Singh gaining a quick advantage following an opening distraction. Sunil Singh’s interference from the offset forced Matt Martel to lay out the opposing manager. As soon as Chase Parker gained some footing, Sunil stole his attention, effectively reestablishing Samir’s advantage.
A suplex to the floor left Parker gasping for air. Samir transitioned into a short segment of ground control that ended following a quick boot from Parker. Samir didn’t allow momentum to escape his grasp as he locked in a deep sleeper hold that Parker narrowly escaped.
Parker connected with a few overhand rights and an elbow drop to establish his first lead. Samir then rolled to the outside and swapped spots with his brother. Mind you, Sunil has about a foot less in hair, one less tattoo, and trunks instead of tights. The referee took a few seconds of studying before determining that Sunil wasn’t legal. Sunil was then ejected.
Before Sunil could leave the ring, Samir tried to hit Parker with a clipboard while the referee was occupied. Samir instead hit his brother, expediting his trip to the back. Parker turned the distraction into opportunity as he lifted Samir and dropped him onto the turnbuckle, which led directly to the pin.
This match wasn’t fantastic by any means, but the absurdity of the Singh swap left a smile on my face.
Mansoor defeated Raul Mendoza
A collar-and-elbow tie-up led to a Mansoor favored scramble in the earliest moments of the match. The series of arm drag variations that followed left Raul Mendoza dazed on the outside. Mendoza drove Mansoor into the barricade and the ring apron to gain control. Mendoza dragged Mansoor into the ring and continued to work him over. Mendoza was dominant during this stretch, taunting Mansoor as he slowly picked away at him.
The long-drawn Mendoza domination ended as Mansoor sidestepped a would-be spear to the corner, sending Mendoza crashing into the ring post. Mansoor connected with a clothesline, an atomic drop, and a spine buster, all in quick succession. A nearly catastrophic suicide dive led to a near fall.
Mansoor hoisted Mendoza for his one-handed electric chair driver, now dubbed the Sands of Time. Mendoza rolled free into a pin attempt that Mansoor escaped. A moonsault to the back of Mansoor led to another near fall by Mendoza.
Mansoor landed on his feet from a German suplex. He dropped Mendoza and transitioned into a scorpion deathlock. Mendoza reached the bottom rope to break the hold.
Mendoza connected with a swinging neck breaker to regain control. Mendoza then started the slow climb to the top rope, but missed his target. Mendoza was able to land on his feet, but the landing caused damage to his leg. Mansoor took advantage, landing a slingshot neckbreaker for the win.
Two matches are set for this Friday’s Christmas Day edition of 205 Live.
WWE has announced that Mansoor vs. Raul Mendoza will air on 205 Live this Friday night. Ever-Rise’s Chase Parker vs. The Bollywood Boyz’s Samir Singh is also set for the show.
Mansoor is undefeated on 205 Live. Mendoza is part of Legado Del Fantasma with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar and Joaquin Wilde.
Ever-Rise defeated The Bollywood Boyz in a tornado tag match on last week’s episode of 205 Live. That was billed as a rubber match between the teams after they had each gotten wins against the other in recent weeks.
205 Live airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays.
Christmas Day will also feature SmackDown airing on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The episode was taped earlier this week and will include three title matches. Roman Reigns is defending his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in a steel cage match, Sami Zayn is defending his Intercontinental title against Big E in a lumberjack match, and Asuka & Charlotte Flair are defending their Women’s Tag Team titles in a triple threat elimination match against Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair and Bayley & Carmella. Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso is also set for SmackDown.
Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Sunil & Samir Singh)
Nese started the match by driving Sunil Singh into his corner. Daivari tagged in, but the momentum soon shifted in favor of the Singhs as Samir joined the fray. A Bollywood Boyz double suplex punctuated the Singh lead; Nese then provided a distraction, allowing for a Daivari-favored shift.
Daivari reigned in fists from the mount to further his advantage. Nese looked to further this lead after a tag, but instead planted Daivari with an accidental dropkick. Sunil tagged in and was free to land a ton of offense on the now distraught Nese. A double superkick sent Nese to the outside as Daivari re-entered as the legal man. Both Singhs then set Daivari up for and connected with the Bollywood Blast. Nese broke up the pin.
Nese dragged Sunil to the outside both to gain Samir’s attention while also buying time for Daivari. Davarii then caught a distracted Samir with an uranage. Daivari climbed to the top rope and hit the Persian splash for the win.
This match was quick, opting for a tried and true formula while not overstaying its welcome.
Curt Stallion, Ashante “Thee” Adonis & August Grey defeated Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde
A lockup ultimately favoring Ashante Adonis started the match. Raul Mendoza, the other legal starter, was hit with two arm drags, inciting Legado interference. Adonis single-handedly dispatched both Joaquin Wilde and Santos Escobar before they could touch a hair on Adonis.
A passionate Curt Stallion tagged into the match. With his sights set on flying, Stallion hit the ropes; a kick from Mendoza stopped Stallion mid flight. Legado Del Fantasma was now in complete control. Knees and chops left Stallion in a heap of his own person.
The cocksure nature of the Legado beatdown allowed Stallion to steal a quick tag, allowing August Grey to make up some previously lost ground. A powerbomb left Grey with a near fall on Wilde. Grey tried to maintain his control over Mendoza, but Escobar pulled the ropes causing Grey to crash to the mat.
Legado utterly dismantled their opponents for a significant amount of time before a devastated Grey eventually landed the hot tag, allowing Stallion to re-enter the fold. Stallion then took on both Mendoza and Wilde in a great show of heroics. After every move he landed, Stallion made eye contact with Escobar. Stallion even locked eyes with the Cruiserweight champion during a near fall.
Mendoza broke up a Stallion pin attempt causing all six men to hit the ring. Legado emerged from the exchange with a man advantage, but Grey from the outside tripped Mendoza, allowing Stallion to roll up Wilde for a surprise pin.
Following the match, Legado Del Fantasma attacked Stallion. Adonis and Grey ran them onto the apron, and a forearm from Stallion cemented the Legado retreat.
This match was great. Every second felt as if its inclusion was necessary, and everyone made their presence felt.
Grey and Daivari started the match with a basic babyface/heel grappling sequence that transitioned into a convincing show of Grey’s offense. After receiving a rana, slam, and bulldog, Daivari escaped to the outside. Daivari baited Grey, splitting his legs around the turnbuckle post before slamming one into the beam. Daivari pulled Grey back into the ring, hung Grey in the tree of woe, and continued targeting the left leg.
Grey sent Daivari back outside after evading a strike. Grey then used his legs to push Daivari into the barricade/chain link combination surrounding the Capitol Wrestling Center. Daivari made up the lost ground back in the ring as Grey’s leg gave out, allowing Daivari to land a chop block.
Daivari locked in the figure four leglock. After a struggle, Grey began to show signs of life. Daivari responded by dropping the hold, only for Grey to kick him back to the outside. Grey was able to catch Daivari as he re-entered the ring with a suplex. A Grey neck breaker sent Daivari outside once more. On the outside, Daivari grabbed his chain just as Grey hit a perfectly timed tope. Grey sent Daivari back into the ring, hit a crossbody, and a superkick.
Daivari pulled free from an unprettier and locked in a second figure four; Grey rolled into the ropes to break the hold. Grey then kicked Daivari away and landed a big slam for a near fall. Grey hoisted Daivari onto the top rope, but Daivari pushed him away and landed the Persian splash. Grey kicked out of a close pin and secured an inside cradle that Daivari just barely escaped from.
Daivari tried for a hammerlock lariat, but Grey ducked. Grey then transitioned into an unprettier position and landed a rope-assisted variation of the move. Grey folded up Daivari and pinned him.
Raul Mendoza took an early lead, toying with the contender Curt Stallion along the way. Mendoza used the hair of Stallion to whip him into both a headlock and a turnbuckle. Mendoza walked the rope and landed an impressive dropkick.
Mendoza pulled Stallion up from a pin by his hair. Stallion landed a slap to create some separation. Stallion landed a few significant strikes that sent Mendoza to the outside; Stallion hit a dive in follow-up. Back in the ring, Stallion landed a big boot, a running knee, a dropkick, and a DDT. A stomp to the chest left Stallion with a near fall.
Stallion scaled to the top rope, but Medoza met him atop the post. The two struggled, but Mendoza came out ahead with a colossal rana. Stallion landed on his feet after a suplex but was nearly rolled up by Mendoza. Mendoza landed a kick and set Stallion up for the finish. Stallion again slipped free and rolled up Mendoza for the win.
Joaquin Wilde hit the ring following the finish and began to beat down Stallion. Santos Escobar walked out following the beating.
This was another fun match, and with it, 205 Live’s role as NXT’s third hour was cemented. If 205 Live is used as nothing more than a story starter, that is a much better fate than cruiserweight purgatory.
Curt Stallion will face off with a member of Legado del Fantasma on 205 Live tonight.
WWE has announced that Stallion vs. Raul Mendoza will take place on tonight’s episode of 205 Live. The match was set up by a promo from Legado del Fantasma’s Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Mendoza challenged Stallion and — responding to comments from Stallion last week — said Stallion doesn’t even deserve to mention Santos Escobar’s name.
Stallion won a fatal five-way match on 205 Live two weeks ago to become the number one contender to Escobar’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Last Friday, a promo from Stallion aired. It ended with him telling Escobar to smarten up.
A Legado del Fantasma video then aired on NXT this Wednesday. They listed the cruiserweights Escobar has defeated and asked who’s next. Escobar pretended not to know Stallion’s name and mockingly said he’s sure Stallion is going to be a huge challenge.
WWE hasn’t announced when or where the Escobar vs. Stallion Cruiserweight title match will be taking place.
August Grey vs. Ariya Daivari is also set for tonight’s 205 Live. The show airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
A six-man tag match has been added to the lineup for tonight’s episode of NXT.
WWE announced this morning that Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jake Atlas & Ashante “Thee” Adonis will face Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) on NXT tonight. The match was set up after Atlas and Adonis faced off on NXT last week.
Mendoza and Wilde distracted Adonis during his match against Atlas last week, which led to Atlas using an inside cradle to pin Adonis. Mendoza and Wilde went to attack Adonis after the match, but Atlas took Mendoza and Wilde out with a dive. Escobar then joined his Legado del Fantasma stablemates, but Scott came into the ring with steel chairs. Scott, Adonis, and Atlas stared down Legado del Fantasma until they backed off.
Escobar retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Scott at TakeOver 31 earlier this month. When Mendoza and Wilde got involved in the match, Adonis appeared and helped fight them off. Escobar got the win after sending Scott’s head into exposed steel on the bottom turnbuckle.
Breezango defending their NXT Tag Team titles against Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish is also set for tonight’s NXT. Plus, Tommaso Ciampa, Kushida, and Velveteen Dream will face off in a triple threat match.
205 Live kicked off this week with an Ariya Daivari promo. Daivari, in a boat and on a body of water, called out all of the notable cruiserweights: Santos Escobar, Tony Nese, Drake Maverick, etcetera. Ultimately, Daivari made it clear that he intended to return to 205 Live.
Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza (with Santos Escobar) defeated Tony Nese and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
On the and only first match of the show, two of the only 205 Live storylines came to ahead. Tony Nese took the lead as the first legal man, perhaps in a show of responsibility to his newfound ally. Likewise, Raul Mendoza began the match for El Legado del Fantasma. Mendoza and Nese traded holds in an opening grappling exchange that set a good opening pace. The two continued to up the pace in the mere seconds that followed. Nese avoided an attack from Mendoza with a flip which led to a quick set of strikes. A bested Mendoza was then forced to tag in the pristine Joaquin Wilde. Isaiah Scott tagged in to challenge Wilde.
Scott and Wilde grappled back and forth after becoming legal. The two both gained an advantage on the mat. After an extended portion of mat control by Wilde, Scott used head scissors to create separation. Wilde, not allowing Scott to follow up, grabbed the hair of Scott to initiate a referee forced break. Scott grew enraged by this dishonorable act. This led to Scott thoroughly unloading on Wilde in the corner; Scott was showing a real sense of urgency combined with unfamiliar brutality.
Scott sent the still dazed Wilde to the outside. Instead of maintaining a sense of focus for the match at hand, Scott turned his attention to NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar who had accompanied his underlings to the ring. After a staredown with the champion Scott returned to the ring, Escobar seemed to be unphased by the passion of Scott. Escobar then coached Wilde with an intriguing calmness. Said coaching caused Wilde to storm the ring with an intensity of his own. Scott tagged out as he was soon forced into his own corner.
Nese stifled the attempted momentum of Wilde with a takedown. Nese tagged in Scott once more, this time the two launched a short two-man attack on Wilde. The double team offense continued as Nese and Scott traded tags. The budding partnership of Nese and Scott had seemingly left Wilde far behind in the match.
Wilde’s break came after Mendoza slammed Scott to the mat while the referee was not looking. Wilde dropped Scott chin first onto his knee and tried in vain for a pin. Wilde tagged in Mendoza. Wilde and Mendoza then delivered a double Alabama slam followed by a double dropkick to Scott. Scott kicked from the pin attempt that followed. Mendoza was able to land some offense on Scott before tagging in Wilde again. Scott was immediately able to gain separation after Wilde became legal.
Scott successfully went for the hot tag which allowed Nese to reenter the fray with ferocity. Nese initiated a brilliant sequence that he punctuated with a pump handle driver and a believable near fall. Nese locked in a deep Boston crab in the center of the ring. Before Mendoza was able to break up the submission, Scott landed a takedown on the would-be interferer and tried for an armbar. Wilde was able to push Nese into Scott from the bottom of the crab, breaking up both submissions.
Wilde now had Nese grounded for the first time. Wilde climbed to the top rope but was uppercut immediately by Nese. Nese tried to crawl for Scott’s tag after the uppercut but Wilde, who was still seated on the top rope, grabbed the hair of Nese. Nese then without hesitation jumped for a rana on his highly elevated opponent to break his grip. With Wilde flat on his back, Nese was able to tag in Scott.
Scott hit the ring with a burst of energy. A clothesline hit the mark as Wilde tried to return to his feet. Mendoza tried to intervene but was met with a back-body drop as soon as he entered the ropes. This allowed Scott to show off with a quick ground sequence and a German suplex. Scott tried to end the match with a strong kick to the head but Wilde kicked out of the pin that followed.
Scott tried to maintain his control, but Mendoza grabbed at his ankle from the outside. Wilde was able to break free from Scott and connect with a DDT. Mendoza tagged in before landing a springboard moonsault. Nese broke up the pin attempt that followed. At this point, a four-way brawl ensued. Nese and Scott gained the upper hand as they sent their opponents crashing to the outside. Nese and Scott then dove onto their opponents. Scott sent Mendoza back into the ring and connected with a double foot stomp but Wilde was able to break up the pin just before the referee’s count of three.
Nese tagged in and hoisted Mendoza onto his shoulders. Scott climbed to the top rope. The two were setting up for something big. Before said setup could be actualized Escobar climbed the ring steps and stood on the apron gaining the attention of the referee, Nese, and Scott. Wilde pushed the now distracted Scott into the floor from the top rope. Nese tried for a rollup in the moments that followed, but Mendoza had sneakily tagged in Wilde. Wilde was then able to connect with a double knee face breaker on the confused Nese. This allowed Wilde to hold Nese in place for a Mendoza enziguri. Nese was then pinned by Wilde.
This match was good. Just as it began feeling long-winded, it came to a close. Storywise it succeeded in further establishing the current cruiserweight hierarchy; El Legado del Fantasma is at the top, everyone else is playing catch up.
Also worth noting is crowd response. Early in the match, the crowd seemed quite loud, at least speaking in terms relative to the empty arena WWE shows. Whether this was a rather fervent set of attendees or a change in mixing, it’s hard to say.
After angles where they were abducted by masked kidnappers in the parking lot, Mendoza and Wilde were revealed as the masked men who helped Santos Escobar defeat Drake Maverick in the finals of NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
Legado del Fantasma (Escobar, Mendoza & Wilde) will face Maverick & Breezango in a six-man tag match at NXT’s Great American Bash night two on Wednesday. That was set up when Breezango saved Maverick from Legado del Fantasma at Great American Bash night one.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Ever-Rise’s Matt Martel is also set for tonight’s 205 Live. Scott defeated Tony Nese on 205 Live last week and said he wants a shot at Escobar’s title.
After one week of being taped at Full Sail University, 205 Live is back to airing live after SmackDown tonight.
WWE has announced two matches for the episode. Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush will team with Raul Mendoza against Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese, and Angel Garza will take on Jack Gallagher. WWE is also hyping that 24/7 Champion Samir Singh will defend his title on the episode.
Rush has defeated Mendoza in non-title matches on 205 Live each of the past two weeks. Rush retained his title against Garza on NXT this Wednesday, with Garza having his foot on the rope while he was being pinned.
WWE.com is pushing that Garza, Daivari, and Nese have their sights set on getting a Cruiserweight title shot.
Samir & Sunil Singh bailed on their 24/7 title handicap match against R-Truth on Monday’s Raw. They were then attacked by Erick Rowan backstage.
Tonight’s SmackDown and 205 Live are taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Last week’s 205 Live was taped at Full Sail due to WWE taping SmackDown and Raw in Manchester, England last Friday.
Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush is set for non-title action on tonight’s 205 Live.
WWE has announced that Rush will face Oney Lorcan on 205 Live tonight. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Ariya Daivari will also take place on the episode, and Raul Mendoza will be in action.
This will be the first time Rush has appeared on 205 Live since winning the Cruiserweight title from Drew Gulak on the October 9 episode of NXT.
It was announced last week that “some of NXT’s best competitors under 205 pounds” will be appearing on NXT going forward. The Cruiserweight title is now called the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
In the WWE Draft, Gulak and The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) went to SmackDown, while Humberto Carrillo and Akira Tozawa went to Raw.
Rush was on commentary for Angel Garza vs. Jack Gallagher on this week’s NXT. Garza won, pointed to Rush, and gestured that he wants the Cruiserweight title.
Tonight’s SmackDown and 205 Live are taking place at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
