This week’s episode of 205 Live will include an in-ring appearance by NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar.
WWE has announced that Legado del Fantasma (Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face Curt Stallion, Ashante “Thee” Adonis & August Grey on 205 Live tonight. This is a rematch from a match that took place before NXT TakeOver: WarGames went on the air this past Sunday. That match was released online by WWE and featured Escobar pinning Grey to get the win.
Stallion became the number one contender to Escobar’s title by winning a fatal five-way match on 205 Live last month. WWE hasn’t announced when or where their title match will be taking place.
Stallion defeated Mendoza in a singles match on 205 Live two weeks ago but was beaten down by Wilde and Mendoza after. Escobar then came out to the stage to stare Stallion down.
On the final episode of NXT before TakeOver: WarGames, there was an angle where Stallion was supposed to team with Leon Ruff against Escobar & Mendoza but was attacked by Legado del Fantasma before the show. Ruff ended up teaming with Damian Priest and pinning Mendoza to get the win.
The Bollywood Boyz vs. Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari is also set for tonight’s 205 Live. The show airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
A new number one contender to the NXT Cruiserweight Championship was decided on last night’s episode of 205 Live.
Curt Stallion defeated Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, and August Grey in a fatal five-way number one contender’s match on 205 Live last night. Stallion will get a future title shot against NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, though WWE hasn’t announced when that title match will be taking place.
Stallion pinned Nese in last night’s fatal five-way match after hitting a reverse Spanish Fly off the top rope. Stallion’s face was bloody after being busted open above the eye earlier in the match.
Stallion, who formerly wrestled for EVOLVE, has been a regular on 205 Live since being introduced as a new WWE signee as part of last month’s Performance Center class.
Last night’s number one contender’s match was in celebration of the show being the 205th episode of 205 Live.
In his most recent title defense, Escobar retained against Jake Atlas on this week’s NXT.
Three title matches will be taking place on tonight’s episode of NXT.
Johnny Gargano has vowed to break his title defense curse and successfully defend the NXT North American Championship tonight. Gargano promised to face a “worthy opponent” that will be determined by the Wheel of Challengers.
The NXT Tag Team titles will be on the line as Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch defend against Breezango. Breezango are getting their rematch for the titles after losing them to Lorcan & Burch three weeks ago. Lorcan & Burch aligned with Pat McAfee and got help from him to win the titles. McAfee, Lorcan, Burch & Pete Dunne are now calling themselves the Kings of NXT.
Santos Escobar defends his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Jak
e Atlas. Atlas has been out for vengeance against Legado del Fantasma since Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde cost him a non-title match against Escobar two weeks ago.
After Candice LeRae got involved in her match last week, Toni Storm will face LeRae tonight. Storm defeated Shotzi Blackheart last Wednesday after Blackheart was distracted by LeRae appearing on the video screen. LeRae then destroyed Blackheart’s tank.
Plus, Raquel Gonzalez vs. Xia Li is set for tonight’s show. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The show opened with a Veteran’s Day video.
Gargano opened the show in the ring. He revealed a wheel of challengers, telling people in the crowd to “respect the wheel”. He admitted that the first time he won and defended the title, he lost. But then he became NXT Champion. He eventually spun the wheel and somehow, it landed on a spot with “Leon Ruff” written hastily on white paper. And thus, the match began.
Leon Ruff defeated Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American title
This was kind of a squash match (until the finish) but Ruff looked good in the spots he was given. This was far more about Damien Priest and Gargano.
Gargano dominated early, chopping Ruff in the corner. Ruff avoided a charge, switched positions around the turnbuckles and dropped Gargano with a dropkick. Gargano regained heat by throwing Ruff off the apron into the steel steps.
Gargano continued the assault outside the ring, throwing Ruff into the cage containing the crowd nearby. Damien Priest then appeared. Gargano initially mocked Priest, but when Priest emerged outside of the cage area, Gargano re-entered the ring.
Ruff tried to gain on this by rolling up Gargano, but Gargano kicked out. Gargano instead lawn-darted Ruff in the corner. He mocked Priest long enough for Ruff to counter with a crucifix bomb to pin Gargano and in the title. Yes, Leon Ruff has won the title.
Gargano was stunned by this development, to say the least. Ruff put the championship around his waist to celebrate, but as the referee held his hand up, the belt fell down, as you see, he’s very skinny.
Leon Ruff was being interviewed when Damien Priest came up to him and told him to take the black Challenger outside. Ruff exited as Gargano came in pissed and had to be restrained. Gargano acted like he never came up with the wheel stipulation in the first place.
In a WWE Network exclusive, Jake Atlas said he was tired of the numbers game. He got out of his car and attacked Legando del Fantasma with a pipe.
Santos Escobar defeated Jake Atlas to retain the NXT Cruiserweight title
This was perfectly fine, but nothing overwhelmingly great. A really good TV title match. There were a lot of things I liked about Atlas that seem lost in translation when going into the WWE Universe, and I will leave it at that.
Escobar controlled early. Atlas made a comeback. One of Legando del Fantasma tried to use the crowbar while Atlas was on the apron, but Atlas fended off both men. He got a nearfall with a springboard blockbuster.
Back from commercial, Escobar was back on offense as Legado del Fantasma tripped up Atlas during the break, and were thrown out. Escobar propped up Atlas and hit a hurricanrana off the top rope, followed by a frog splash. Atlas made a comeback, hitting a hurricanrana of his own. Escaobar, however, got heat back after pushing Atlas off the top rope and into the announcer’s table ringside. Escobar then threw Atlas into the steel steps.
Atlas came back with a dive, then followed in the ring with a rollup for a near fall. Escobar dropped Atlas into the middle rope then cut him off with a superkick. Atlas came back and tried for the cartwheel DDT, but Santos blocked it, double hooked the arms and drove Atlas face first into his knee, pinning Atlas to retain the championship.
Dexter Lumis was shown completing a drawing of Cameron Grimes running away from a zombie referee while Raquel Gonzalez was walking to the ring.
A video package was shown of Candice LeRae destroying Shotzi Blackheart’s tank. Blackheart said she wasn’t looking for payback or revenge, she was looking to kick Candice’s ass.
Gonzalez came out to the ring, but when it was time for Xia Li to come out, Boa arrived instead. Boa told Gonzalez that Li would not be able to wrestle her. Gonzalez was pissed and kicked Boa straight up in the temple. She threw him around ringside before throwing him back into the ring and delivering a big boot and a one-armed powerbomb.
The lights then went out and an image of a Chinese dragon appeared. An old guy came to the ring and delivered Boa a note. He then put black marking on his hand before leaving. Boa sold his hand like the marking had some sort of power on him.
August Grey was about to explain why he confronted Timothy Thatcher last week when Thatcher jumped him and applied a front facelock. He then threw Grey into Lumis’ drawing. Lumis stared at him.
Candice LeRae defeated Toni Storm
This was one of the better matches of the night. There was some good wrestling, save for the cheap finish.
Things started off with some chain wrestling. Storm held on and applied an armbar. Storm continued to build up momentum until she went for a running hip toss, but instead went into the steel steps, giving an opening to LeRae.
Back from break, Storm cut off LeRae as both tried to recover. Storm hit a fisherman’s suplex, She went to the top rope, but LeRae met her there and went for a twisting neckbreaker, but didn’t catch her. Storm countered with a legdrop off the top rope, but LeRae dodged. LeRae tripped Storm into the turnbuckle then rolled her up, pinning her using the ropes for leverage.
Storm attacked LeRae after the match when the Scream person came out and helped her assault Storm. Blackheart came out to even the odds, but the Scream person laid her out with a kick. The Scream person then took off the Scream mask, revealing….Indi Hartwell. Hartwell and LeRae posed in the ring, cementing her alliance.
Breezango said it would not be fun Breezango coming out. Breeze promised they would regain the titles.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Dexter Lumis
This was fine. I was expecting a lot worse, but it was just your typical WWE TV match.
Lumis immediately took down Thatcher with a Thesz press as Thatcher recovered on the outside. Lumis gained control, putting Thatcher in a submission. He then laid out Thatcher with a spinebuster, but favored his arm after. He hit a dropkick and sent Thatcher to the floor. Thatcher regained control outside of the ring, but Lumis started to make a comeback until Thatcher shoved Lumis bad arm first into the post.
Back from commercial, Lumis cut off Thatcher and went to the top rope slowly. Thatcher cut him off with a European uppercut, but Lumis shoved him off and hit a swanton bomb. Thatcher shoved Lumis into Cameron Grimes, who was on the apron, then rolled him up for the win.
Grimes jumped Lumis after the match, but Lumis rose and stared down Grimes. He went for the attack, but Grimes cut him off and choked him with a burlap sack. He then connected with a knee into the corner. Lumis tried to fight back with a chair, but ended up sitting in it as Grimes laid him out with a double foot stomp. Grimes told Lumis that he wasn’t scared of him.
Gargano told William Regal he had calmed down and wanted to reverse the results. Regal told him no. Gargano was mad and said it was a goof, a joke. Regal said the decision stood and Leon Ruff is the new North American champion. Gargano didn’t like hearing that.
Ciampa promo. He mentioned that he has been in this business for 16 years and remembers being trained by the likes of Harley Race and Killer Kowalski. He said times have certainly changed, and everyone is talking. Bark enough and people begin to feel to their bite. He never thought he would be the last of a dying breed, but this culture, the 2020 locker room culture, is going to change. Ciampa is that change.
They aired a Prime Target segment covering the rivalry between Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley. That match will take place next week.
Pat McAfee. Pete Dunne, Danny Burch, and Oney Lorcan came out. McAfree put over Pete Dunne attacking Roderick Strong and Killian Dain. He talked about getting text messages from Tom Brady and others as he headed to Florida, thinking about what he was going to say. He buried the announce team and finished the promo by saying “let’s do this”. He’s really great in this role.
Cameron Grimes was elated about laying out Dexter Lumis. He said he was afraid of him, but then he covered him up Lumis’ creepy eyes. He said he was going somewhere where he’s gotta be, very happy about his actions.
NXT Champion Finn Balor, who has been out with an injured jaw, will appear on next week’s show.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan defeated Breezango to retain the NXT Tag Team titles
Good main event. The McAfee stable act immediately has some good main event level presence. After months of feeling forgotten, the tag team division in NXT seems to be shaping up.
Burch and Lorcan immediately started by taking Breezango outside of the ring to the floor. Fandango manages to get the upper hand on Burch as he tagged in Breeze. He hit a snap suplex and tagged in Lorcan, who was taken to the corner and worked over by Breezango. Burch was thrown into McAfee, who was at the announcer’s table, as they headed to the break.
Burch worked over Breeze while commercials ran. McAfee was at ringside as Breezango regained control. Fandango went for a sunset flip powerbomb on Lorcan, but when McAfee tried to catch the referee’s attention, Drake Maverick came in and laid out Lorcan, letting Fandango hit the top rope leg drop for a nearfall.
Dunne came in and sent McAfee into the ring so he could send Breeze off the apron. Burch it tagged in, which Fandango didn’t see. Burch headbutted Fandango, allowing him to be set up for an elevated DDT, giving the win to the champions.
Everyone came in to celebrate, but Drake Maverick came in for the attack. He was quickly cut off as Dunne lifted him up and slammed him on the announcer’s table. Breezango came in for the save, but were both cut off. They set it up so McAfee could connect with a running knee into the face of Breeze, who was propped up on the announcers table. The show ended with McAfee adjusting the camera to show what was left of Breezango and Maverick.
Ahead of the show going on the air, WWE announced that NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar will defend his title against Jake Atlas tonight:
Jake Atlas made it clear last week that he’s far from finished with Legado del Fantasma and will have an NXT Cruiserweight Title opportunity tonight against Santos Escobar.
After Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde aided Escobar to a non-title win against Atlas at NXT Halloween Havoc, the NXT Cruiserweight Champion was ready to move on from his latest challenger. Atlas had other plans, as the up-and-coming Superstar attacked Legado del Fantasma in the Capitol Wrestling Center parking lot last week.
Can Atlas end Escobar’s reign? Or will Legado del Fantasma strike back?
WWE also uploaded video of an angle where Atlas tried to attack Legado del Fantasma with a lead pipe in the parking lot before tonight’s show and laid out Joaquin Wilde. Atlas said he’s sick of Legado del Fantasma’s numbers game.
A match with Cruiserweight Championship implications is set for the 205th episode of 205 Live.
In a video that aired on 205 Live last night, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar announced that a number one contender’s fatal five-way match will take place on 205 Live next Friday. The match is in celebration of the show being the 205th episode of 205 Live.
When the winner of the number one contender’s match will be challenging for Escobar’s title hasn’t been revealed.
Escobar said during his promo last night that he’s defeated everyone that has come his way so far and that will never change — but he welcomes the challenge. Escobar said he’s worked with NXT general manager William Regal to give multiple cruiserweights the chance of getting a shot at the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Escobar warned the winner to watch their back at all times.
The five wrestlers who will be taking part in the number one contender’s fatal five-way match haven’t been revealed, but Tony Nese, Brian Kendrick, Ariya Daivari, Curt Stallion, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, August Grey, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, The Bollywood Boyz (Sunil Singh & Samir Singh), and Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel) are featured on the match graphic.
WWE has announced a new addition to the card for NXT Halloween Havoc.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar will face Jake Atlas in a non-title match on this Wednesday’s Halloween Havoc episode of NXT. The match comes after Escobar and Atlas faced off in six-man tag team action on NXT last week.
Legado del Fantasma (Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Atlas & Ashante “Thee” Adonis on NXT last Wednesday. Atlas laid out Escobar with a cartwheel DDT on the outside near the end of the match and said he’s going to be the next NXT Cruiserweight Champion, but Legado del Fantasma got the win when Wilde pinned Adonis.
Here’s the updated lineup for Halloween Havoc:
Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal: NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal: NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez
Haunted House of Terror match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes
Non-title match: NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar vs. Jake Atlas
Pat McAfee appears
Halloween Havoc is being hosted by Shotzi Blackheart.
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.
Vic Joseph introduced the show, promising an inside look at the upcoming NXT Cruiserweight championship match between Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott.
The first meeting of the pair, from the interim NXT Cruiserweight championship tournament’s B group, played in full (April 29, 2020). El Hijo del Fantasma, now Escobar, suffered his only defeat in the tournament at the hands of Scott in this match before going on to win the tournament and the NXT Cruiserweight championship.
Vic Joseph provided a further rundown of previous events: the unmasking of Escobar, the formation of Legado Del Fantasma, and other related changes.
The Escobar vs Scott NXT Cruiserweight championship match from the August 8th episode of NXT played in full. Escobar would of course go on to recoup his loss from earlier in the year with the aid of a loaded mask.
Vic Joseph returned to give further context to the upcoming match, mentioning Scott’s alliance with Tyler Breeze and Fandango.
Legado del Fantasma vs Scott, Breeze, and Fandango played in full from the August 31st installment of NXT. The trio of Scott, Breeze, and Fandango came out of the street fight as victors after Scott pinned Escobar.
Vic Joseph made his final spiel, going over the entire card for the upcoming TakeOver.
The Scott and Escobar interview from this week’s NXT played in full.
This show was a hard watch. Showing fine to decent matches in full, that already aired on NXT on 205 Live doesn’t make much sense. Nevermind the fact that this “inside look” was nothing more than a look through NXT’s backlog; nothing from 205 Live even made the cut. One well-produced video package would do exponentially more in building to TakeOver than this show.
This week’s episode of 205 Live won’t feature any new in-ring content.
Instead, tonight’s 205 Live will be a special episode previewing Santos Escobar’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship defense against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott at NXT TakeOver 31 this Sunday.
“On a very special episode of 205 Live tonight, Vic Joseph will look at the upcoming title bout between Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott and Santos Escobar, slated for this Sunday at NXT TakeOver 31,” WWE.com wrote. “The championship fight will represent a monumental moment for the purple brand, as it is the first time that the NXT Cruiserweight Title will be on the line at an NXT TakeOver.”
Scott is the only person who’s pinned Escobar in WWE. He defeated Escobar in a group match during NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament and also pinned Escobar during a six-man tag street fight on NXT last month. When Scott unsuccessfully challenged for Escobar’s Cruiserweight title in August, the finish of the match involved Escobar using a lucha mask that was loaded with a weapon.
Post Wrestling’s John Pollock confirmed with multiple sources that no matches are going to be taped for 205 Live at the Amway Center tonight. 205 Live is going to be running out of the WWE Performance Center starting next week. NXT is also moving to the Performance Center starting with Sunday’s TakeOver event.
Scott is the only person to pin Escobar in WWE. He defeated Escobar in a group match during NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament and also pinned him during a six-man tag street fight on NXT earlier this month.
Scott unsuccessfully challenged for Escobar’s Cruiserweight title on the August 26 episode of NXT, but the finish of that match was Escobar using a mask that was loaded with a weapon to headbutt Scott. In a video on NXT last week, Scott said he’s not content with just having two wins over Escobar. Scott said he’s the better competitor and challenged Escobar to face him again — this time with no Legado del Fantasma or manipulated lucha masks. Scott vowed to become NXT Cruiserweight Champion the next time he faces Escobar.
WWE noted that we’ll hear from both Escobar and Scott on this Wednesday’s TakeOver 31 go-home episode of NXT.
Here’s the updated card for TakeOver 31:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defends against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
205 Live began with a rematch; the man formerly known as Tehuti Miles, now Ashante Adonis, was to once again wrestle the man who triggered this change in personas, The Brian Kendrick.
Kendrick in the early going looked to be regretting his words of wisdom towards Adonis late last month. Kendrick shoved Adonis, only for Adonis to pursue him with his newfound intensity. Adonis gained an early lead from this point which was lost after a big boot from Kendrick. Kendrick pummeled Adonis while avoiding all of his reversal attempts.
Kendrick eventually gave an inch to Adonis in the way of separation which Adonis fully capitalized on, landing a momentum nullifying clothesline. An Adonis spinebuster and head kick resulted in a pair of near falls. Finally, after a brief struggle, Adonis landed a DDT but taunted Kendrick in the moments following. Kendrick took advantage, secured the captain’s hook, and submitted Adonis.
Kendrick and Adonis shook hands just as they did in their match two weeks ago.
This match, in the same manner as their last, was fine in the ring and played further into the same story. The Adonis rebranding seems to be a means to further confirming the already established character of Miles following his first Kendrick match. Adonis is now more intense than ever but is still overconfident.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated Andrew Lockhart and Erik Lockhart
This match was a complete and total squash. Neither member of Ever-Rise gave up even an inch of offense to either Lockhart. The match was executed well enough considering its contents.
Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde (w/ Santos Escobar) defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
Oney Lorcan and Joaquin Wilde started this match with a nice progression of chain wrestling. Wilde eventually won out and was able to trade tags with his partner Raul Mendoza in hopes of furthering their advantage. Danny Burch was able to secure a tag after Lorcan fought into his corner, a tag that Burch was able to take full advantage of. After regaining momentum for his team Burch delivered a double suplex with the aid of Lorcan.
Wilde was able to interfere on behalf of his team which allowed Legado Del Fantasma to stomp Burch into the mat. Wilde and Mendoza both traded tags as they further damaged Burch. Burch dug down deep to tag Lorcan back into the match, a tag which set a passion-filled Lorcan free. Lorcan effectively shifted the match back into his team’s favor before tagging Burch back in where he, with the help of Lorcan, landed an elevated DDT. Mendoza was forced to break the pin attempt that followed.
Burch and Wilde were now on seemingly equal ground and it was Burch who was getting ahead. A massive German suplex triggered a reaction from Santos Escobar. Escobar hopped onto the apron but before anything could come of it Ever-Rise entered the ThunderDome. Ever-Rise initiated an attack on Escobar which drew the attention of Burch, which lasted no more than three seconds. Wilde was able to roll up his distracted opponent and effectively steal the win.
This match was well structured and well-executed from bell to bell. The finish, while a bit flaky, was a followup from a reasonably angered Ever-Rise. All in all, a good watch.
WWE has revealed the lineup for this Wednesday’s post-TakeOver XXX edition of NXT.
Three matches have been announced for the episode. NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar will defend his title against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Breezango will challenge Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) for the NXT Tag Team titles, and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai will team with Rhea Ripley against Dakota Kai & Reina Gonzalez.
Scott defeated Escobar earlier this year in NXT’s Cruiserweight title tournament. He’s the only person who’s beaten Escobar in WWE. Last week, Scott almost got another win over Escobar in a six-man tag match but wasn’t the legal man after he accidentally tagged in Tyler Breeze when he was knocked into Breeze.
Breezango became the number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team titles by defeating Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch and Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a triple threat tag match on Saturday’s TakeOver XXX pre-show.
Despite interference by Gonzalez, Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Kai at TakeOver. Gonzalez attacked Shirai after the match until Ripley made the save and went face-to-face with her. After Gonzalez and Kai backed away, Ripley took a look at Shirai and her title belt before leaving.
New NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Scarlett will kick off Wednesday’s show. Tommaso Ciampa will also return to television on the episode. Plus, we’ll find out what’s next for new NXT North American Champion Damian Priest.
Pro Wrestling Sheet has reported that Stu Bennett (formerly known as Wade Barrett in WWE) will be doing commentary for this week’s NXT.
Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar is set for non-title action on this week’s episode of NXT.
WWE announced tonight that a non-title match between Escobar and Tyler Breeze will take place on NXT this Wednesday. There was an angle on NXT last week where Legado del Fantasma attacked Breezango in the parking lot and abducted Fandango.
Legado del Fantasma brought Fandango to the ring later on last week’s show, with Escobar cutting a promo about how Breezango disrespected and mocked lucha libre culture. Breeze tried to make a save for his partner but was laid out by Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Escobar then warned that this would be Isaiah “Swerve” Scott’s future if he speaks Escobar’s name again.
Karrion Kross vs. Danny Burch, Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest, and a TakeOver qualifying match between Kushida, Cameron Grimes, and an opponent who has yet to be announced are also set for Wednesday’s show. Plus, WWE will follow up on last week’s confrontation between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee.
The winner of the Kushida vs. Grimes vs. mystery opponent match will become the third wrestler to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship at TakeOver XXX, joining Reed and Priest.
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.
Following the night’s initial bell, Tehuti Miles and Mansoor did a stare down. Miles landed two leg kicks, each of which caused Mansoor to pull back. Mansoor, instead of keeping his distance, shot in for a takedown, which he succeeded in getting before being kicked off immediately after. Mansoor tried for a move, but seemed to be stuck in his movement. Miles hoisted Mansoor over his shoulder before synching a headlock.
Miles and Mansoor traded the headlock back and forth. After escaping a prolonged headlock, Mansoor connected with two arm drags but Miles avoided the third. Miles tried to take advantage but Mansoor was able to land the third arm drag before Miles could capitalize. Mansoor sent Miles to the outside with a clothesline. Miles came back in by grabbing the legs of Mansoor moments later. Mansoor, who was now on the mat, was dragged under the bottom rope before being catapulted into it. Miles struck Mansoor, who sold the throat.
Mansoor soon found himself hung over the middle rope. From this position, Miles applied his weight to the damaged body part. Mansoor fell to the mat from where Miles tried for a pin; Mansoor kicked out. Miles lifted Mansoor with a neckbreaker. Miles lifted Mansoor again, landed a second neckbreaker, and tried for the pin once more. Mansoor kicked again. Miles synched in a rear chinlock.
Mansoor sold the rear chinlock as if his lights were going out. Right before the fade to black Mansoor fought to a standing position from where he fell, sending Miles to the outside. Miles grabbed the leg of Mansoor again but Mansoor rolled through, creating a plausible near fall in the process. Mansoor struck Miles before landing an atomic drop into a spinebuster. Mansoor waited for Miles to rise to his feet but Miles sidestepped the attack sending Mansoor over the top rope and onto the apron. From the apron, Mansoor and Miles entered a brief struggle which ultimately saw Mansoor connect with a slingshot neckbreaker. Miles kicked out from the pin attempt that followed.
Mansoor, now in a state of desperation, climbed to the top rope. From the top, Mansoor dove only for Miles to evade his attack. Miles lifted Mansoor, who landed on his feet, for a facebuster. Miles then lifted Mansoor onto his shoulder. Mansoor wiggled free and landed an enziguri. Mansoor then lifted Miles onto his shoulders, pulled in his head, and landed what was essentially the one winged angel at an angle. Miles was then pinned making Mansoor the victor.
This match was dodgy. Miles and Mansoor struggled to get on the same page early on and the match’s layout was lackluster. Things in the opening minutes just happened, the finish just happened – the match just sort of happened. I am still not sure what the narrative to this match was.
Prior to and immediately following the bell’s sounding, Oney Lorcan dawned a serious game face. He really looked as if he had something to prove. Santos Escobar and Lorcan entered a tie-up that broke almost as soon as it started. Lorcan was forced to pull away – his arm was still damaged from his encounter with Timothy Thatcher at NXT’s Great American Bash. Lorcan tried to tie-up once more but Escobar, like a shark to blood, grabbed the arm. Escobar took Lorcan to the mat with an arm drag and applied pressure to the arm once grounded. Lorcan fought to a standing position and into the ropes to force a break.
Lorcan chopped the chest of Escobar with his injured arm. Escobar not only did not flinch from the strike he also poked at Lorcan who was pulling back due to self-inflicted pain. Escobar took Lorcan to the mat and continued to put pressure on the arm. Escobar used his chin as a point of pressure in a truly unique form of torture. Lorcan was eventually able to free himself by rolling Escobar onto his back and into a pin. The two men rose to their feet.
Escobar secured another takedown. This time Escobar used the position to lift Lorcan by his arm. Escobar used his shoulder and the ropes to attack the injury of Lorcan. Escobar, in a haze of confidence, stepped back and played to the crowd. Lorcan took advantage of this by trying for a pin. After the subsequent kick-out, Lorcan secured control of Escobar. Escobar was able to escape by grabbing the leg of Lorcan. Escobar stepped over Lorcan, leg still in hand, and into a single leg crab. From the crab, Escobar was sure to tie the arm of Lorcan into the move. Escobar soon let go of the leg and turned his attention solely to the arm. Lorcan crawled to the ropes in order to secure the break.
Escobar landed a suplex but only after placing the arm of Lorcan under his weight. Lorcan tried to retaliate after being hoisted to his feet, but was dropped almost immediately after. Escobar then grabbed the arm of Lorcan and slammed it into the ring post. A slow climb to the top rope from Escobar then ensued. Lorcan took this as an opportunity as he met Escobar with an uppercut. The two then entered a struggle atop the ropes. Escobar jumped to the apron, slamming the arm of Lorcan into the turnbuckle in the process. As Lorcan lay in agony, Escobar grabbed his arm again. This time he slammed it back into the post. Lorcan’s arm was continually attacked in the minutes that followed. Strong strikes, extended holds, the whole works.
Escobar at this point was toying with his prey. Only after a missed enziguri from Escobar did Lorcan show signs of life. A barrage of strikes that was punctuated with an impassioned uppercut left Lorcan in the driver’s seat for the first time, at least he would be in the driver’s seat if he were able to follow up. Lorcan sold his injury as if his arm was broken. After trying to approach after prolonged selling, Lorcan had his arm attacked once more. Escobar lifted him up and planted him with the phantom driver which resulted in a pinfall victory.
This match was excellent. From the opening moments to the match’s conclusion it was clear that these men had a powerful and concise story to tell. Escobar’s brutal display of malice was matched in theatrics only by Lorcan’s consistent showing of agony. When a meeting of seemingly unrelated storylines results in such an excellent integration it is worth celebrating.
