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As we move closer to our destination at the Grandest Stage of Them All, this stretch of road on 205 Live's Road to WrestleMania brought us two semi-final matchups, including an incredibly tough matchup between Drew Gulak and his former best friend Tony Nese.
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Gulak himself opened the show by talking about how important the Final 4 always is in a tournament setting.
He also reminded the WWE Universe that he owns the Premier Athlete. Nese saw during last year's Cruiserweight Championship Tournament that the Submission Specialist is an incredibly vicious opponent.
NXT/NXT UK Star Oney Lorcan also advanced earlier in the tournament after taking down Humberto Carrillo.
Lorcan, tonight, stood across the ring from the Soul of 205 Live, Cedric Alexander. The year of 2018 was the Age of Alexander, and it all began with him capturing the Cruiserweight Championship at last year's Mania. Alexander told Lorcan that he respected him, but he plans on repeating his success.
Cedric Alexander vs Oney Lorcan
Lorcan and Alexander locked up, with Lorcan going for his opponent's arm early. The Star Destroyer kept Alexander grounded in the beginning, keeping him down on the mat with headlocks. Alexander eventually escaped and nearly caught Lorcan with a roundhouse kick.
Lorcan landed the first shots of the matchup, catching Alexander with a pair of chops and an uppercut. Alexander responded with a dropkick. Going for the cover, Lorcan kicked out at one. Alexander brought Lorcan back to his feet and began to beat him down with uppercuts and a single leg dropkick to the back of his head. Lorcan kicked out at two.
Alexander attempted the Lumbar Check, but Lorcan was able to fight out of it, sending Alexander crashing headfirst into the mat with a clothesline. Lorcan doubled Alexander over with a running knee to the gut. The Soul of 205 Live remained stunned from the stiff strikes of Lorcan, and after a few more shots, was locked in an octopus stretch.
Alexander escaped and began building some steam, knocking Lorcan down with a handful of forearm smashes, followed by a spinning back elbow and finishing off with the Neuralizer. Lorcan stumbled into the turnbuckle where he was met with a corner enziguri and planted by the springboard flatliner. Lorcan kicked out.
Alexander took Lorcan up top for a superplex. Lorcan fought him off but missed the blockbuster. However, he dropped Alexander with a running blockbuster. Alexander barely kicked out. The former champion attempted the Lumbar Check again, but his ribs, which took some major damage in the past two matches, seemed to hurt too much.
Alexander looked for a second Neuralizer only for Lorcan to avoid, catching him for the half and half suplex, dropping Alexander face first. Repeated European uppercuts from Lorcan rocked Alexander, but he managed to send Lorcan over the ropes. He followed up on the apron, driving him spine first into the side of the ring with an STO of sorts. Back inside, he planted Lorcan with a Michinoku Driver. Lorcan managed to narowly escape the pin.
Alexander finally snapped, kicking a downed Lorcan and punishing his back. He went for a springboard clothesline but was stunned by an uppercut. He took Alexander up top, attempting a super half and half suplex. Lorcan managed to pull it off only for Alexander to kick out.
Lorcan picked up Alexander and was slapped across the face by the former champion. Lorcan responded, holding him by the beard and smacking him twice. He ran towards the ropes for another clothesline, but Alexander pulled him back for the Lumbar Check.
Results: Cedric Alexander defeated Oney Lorcan via pinfall.
Cedric Alexander continued on his path towards WrestleMania, hoping to reignite the Age of Alexander.
Backstage, Mike Kanellis confronted Drake Maverick about what happened last week. Kanellis beat down his opponent so badly it ended in a no contest. He said that he's respected by everyone he's ever stepped in the ring with.
Maverick told him that next week, he'll face off against one of the best Cruiserweights in the world, but he and Maria need to realize that, at some point, looking good in defeat isn't good enough.
Back in 2018, Drew Gulak completely broke the Premier Athlete. Though Buddy Murphy's partner pulled off some incredible feats of athleticism, as he always does, he was simply no match for the newly motivated Submission Specialist, who tore Nese apart before taking him down with the Gu-Lock. Tonight was redemption time for Tony Nese.
Gulak himself had quite a bit to prove tonight. He had several opportunities to capture the Cruiserweight Championship last year, but could never manage to put away then champion Cedric Alexander. A win over Nese would not only send him into the finals of the tournament but get into the head of Buddy Murphy, who believed that Nese was indeed the man to beat.
Tony Nese vs Drew Gulak
Nese attempted to shoot Gulak off the ropes early, trying to fight out of the grasp of Gulak. He eventually countered an arm drag into one of his own, focusing on Gulak's arm.
Nese stunned Gulak and went for a high-risk maneuver from the top, but Gulak avoided it and nearly locked in his patented submission move. Nese quickly dropped and rolled out.
Back inside, they continued to try to out-wrestle each other. Nese brought Gulak down with a side headlock. Though Gulak made it to his feet, a dropkick sent him to the outside. Nese caught Gulak with a superkick to the gut and chased him around the ringside area before bringing him back inside. Gulak kicked out of several pinfall attempts.
Gulak made it back to his feet and dropped Nese neck first across the top rope with an alley-oop bomb. The technician worked the neck of Nese and countered a suplex into a reverse suplex. With the Premier Athlete gasping for air, Gulak focused on the legs, hoping to limit the high flying potential of his opponent.
Gulak locked in a reverse Figure-4-Leglock and pulled him back by his hair before releasing the hold, dropping his leg knee first.
Nese fought out of another headlock and brought Gulak down with a back suplex. However, he had a hard time getting to his feet, allowing Gulak to maintain his control in the match, attacking him in the corner.
Gulak propped Nese up in the opposite corner, beating him down with punches and chops. Nese countered an Irish whip, sending Gulak across the ring instead.
Nese rocked Gulak with a pair of right hands and a spinning back kick to the gut. Gulak cut off his momentum with two knees to the gut and a suplex, nearly getting the pinfall.
Gulak locked in a straight jacket on the sitting Nese. The Premier Athlete fought out and dropped Gulak with a facebuster. A spinning heel kick shook Gulak, and a running spinning back elbow and clothesline kept the pressure on him. A Northern Lights Suplex almost awarded the win to Nese.
Nese and Gulak traded shots, with Nese overpowering his opponent. Hanging up Gulak on the ropes, he went for the springboard double jump moonsault, but Gulak rolled away. Nese did eventually connect with the split legged moonsault, but Gulak kicked out.
In a moment of desperation, the Preacher of the Ground Game left his feet for a dropkick, catching Nese off guard. He went for the Gu-Lock yet again. Nese escaped only to be caught by back-to-back powerbombs from Gulak. Nese kicked out.
Nese took Gulak up top. A rolling uppercut allowed him to launch him across the ring with a top rope hurricanrana. Gulak avoided a 450 Splash, though, giving Gulak a chance to lock in the Gu-Lock once more. Nese escaped yet again, attempting a Pumphandle Driver.
Gulak rolled Nese up, and as he escaped, immediately looked for the Gu-Lock again. Nese rolled away to the ropes.
Nese dropped Gulak on the bottom turnbuckle with a German suplex. Gulak escaped the Running Nese and turned him inside out with a clothesline. With him stunned, Gulak looked for the Gu-Lock once again. Nese continued to roll towards the ropes and managed to counter it into a pinfall.
Results: Tony Nese defeated Drew Gulak via pinfall.
Gulak always said that all it took was one mistake for him to pick up a win. Tonight, Nese may have given him opportunities, but never allowed him to capitalize. The Premier Athlete is now one step closer to a fight with his training partner at WrestleMania.
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