This week’s 205 Live kicked off with Akira Tozawa talking to Titus O'Neil on his speaker phone backstage. O’Neil claimed that’s he’s worked hard in getting Tozawa a Cruiserweight title rematch against Neville before Ariya Daivari walked in on the mentor-protege conversation backstage and hung up the phone.
He opined that Tozawa’s career was badly mismanaged and that he had no honour left after last night’s events on RAW. The Iranian star then dedicated his match with Tozawa – that was scheduled to kick off the show – to fellow Iranian wrestler Hassan Yasdani.
Ariya Daivari vs. Akira Tozawa
The match followed the traditional face vs. heel dynamic as the Japenese star started with his trademarked war cry and intensity. Daivari regained control of the match and kept Tozawa down, but not for long. Akira rallied and set up his finisher before Neville interrupted and knocked him off the top rope. The referee called for the bell as Neville went on to administer a beating on Akira.
Daivari def. Tozawa via DQ
The post-match scenes saw Neville avenging last night’s beatdown on RAW by first ramming Akira into the barricade and then locking in the Rings of Saturn in the middle of the ring. After an initial refusal to release the hold, Neville finally let go and ended the segment on a high.
The Drew Gulak- Mustafa Ali programme saw some progression next as Gulak cut an apology promo for diving onto Ali two weeks back. He explained his actions and challenged Ali to a 2-out-of-3 falls match on next week’s 205 Live.
This was followed by an interesting moment as Vic Joseph tried to coax Corey Graves into divulging information regarding Kurt Angle’s scandalous announcement, and as expected, Graves shot down the request.
Rich Swann and TJP continued their storyline with Swann continuing on his mission to transform TJP back into the person he used to be. Swann faced off against Mario Connors next with TJP at ringside.
Rich Swann vs. Mario Connors
The match was decent for the time it lasted as Connors surprisingly got in some solid offence. He connected with a really stiff kick and a tilt-a-whirl DDT, nearly pulling off an upset in the process. Swann, though, took control and stunned Connors with a host of moves before hitting him with his variation of the Pheonix Splash to pick up the win.
Rich Swann def. Mario Connors
TJP cut a promo after the match and said that he expected more from Swann. He then went on to challenge Connors to a match and promised he would beat him in half the time Swann took. The match was up next and ending up being one of the shortest matches in recent memory.
TJP vs. Mario Connors
Connors almost pulled off an upset win with a roll-up, but TJP kicked out and connected with the Detonation kick for the win. The match lasted for a mere 28 seconds.
TJP def. Mario Connors
The blink and you miss match was followed Brain Kendrick coming out dressed up as Jack Gallagher. He spoke about the hard work he had put in ever since he returned to the WWE and revealed his frustration about fans loving Jack more despite not achieving much.
He ridiculed Gallagher for his looked and the way he talked. Gallagher had had enough by this time and he interrupted the proceedings. Gallagher reiterated the fact that he wasn’t a third rate William Regal. The face-off didn’t take time to explode as both men began trading blows in the middle of the ring.
Kendrick got the better of Jack as he used the latter’s umbrella as a weapon. The segment came to end as the officials came out separated the two.
The main event wasup next as a long-drawn feud between Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar and Alica Fox was all set to end with an I Quit match.
Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar (w/ Alicia Fox) I Quit Match
Cedric took the fight to Dar right from the onset as the action spilled to the outside. The momentum shifted in Dar’s favour when he attacked Cedric’s legs. Dar began to work the match in his favour and worked on Alexander’s arm. However, exposing the steel ring post backfired as Cedric wrapped Dar’s fingers around the post.
The two men then fought on the apron, with Alexander missing a dive on Dar, who tried to force Cedric into uttering the words ‘I Quit’ with a leg wrench. Alexander kept fighting back in typical babyface fashion as he stunned Dar with a DDT near the ramp. The action returned near the ring after both men caught a breather. However, it didn’t last long as Alexander floored Dar with a perfect Somersault Dive.
The action then shifted to the announce table. Dar reached out for a chair but couldn't utilise it in time as Alexander soared off the table to take Dar out. The action finally got back into the ring with a chair coming into play.
Dar set up a chair, but as expected, Alexander got the better of him yet again with a handspring elbow. He then locked Dar’s arms inside the chair and kept calling for Dar to quit. After initial hesitation, Alexander cranked it up and left Dar no option but to scream ‘I Quit’ in sheer pain.
Cedric Alexander def. Naom Dar
The storyline romance between Dar and Alicia Fox finally came to an end after the match as Dar, after losing his match, took to the mic and kept screaming I Quit. He then told Fox that he quit on her and said that he was never into the Crazy One. A visibly shattered Fox broke down as Dar kept piling on the insults.
Dar masterfully drew heat on him when the crowd began cheering him for the breakup and said he just used Fox for his own good and that he had women all over the country – a trait of a Scotish Supernova. The show came to a close as Dar told Fox she meant nothing to him as she cried in the corner.
