- Last week on 205 Live, I decided to skip the show because it was mostly non-cannon to the on-going storylines, where UK talent were mixed into matches with the regular roster. Instead of moving forward with something interesting, like a teased 205 vs. UK scenario, it was just matches with everyone blended together with no rhyme or reason. We did get the WWE TV debut of a very posh looking gentleman with an Evel Knievel helmet, so there's our highlight from an otherwise forgettable episode.
- Presented LIVE on the WWE Network from Worcester, MA. Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson are calling the action, unless otherwise noted. Hideo Itami vs. Akira Tozawa hype video opens the show for us. Don't forget, NEXT WEEK Cedric Alexander defends the Cruiserweight Title against Buddy Murphy, but we'll hear from both competitors tonight to tease us for their big showdown.
- Hype video on Buddy Murphy. Nobody trains harder than he does, and next week, he's going to be the bigger, faster, and stronger athlete, and that's something Cedric Alexander hasn't dealt with before. Ever since he's come to 205 Live, he's beat everyone that stood in front of him, and you can't stop the unstoppable.
- Akira Tozawa is warming up backstage.
- Dasha Fuentes is in the ring for an interview with TJP about his comments on social media. He says he wasn't just the first Cruiserweight Champion, but the best, he's the best wrestler in the world, and single handedly revived the Cruiserweight Division. If Guy was the level of competition he deserves, then it's crystal clear what management thinks of him.
- Social media buzzed about matches between Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali on the latest European Tour. No image of Ali needing his head stapled shut after one of those matches?
- Pre-recorded interview with Cedric Alexander. Alexander says pressure means nothing to him. Next week, he's in his home state of North Carolina, with friends and family there to watch him to defend the title. He says there's no way he'll fail in front of them. Alexander reminds us he's cut weight just like Buddy Murphy to qualify for the Cruiserweight Tournament. He says Murphy hasn't adjusted as well as he and Alexander promises to expose that.
- Hideo Itami is brooding backstage.
Itami with a swinging neck breaker for two. A baseball slide sends Tozawa to the arena floor. Itami follows, throwing Tozawa into the barricade. Back inside, Itami slows things down with a snap mare. Whip to the corner, Tozawa greets Itami with a boot, but immediately gets nailed coming off the middle rope. Whip and Itami with a running knee to the midsection. Itami taunts Tozawa, booting the back of his head and mocking his signature rally-grunt. Whip and a second knee followed by knees across the forehead. He pulls down the pad and teases it a third, but casually brushes him in the face with his boot. Itami with a DDT for two. Tozawa escapes the chin-lock with elbows. Whip to the ropes and Tozawa counters the knee with a roll-up for two. Tozawa with a jumping head scissors and a modified Shining Wizard. Tozawa goes to the top for the senton but Itami rolls to the floor. Tozawa audibles, hitting Itami with a rolling senton from the apron. Back inside, Tozawa hits a missile dropkick for two. Itami hangs Tozawa up across the top rope and hits a flying clothesline for two. Itami with a series of palm strikes. Tozawa fights out of the Rings of Saturn and cradles Itami for two. Tozawa with an inverted roundhouse kick. He goes to the top for the senton but Itami straddles him across the top turnbuckle. Itami climbs up with him, setting up a Super-Plex. Tozawa with a series of blows to the back to escape Itami's grip. They go back and forth until Itami hits a Super-Falcon Arrow for a near fall (of course). Itami comes off the ropes with a running knee strike for two. Tozawa traps Itami in the Octopus Stretch. Itami gets to the ropes, pulling himself to the floor. Tozawa follows with a tope suicida. Back inside, Tozawa climbs to the top again, and on the third attempt, the Senton meets nothing but canvas. Itami with the running basement dropkick in the corner. He hits it a second time for good measure and hits the twisting knee strike for three at 15:17. I guess the GTS is banned again. Good match, but the middle segment was perfectly phrased as "methodical." ***1/4
Final Thoughts: The big picture continues to be Cedric Alexander defending the Cruiserweight Title against Buddy Murphy. It seems like they're doing a short-term angle with Drew Gulak targeting the Lucha House Party, going back to his "No Fly Zone" gimmick, minus the comedy. Itami and Tozawa put on a solid Main Event, but you'd expect them to have a non-finish to drag it out a few more weeks. I don't know what is going on with TJP, but it would be interesting if they teased moving him to a non-Cruiserweight spot.