Last week on 205 Live, it was all about finding a new #1 Contender to Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship. There was a Fatal Five Way Elimination match between Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar, Mustafa Ali, TJ Perkins, and the winner, Jack Gallagher. Tony Nese was supposed to be in the match, but an injury kept him out of action, which gave Mustafa Ali the opportunity to enter the match by defeating Ariya Daivari earlier in the night. Tonight, we have the return of Rich Swann, as well as the highly anticipated debut of Gran Metalik.
Noam Dar (w/Alicia Fox) vs. Rich Swann
After injuring his foot a few weeks ago, Rich Swann had to give up his #1 Contender spot to the Cruiserweight Championship. Swann has fully healed, and he is back in action in his quest to regain the Cruiserweight Championship. Before the match begins, he dedicates the match to Dar’s girlfriend, Alicia Fox.
Rich Swann hits Noam Dar with a hurricanrana from the top turnbuckle, then finishes the Scottish Supernova off with a Phoenix Splash. Winner: Rich Swann
It seems clear that Swann is out of the Cruiserweight Championship title picture for now, with Neville vs. Jack Gallagher being the plan for Fastlane. If Neville retains, Swann is still owed a championship rematch, and this win helps him build up momentum, especially if his rematch takes place at WrestleMania. For Noam Dar, he has been losing most of his matches since shifting his focus to Alicia Fox. Perhaps he will realize this soon, and potentially leave her just like Cedric Alexander did.
Gran Metalik vs. Drew Gulak
Gran Metalik has arguably had one of the most anticipated debuts for 205 Live. Metalik gave amazing performances in every round of the Cruiserweight Classic, including picking up a victory over Zack Sabre Jr. in the semifinals. Metalik even wrestled in the first match the Cruiserweights had on Monday Night Raw before finishing up his required work in Mexico. Now, Metalik is a full-time WWE Superstar.
Gran Metalik is call the King of the Ropes, and it shows. Half of his arsenal takes place on the ropes, including springboard arm drags, a Swanton bomb, and much more. Drew Gulak is perhaps the antithesis of Metalik, with a ground and pound style that is not flashy, but it is effective and hard hitting.
After diving onto Gulak out of the ring, Gran Metalik rolls the Philadelphia native back in the ring and hits him with the Metalik Driver (which looks a lot like the same move Killian Dain has used on NXT recently). Winner: Gran Metalik
Backstage Segment
Akira Tozawa debuted on 205 Live a couple weeks ago, and Brian Kendrick has made it no secret that he likes what Tozawa has shown so far in the ring. Kendrick said last night on Raw that he wants Tozawa to be his protege, and tonight, Kendrick approaches him to offer his mentorship. Kendrick does not know if Tozawa is understanding anything he is saying, to which he gets the response, “I understand. I don’t like you.”
Neville vs. TJ Perkins
Neville defeated TJ Perkins on his way to becoming the Cruiserweight Champion, but the issues between Perkins and the King of the Cruiserweights are not over. In fact, as long as Neville stays the Cruiserweight Champion, Perkins will keep trying to beat him.
TJ Perkins executes almost every move he can think of (including an impactful DDT), but the champion prevails with a unique submission. After being tied up like a pretzel, Perkins has no choice but to tap out. Winner (via submission): Neville
Following Neville’s win, Gentleman Jack Gallagher (who will challenge Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship at Fastlane) rushes down to the ring. The two fight briefly, and a headbutt from Gallagher sends Neville retreating to end the show. It is good that we have only seen brief interactions between the champion and the challenger, because there is a good chance that they’re going to have a hell of a match.
