The Cruiserweight Division is starting to get into full swing, with a wide range of talent from the championship level to recently-debuted Superstars. Last week, we saw the 205 Live debut of Gran Metalik, Akira Tozawa refusing Brian Kendrick’s mentorship, the return of Rich Swann, and Neville defeating TJ Perkins. Tonight, we have three huge matches. Brian Kendrick and Akira Tozawa finally square off, Noam Dar goes solo against Mustafa Ali, and Jack Gallagher prepares for Fastlane against Tony Nese.
Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa
After Akira Tozawa denied Brian Kendrick’s mentorship last week on 205 Live, Tozawa and Kendrick were scheduled for a match on Raw this week. Tozawa refused to shake Kendrick’s hand to start the match, and the man who was looking to be a mentor ended up assaulting Tozawa, with the match never taking place. Tonight, they actually compete in a sanctioned match.
Brian Kendrick shoves Tozawa’s foot under the ring apron, which gets the Stamina Monster stuck for the count-out victory. This is also Tozawa’s first loss since the Cruiserweight Classic. Winner (via count-out): Brian Kendrick
Tom Philips interviews Brian Kendrick after the match, asking if his personal problems with Tozawa are finished. Kendrick declines, saying that tonight’s win (tying him up under the ring) was the second lesson in his mentorship (the lesson being that there are multiple ways to win a match). It’s clear that Kendrick is not close to being finished with “mentoring” his new student, and if their first match is anything to go by, they have potential to put on some amazing matches.
Interview
Last week, Noam Dar took on Rich Swann in unsuccessful fashion. Before the match, Swann would dedicate his performance to Alicia Fox (Dar’s girlfriend). Dasha Fuentes asks Dar if he took offense to the former Cruiserweight Champion’s comments, and Dar insists that there is no drama in his relationship because of Rich Swann.
Noam Dar vs. Mustafa Ali
Since Alicia Fox is feeling under the weather, Noam Dar has to go at it alone tonight. Both Dar and Ali competed in the Fatal Five Way Elimination match, but both came up on the losing end. While both men have shown how capable they are in the ring, they need a win to help build some momentum in their inevitable pursuit for the Cruiserweight Championship.
Mustafa Ali likes a fast-paced match, but Noam Dar stopped this at every opportunity. After constantly rolling out of the ring and implementing grueling submissions, Dar kicks Ali off of a turnbuckle, leading to Ali landing face first on the ring post. The Scottish Supernova takes advantage, finishing the match off with a running knee to Ali’s face. Winner: Noam Dar
Cedric Alexander broke up with Alicia Fox because she kept costing him victories, and he started winning as soon as he focused on himself. Fox is now Dar’s girlfriend, and Dar seldom picked up a victory until tonight, a win in which Fox was noticeably absent from ringside. Perhaps Dar will realize Fox could be considered bad luck, and he might go solo as well. Plus, Fox could be a great addition to the active women’s roster.
Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese
Gentleman Jack Gallagher won the aforementioned Elimination Fatal Five Way match, giving him a Cruiserweight Championship match against Neville at Fastlane. Tony Nese was originally supposed to be in that match, but a knee injury kept him out of action. Nese believes that he would have won the #1 Contender spot, and we could see if that claim holds up if the Premier Athlete picks up the victory.
Tony Nese is called the Premier Athlete because of his unique combination of size, strength, and speed, akin to the current Cruiserweight Champion, Neville. Since Gallagher is going to face Neville in two weeks, this match could be, in Gallagher’s words, a “preview” of what is to come.
A belly-to-back superplex from Gallagher sets up Nese perfectly in the corner, giving the Extraordinary Gentleman the opportunity to hit is signature running dropkick for the impressive victory. Winner: Gentleman Jack Gallagher
