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WWE 205 Live returns to WWE Network tonight (Oct. 31, 2018) from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Advertised for tonight: The Brian Kendrick looks to prove Drew Gulak messed with the wrong guy when he faces the Cruiserweight Crusader’s sidekick, Gentleman Jack Gallagher. And DRAKE MAVERICK has a big main event lined up, as Mustafa Ali battles Tony Nese for the next shot at Cruiserweight champ (and Nese training partner) Buddy Murphy.
Come right back here at 7 p.m. ET when the 205 Live live blog kicks off once the show starts on WWE Network. It will be below this line here.
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Enjoy the show!
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The show opens with 205 Live general manager DRAKE MAVERICK putting last week’s Falls Count Anywhere match over in video package form but saying that he expects tonight’s show to surpass it.
He runs down tonight’s matches and then we get the intro video.
Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher
Kendrick swats Gallagher’s hand away, the Gentleman slaps his face, and we got a brawl! Jack to the floor, Brian with a baseball slide to follow after him but Gallagher rams him back-first into the apron! Back in, Jack in control, starting to work the back over with a suplex, a knee, a hammer whip, snapmare into a standing surfboard, a targeted dropkick, a backbreaker, all that’s only good for two but the damage is mounting.
Brian fighting back, short-arm forearms but he gets cut off and kneed to the floor for an elbow that sets up a nearfall. Punching away, laying boots in but Kendrick refuses to stay down and clocks him in the neck with a back elbow! Boots up on the charge, sidestep, huge elbow strike lands true and he follows it up with a sky high back body drop! Brian draws himself up, blocking punches, returning his own and clipping the Gentleman with a dropkick when he comes off the ropes!
Looking for the Captain’s Hook, denied, so he hits a bridging Tiger suplex... NOPE! He’s got the Hook locked in on the kickout, Jack crawls... AND GETS A FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE! Shoulder thrust, jawbreaker over the top rope, Gallagher fighting back into it, slingshot into a sleeper hold but Brian gets the ropes! Sidestep the running dropkick, Sliced Bread #2 denied but a superkick lands true!
Drew Gulak gets up from commentary as Kendrick eggs Gallagher to rise... AKIRA TOZAWA WITH THE SAVE! Brian lines him up...
Brian Kendrick wins by pinfall with Sliced Bread #2.
We go backstage with DRAKE MAVERICK, who says he owes Cedric Alexander an explanation. Cedric says he’s surprised that after 181 days as champion, he’s not getting his rematch, and DRAKE says he’ll get it... when he’s ready. He’s got to prepare the best, most competitive title matches, but Alexander’s on a three-match losing streak, so it’d be unfair to everyone, including Cedric, to give him his shot now.
Alexander says he gets it, he’s got no excuses, but he’s gonna get back on track, and when he does, he wants his match. They shake on it and we go to a house ad for tonight’s NXT, featuring Matt Riddle’s debut.
Gran Metalik gets a picture in picture promo calling TJ Perkins out as a coward and challenging him to a match.
Gran Metalik vs. ???
Metalik with a big handspring in response to some early strikes and he does the “Lucha!” hands. Big overhand chop, whip reversed, boot up on the charge, one-handed bulldog, Gran up top... GRAN NANIWA ROPEWALK ELBOW DROP! IT’S OVER!
Gran Metalik wins by pinfall with a Gran Naniwa-style ropewalk elbow drop.
TJP attacks in the immediate aftermath and yanks his match off before leaving through the crowd!
Metalik’s Lucha House Party teammates tend to him in the ring.
Buddy Murphy rolls up on an interview asking about a meeting he just had with DRAKE MAVERICK. He says next week they’re in Manchester, England, and he requested a match against one of their best, and he’s going to annihilate Mark Andrews. Asked what happens if Tony Nese wins tonight, he dodges the question.
We cut backstage to Mustafa Ali getting taped up and go to break for a house ad for WWE Shop’s custom t-shirt service.
Mike and Maria Kanellis are interviewed backstage.
Maria takes the mic and tells the interviewer to leave, and asks a simpler question about how it feels to be the greatest, at which point TJP bumbles into them. Kanellis complains, he says life isn’t fair, and TJ offers to show him the ropes and welcome him to 205 Live, at which point Maria says she knows he’s here to ask for help with Lucha House Party, and Perkins admits that’s why he’s here.
She offers to go talk business, and the three of them head off together.
Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese (WWE Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Circling, Nese takes Ali into the corner and immediately goes to work on his ribs before flexing. Rolling solebutt, a hard biel, Mustafa turns the speed up, snaps off a headscissors that sends Tony to the floor, and follows it with a plancha... AND NESE ROLLS THROUGH INTO A FALLAWAY SLAM ON THE RAMP! Military press drop into the barricade follows it up!
Back in, cover comes up empty, Tony follows it up with a kick to the ribs and the inverted bear hug, I can hardly bear it! Ali fighting back, off the ropes, he gets cut off with a knee to the ribs! More knees, Mustafa in obvious pain but still able to kick out and Nese escalates to kicks and stomps. Back suplex, Ali counters to a crossbody... NOPE! Looking for a tornado DDT, Tony blocks and turns it into a northern lights suplex for a nearfall!
A bodyscissors, back to grinding away at the injured ribs, counter to a pin but Nese remains in control, cutting the rally off with a solebutt. Off the ropes, back body drop, Tony looking to set something up in the corner but Ali picks his leg and the back of his neck goes hard into the top turnbuckle! Body blows, willing himself to fight on but Nese is able to hit a running one-handed bulldog over the top rope and follow it with a outside-in quebrada... NOBODY HOME!
ALI ROLLS THROUGH A SUNSET FLIP INTO A STANDING SITOUT POWERBOMB! Enzuigiri for some separation, rolling thunder X-Factor, off the ropes, clothesline puts Tony on the floor... TOPE CON GIRO! Both men down and out on the floor, referee Jason Ayers making his count but Ali is able to throw Nese back in at about eight. Off the top with a diving crossbody, slow to capitalize because of his ribs... NO GOOD!
Fireman’s carry, slip out, Matrix evasion on a lariat, jockeying for position, Ali gets a series of superkicks... SO CLOSE! Dragging Tony over to the corner, Mustafa climbs but Nese recovers and trips him up, running knee gets him in a fireman’s carry, escape, pinning predicament... THE TORNADO DDT LANDS TRUE BUT CAN’T PUT NESE AWAY! Ali on the apron, up top again but Nese hits a rolling thunder Shotei to cut him off!
AVALANCHE FIREMAN’S CARRY GUTBUSTER IS ONLY GOOD FOR A NEARFALL! He yells at Ayers, charging in, more kicks to the ribs, hammer blows, Jason warns him off and Ali gets a huge right in! Tony rips his tape off, hammering the ribs with kicks as Ayers warns him off, knees on knees... DOUBLE LEG INTO A JACKKNIFE! IT’S OVER! ALI’S GOT THE SHOT!
Mustafa Ali wins by pinfall with a jackknife pin to become #1 contender to the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
Cedric Alexander runs down to make the save when it looks like Nese is considering a post-match attack! Alexander draws his friend up to his feet and there’s a tense beat where it looks almost like he’s gonna hit the Lumbar Check, but he raises Ali’s hand and hugs him.
Buddy Murphy makes his entrance and stares his new challenger down.
That’s the show, folks.