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WWE 205 Live returns to WWE Network tonight (Jan. 9, 2019) with a show taped on Tuesday night at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida.
Advertised for tonight: The final qualifying match for Royal Rumble’s Cruiserweight championship Fatal 4Way. The winner of Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami will join titleholder Buddy Murphy, Kalisto and Akira Tozawa in the match on Jan. 27 in Phoenix.
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.
NOTE: Spoilers are out there for these pre-taped broadcasts, but many Cagesiders don’t partake. If you are going to post or discuss spoilers for this show in the short-time between when this article is published and the show’s start, please use the spoiler bar in your comment.
Enjoy the show!
The gates was gettin’ rusty, as we sailed into the dark. The stars were out and shinin’ against the moonlit hour. The wolves were out and howlin’, most of the time, and I was cold and shiverin’ and bleedin’ in the night. Bleedin’ in the night, oh, bleedin’ in the night... Screaming in the night, fighting for my life, I’d die for you, but fortunately, all I have to actually do for you here is liveblog this pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with Drake Maverick doing his usual intro setting the stage and hyping tonight’s show up.
And thence to the intro video.
Tony Nese gets a picture-in-picture promo talking about how he can’t stand Noam Dar and how he’s going to beat him because he’s the better man and better athlete.
Noam Dar vs. Tony Nese
Nese in control initially, using his strength in the feeling out but Dar outwrestles him at every turn. So Tony decides to grapple and he can hang but not take over for long, so he decks Noam and flexes! Off the ropes, Dar trips him into a deathlock and kicks his shin before going back to work on the arm. Jockeying for position, Nese landing hard shots but Noam trips him up again and smashes him into the turnbuckles.
Whip reversed, continuing to trip the Premiere Athlete up and make a fool of him, swinging backslide... NOPE! Nese slides to the floor, Dar out after him and back in, where Tony catches him with a hard knee and fires off a few more for good measure. Off the ropes, huge forearm for two, following it up with a bodyscissors until Dar escapes. Shaking life back into his right arm, kick combo from Nese gets two and he continues to press the attack, targeting the ribs and waist.
Hard whip into a lariat, two more and Tony moves on to a standing neck crank. Dar evades, jockeying for position in the corner and he kicks Nese’s leg out of his leg! Palm thrusts, charging elbow into a northern lights suplex for two! Catch a lariat, guillotine choke applied but Tony’s able to hoss him into the ropes to break. Huge hard hand, running neck snap over the top rope into a triangle moonsault... NOT ENOUGH!
Boot up on the charge, rolling Shotei from Nese clips him up top! Fireman’s carry, Dar slips out, jockeying for position, upkicks from Noam knock Tony clean out! Hard elbow, Dar’s got the guillotine again and denies access to the ropes! Nese with a northern lights to counter... STILL NO! Again kicking Nese’s leg out from under him, hammering forearms, referee Charles Robinson pulling him off!
Nese slides low, pumphandle Michinoku Driver, slow to capitalize and Tony drags him over, Dar wakes up and snaps to action...
Noam Dar wins by pinfall with a victory roll pin.
Brian Kendrick is backstage to read us a letter from Akira Tozawa.
It’s about how Tozawa took an opportunity to compete in Japan ahead of the Royal Rumble, and he’ll fight for everyone who believes in him and beat Buddy Murphy. For his part, Kendrick says he still owes Akira for messing with him for so long, so he’s gonna do what he can to make sure he wins the title.
Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher are backstage talking with Drake Maverick. They’ve created lists of top cruiserweights for him to hire, and Drake says he’ll definitely read them and shakes their hands. Gulak tells him specifically to check out Wheeler YUTA before leaving (he’s very good, folks, check him out on YouTube if you aren’t familiar), and of course Maverick throws the binders away the second they’re gone.
Mike and Maria Kanellis roll up to complain to him about being on the road but not used and Maverick begs off. Maria says she knows you don’t get anywhere in this business without a fight and maybe they haven’t picked the right fight. She says she hopes these newcomers are willing to fight for opportunities as much as she is.
Lio Rush gets a handcap promo blaming Lucha House Party for keeping him out of Royal Rumble and he’s not gonna let that stand, so LHP are gonna feel the Rush.
Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Qualifying Match)
Circling, Itami jawing at the crowd and Alexander egging them on to start. Bit of intense grappling back and forth, Hideo with an edge when they stalemate and then right back at it, battling over a wristlock. Cedric throws the first strike of the match, a big chop that gets him a one-count off a snap cover. Trading shots, Itami on him, each of the Pro Wrestling NOAH star’s shots worth about one and a half of the former Ring of Honor man’s.
Alexander fires up, big dropkick, only two, following up with a jumping back heel kick to the jaw but Hideo runs away from the Lumbar Check and they end up brawling on the floor for a beat. Ariya Daivari running interference, Itami takes advantage and with the ref distracted Daivari bowls Cedric over with a lariat! Hideo off the apron with a senton and then back inside for hard kicks to the back!
Chest kicks in the corner, referee Danilo Anfibio warning the erstwhile KENTA off and that gives Alexander enough time to recover, a boot, lariats, passed to the apron, huge chest kick cuts the rally off and leaves him hanging over the middle rope, Hideo up top... guillotine leg drop for two! Kitchen sink knee lift, still only two and he suffocates Alexander with a reverse chinlock.
Jawbreaker to escape, chops to follow, duck lariat, basement dropkick to take the knee out and a second dropkick on the button to take Itami down! Cedric fired up, charging in, back body drop to the apron, boot to the face, springboard reverse STO... STILL NO! Elbows to block Lumbar Check but Alexander clocks him with an uppercut. Neuralyzer blocked with a basement dropkick!
Charging knee, fisherman suplex gets two but Cedric blocks the inverted facelock and pushes him into the corner. Hideo with the tornado DDT over the ropes, diving lariat... NEARFALL! Trading forearms in the middle of the ring, both men wobbly on their feet, Itami with chest kicks but Alexander fires a combo back! Roundhouse ducked, fireman’s carry slipped away from... NEURALYZER CAN’T KEEP HIDEO DOWN!
Hideo hanging onto the ropes, blocking the followup, Cedric peels him off but Itami gets back over and Ariya yanks him out of the ring for the save! Alexander off the ropes... TOPE CON GIRO OVER ANFIBIO TO TAKE BOTH MEN OUT! Taking Itami back inside, stomping Daivari down, springboard cut off with a Shotei from Hideo! Fighting on the apron... FALCON ARROW OFF THE APRON WHAT IN THE WORLD?!
Referee counting, Alexander back inside but he gets cut off with the hesitation dropkick! Flash pin, no good, backfist, another hesitation dropkick, inverted facelock, roll through...
Hideo Itami wins by pinfall with the inverted facelock dropped into a single-knee facebreaker to advance to the Cruiserweight Championship match at Royal Rumble.
Buddy Murphy is interviewed about his title match backstage.
He wants to congratulate Hideo, because after what he just did to Cedric, he might be one of the most dangerous strikers in WWE. All of his challengers are talented, but they’re sheep and he’s the wolf, hungry for competition and looking to become the greatest cruiserweight of all time. So next week he’s issuing an open challenge to anyone who meets the 205 weight limit to prove him wrong and try and stop the unstoppable.
That’s the show, folks.