205 Live Results: February 5th, 2019
Last week saw the sudden departure of the living legend and Don of Nihon, Hideo Itami, from 205 Live and WWE. After failing to defeat Akira Tozawa, his ally Ariya Daivari turned on him, laying him out with a brutal lariat. What is next for Daivari after leaving Itami behind, and what does this mean for the cruiserweight division?
Buddy Murphy managed to defeat Itami, along with Akira Tozawa and Kalisto in a Fatal-4-Way match at Royal Rumble. The Juggernaut has been unstoppable since picking up the Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Super Show-Down. With multiple successful title defences against the best of 205 Live, Murphy has quickly become one of the best Cruiserweight Champions since the title was brought back to life in 2016.
Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo, and Lio Rush had a chance tonight to challenge the champion should they survive the Fatal-4-Way Elimination match. One man, Rush, had never faced Buddy Murphy in a one-on-one competition.
Who will face Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber?
Mike Kanellis w/Maria Kanellis vs The Brian Kendrick
Last week, the newest addition to the 205 Live commentary team, Aiden English, talked about how Kanellis desperately needed a win. He put up a great fight against Kalisto, but the former Cruiserweight and United States Champion ultimately managed to roll him up for the win. Tonight, Kanellis gets another chance at glory in a match against another former champion, Brian Kendrick.
Kendrick locked Kanellis up early, going after his arm for a wristlock. Kanellis fought out, putting Kendrick in a headlock. Kendrick sent him off into the ropes, only to be knocked down by Kanellis with a shoulder block. Kanellis's trash talk was a bit too much for Kendrick to take, as he sent his opponent to the outside with a strong right to the jaw.
Kanellis got a pep talk from Maria, but when he went back inside, he was immediately knocked back out with a clothesline. Maria prevented Kendrick from sending her husband to the table, allowing him to catch Kendrick with a boot. Kendrick tried to shake it off and attempted a Sliced Bread No. 2 on the outside. Kanellis managed to stop it, dropping Kendrick on his head with a back suplex.
Back inside, Kanellis dropped Kendrick with a suplex and worked over his back with knees and submission holds. Kanellis sent Kendrick outside with a dropkick. However, Kendrick dragged him outside eventually and whipped Kanellis into the ring post.
Back in the ring, the former champion fought off Kanellis's assault but was left in a heap after a vicious clothesline. Kanellis picked him up for another suplex, but Kendrick countered with the Captain's Hook. Kanellis struggled to get to the ropes, managing to get his index finger on the bottom rope.
A superkick and a running calf kick from Kendrick nearly put Kanellis away, but he managed to kick out. Kendrick went for Sliced Bread No. 2, but it was countered again. A superkick and a Michinoku Driver nearly put Kendrick away. Placing Kendrick up top, Kanellis attempted the Backpack Stunner. Kendrick escaped but was planted with a spinebuster for his troubles.
Kanellis hammered a series of elbows into Kendrick's jaw. A dazed Kendrick begged for more and took a boot to the jaw. Two more boots to the side of the head nearly made the ref call for the bell.
Kanellis went for his finish, but Kendrick escaped and beat him with the Sliced Bread No. 2.
Results: The Brian Kendrick defeated Mike Kanellis via pinfall.
Just like last week, Mike Kanellis threw a temper tantrum in the ring while Maria stared at him, irate. Still, she managed to calm Kanellis down.
The commentary team went over the events of last week, as Tozawa picked up a win over Hideo Itami. Ariya Daivari had claimed that he respected Itami.
In an Instagram promo from last week, Daivari said that Itami kept blowing opportunities. Daivari was the only one to have his back in the division, but he could never get the job done, so now it's time for Daivari to do it himself.
All four men in the main event explained why they deserved a shot against Buddy Murphy. Rush said that he'd never faced Murphy before. Tozawa said that Murphy has never beaten him in a one-on-one matchup, and a win over Itami last week showed that he's ready for another shot at the title.
Humberto Carrillo said that he took Murphy to his limit in their first encounter, and he had what it took to put Murphy away for good. Alexander rounded out the promos, claiming that the Age of Alexander was making a comeback in 2019.