Returning Superstar debuts new look, assaults Lio Rush
205 Live is on the verge of a Civil War thanks to NXT stars joining the Purple brand and "205 Lifers" taking issue with them stealing their screen time. It started with Ariya Daivari and Brian Kendrick repeatedly attacking Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch.
Now, though, we're heading into a full-on brand warfare style showdown. Lio Rush and Tony Nese will be leading two teams of five in a ten-man tag team elimination match in a few weeks. With Rush leading NXT and Nese taking the duties of captain for 205 Live, it's setting up to be an incredible showcase of cruiserweight talent.
Tonight, we found out which Superstars would be representing each brand. Rush, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, Tyler Breeze, and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott will be leading the charge for NXT. 205 Live's team will consist of Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, The Brian Kendrick, Mike Kanellis, and Jack Gallagher.
The last name on that list is quite interesting, considering the fact that we'd not seen Gallagher in months. The Gentleman had made some strange demands to 205 Live GM Drake Maverick, and though we don't know if any of them were met, he's back working on Friday nights.
Jack Gallagher lays out Lio Rush
Lio Rush faced Tony Nese in a "Captain's Challenge" on 205 Live. It was another fantastic match between the two former Cruiserweight Champions, with Nese ultimately losing by DQ after Mike Kanellis broke up a pinfall. As they continued to batter the Man of the Hour, Rush was saved by Burch and Lorcan, who took Nese and Kanellis to the back.
As Rush recovered, he was hammered by a single-legged dropkick from the returning Jack Gallagher. Sporting a haircut, a beard, and some new tattoos, the look of the "Gentleman" had disappeared.
Will a new aggressive Jack Gallagher be enough to defeat NXT's cruiserweights? We'll find out in two weeks time!