WWE News: Ali defeats Buddy Murphy to qualify for the second round of the King of the Ring
Tonight's episode of SmackDown Live kicked off with a highly awaited 205 Live rematch between former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy and Ali, as the two high-fliers competed in a first-round King of the Ring Tournament match.
Buddy Murphy's quick rise in WWE
After being drafted over to SmackDown Live as part of the 2019 Superstar Shake-up, Murphy got himself involved with former Universal Champion, Roman Reigns after The Big Dog was assaulted backstage by a mystery attacker. On the 6th August episode of SmackDown Live, Murphy would be confronted backstage by Reigns as the former revealed that Rowan was Reigns' attacker.
This eventually led to a singles match between Murphy, who made his in-ring television debut, against Roman Reigns in a losing effort. The following week, Murphy pulled off a major upset when he defeated Daniel Bryan in singles competition.
King of the Ring: Buddy Murphy vs Ali
Ali and Murphy started off the match with a handshake and immediately get into the action. After a bit of back-and-forth between the two, Murphy caught Ali with a big shot for an early 2 count.
Following a commercial, Murphy kept the momentum on his side when he caught with a powerbomb from the top for another close 2-count. The Best Kept Secret kept control of the match, hitting Ali with a knee and a Brainbuster for another close pinfall attempt.
As the WWE Universe broke into "this is awesome" chants, Ali managed to catch Murphy with a wicked DDT while the latter was hanging from the apron. Ali eventually climbs up to the top rope and hits the 450 to win and advance to the next round of the King of the Ring.
King of the Ring second-round matches
With this win, Ali has advanced to the next round of the KOTR and will be facing Elias for his next match in the tournament.
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