Kalisto and Lio Rush square off in a fast-paced contest to determine who will advance to the Fatal 4-Way Match challenging Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at Royal Rumble.

Despite suffering his first singles loss to Cedric Alexander in November, Lio Rush ended 2018 on a high note with an impressive and dominant victory against a local competitor. Reinvigorated, Rush has set his sights on the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, but in order to enter the Fatal 4-Way Match challenging Buddy Murphy at Royal Rumble, he must defeat former Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto.

The battle began with Kalisto relishing in the chants of “Lio sucks” coming from the WWE Universe before The Man of the Hour made his first move. However, Rush quickly found himself outside the ring and recalibrating as his opponents matched his own speed and agility.

Returning to the ring, Rush feigned another speedy attack but instead slapped Kalisto, sending the two Superstars on a frenetic wild goose chase around the ring. Making their way back into the squared circle, the pair exchanged blows with Kalisto focusing on his opponent’s legs before The Man of the Hour’s speed took over and gave him control of the match. Rush’s more aggressive side took hold and The Man of the Hour began unleashing targeted strikes and applying pressure to Kalisto’s back.

The combination of Rush’s speed and aggression helped him retain momentum and counter Kalisto’s attempts to counter. However, feeding off the energy of the WWE Universe – and being well aware of what was at stake – Kalisto fought back, delivering a series of strikes before dumping Rush to the outside.

Despite two devastating kicks from The Man of the Hour that could have ended the contest, Kalisto countered a potential Final Hour and delivered a jaw-dropping flipping bodyslam from the top rope. Preparing to secure victory, Kalisto attempted the Salida del Sol but Rush countered, growing frustrated when the Lucha Dragon kicked out of a pinfall.

They continued to battle back and forth with both Superstars executing high impact maneuvers, resulting in Kalisto falling to the outside and barely making a 10-count. Increasingly angry, Rush ascended the ropes for The Final Hour but was distracted by Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik using their noise makers at ringside. Focusing on the other members of The Lucha House Party proved to be a critical error for Rush, as Kalisto had plenty of time to recover and successfully execute The Salida del Sol to secure his spot in the Fatal 4-Way at Royal Rumble.