Looking for a true challenge in his first bout since successfully defending the WWE Cruiserweight Championship after WrestleMania in a rematch against Buddy Murphy – and with an upcoming title fight with Ariya Daivari on the horizon – Tony Nese battled his former best friend and tag team partner Drew Gulak. The Premier Athlete defeated Gulak in the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, but Gulak believed that to be a fluke and wanted to prove it.
As the opening bell sounded, it was clear both Superstars were quite familiar with one another. However, the champion countered Gulak’s technical-based style with raw power and speed to keep The Philadelphia Stretcher on defense.
Resilient and ruthless, Gulak retaliated, took the battle back into the ring and once again asserted his ground-based dominance. Despite Gulak’s offense, the champion’s speed proved to be a too much for the submission specialist. Gulak again showed off his pure aggression, slamming Nese into the apron before methodically working to dismantle his former friend.
The Premier Athlete unleashed his aggression on Gulak, tossing him into the ring post and fan barricade before suplexing him onto the arena floor. The Philadelphia Stretcher remained resilient and stayed in the fight, nearly securing victory following a super gut-buster off the top rope.
With tensions mounting, Gulak began mercilessly slapping the champion, but that only fueled the fire inside of The Premier Athlete. Nese, however, missed a 450 splash, which allowed The Philadelphia Stretcher to apply the Gulock.
After escaping the deadly submission hold, Nese seized the opportunity to drop Gulak into the corner with a German suplex, thus allowing him to execute the Running Nese for the win.