WWE Worlds Collide results, April 17, 2019: Brand pride is on the line as Devlin fights Tozawa
205 Live, NXT and NXT UK’s top athletes weighing 205 pounds and less faced off in brand vs. brand matches showcasing WWE’s cutting-edge Cruiserweight division. Capping off a night full of high-octane action, former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa went to war with the brash Irish Ace of NXT UK, Jordan Devlin.
NXT UK's Tyler Bate aims to upend 205 Live veteran The Brian Kendrick in a Cruiserweight showcase. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — It was a battle of youth versus experience as 22-year-old Tyler Bate collided with 20-year veteran The Brian Kendrick. The match opened with a respectful handshake, but by the time Kendrick resorted to an illegal eye poke, it became clear that Bate would have to fight fire with fire if he hoped to keep up with the sage former Cruiserweight Champion.
Luckily, Textbook Tyler is a fast learner. Bate gave Kendrick a taste of his own medicine, poking Kendrick’s eyes when the opportunity presented itself. Yet, it took much more than blurry vision to put away The Man with a Plan. Kendrick thwarted Bate’s first two attempts at hitting the Tyler Driver ’97, and as the action intensified, he clamped on the Captain’s Hook.
The Big Strong Boi muscled out of Kendrick’s signature hold and set off a rapid-fire exchange of strikes that culminated with a rebound clothesline by the NXT UK Superstar. Refusing to let Kendrick recover, Bate acted quickly, packing The Man with a Plan into a ball and finally dropping him with the Tyler Driver ’97 for the win.
Looking to capitalize on their recent success on 205 Live, Ariya Daivari & Mike Kanellis formed a potent combination against the more experienced duo of NXT UK’s Flash Morgan Webster and the returning Mark Andrews. Daivari & Kanellis used quick tags, hard knockdowns and clever ring positioning to keep the pressure on The Modfather, but Andrews changed the complexion of the match once he tagged in.
Together, the Welsh high-flyers unleashed innovative double-team moves, including taking to the air with simultaneous tope con hilos that elicited “This is awesome!” chants from the WWE Universe. A late-match miscommunication between Kanellis and The Persian Lion, in which Kanellis accidentally superkicked his teammate, wound up being the last nail in the coffin. After that slipup, Webster clobbered Kanellis with a headbutt, Andrews snapped off a Stundog Millionaire and Webster landed a top-rope Swanton onto Kanellis’ back to claim the pinfall victory.
WWE Worlds Collide photos for April 17, 2019, featuring action-packed inter-brand matches with Cruiserweights from 205 Live, NXT UK and NXT.
NXT UK, 205 Live and NXT are each represented in this fast-paced Triple Threat Match at WWE Worlds Collide. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
NXT UK’s Ligero, 205 Live’s Gran Metalik and debuting NXT Superstar Albert Hardie Jr. were cautious at the outset of their Triple Threat Match, and for good reason: As if the Triple Threat Match rules — which all but guaranteed a nonstop free-for-all — weren’t already daunting enough, the three Superstars were also competing against each other for the very first time in a WWE ring.
The feeling-out process eventually gave way to a frenetic donnybrook that moved a mile a minute. Metalik flew off and over the ropes with one aerial attack after another. Hardie teed off with knife-edge chops against both opponents, leaving Ligero’s chest beet-red by the end. Meanwhile, the luchador from Leeds, England, wisely broke up a pin attempt after Metalik stuffed Hardie with the Metalik Driver.
The action ratcheted up even more as the match raced into its climatic final moments. After a deadlift German suplex to Ligero failed to secure a three-count, Hardie ran up the ropes and flipped head over heels to deliver a Flash Kick to Gran Metalik just as The King of Ropes was preparing to take flight. The breathtaking move was highlight-reel material, and it succeeded in knocking Metalik to the floor, but it also left Hardie exposed. Moments later, with Metalik still recovering on the floor, Ligero caught the NXT rookie with a Tornado DDT from which there was no coming back.
Former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa battles The Irish Ace in a brutally hard-hitting inter-brand showdown. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa had the clear support of the WWE Universe in his battle against NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin, as The Stamina Monster’s fans mimicked his patented war cry throughout the contest. The shouts of encouragement propelled Tozawa in the early going, but Devlin shut down the Japanese Superstar by slamming him back-first into the steel guardrail and the ring apron. For the remainder of the match, The Irish Ace stayed dialed in on Devlin’s lumbar.
Tozawa, however, is nothing if not resilient. He twice signaled for his top-rope senton splash, but Devlin twice got out of harm’s way as if his life depended on it. Even after Devlin twice evaded his top-rope senton splash, the Japanese Superstar stayed on the attack. Tozawa bested Devlin in a vicious exchange of strikes, folded him in half with a snap German suplex and, finally, took flight on his third attempt at the senton.
There was one major problem with Tozawa’s otherwise flawless plan: Devlin got his knees up, ensuring a painful landing for the 205 Live Superstar, especially considering the damage that had already been done to Tozawa’s spine. The Irish Ace then added one last, painful touch, trashing Tozawa with a vertebrae-crunching Saito Suplex en route to victory.
