Mustafa Ali and Tony Nese kick into high gear for a title opportunity

The Brian Kendrick seeks retribution against his former protégé Gentleman Jack Gallagher after he was attacked by Gallagher and Drew Gulak last month.

Last month, Drew Gulak and Gentleman Jack Gallagher attacked their ally, The Brian Kendrick, believing the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion has lost his edge. The Man With a Plan struck back weeks later, saving his longtime nemesis Akira Tozawa from an assault at the hands of Gulak and Gallagher.

Kendrick stared down his former protégé, and it was evident that there was no love lost between him and Gallagher. As Drew Gulak joined the commentary team, Gallagher slapped Kendrick, resulting in a flurry of strikes between them. As the British Superstar retreated to the outside, Kendrick gave chase. However, before The Man With a Plan could continue to mount his offense, a distraction from Gulak turned the tide in Gallagher’s favor. From there, Gallagher began to unleash the same cruelty that he and Kendrick once took pleasure in dishing out to their opponents.

As Gallagher maintained control, Drew Gulak explained that he did not come between the two Superstars. Instead, The Philadelphia Stretcher explained his frustration that Kendrick did not return from his injuries more aggressive and opined that he saw it as weakness.

With the WWE Universe rallying in his favor, Kendrick taunted Gallagher and took a good amount of punishment before mounting a counterstrike and creating frustration for his opponent. Kendrick trapped his former ally in the Captain’s Hook, but Gallagher regained his composure and applied his own submission hold, but to no avail.

Charging forward, Gallagher missed a running dropkick, allowing Kendrick to deliver a superkick that laid out the British Superstar. Sensing Gallagher’s impending defeat, Gulak moved into position to attack Kendrick but was stopped by Akira Tozawa. As a result, Kendrick executed Sliced Bread No. 2 for the victory.

After the win, Tozawa stood in support of his longtime rival against their common enemies.

After TJP turned down Gran Metalik's challenge, The King of the Ropes battles a local competitor and makes his case for why The Cruisergreat refused the potential matchup.

Hoping to face TJP, Gran Metalik took to social media to challenge The Cruisergreat to a match. TJP declined, citing his victory against The King of the Ropes in the Cruiserweight Classic as the reason why he didn’t have anything to prove. After calling his nemesis a “coward,” Metalik instead turned his attention to a local competitor.

Despite an early offensive from his opponent, Metalik quickly rebounded, showing off his incredible agility and lucha ability. Wasting no time – and clearly sending a message to TJP – The King of the Ropes took down his opponent before hitting a high-impact elbow drop for the win.

As Metalik celebrated his victory, TJP attacked from behind. Kalisto and Lince Dorado rushed to the ring to help their comrade, but The Cruisergreat ripped off Metalik’s mask and escaped through the WWE Universe.

Mustafa Ali and Tony Nese square off to determine who will challenge Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

Following Mustafa Ali’s impressive victory against Hideo Itami last week, WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick decided that Ali and Tony Nese – who pinned former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander two weeks in a row – would battle to determine current Buddy Murphy’s next challenger. Earlier in the evening, Maverick explained to Alexander that Ali and Nese earned their opportunities because they are at the height of the competition in WWE 205 Live, while The Soul of WWE 205 Live needs to refocus and return to his winning ways.

Still feeling the effects of his brutal Falls Count Anywhere Match with Itami, Ali entered the contest with a bandaged elbow and ribs. The Premier Athlete wasted no time taking advantage of Ali’s injuries, immediately focusing on the ribs and showcasing his strength. The ever-resilient Ali didn’t remain on defense for long, using his uncanny speed to counter Nese’s advances and force him from the ring.

Battling through the pain, Ali dove over the top to flatten Nese. However, The Premier Athlete caught Ali and delivered a fallaway slam onto the entrance ramp. With momentum back in his favor, Nese methodically attacked, using his strength to deliver targeted and merciless attacks to The Heart of WWE 205 Live’s ribs.

Slowing the pace, Nese again focused his attacks on Ali’s ribs. Adding insult to injury, The Premier Athlete had enough time to taunt his opponent and showboat to the WWE Universe. However, that arrogance backfired as Nese prepared to execute a high-risk move, but his taunting gave Ali an opening to pull him off the top rope. Although The Premier Athlete briefly stopped Ali’s offense, The Heart of WWE 205 Live maintained control by delivering an impressive powerbomb.

Thinking he had the victory after a gut-buster off the top rope, Nese was visibly frustrated after Ali kicked out of the pinfall. Irate, The Premier Athlete attacked his opponent with ferocity, pulling Ali’s bandages and kicking his ribs. As the official intervened, Nese was distracted, which allowed Ali to score a pinfall.

Unsatisfied with the result, Nese approached Ali after the match, ready to attack, but Cedric Alexander charged to the ring to chase off The Premier Athlete before helping Ali to his feet.

With his title opportunity solidified, Ali was then confronted by the WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy, who sneered at The Heart of 205 Live from the entranceway and showed no fear whatsoever in the face of his impending challenger.