WWE 205 Live Results – Jan. 3, 2017 – Neville vs. Perkins

WWE 205 Live Results
January 3, 2017
Jacksonville, Florida
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, Austin Aries
Results via wwe.com

Tajiri def. Sean Maluta

In his WWE 205 Live debut, Tajiri let the Cruiserweight division know what he’s all about at the expense of Sean Maluta. With a career spanning more than two decades, The Japanese Buzzsaw was sure to make an impressive statement in his first Cruiserweight match since the Cruiserweight Classic.

Regardless of Tajiri’s reputation, Maluta – trained by The Wild Samoan Afa – was not going down without a fight. Although Maluta tried to exercise a strength advantage against Tajiri, The Japanese Buzzsaw’s speed and experience were too much for his opponent. Following a sequence of powerful Buzzsaw kicks, Tajiri picked up his first victory on WWE 205 Live.

Following the contest, Tajiri was confronted by The Brian Kendrick. Welcoming Tajiri as a fellow pioneer of the Cruiserweight division, Kendrick seemed elated to see the former Cruiserweight and Lightweight Champion. Extending his hand in alliance, Kendrick was rebuked as Tajiri spit his trademark green mist in Kendrick’s face.

Jack Gallagher def. Tony Nese via Disqualification

With his tag team partner Drew Gulak at ringside, Tony Nese looked to build on the duo’s momentum in recent weeks by scoring a victory against Jack Gallagher. Both Nese and Gulak have recently picked up wins against Cedric Alexander, using Alexander’s girlfriend Alicia Fox to their advantage.

Despite his combination of strength and speed, “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese initially had some difficulty managing Gallagher’s very unorthodox in-ring style. “The Extraordinary Gentleman” displayed his uncanny ability to escape from various holds and weather a flurry of powerful strikes.

After knocking Nese out of the ring, Ariya Daivari attacked Gallagher from behind, taking down his nemesis with a strike to the knee. Relentlessly attacking Gallagher, Daivari sought revenge for being embarrassed in the inaugural Gentleman’s Duel last week on WWE 205 Live.

Mustafa Ali def. Noam Dar

Looking to build on the positivity of his victory in his hometown of Chicago last week, Mustafa Ali faced Noam Dar in a highly competitive match.

Dar and Ali put on a clinic of speed and agility on WWE 205 Live. However, “The Scottish Supernova” gained an advantage in the contest, targeting Ali’s arm and effectively focusing his offense. Displaying a great deal of resilience, Ali battled through the pain and relied on his speed to stop Dar’s momentum. The back and forth contest continued as Dar maintained his attacks on Ali’s arm. Charging at his opponent, Dar was taken down with a kick to the jaw, followed by a gravity-defying Inverted 450 Splash executed by Ali for the win.

Although defeated, in a post-match interview Dar didn’t seem to be fazed by the loss. Instead, he remained focused on winning the heart of Cedric Alexander’s girlfriend, Alicia Fox.

Neville def. TJ Perkins

Last week on Raw, Neville defeated TJ Perkins in singles competition. However, after challenging “The King of the Cruiserweights” to a second match on WWE 205 Live, Perkins was poised to stop Neville’s ascension to the Cruiserweight throne. Perkins was also fighting on behalf of his friend, Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann, who was defeated by Neville last week and taken out of action following a post-match attack.

Refusing to shake Neville’s hand, Perkins and his opponent circled each other, testing the waters, trying to find the right opening. Perkins enjoyed an advantage early-on, relying on his own agility and flashiness inside the squared circle, sending Neville to the outside to recalibrate. That time to regroup was all Neville needed to flex his aggressive muscles on his opponent and gain momentum.

Countering a jaw-dropping maneuver by “The King of the Cruiserweights,” Perkins allowed Neville no time to regroup, regaining the edge in the highly-competitive battle. A handful of high risk moves followed by near-falls made Perkins the closest Superstar to defeat Neville.

Neville’s strength, speed and resilience proved to be too much for Perkins. After an intense struggle on the top-rope, Neville executed a crushing superplex to secure the win.