Curt Stallion def. Ariya Daivari
If you’re hoping to score a victory against either Ariya Daivari or Tony Nese, then you’d better be prepared for a two-on-one fight.
Case in point: Curt Stallion was constantly forced to deal with Nese’s meddling during a seesaw battle against Daivari, but the rookie persevered by knocking Nese off the apron with a savage headbutt, ducking a Hammerlock Lariat from Daivari and rolling up The Persian Prince to score a most improbable victory.
When the match spilled to ringside in the early goings, Nese took a break from his guest commentator duties to begin jaw-jacking with Stallion, giving Daivari the chance to blindside the 205 Live newcomer with a savage blow to the back of the head.
Stallion came within an eyelash of the victory when he caught The Persian Lion with a trio of kicks and a thunderous DDT, but Daivari kicked out just in the nick of time. Moments later, Stallion showed off his own resilience by kicking out of a picture-perfect Persian Splash and following up with an innovative backbreaker and a double stomp for a long two-count.
That’s when Nese, who defeated Stallion in controversial fashion last week, hopped onto the apron and received a headbutt to the dome for his troubles.
After Stallion’s rollup victory and quick exit from the ring, a dumbfounded Daivari and Nese stared daggers through their newfound rival.
Mansoor and The Brian Kendrick def. Ever-Rise
A backstage confab quickly turned heated when The Brian Kendrick and Mansoor were confronted by the always boisterous Ever-Rise. Chase Parker and Matt Martel accused Kendrick of being “okay with losing” and criticized him for shaking Mansoor’s hand after being defeated by him last week. Kendrick fired back by daring Ever-Rise to face himself and Mansoor in a tag bout, a challenge which was quickly accepted.
Trash-talking reached a seismic level before and during the bout, though Mansoor and Kendrick showed impressive chemistry in their first outing as partners, as they made several crafty tags and took down their opponents with some impressive double-team maneuvers, including a double suplex to Parker.