After clashing in the Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship during Royal Rumble Kickoff, Akira Tozawa and Hideo Itami each wanted to prove they were still ripe for title contention. Looking to showcase their abilities in singles competition, the former partners had no love lost for one another. Itami has defeated Tozawa before and was looking to repeat that success.
When Itami sought advice from his ally Ariya Daivari, Tozawa attacked and took control of the match. With his own ally The Brian Kendrick looking on, The Stamina Monster remained one step ahead of his opponent until Itami countered the Senton. Rolling to the outside, Tozawa found himself on the receiving end of a brief assault from Daivari, helping to give Itami even more of an advantage.
Mounting an impressive offense, Tozawa ignored a distraction from Daivari, taking down Itami with a missile dropkick and a diving headbutt to the outside. Another assist from The Persian Lion aided Itami, but his inability to secure victory started to create frustration for the Japanese legend.
As the battle continued, Kendrick and Daivari continued to try and influence the match for their respective allies. After Daivari took out Kendrick and Itami took advantage and clobbered Tozawa, the Japanese legend attempted a basement dropkick, but Tozawa moved, causing Daivari to take the brunt of the move.
Itami’s miscalculation allowed Tozawa to execute a snap German suplex and his patented Senton for the victory.
After the match, as Kendrick and Tozawa celebrated and made their exit, Daivari appeared to help Itami to his feet, but he instead shockingly delivered a clothesline, leveling his ally.
Article source: WWE.com
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