WWE 205 Live Recap (3/19): Alexander Faces Nese In Tournament Finals, Kanellis Takes On Tozawa

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General Manager Drake Maverick recaps the last few weeks of 205, which includes the results of the championship tournament he set to determine a new cruiserweight title challenger for Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania. The final two competitors, Cedric Alexander and Tony Nese, will meet in the evening's main event.

205 Live Intro song.

Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, and Aiden English welcome us to another exciting hour of 205 Live. They take another look at the championship brackets, before hyping up the tournament finals in the main event.

Mike Kanellis, along with wife Maria, is out for our first bout of the evening. Last week Drake Maverick hinted to Kanellis that he doesn't have too many chances left to remain in the division if he loses again. Maria gets on the microphone and calls her husband the greatest wrestler in the world. She then calls the crowd lazy and disrespectful for giving zero reaction to Kanellis. She promises that her husband will prove Maverick, and everyone attendance wrong.

Akira Tozawa comes out.

Mike Kanellis versus Akira Tozawa

Tie-up. Waist-lock and takedown from Tozawa. Kanellis gets to the ropes and yells at the ref to get Tozawa off of him. Second tie-up...back-and-forth struggle...Kanellis pushes Tozawa into the corner and the ref has to break the two men up again. Kanellis surprises Tozawa with a kick to the gut before they grapple again. Quick sequence of covers from both men...Tozawa takes advantage with a PK, followed by a jumping senton. Clothesline sends Kanellis to the outside. Tozawa goes for his suicide dive but Kanellis cuts him off with a superkick! Cover but Tozawa kicks out with ease.

Kanellis wears Tozawa down with stomps to the corner plus a vertical suplex right in the center of the ring. Tozawa lands a few elbows but Kanellis slows him down with a reverse elbow of his own. Rear chinlock from Kanellis. Tozawa breaks the hold...Kanellis makes him pay with a clubbing forearm to the back of the head. Tozawa chains together a frankensteiner and a shining wizard. He climbs...missile dropkick from Tozawa. Pinfall attempt...Kanellis kicks out at two. Tozawa catches Kanellis with an octopus stretch submission right in the middle of the ring...Kanellis overpowers Tozawa and slams him to the mat. Both men are down.

Kanellis and Tozawa trade strikes in the center of the ring. Tozawa drops Kanellis with his fake-out haymaker. Kanellis fires right back with a pop-u spinebuster. Tozawa gets a shoulder up on the pinfall. Kanellis climbs the middle-rope...Tozawa meets him with a thrusting pump kick. Tozawa climbs and goes for a superplex...instead Kanellis picks up Tozawa in a firemans carry and drops Tozawa with a Metalik Driver. Kanellis with the cover...Tozawa kicks out! Kanellis is frustrated, he walks over to Maria who tells him to finish Tozawa. Kanellis goes for his finisher but Tozawa evades landing a trouble in paradise! He goes to climb for the senton but Maria distracts him! Tozawa goes to the other side...senton but Kanellis gets the knees up! Cross-Rhodes! Kanellis gets the win.

Mike Kanellis wins by pinfall

Commentary gives Kanellis credit for finally securing a big victory.

Backstage Cedric Alexander is interviewed. He says he feels confident because last year at this very same time he was also in the tournament finals, and that led him to becoming champion. Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese roll up. Nese says that he's a different man, and more competitive then he's ever been. Murphy berates Alexander...stating that he was once a champion, but he couldn't stay champion. Alexander plays Murphy and Nese against each other. Alexander claims that Murphy doesn't believe Nese can win...and that frightens him. Alexander leaves, and Nese and Murphy remain friendly...for now.

Commercial for NXT.

Commentary tells us that next week will be a six-man tag bout between the Lucha House Party and Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, and Humberto Carrillo.

Main event time! Tony Nese is out first...followed by Cedric Alexander.

Cedric Alexander versus Tony Nese Championship Tournament Finals

Tie-up. Alexander takes early advantage with a waist-lock. Hammerlock by Nese. He brings Alexander to the mat by applying pressure to the wrist. Alexander pops up and reverses the pressure. Nese drops to his back and kicks up to break the hold...he follows up with an arm-drag and maintains pressure on the arm. Alexander escapes but walks right into another arm-drag. Nese rolls Alexander up in the corner...Alexander breaks free and rolls Nese up in the crucifix pin...Nese escapes. Staredown.

On the second exchange, Nese with a single-leg takedown and goes right back to the arm he was targeting earlier. Alexander forces him into the corner and the referee gets in between them. Irish-whip from Alexander...Nese answers with an elbow. Headscissor attempt from Alexander...Nese blocks it...dropkick from Nese. Back to the arm. Alexander hits his signature headscissor and dropkick combo. Nese kicks out at one during the pin. Big chop sends Nese to the mat. Another from Alexander. Headlock applied. Alexander bounces off the ropes but Nese trips him up...he goes for his springboard moonsault but Alexander dodges it. Basement dropkick right to the back of Nese's head. Crowd soley behind Alexander.

Nese retakes control of the match with a three hit combo, but charges Alexander in the corner and gets hit with a dropkick to his knee. Alexander goes for a punt from the apron, but Nese has it scouted, ties Alexander up in the ropes, and kicks out his leg dropping Alexander right on the back of his neck. Alexander avoids the ten-count, but walks right into a big chop from Nese. Nese lays into Alexander with kicks to the chest, followed by a running forearm. He wears Alexander down with a head crank. Alexander gets to his feet to break the hold...he misses a spinning elbow...Nese takes advantage with a northern-lights suplex with cover. Alexander kicks out. Nese goes right back to work on the neck...leg-drop. Headlock. Nese has the hold applied for a good amount of time. Alexander slips out and hits a pair of dropkicks, one to the chest, and one to the head. Both men down.

Crowd begins a "let's go Cedric" chant. It motivates Alexander...he lands the reverse elbow and neuralizer in succession. Alexander follows that up with his signature step-through flatliner. He goes for the pin, but Nese gets a shoulder up. Lumbar-check attempt...Nese counters and goes for a pumhandle-slam...Alexander blocks the first attempt but eventually Nese hits a sit-out version of it. Both men end up on the apron...Nese with a head kick that drapes Alexander through the middle-rope...Nese nails him with the springboard moonsault! Alexander JUST kicks out on the pin attempt. Alexander crawls to the corner...Nese goes for the running knee but Alexander baited him in...Michinoku driver! Nese escapes the pin. Alexander goes to the apron...he goes for a springboard maneuver but Nese surprises him with an open-palm strike! They both climb to the top for a superplex attempt...they both fall and hit the apron HARD. Referee begins his count...they both beat it at the last second.

Both men taunting and screaming at each other....brawl begins. Each man destroying each other with stiff shots...they both go for a superkick but their legs get caught...spin kick from Nese...Alexander follows up with a strike that drops Nese...SUPERKICK. NESE GETS A SHOULDER UP. Alexander puts Nese in the corner...big knife edged chop. He puts Nese up on the top for another superpex...Nese falls to the apron and knocks Alexander off. Nese back in the ring...suicide dive! He throws Alexander back in...Nese climbs...450! Alexander gets a shoulder up! Nese starts stomping Nese down in the corner...he goes for the running knee....Alexander with a spanish-fly! LUMBAR CHECK! NESE KICKS OUT! CROWD IS ON THEIR FEET. Alexander can't believe it. Nese rolls Alexander up! Kick out! Nese catches Alexander with a knee! Alexander falls into the corner...RUNNING KNEE. NESE GETS THE WIN.

Tony Nese wins by pinfall and will face Buddy Murphy at Wrestlemania for the cruiserweight championship

Crowd chants "that was awesome." Alexander gets to his feet and shakes Nese's hand in respect. Nese accepts it. Highlights of the bout are shown.

The champ's music hits. He walks to the ring carrying the belt. Murphy congratulates his friend Nese and holds his arm up. With Nese's back turned...Murphy hits a running thrust knee! He stands over Nese and holds the title up.

That's the show friends.