WWE Superstars Win Their Debut Matches On 205 Live
This week's WWE 205 Live episode on Peacock and the WWE Network saw two new WWE Superstars win their debut matches.
Ari Sterling defeated Samir Singh in singles action, while Ikemen Jiro teamed with August Grey to defeat Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari.
Sterling won his match using a unique front-flip face slam to get the pin. Jiro wrestled with his jacket on during the match. Grey noted that Ikemen translates to "handsome" and due to Jiro's belief that handsome men wear jackets, he wore his while competing. The finish saw Jiro pin Nese after a kick to the face.
Jiro and Sterling were both announced as members of the December 2020 WWE Performance Center Class, the same group that featured WWE NXT Tag Team Champions MSK and NXT Superstar Tyler Rust. Jiro was known as Sojiru "Ikemen" Higuchi before coming to WWE. He was trained by former WWE Superstar Tajiri, and has competed for AJPW and Wrestle-1 in Japan. Sterling (Alex Brandenburg) was known as Alex Zayne on the indies. He's been wrestling for 15 years and has worked for promotions like ROH, GCW and Black Label Pro.
Sterling tweeted after the win and thanked everyone for the support.
"Honestly there's no way for me to find the words to thank everyone for the incredible support, from my day one homies to my one day peeps, thank you for every single time you've shown love. I promise it's mutual [folded hands emoji] [purple heart emoji] [orange heart emoji]," he wrote.
Jiro also tweeted after the match and gave thanks.
He wrote, "Thank you for world prowrestling funs!!Thank you WWE!! My debut match is over. From now on, I will continue to run in the WWE. This is IKEMEN JIRO!! #WWE #WWENXT #205live"
Stay tuned for more. Below are the full tweets from Sterling and Jiro, plus photos and videos from their debut matches on 205 Live:
Get up close and personal with NEW #205Live Superstar Ari Sterling. @AlexZayne pic.twitter.com/7OXWTN64cH
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
Ari Sterling definitely has our attention. ๐ #205Live @AlexZayne @BollywoodBoyz pic.twitter.com/vYQKu1w6zH
โ WWE Network (@WWENetwork) May 8, 2021
#AriSterling makes his #205Live debut tonight! Could Samir Singh of the @BollywoodBoyz keep up with "the sauce"? pic.twitter.com/vkYJhGKhlQ
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
Be your own biggest fan. Welcome to #205Live, @IkemenJiro_wwe! #205Live @AugustGreyWWE pic.twitter.com/fOpw2e3ata
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
He'd like to keep it on, please. #205Live @IkemenJiro_wwe @AugustGreyWWE pic.twitter.com/xkYiVXNv9d
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
.@IkemenJiro_wwe is here in #205Live as he teams with his friend @AugustGreyWWE! Can @AriyaDaivariWWE & @TonyNese handle the electricity he brings to the ring?! pic.twitter.com/60IujHTwqE
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
.@IkemenJiro_wwe is becoming a quick fan favorite of the @WWEUniverse! #205Live @AriyaDaivariWWE @TonyNese pic.twitter.com/j3dJcM10qC
โ WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2021
TWO debuts. TWO successful victories.
@IkemenJiro_wwe & @AugustGreyWWE defeat @AriyaDaivariWWE & @TonyNese in tonight's #205Live main event! pic.twitter.com/CJjaOuwQkY
โ WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2021
Honestly there's no way for me to find the words to thank everyone for the incredible support, from my day one homies to my one day peeps, thank you for every single time you've shown love. I promise it's mutual ๐๐๐งก pic.twitter.com/XHjaI5TAui
โ Alex Zayne โ ใขใฌใใฏในใปใผใคใณ (@AlexZayneSauce) May 7, 2021
Thank you for world prowrestling funs!!Thank you WWE!!
My debut match is over.
From now on, I will continue to run in the WWE.
This is IKEMEN JIRO!!#WWE #WWENXT #205live pic.twitter.com/0Rf46gyZ4v
โ ้ปๆฝฎTOKYOใธใฃใใณ (@IKEMEN__JIRO) May 8, 2021