Roderick Strong def. Ru Feng
Don’t let Roderick Strong’s hard-earned NXT Cruiserweight Championship fool you; the centerpiece of The Diamond Mine is still ready, willing and able to issue and accept challenges from competitors of every weight class.
Strong, who entered Friday’s clash with Ru Feng having won his last five matches, was pushed by the impressive newcomer, as Feng hurled the titleholder across the ring with a hip toss before blistering him with rapid-fire kicks and dropping him with a thunderous scoop slam for a two-count.
Strong, however, was surgical in his attack, meticulously picking apart Feng with kicks to the legs, stiff chops to the chest and a barrage of fists before he sealed the victory with a vicious jumping knee.
Valentina Feroz def. Erica Yan via submission
Is Valentina Feroz the queen of the new-look 205 Live?
Her early run would certainly seem to suggest so, as the energetic newcomer picked up an edge-of-your-seat win over the debuting Erica Yan to improve her record to 4-1 on the purple brand.
Yan, who hails from Shanghai, China, got rolling with a series of shoulder blocks that floored Feroz, but Feroz seamlessly transitioned from an armbar to a unique submission hold. Yan struggled to reach the ropes, but with Feroz cranking back on the hold, Yan was soon left with no choice but to tap.
Grizzled Young Veterans def. Jacket Time
They don’t call them The Grizzled Young Veterans for nothing.
Zack Gibson and James Drake took advantage of their vast experience edge (and the arrival of The Diamond Mine) against the newly formed Jacket Time to stay one step ahead of former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida and Ikemen Jiro.
Despite the loss, Kushida and Jiro showed flashes of brilliance in their first bout as a tandem, particularly when Jiro shed his jacket to make a much-needed diving tag to Kushida, and both competitors leveled their opponents with stereo baseball slides.
With Jiro potentially about to finish off Drake, however, Malcolm Bivens and The Creed Brothers hit the scene, allowing Grizzled Young Veterans to take advantage of the disruption by dropping Jiro with Ticket to Mayhem for the 1-2-3.
