Old North Banter: Pre-Survior Series Smackdown Amazes
205 Live
Once the two-hour Smackdown show ended, 205 Live began following an announcement of the main event match between Styles and Mahal at the conclusion. The cruiserweight show teased Kalisto’s birthday celebration throughout the show, and the payoff at the end was less than impressive.
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Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick
The first match of the night saw another hometown hero taste victory in the Queen City. Charlotte native Cedric Alexander and his tag team partner Rich Swann won over Gentleman Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick in a Tornado Tag Team match. Though all four competitors fought at once, the action always maintained a strong focus. The best part of the match came when Gallagher and Kendrick had Alexander and Swann both locked. Alexander appeared to pass out, but when the referee lifted his Cedric’s arm, Swann prevented Alexander’s arm from touching the mat, which would have ended the match. Both Gallagher and Kendrick locked Swann after that moment, but Alexander recovered to break up the submission hold. After strong back-and-forth swings, the match finally ended with Alexander hitting Kendrick with a “Lumbar Check” to secure the pinfall win.
Mustafa Ali vs. Ariya Daivari
Before the next fight, Ariya Daivari came out in support of Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, who will defend his title at Survivor Series against Kalisto. After a few minutes of Daivari giving a strong performance as a heel, his opponent Mustafa Ali interrupted and told him he looked stupid in his attire.
Once the match officially started, some humor was thrown in as Ali relieved Daivari of his expensive-looking jacket and tried it on. Both men fought hard, and despite this level getting less attention than the opposing, main-roster brands, the pair showed off some of the best wrestling in the business. The best example of this is Ali’s finisher that put Daivari away: the “Inverted 450 Splash.”
Kalisto vs. Drew Gulak
Kalisto’s birthday celebrations finally kicked off as Amore and Drew Gulak came out with balloons and a large cake. Showcasing some of the best mic work in the WWE, Amore “celebrated” the luchador’s special day but lamented the fact that the pair had no presents for him. As recompense, Amore offered a beatdown at Gulak’s hands as his present. After that, Kalisto entered the ring to duke it out with Gulak.
With the birthday cake ringside, Gulak and Kalisto’s fight teased a collision into the cake the entire time. Gulak even got into the spirit of the occasion by singing “Happy Birthday” to Kalisto after subduing him momentarily. However, Kalisto finished him off shortly after with a “Salida Del Sol” to take the win. The show ended with Amore evading retaliation from Kalisto and escaping into the back. After a brief interview, Amore turned his attention to a second cake. Suddenly, Kalisto appeared and slammed him into the cake and threw some of it at him before walking off to end the show.