205 Live (July 31, 2018)

The July 31, 2018 Edition of 205 Live is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE, which took place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on July 31, 2018.
==Summary==
After their last meeting ended in a brawl that involved Buddy Murphy and the other members of The Lucha House Party, Kalisto and Tony Nese decided to battle without their allies at ringside. Riding high following a tag team victory last week, Kalisto was certainly poised to keep that focus and silence The Premier Athlete once and for all.
Locking up, Nese immediately used his power advantage by tossing Kalisto to the mat with ease and shoving away an offensive flurry. Despite using his speed to try and outwit The Premier Athlete, Kalisto was unable to counter the sheer strength of his opponent.
Nese remained dominant, countering The Lucha Dragon's attempts to fly high and take control. Focusing his attacks on his opponent's abdomen, The Premier Athlete maintained pressure in relentless fashion, impressively stopping Kalisto's agility with his own. After slamming Kalisto to the mat, Nese took a moment to showboat, giving the former Cruiserweight Champion the reprieve he needed to fight back.
As they tussled back and forth, Nese tweaked his knee following a high-risk move attempt that allowed Kalisto to score a near-fall. Reeling from the intense battle, both competitors again exchanged moves and counters with Nese scoring a near-fall of his own. Frustrated by missing the three-count, Nese slowly turned his attention back to his opponent after arguing with the official but was captured by the Salida del Sol, allowing Kalisto to pick up the win.
After the match, Nese's ally Buddy Murphy confronted the former Cruiserweight Champion and was prepared to decimate him outside the ring. However, Lince Dorado charged to the ring and helped Kalisto fend off The Juggernaut of WWE 205 Live.
Following a string of impressive victories after his WWE 205 Live debut, Lio Rush turned his attention to former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa. When the two faced off, The Man of the Hour confronted his most daunting challenge, but he shocked the WWE Universe by emerging victorious.
Tozawa refused to go quietly, and after defeating Gentleman Jack Gallagher last week on WWE 205 Live, requested a rematch. Although WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick is taking the match under consideration, Rush has shown little interest in facing Tozawa again. Addressing the WWE Universe before his match, Rush explained why Tozawa didn't deserve a second match. Addressing his opponent Ricky Martinez, Rush believed that he could put up a better fight than Tozawa.
As the match got underway, Martinez was ready for The Man of the Hour's speed, using his size advantage to gain an early advantage. However, Rush quickly turned on his afterburners and used his incredible speed to take down Martinez. After a series of high-impact strikes, Rush ascended the ropes and executed the Final Hour for the win.
Following Rush's victory, Tozawa made his way to the ring ready for a fight. However, The Man of the Hour quickly left as The Stamina Monster entered the ring. Rush waved off his rival and made his way back to the locker room.
Setting out to prove his is indeed a fighting champion despite Drew Gulak's assertions to the contrary, Alexander faced the daunting challenge of former Cruiserweight Champion and veteran The Brian Kendrick. Hoping to send a message by defeating Gulak's ally, Alexander was fully aware that Kendrick is a relentless and dangerous technician and must that he must be wary of suffering any damage with only weeks until SummerSlam.
The Soul of WWE 205 Live refused to back down early in the match, breaking free of Kendrick's advances and holds by using his own unique skillset of speed and power. The WWE Cruiserweight Champion remained focused and maintained a dominant advantage against his opponent, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. However, as Alexander's momentum reached its peak, Drew Gulak made his way to the ring. The distraction allowed Kendrick to roll to the outside and under the ring apron.
As Alexander went to retrieve The Man With a Plan, Kendrick pulled him into ringside before tossing him into the steel steps. As Gulak joined the commentary team, Kendrick began to unleash his rage on the champion. Combining his technical ability with hard-hitting strikes, Kendrick left Alexander reeling and on defense. As they exchanged blows in the center of the ring, The Soul of WWE 205 Live began to regain his composure, hitting Sliced Bread No. 2 and flattening his opponent on the outside.
Showing the resilience that helped earn him the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Alexander continued to strike, scoring several near-falls as Gulak grew increasingly frustrated. Desperate to regain control, Kendrick pulled the champion out of the ring before masterfully applying the Captain's Hook as Alexander reentered.
Refusing to give up, Alexander barely made it to the ropes to break the hold. Frustrated, Kendrick attempted his signature maneuver a second time but was countered, bringing the battle back to a stalemate.
Kendrick and Alexander continued to exchanged strikes and counters, and The Man With a Plan hit a near-perfect superkick. With Kendrick attempting to capitalize and again execute Sliced Bread No. 2, Alexander countered and nailed his opponent with the Lumbar Check for the win.
As Alexander celebrated in the ring, Gulak confronted the champion. This allowed Gulak's other ally, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, to level Alexander. As Gulak, Gallagher and Kendrick prepared to attack Alexander, WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick charged into the ring, forcing the aggressors to retreat or else Gulak would lose his SummerSlam opportunity.
==Results==
;
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*Kalisto defeated Tony Nese (7:30)
*Lio Rush defeated Ricky Martinez (1:10)
*Cedric Alexander defeated The Brian Kendrick (12:20)
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Vic Joseph
*Nigel McGuinness
*Percy Watson
;Ring announcer
*Greg Hamilton	
;Referees
*Danilo Anfibio
*Darryl Sharma
*D.A. Brewer
==Image Gallery==
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==See also==
*205 Live
==External links==
* 205 Live #88 at CAGEMATCH.net
* 205 Live #88 at WWE.com
* 205 Live #88 on WWE Network
Category:2018 events