WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
NEVILLE (c) vs. TJ PERKINS
It looks like the mentorship is officially over, as TJ Perkins goes right after the champion, who shuts him down and brutally launches him all over the ring. Perkins counters a throw and slows things down briefly with a wrist lock, and the two go into a beautiful back and forth grapple exchange. Things don’t stay calm for long, as they start shoving each other around and the champion runs through TJP with a shoulder tackle. Neville connects with a headscissors takedown, but the challenger catches him taunting and locks in a Tarantula over the ropes, stretching him out until the referee forces a break.
Neville goes insane, throwing TJP into the barricade and off the commentary table, then gets in the face of the commentators before continuing his assault on the challenger. They roll back into the ring, Perkins barely able to make the ten count, and Neville continues stomping away on him. He finally fires back in a frenzy with rights and lefts and they brawl to the floor, with TJP recovering and launching himself over the ropes with a corkscrew splash down to the floor. Back in the ring TJP hit a jawbreaker and dropped his boots right on the champ’s face, following up with a double-knee gutbuster for a very close two-and-a-half count. He called for the Detonation Kick, but Neville got into the ropes to force a break. Neville connected with a big kick to the midsection, then hit a sick facebuster to get some space. Another kick finds its mark low, then another to the chest, followed by a rolling forearm for a nearfall.
At this point Neville is infuriated that his former protege refuses to stay down. He begins just kicking away at TJP, slowly and methodically, screaming the whole time. Perkins fights back and kicks out the champion’s legs, then hits a huge dropkick to the knees to take him off his feet. Neville lights him up with a superkick out of the corner and goes up top for the REd Arrow, but Perkins rolled out of the way! He went for the Kneebar, but Neville writhed around the ring looking for any escape he could find. Eventually he finally locks in the hold, but Neville countered into the Ring of Saturn! Perkins rolled into a pin attempt, but the champion went right back into the Ring of Saturn, and this time TJP was forced to tap out.
Winner and Still Champion: Neville
