The tournament to name the Interim Cruiserweight Championship has begun, and action kicks off from the B Block as former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa faces NXT standout Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott. Swerve is on a winning streak, while Tozawa needs to refind what made him a champion after losing nearly every match in 2020, including against Austin Theory on Monday Night RAW. Who will start this tournament on the right foot?
Starting This Tournament Right
Things got going early, with Tozawa hitting the ropes and attempting a hurricarana which Swerve cartwheeled out of, before hitting a headscissors on Tozawa. Tozawa would come back with a stiff chop, starting a stand off as they traded until Tozawa sent Swerve to a knee with a jab. Swerve hit an elbow, and Tozawa sent Swerve over the top rope with a pump kick. They would trade more strikes on the apron, before Swerve would take Tozawa to the ground with a hurricarana as we went to commercial break.
Coming back, Swerve has Tozawa grounded with a submission attempting, working over the arm before moving to a camel clutch. Tozawa would fight out, before sending Swerve back to the outside to attempt a suicide dive. Swerve had this scouted, but Tozawa reacted by quickly opting for a cannonball senton off the apron instead, sending Swerve into the barricade. Both men struggled to their feet, but Tozawa got up to send Swerve in to break the 10 count before hitting a diving dropkick for a near fall. After some back and forth countering, Tozawa would lock Swerve into an Octopus Hold in the middle of the ring. The power of Swerve would come into play as he lifted Tozawa out, only to be locked in a Dragon Sleeper instead before transitioning again into a Guillotine Choke, which Swerve countered into a Brainbuster to get free.
Akira Tozawa Was In Rare Form
Swerve would attempt a driver to end the match, but Tozawa countered into a roll up for another near fall. Some quick scrambling would lead to Swerve hitting a german suplex, followed by the House Call kick to the back of the neck, with Tozawa kicking out at two. With his normal finisher not ending things, Swerve would take Tozawa to the corner and set him his pop up Michinoku Driver, only to be countered with a Mule Kick. Swerve would rush back in only to get hit with a Belly to Belly Suplex into the corner, followed by a spin kick. This assault left him in a bad position, as Tozawa hit a huge senton from the top rope to get the win.
With this victory, Akira Tozawa takes an early lead in the B Block, with Swerve falling to the back of the pack. Tozawa had one of his best showings in a long time in this match, and he very well could be the one to go the distance. Do you think this early win bodes well for Tozawa going forward? Will Swerve be able to bounce back? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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