The Dusty Cup features the Cruiserweight Division… and Killian Dain?

For the first time ever, 205 Live gets to be part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic! Who will leap out of the sweet sixteen into the second round?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Opening Round: El Legado del Fantasma VS The Bollywood Boyz; El Legado del Fantasma wins and advances.
• Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Opening Round: Curt Stallion & August Grey VS Drake Maverick & Killian Dain; Maverick & Dain win and advance.

PLAY BY PLAY

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Opening Round: El Legado del Fantasma VS The Bollywood Boyz!

Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza want to follow in the footsteps of Santos Escobar, and that means getting titles! But Samir & Sunil Singh want the same, so that they can shine even brighter! Will the lights, camera and Bollywood action be left on the cutting room floor by Death From Above and the Technical Assassin?

The teams sort out and Mendoza starts against Sunil. Sunil and Mendoza circle, fans rally up as they tie up, and Mendoza wrenches to a wristlock. Sunil rolls, wrenches back, but Mendoza wrenches again to wristlock. Sunil gets up, trips Mendoza up and gets a headlock. Mendoza gets up, Sunil wrenches and yanks on the arm over and over! Sunil wristlocks, Mendoza knees low and hard, then whips. Sunil reverses, Mendoza goes up and over and things speed up, Mendoza runs Sunil over! Fans fire up with Mendoza and he runs, but Sunil drops to hurdle then monkey flip! Mendoza flounders up but Sunil clotheslines him out!

Sunil dares Mendoza to come back and Mendoza does, into an arm-drag! Sunil has the arm, Mendoza fights up, but Samir tags in. The Bollywood Boyz double whip, double shoulder and double elbow! Cover, ONE, but Samir keeps on Mendoza down with an armlock. Mendoza fights up, whips free but Samir gets around to crucifix takedown! TWO, and Samir wheelbarrows to arm-drag! Another arm-drag and Samir is back on the arm! Mendoza moves around, Samir keeps on the hold, and fans rally as Mendoza fights up. Mendoza pulls hair to put Samir in the corner, Wilde tags in but runs into a drop toehold!

Samir has the arm, Wilde pulls on an ear and whips, but Samir holds on tight to wrangle Wilde down! Tag to Sunil, they whip Wilde and leap frog, to then double hip toss! Cover, TWO! Sunil wrenches, tags Samir back in and Samir hops up to drop ax handles. Wilde knees low, goes to buckle bump but Samir blocks to give the bump first! Samir ducks Mendoza’s sucker punch to punch back, but Wilde gets him for a DDT! Wilde stomps Samir, brings him up and bumps him off buckles. Tag to Mendoza, he CHOPS Samir then taunts Sunil. Mendoza runs in and clotheslines, tag to Wilde! Wilde clotheslines and tags, then Mendoza repeats the process! Double suplex! Cover, TWO!

Wilde keeps on Samir and throws him out hard! Wilde goes out, Mendoza talks trash, and Wilde bumps Samir off the announce desk! Wilde drags Samir back into the ring as fans rally up. Wilde cravats and cranks on Samir’s neck, but Samir fights up and body shots free! Wilde whips Samir hard into buckles! Tag to Mendoza, El Legado drags Samir up and double whip him to ropes. Samir kicks back, Mendoza clubs him, then a whip, but Samir reverses to send Mendoza into Wilde! Mendoza shoves Samir to the Legado corner but Samir dodges and Mendoza gets POST! Fans rally up as Samir crawls, hot tag to Sunil!

Sunil rallies on Mendoza with forearms and elbows, then a whip! And a BACK DROP on the rebound! Sunil keeps going, atomic drop and a running WINDMILL KICK! Wilde returns but Sunil DECKS him! Sunil goes out to bump Wilde off the 205 Live logo over and over! Mendoza runs out but he gets the same! Sunil puts Mendoza in, climbs up top and leaps, BIG ax handles! Cover, TWO! Escobar is ice cold as Samir tags in. Sunil hoists Mendoza up, FLYING UPPERCUT SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Mendoza is still in this but Samir throws haymakers in the corner. Samir hoists Mendoza up top, climbs, but Mendoza fights back! They brawl, Samir clubs Mendoza but Wilde anchors him!

Sunil YANKS Wilde down, tags in and then Samir SUPERPLEXES Mendoza! Sunil add the MACHO ELBOW! Cover, but Wilde breaks it! Not even the Bollywood remake of Power ‘n’ Glory could do it! Samir goes after Wilde with fury, then whips, only for Wilde to send him into steel steps! The ref reprimands but Mendoza gets Sunil with a FLIPPING DRIVER! Tag to Wilde, Electric Chair FLYING CODE BREAKER! Then the ENZIGURI LEG SWEEP! Cover, and Mendoza intercepts Samir, El Legado wins!

Winners: El Legado del Fantasma, by pinfall (advance to the second round)

Wilde and Mendoza make Escobar very proud, but this was just the opening round. Will Legado del Fantasma grow even stronger as the Dusty Classic continues?

Drake Maverick and Killian Dain make final preparations.

Maverick pins up the doodle of him and Dain, only for Dain to pull it back down. Dain puts on his wrist and hand tape, so Maverick does the same. Dain asks why he keeps mirroring him? Maverick says it’s 2021, a new year, a new look as they’re now matching. Look, Maverick’s a denim jeans guy now! Dain wants Maverick to promise him he fixed the music. He did! The new theme has a lot of rock to open, Dain is satisfied. Will Dain do the dance if they win? No. Not even if they win? Maverick quickly pins up the doodle again, will it be a good luck charm for the odd couple?

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Opening Round: Curt Stallion & August Grey VS Drake Maverick & Killian Dain!

The Lonestar and #RetroAG did great as a team in their first outing last week, but now it’s the real deal! Will Stallion and Grey ride into the second round with high spirits? Or will they be brought down by Rockstar Spud and the Belfast Beast?

The new music hits, and it’s to Dain’s liking, but then it morphs into a remix of that whistling theme Maverick had in the first place. Well, it’s fitting for their brand of dysfunction. The teams sort out and Stallion starts against Maverick. They circle and tie up, Stallion headlocks but Maverick powers out, only for Stallion to run him over. Stallion stares Maverick down as they reset and start again. They tie up, Stallion headlocks again but Maverick works on an escape. Fans rally, Maverick powers out but Stallion runs him over again. Things speed up, Maverick hurdles then throws Stallion out, to do some skipping.

Stallion runs back in but is sent back out! Maverick does more skip step, but Stallion comes back to tie up. Stallion whips Maverick to a corner, Maverick goes up and over and does his trot. Stallion rushes in, only for Maverick to hip toss and calf kick him down to an armlock! Maverick wrenches the arm, but Stallion pushes free to tag in Grey. Grey is fired up because it’s the Dusty Classic! He dares “big man” Maverick to bring it, and Maverick says one moment. He tags to Dain! Dain is a bit bigger than 205 but Grey still ties up with him. Dain pushes Grey away to a corner! Grey comes back, ties up with Dain again and gets a headlock, but Dain powers out to run Grey over!

Dain runs, Grey ducks and hurdles, but he decides to avoid the punch. Grey leaps but the crossbody bounces off of Dain! Dain tags in Grey, they double whip Grey and Dain uses Maverick to trip Grey up for the back senton! Human weapon, scoop slam senton! Maverick covers, ONE! Maverick clamps onto an arm, wrenches, and Dain tags in. Dain BOOTS Grey down, then fireman’s carries Maverick for the SWINGING BOOTS! Dain even RAMS Stallion with Maverick! Dain lets Maverick go back to the corner so he can CLUB Grey! Dain then fireman’s carries Grey but Grey slips out to tag in Stallion!

The Cruiserweights go after the heavyweight together! Mule kick, front kick, forearm and ROLLING ELBOW! They bring Dain in but Dain DOUBLE SUPLEXES them! Grey and Stallion bail out, Maverick tags in and he says Dain is the one to dive?! Fans want to see it and Dain gives it a try, only to pick up Maverick and TOSS him! Maverick topples Stallion and Grey over and fans fire up! Dain goes out to fetch Stallion into the ring and then puts Maverick in. Dain clubs Grey down and Maverick covers, TWO! Maverick hikes up his pants and brings Stallion up, but Stallion hits a REVERSE NECKBREAKER!

Tag to Grey and Grey whips Maverick. Leap frog into HEADBUTT, then the BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Grey clamps on tight with a chinlock and Maverick endures. Fans rally up, Maverick fights up, but Grey keeps him from Dain. Maverick keeps trying but Grey wrangles him away. Fans duel now as Maverick fights up. Maverick throws body shots, backs Grey down, but Grey CLUBS Maverick first! Grey back suplexes, Maverick lands on his feet, and boots Grey away! Maverick hits Stallion for good measure, slides under Grey and hot tags Dain! Dain rallies with big clotheslines, then he TOSSES Stallion in! They both get LARIATS!

Dain brings Grey around for an OVERHEAD suplex! Dain runs in to corner splash Stallion, then does the same to Grey! He whips Grey into Stallion and SHOTGUN DROPKICKS them both down! Stallion staggers, but into an URENAGE! SLINGSHOT SENTON! Dain has the fans fired up as he aims at Grey, but Grey dodges, only to get the DIVIDE! Cover, but Stallion breaks it! Dain grabs Stallion and whips him to a corner, but misses to get buckles! Stallion runs at Maverick but gets double boots! Maverick rolls Stallion to his feet for a JUMPING NECKBREAKER! Grey staggers, blocks a kick and KNEES Maverick! Dragon sleeper to a SPINNING POWERSLAM! But Dain drops a senton on Grey!

Fans fire up as Grey runs but Stallion gets around him to waistlock. Stallion tries to lift, Grey SUPERKICKS Dain into the GERMAN! Bridging cover, ONE! Stallion tries a lateral press, but Maverick breaks it! Grey and Maverick brawl, Maverick hits him and Stallion back and forth! Fast hands and feet, but he gets mugged 2v1! Stallion and Grey stomp Maverick in the corner, CHOP him, then whip him corner to corner. Dain puts Maverick on the outside to BOOT Grey and buckle bump Stallion! Tag to Maverick, BOOTS at the corner! Dain drags Stallion up, Maverick LEAPS to take out Grey!

Dain POWERBOMBS Stallion! Maverick wants a high-five, but he gets used as a human weapon again, POWERBOMB SENTON! Cover, Maverick and Dain win!

Winners: Drake Maverick & Killian Dain, by pinfall (advance to the second round)

One of the more unique combinations in this year’s Dusty Cup gets through to the next round! But they’re going up against a couple of rascals in MSK, will the dysfunction fall apart?

My Thoughts:

A pretty good 205 Live that at least got over half an hour this time. Legado VS Bollywood Boyz was a good opener, and it makes sense for Legado to advance. There is always a good story behind a faction wanting to have title belts for each member, but there’s a good chance they’re facing Imperium next round. Imperium wants to do the same thing between both NXT and NXT UK, and Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner will definitely want to get back to the titles. In the end, I don’t see Legado or Imperium being Dusty Cup winners, though.

Maverick & Dain VS Stallion & Grey was a good match, but with Stallion having the Cruiserweight title shot in his back pocket, and with Maverick & Dain being a fan favorite combo, it makes sense Maverick & Dain won. I just knew that Maverick’s new choice for a theme was really just a swerve. Dain & Maverick are probably losing to MSK, though, as MSK are new and it’d mean a lot more if they got into the semifinals. Though again, I wouldn’t see Dain & Maverick winning the cup, even if there is some story there between them and Lorcan-Burch. Though that would be a great shocker.

My Score: 8.3/10