WWE: Ranking The Top Five 205 Live Matches Of 2018

3. Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander, Mar. 13

Though Buddy Murphy easily made the most profound impact as a surprise entrant in the Cruiserweight Tournament, Roderick Strong had quite the run himself before falling to Cedric Alexander in the semifinals. Like his work in NXT, Strong was absolutely on fire throughout the tournament, but this was his finest performance of them all.

Strong and Alexander told the story of two elite competitors fighting off accrued fatigue throughout the tournament, with neither man being able to put the other away. Both Alexander and Strong were capable of taking each other’s heaviest strikes and most effective moves, somehow finding that something extra.

The match itself lasted around 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. And in a match where neither man could gain the technical, strength, or determination advantage, it was the “Soul” of 205 Live who showed the requisite cleverness and resourcefulness to pull out the victory.

Alexander pulled out a nifty roll-up to steal the win, not long after Strong countered the Lumbar Check and looked poised to pull off the modest upset. While Strong would later win the NXT Tag Team Championships by joining Undisputed Era, he wouldn’t be able to enter the finals of the Cruiserweight Tournament on the path to the purple belt – this title was Alexander’s to secure.