Hideo vs Cedric

WWE 205 Live 01/09/19: Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami

Cedric's thigh slapping offense annoys me, but here he wrestled the match from underneath, so it didn't take anything away from it. Solid comebacks by the man, and Hideo was pretty good on top as well; certainly an upgrade from the last 205 match of his that I watched (vs. Mustafa Ali) - his kicks looked real good, and his cut-offs of Cedric's comeback attempts were also cool. Dug the dynamic between the two from start to finish. The finishing stretch starting from DAT FALCON ARROW was excellent - loved the one last nearfall Cedric got w/ the roll-up, it was like his last sign of any hope left, but then as Hideo kicked out, he just gets destroyed by that basement dropkick again. Good match. ***