July 20th 2019
From the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. Our hosts are Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice Coleman. It looks like they have a packed house.
Dragon Lee vs. Jonathan Gresham
Gresham tries to pull Lee into the Octopus during the handshake, sparking a quick exchange leading to the typical stalemate and round of applause. They slug it out and Lee shows off after hitting a drop-kick. Tempers flare as they trade chops. Gresham notices the ref looking away and slaps the groin, so perhaps his strategy at Best in the World against Silas Young wasn’t so random. The low blow allows Gresham to take control with his collection of painful looking, clever submission holds. Lee rallies, hitting a backbreaker onto his knee. They exchange open hand slaps and Gresham kips up into an enziguri and swinging DDT. Gresham’s German suplex gets 2! Gresham attempts a top rope move but keeps slipping, so they trade blows instead, until Lee places him in a Tree of Woe for a double stomp! Lee’s running knee to the head gets 2! A second running knee by Lee ends it at 10:09! Great opener and a nice example of not letting a botch ruin the mood, ***¼.
Winner: Dragon Lee
