Less than a week before challenging WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy in a Fatal 4-Way Match at Royal Rumble, Akira Tozawa, Kalisto and Hideo Itami battle in a Triple Threat Match under the watchful eye of the champion.

With less than a week before they challenge Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in a Fatal 4-Way Match at Royal Rumble Kickoff, Akira Tozawa, Kalisto and Hideo Itami faced off in a Triple Threat Match, each hoping to earn a monumental victory and a psychological advantage. However, the WWE Cruiserweight Champion was not going to sit idly by, and he made his way to ringside to watch the action.

Tozawa and Kalisto are former WWE Cruiserweight Champions, thus making Hideo Itami perhaps the hungriest and most dangerous competitor not only in the Triple Threat Match, but also the forthcoming Fatal 4-Way Match. With Tozawa and Kalisto distracted by Murphy’s presence as the match began, Itami immediately attacked.

The hard-hitting Japanese Superstar decimated Kalisto and Tozawa, making sure Buddy Murphy saw exactly the type of punishment being dished out. Eventually, Tozawa halted Itami’s domination, leading to a triangular exchange of strikes in the center of the ring.

With Itami in the corner, Kalisto and Tozawa worked together to attempt a double superplex. However, Buddy Murphy soon entered the fray and took down all three of his challengers. With no disqualification rules in effect, the match turned into a free-for-all. Kalisto and Tozawa drove Murphy out of the ring, and the Triple Threat Match resumed back inside the squared circle with all three Superstars giving each other everything they had.

No one could maintain an advantage until Itami saw an opening to secure victory, annihilating Kalisto with a basement dropkick after he avoided Tozawa’s Senton. That allowed Itami to grab Tozawa and execute a wicked knee strike for the victory.