NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush def. Kalisto & Akira Tozawa (Kickoff Match)

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:25 p.m. ET

CHICAGO — WWE NXT picked up its first victory of Survivor Series 2019, fending off the threat of losing the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to Raw or SmackDown when Lio Rush defeated former champion Kalisto and Akira Tozawa to retain the title during the Survivor Series Kickoff show.

Early in the contest, Kalisto and Tozawa teamed up to go after The Man of the Hour, but that alliance quickly broke down and an incredibly fast-paced and competitive battle commenced. Momentum shifted between all three Superstars but running the risk of losing his title without being pinned or submitted, Lio Rush’s stakes were highest. That fact was evident as The Man of the Hour executed a jaw-dropping double Spanish Fly off the top, taking out his opponents.

Trading strikes in the center of the ring, the three competitors continued to brawl and both Tozawa and Kalisto scored a series of near falls that kept Rush fully on defense. With the champion reeling on the outside, the tension between Kalisto and Tozawa boiled over, resulting in Kalisto taking down The Stamina Monster with a Salida del Sol.

At that moment, Lio Rush capitalized and executed The Final Hour before pinning Kalisto, retaining his NXT Cruiserweight Championship and picking up a victory for WWE NXT.