WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Keep It All Here

[Jack-Hammer]

Following NXT tonight was a special highlighting the beginning of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic that kicks off next Wednesday following NXT. The special was entitled the WWE Cruiserweight Classic Bracketology in which Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan, who'll be commentators for the tourney, were introducing and talking about some of the competitors in the tourney.

It looks like a lot of genuine effort is being put into this thing from WWE as they've got wrestlers who're generally small names on the indie scene to major stars in Japan to a few older WWE veterans. I also really enjoy that they're giving this a realistic sort of sports feel to it, they're talking about it like it's a sport rather than "sports entertainment", though that term does pop up once or twice during the show. The tournament has a weight limit of 205 lbs. that's legitimate as there are some wrestlers who didn't make weight and one wrestler who had to sweat off like 20 pounds in 2 days or he wouldn't qualify.

This isn't a main roster thing or an NXT thing, at least not strictly, though it definitely has a more NXT sort of feel, so just keep it all here going forward.

 

[Kyphael]

I enjoyed the Bracket(ology?) a lot more than I anticipated. Bryan is very good at articulating himself when it comes to wrestling, maybe there's a future for him behind a commentator's table? (I hope) at least in NXT?

The Bracketology did what it was supposed to do--it got me psyched about this tournament which up until tonight I didn't care about. I thought it'd just be a throw away tournament with a bunch of indy guys and no back story, but tonight they made me care about at least 10 of the 32 guys by giving us background story on said participants and WWE is actually hyping this like it's a big deal.

I don't really watch wrestling outside of WWE but Galagher seems entertainment. This Zack Sabre Jr. has me thinking he's a big deal (I think Mauro said best wrestler in the world? They used to call Danielson that.) Ibushi seems like a big deal. I was psyched to see Kendrick until I realized how old he is, so no chance he's winning. Tajiri looks as fierce as ever even if he's not in as good a shape.

The Filipino guy has a very good backstory, so did the other guy who lost his parents and said wrestling saved his life (sorry, horrible with names.) I now have a better perspective of the competition and reason to root for my own personal favorites which I think is the point in pro wrestling. And yes, agreed, a lot of effort here on all fronts, that's what took me off guard.

Also... was the talent development or whatever guy's last name... CEMEN? LOL When Mauro said it and I saw the name I cracked up.

 

[OYDK]

I really enjoyed the Bracketology special, it was very well done. Anyone who has the Network and is planning on watching the Cruiserweight Classic should give this a watch, it's well worth 45 minutes of your time.

The presentation was great. Everything from the ticker at the bottom to bringing in WWE's VP(?) to showcasing some of the more unique talent really gave this thing a big-time feel. You can tell they're really going all out with this tournament and the video packages were nothing short of fantastic.

A great way to introduce fans to some of the guys they didn't know before and it allows people to connect with some of the front-runners before the actual tourney gets under way. Again, very well done.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

They're doing the American Idol "everyone has a heartbreaking backstory that drives them to win" thing which is sure to win over the casual fan. Rich Swann had a genuinely hard life though, and it's hard to root against anyone like Kendrick who says "Without wrestling....I'm just living".

The problem is that EVERYONE in the tournament is a plucky young underdog looking for their shot at glory. They need at least a few heels in there to spice things up.

Mauro and Bryan calling this was absolutely the right call though.

Gran Metalik
Ibushi
Zack Sabre Jr.
Gargano....maybe Swann

As your tentative top 4

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I hope one of the things that comes from this is Brian Kendrick being re-signed full time. He really came off well last night and seems to have his shit together. With the brand split coming up, it makes sense to give him another shot.

 

[roipdh123]

Top 16:
Gallagher def. Johnson
Metalik def. Tajiri
Sabre def. Gulak
Dar def. Daivari
Kendrik def. Nese
Ibushi def. Alexander
Gargano def. TJP
Swann def. Dorado

Top 8:
Metalik def. Gallagher
Sabre def. Dar
Ibushi def. Kendrick
Swann def. Gargano

Top 4:
Sabre def. Metalik
Ibushi def. Swann

Finals:
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Kota Ibushi

 

[swallop]

The bracket was epic! This is genuinely going to be the best thing from wwe in a long time. Seems like it will come down to sabre jr and kota ibushi maybe they will surprise us all ik is this is going to be awesome...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The first official weights have been announced and according to a report out this morning, the wrestlers are going to have to maintain their weight as the winners of the bouts will have to make weight in order to officially move on. I doubt this will be much of a problem for most of them and it continues to give it more of a legitimate feel. In actual fights, it's not at all uncommon for fighters, especially MMA fighters, to put some weight back on after the weigh in since the fight itself often takes place weeks later. For instance, if you ever wondered why Brock Lesnar looked closer to 300 lbs. in most of his fights when 265 lbs. is the heavyweight weight limit in most MMA organizations, including the UFC, it's because he probably was closer to 300 lbs. I don't think any of the winners will have problems making weight as the overall average weight for competitors in the tournament is 176.4 lbs.

Akira Tozawa - Japan: 156 lbs.
Alejandro Saez - Chile: 205 lbs.
Anthony Bennett - USA: 147 lbs.
Ariya Daivari - Iran: 180 lbs
Brian Kendrick - USA: 157 lbs.
Cedric Alexander - USA: 200 lbs.
Clement Petiot - France: 199 lbs.
Da Mack - Germany: 160 lbs.
Damien Slater - Australia: 193 lbs.
Drew Gulak - USA: 193 lbs.
Fabian Aichner - Italy: 203 lbs.
Gran Metalik - Mexico: 175 lbs.
Gurv Sihra - India: 159 lbs.
Harv Sihra - India: 144 lbs.
Ho Ho Lun - China: 155 lbs.
Jack Gallagher - England: 167 lbs.
Jason Lee - China: 154 lbs.
Johnny Gargano - USA: 170 lbs.
Kenneth Johnson - USA: 156 lbs.
Kota Ibusi - Japan: 189 lbs.
Lince Dorado - Puerto Rico: 168 lbs.
Mustafa Ali - Pakistan: 182 lbs.
Noam Dar - Scotland/Israel: 178 lbs.
Raul Mendoza - Mexico: 178 lbs.
Rich Swann - USA: 165 lbs.
Sean Maluta - American Samoa: 191 lbs.
TJ Perkins - Philippines: 167 lbs.
Tajiri - Japan: 189 lbs.
Tommaso Ciampa - USA: 195 lbs.
Tony Nese - USA: 196 lbs.
Tyson Dux - Canada: 193 lbs.
Zack Sabre, Jr. - USA: 181 lbs.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I just watched the Bracketology and it got me pumped up for the CWC even more so than before. As others have noted, it's definitely worth the 48 minutes of your time.

Bryan and Mauro are a great pairing. Bryan brought a mix of superb wrestling analysis (like explaining the fundamental differences between Strong Style and European style) and genuine entertainment, such as the funny story he shared about he and Brian Kendrick sucking at back body drops while training with HBK. We'll see how he fares during the actual show, but right now I would kill for Bryan to replace Saxton on Raw.

The in-depth interviews were really cool too. I follow indie stuff sporadically, so it was great learning more about big names like Zack Sabre Jr. or Kota Ibushi, who I've only seen a handful of matches of. It was equally fun learning about guys I was totally unfamiliar with, such as the Bollywood Boys or Jack Gallagher.

Another positive are the different meta stories in play. Brian Kendrick's quest for redemption. Gargano/Ciampa clashing in the first round. T.J. Perkins wanting to be a hero for the Philippines. It's given me a reason to get behind certain guys (Perkins, Kendrick, Swann) before they've even stepped into the ring.

Most of all, I love how legitimate everything feels. The weight limits are taken seriously (one dude almost didn't make it), and hearing Bryan and Mauro objectively breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors felt refreshing. Even having the VP of Talent stop by and discuss the process of selecting talent (complete with footage) was neat to hear.

All in all, I can't wait for this tournament to get started. Well done, WWE.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

The other side of this tournament, of course, is that it will do absolute wonders for the independent scene.

The wrestling scene in the UK is at its best for years, but with people like Naom Dar, Jack Gallagher and Zack Sabre Jr getting highlighted in the CWC, that will pique local interest in local shows even more (especially as more and more international Indy stars are willing to come over)

I imagine the same will be true for PWG etc and Indy Feds in North America and beyond.

Really looking forward to this. Expecting Ibushi and the winner of Gargano/Ciampa to make the final four, the other two? Who knows?

 

[shanezam203]

I am behind on all of this, is this starting Wednesday night and then when is it finish? Is it similar to a King of the Ring/ bracket style tournament and the winner doesn't get the Belt but they are Cruserweight Classic Champion?

 

[Papa Pillman]

The five injury alternates selected by WWE have been officially named for the CWC:

Jessie Sorensen(former TNA X-Division star)

Jesus Yurnet(Puerto Rican star Hammet/Mr. 450)

Vandal Ortagun(FIP star Johnny Vandal)

Aaron Solow(FIP star Aaron Solo- Bayley's fiance)

Kai Katana(a small timer from the Northeast indy scene)

 

[ShinChan]

Glad to see Tajiri and Brian Kendrick back in action in WWE. I loved Kendrick's tag team stint with Paul London. I used to watch Tajiri in my childhood and would love to see him use that mist and his finisher was very good. I think that it was a roundhouse kick.

About CWC, I think that Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi are the favorites to win this tourney. TJ Perkins and Rich Swann have a good chance. I would be surprised if anyone other than these 4 win this whole tournament.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I thought the debut episode of the tourney was clean, simple, focused and really easy to watch. I liked the overall atmosphere of Full Sail last night and I thought Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan were excellent on commentary last night. Ranallo provided the enthusiasm while Bryan continually chirped in with little tidbits of knowledge that helped add to the overall atmosphere. They provided a little bit of a backstory with each tournament competitor and Bryan pointing out the various styles all mesh with being a Cruiserweight was a good reminder that not all these matches will be or should be packed with insane spots. Announcing that the matches would have a 20 minute time limit was a nice little old school touch and that ultimately might come into play in one or two matches in the tourney.

I expected some of the matches for the opening round to be somewhat tame, which they were in some ways, but it didn't hurt them, for the most part. Gran Metalik and Alejandro Saez had a good opening bout, Bryan bringing up how Saez had to drop 30 pounds within the span of a few days helped with the "real sports" vibe they were going for. Both had some impressive spots in the match with Gran Metalik moving on.

Ho Ho Lun vs. Ariya Davari was the weakest match as there just wasn't that much chemistry there. I admire Ho Ho Lun's passion, but this guy has a long way to go before he's a star as he came off mostly as what he is: a mostly self-taught indie guy. Fans did get behind him, though I'm wondering if that's more to do with him having a fun name to chant. Maybe he'll give us more to show in the second round, but I wasn't all that impressed here.

Cedric Alexander vs. Clement Petiot was a much more physical, smooth bout than the Lun vs. Davari. Alexander demonstrated some impressive athleticism and it mixed well with Petiot's more technical, ground & pound.

Kota Ibushi vs. Sean Maluta was a very good closer and Maluta looked impressive in there with Ibushi. The only hiccup was the blown spot in which Maluta went over the top rope, but I like how they didn't try to ignore it on commentary and actually used it to help tell the match's story and how such happenings are part of the high flying style. Ibushi has a strong mix of athleticism and the strong style strikes that had the fans engrossed.

In my opinion, the four wrestlers who moved onto the second round was the right decision. The first round bouts for the next episode of the tourney were announced as.

Tajiri vs. Damien Slater
TJ Perkins vs. Da Mack
Mustafa Ali vs. Lince Dorado
Akira Towzawa vs. Kenneth Johnson

 

[OYDK]

Last night had a mix of some pretty good matches all things considered. Honestly, I don't remember much of Tajiri/Slater but I do remember that Slater was really green and that Tajiri did his best to try and help him through it. Still, it was a pretty generic match and I'm hoping Tajiri gets to pick it up in the second round. Also, no mist makes me sad.

TJP vs Da Mack was easily the best match of the night and the crowd was invested in both guys by the end of it. Perkins has to be a favorite in this thing, the guy is so smooth and he holds the crowd in the palm of his hand. Kind of cheesed that Perkins and Sabre are in different brackets... that would have been a fantastic semifinal match. Da Mack impressed me a lot. Guy can go in the ring and he's got some chareesma.

Ali/Dorado was a fun match to watch. Lots of crazy spots, especially the headscissors off the apron and the springboard reverse hurricanrana. Definitely wasn't expecting Ali to be impressive as he was, that reverse 450 was dirty.

And Tozawa/Johnson could have been better but I was ecstatic that one of these matches actually told a legitimate story. I was surprised by the amount of actual mat wrestling that took place in this match and, had the execution and pacing been a bit better, this could have been the best match of the night. Not very familiar with Tozawa as I don't watch much of Dragon Gate but he's pretty awesome. His heel work was great and Johnson was definitely the most likeable guy I've seen in the tournament thus far. Mauro and Bryan recapping his backstory was effective.

All in all, it was a good night. Right guys keep winning and some of these second round matches are looking to get crazy. I'm just hoping there are some upsets to come and everything doesn't remain too predictable.

 

[Black Anaconda Vise]

A few thoughts from Wednesday's show:

-Da Mack/TJP was my favorite match of the night. Going into this I figured Da Mack would just be some schmuck who gets his ass handed to him by the vet, but he held his own, he played to the crowd, and he did some pretty cool stuff.

-I haven't seen any Tozawa matches other than his rather infamous match in DDT against Danshoku Dino. This was a good match, it had a good story and the announcers talking about Johnson made him go from just a guy to giving us a reason to get behind him. Some of the pacing seemed a bit weird, but aside from that it was good. Lots of stiff shots, loud chops, and they took it to the mat right away; good match.

I like how this tournament feels legitimate. From the weigh-ins (including Saez dropping 30 pounds to get in), tales of the tape, inset promos, and the beginnings of the matches where the referees go over things with them, it makes this tournament feel important and gives it some meaning. Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo are great choices for announcers and have done very well so far.

Another thing I enjoy about this tournament is that even though it's obvious who is going to win in these first round matches, the other guy looks good and he has more of a chance than one would think prior to actually watching the match.

Next week's matches:

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Tyson Dux
Drew Gulak vs Harv Sihra
Anthony Bennett vs Tony Nese
Raul Mendoza vs The Brian Kendrick

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm guessing that Zack Sabre, Jr. and The Brian Kendrick advance next week. I'm not familiar enough with the other four wrestlers and I'm only guessing that Sabre & Kendrick will advance as there's simply more hype about them, especially Zack Sabre, Jr.

Sabre has made a good deal of noise out there on the indie scene the past several years; he's currently the PWG World Champion, has been a star in the cruiserweight divisions of various promotions in Japan & Europe and is viewed as one of the best technical wrestlers in the business today.

Kendrick was featured on the "Bracketology" episode of the Cruiserweight Classic one week before the tourney started that explored, at least a little, some of the personal problems and decisions that've negatively affected his career.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

For me, there's also a lot of "first impressions" being made, which is part of the point of the tourney in the first place when you think on it. I thought last night's episode was the weakest so far due to several competitors just not really resonating with me; again, it's just the whole "first impression" sort of thing.

Zack Sabre, Jr. has some very, very impressive technical skills and he'd be a unique addition to WWE, but I think he'd also need to add some strikes and/or a few more high flying moves to his arsenal. On commentary last night, Daniel Bryan mentioned that a lot of what Sabre does won't cause the audience to "pop" in ways that's become common in any of the major companies like WWE, ROH, TNA or New Japan and while fans would appreciate his skills, I think many would get bored without some change up.

Harv Sihra and Anthony Bennett both flat out bombed with me. Neither guy was particularly athletic, demonstrated any real high flying specialty, striking ability or technical mastery.

The final first round matches take place on next week's episode:

Noam Dar vs. Gurv Sihra
Jack Gallagher vs. Fabian Aichner
Rich Swann vs. Jason Lee
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

 

[Black Anaconda Vise]

I had to rewatch the Tyson Dux/ZSJ match. It was really slow compared to the previous other matches and it came off that way for me on the first watch, but after watching it for a second time, it was really really great. ZSJ is so technically sound and impressive, but it'll just take some warming up to get used to him and his style.

Both the Gulak/Sihra and Nese/Bennett matches did nothing for me. Gulak and Nese are both really great, Gulak has a good intensity and Nese has a lot of impressive athleticism. Sihra seemed like just a guy, and Bennett, well...

The thing that I like is that there are guys like Kenneth Johnson and Da Mack. These two seem like geeks and in Mack's case, one with a dancing gimmick, but then they wrestled and they were so awesome. I was hoping that would be the case with Bennett, but unfortunately not. He got blown up, possibly injured, and he was green as grass.

Mendoza/Kendrick was match of the night. The crowd completely turned on Kendrick and started cheering for Mendoza, a guy who nobody had really ever heard of. He has a good look, the facial expressions/storytelling, the moves, he's just an awesome awesome wrestler and I hope they sign him.

Next show should be good. I love Jack Gallagher, Rich Swann is amazing, and the Gargano and Ciampa match will be quite awesome.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night's episode saw the first two matches of the 2nd round of the tournament featuring Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik and Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander.

1.Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik - This was a good, physical encounter that showed the two of them blending their styles together very nicely. Tajiri might be 45 years old, but you certainly couldn't tell that by his performance last night. From a physical standpoint, he looks like he's aged very, very little and he's in as good a shape as he was when he was in WWE. Metalik is very crisp during his spots and they incorporated a good deal of selling and storytelling into the match. It wouldn't have bothered me to see Tajiri move on to the quarter finals, but Gran Metalik going over in a hard fought match was probably the right move in that guys like Tajiri are in the tourney to use their star power and recognition to put over younger guys while helping to deliver quality matches. ***1/4

2. Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander - If this had been in NXT and they'd had a couple of months to build towards an encounter at a TakeOver event, this would've been a 5 star outing without a doubt. This match was just flat, over the top fantastic. A ton of hard hitting, high flying action with the story of Alexander taking it to Ibushi, who is frequently put over during commentary as being one of the best wrestlers in the world. Both of these guys are insanely good inside the ring and Alexander more than held his own in this bout with Ibushi. I thought he did an especially great job using his facial expressions to tell a story during the match. Ibushi's stiff shots looked and sounded great and the fans were on the edge of their seat for the entire outing. Ibushi wound up eventually scoring the win via a Last Ride Powerbomb and, after the match, an emotional Alexander was given a massive standing ovation with the fans shouting "Please sign Cedric" and Triple H eventually came out to a big pop and put his arm around Alexander and led him to the back after giving the crowd a thumbs up. All of these guys would be a great addition to WWE's returning cruiserweight division, especially a young guy like Alexander who had people talking after last night. ****1/2

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night's episode featured two very strong matches and one that was better than I was expecting, though not nearly on the level we've seen from the other 2nd round bouts thus far.

1. Akira Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher - This match was a lotta fun and a great meshing of different styles. Gallagher has a unique charisma and his technical abilities are genuinely impressive and Tozawa is just a really physical guy who can deliver strikes that look like they could kill somebody. This match went roughly 12 minutes, but it felt longer in a good way, and they were given the time needed to tell a story of contrast between their styles. Gallagher has made a very strong connection with the fans, much more so than anyone was expecting, as people have really warmed up to his somewhat quirky, English gentleman bit. Tozawa, however, scored the win when it was all said & done with a bridging German Suplex to move onto the 3rd round. ***3/4

2. Noam Dar vs. Ho Ho Lun - This match was a better showing for these two than either one of them had in the 1st round. It was a pretty solid match, but these two strike me as two guys who're still sort of finding themselves and I think it shows inside the ring. The fans were more into this match than in either of their 1st round matches and, as I said, they were better here. They worked hard and did their best; this match only went to about 7 minutes and that's probably a good thing because I think it would've really gotten boring if it hadn't. Noam Dar picks up the win via submission and moves onto the 3rd round. **1/4

3. The Brian Kendrick vs. Tony Nese - A great match that told a great story between two different guys. Tony Nese is a guy with a good look, a pretty thick muscular build and yet is extremely agile and smooth inside the ring. Kendrick comes off as a mix of a wily veteran and a passionate scrapper that looks for anything he can use to his advantage. Nese had the advantage early on in the match before it eventually became a great back & forth contest with Kendrick, as I explained, as this wily veteran that's scrappy as hell while Nese does come off as this "premiere athlete", as he calls himself, with some impressive displays of strength and athleticism. Kendrick scores the win via submission after Nese missed the 450 splash from the top rope. ***3/4

Final Thoughts - Another highly entertaining hour of wrestling overall. The major standouts in this tournament, in my eyes, have been Kota Ibushi, Cedric Alexander, Jack Gallagher, Tony Nese, Fabian Aichner, Zack Sabre Jr., Rich Swann and Brian Kendrick. Given that Kota Ibushi has says that he isn't signing with WWE, I don't think he'll ultimately be the one winning the tournament. As a result, it looks to be fairly wide open at this point. There's been a lot of talent and potential showcased during the tourney and WWE needs talent for its cruiserweight division.

 

[ShinChan]

So Kota Ibushi and Gran Metalik have already proceeded to the semifinals after defeating The Brian Kendrick and Akira Tozawa respectively.

Next Quarterfinals are Zack Sabre Jr. Vs. Noam Dar and TJ Perkins Vs. Rich Swann. ZSJ and TJP are likely candidates to go over to Semifinals.

I don't know why but I feel that whole tourney could be won by either Metalik or TJP. ZSJ and Ibushi were favorites to win this damn thing but I am doubtful about ZSJ signing with WWE yet.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

TJ Perkins and Gran Metalik have both signed deals with WWE. Ibushi isn't interested in wrestling full time for anyone, reportedly, and has said he'd be willing to pop up every so often in WWE. Zack Saber Jr is currently the PWG World Champion and while I don't know the circumstances of his deal with PWG, he may not legally be able to sign with WWE at this point. He's currently competing in PWG's Battle of Los Angeles tournament, which is current quarterfinal opponent is Cody Rhodes. I'd say it's just a matter of time for ZSJ.

With that being said, the first Cruiserweight Classic should be someone that's signed with WWE, in my opinion, because it just sends the right message given that WWE is reinstating the Cruiserweight Division. So that leaves Gran Metalik, and the winner of the TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann match as the potential winners.

Metalik has been a significant star in CMLL for over a decade, but it doesn't look as though is English skills are...well it doesn't really look like he has any.

Perkins has been wrestling since the late 90s, has a lot of personality and the highlight of his time in TNA as Manik is nearly 3 years gone.

Rich Swann has made a lot of waves in Dragon Gate, Evolve and Full Impact Pro; he's also shown a lot of personality in the tourney.

At 32, Perkins is the oldest of these three while Swann & Metalik are 25 and 27 respectively. If one of these three comes out the winner, it looks to be anyone's tournament. However, I think Perkins has the edge in terms of overall ability, personality and experience.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night saw the final quarter final matches take place setting up the final four for next week's live finale.

Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins

Zack Saber Jr vs. Gran Metalik

Ibushi & Saber have been the two overall favorites to be in the finals or to win the tournament since the onset. As I said in my earlier comment, however, I think we'll see two upsets next week and the finals with be Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins because those two have signed WWE contracts.