The WWE held its first and only Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. The 32 wrestler tournament attracted participants from across the globe, including some who have gone on to have notable careers in the company as well as others who haven't wrestled for them since.
The tournament is fondly remembered in the eyes of fans, but enough time has passed to allow for several matches to fade into obscurity. It is particularly interesting to see where the careers of some of these competitors are today. The following are 10 surprising WWE Cruiserweight Classic matches that you've forgotten happened in the 2016 tournament.
10 Drew Gulak Vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Drew Gulak is fresh off of a memorable outing with Daniel Bryan at WWE's Elimination Chamber event, but he got his first big break in the company via the Cruiserweight Classic. In what was somewhat of a dream match for fans of technical wrestling, Gulak squared off against now NJPW superstar Zack Sabre Jr. in the second round of the tournament.
Unsurprisingly, the two put on a technical masterclass in an 8-minute encounter that isn't as well-remembered as it should be given the quality of the outing, with ZSJ picking up the win by pinning the WWE's resident PowerPoint pro.
9 Kota Ibushi Vs Cedric Alexander
Kota Ibushi was the most surprising entrant in the Cruiserweight Classic following his impressive career in NJPW; many were hopeful he would eventually sign with the company on a full-time basis, but after much deliberation, he decided against doing so. One star who did sign with the WWE following the tournament, however, was Cedric Alexander.
The two men fought in one of the best matches of the entire tournament, a match so good that the crowd chanted in unison "please sign Cedric" after the bell, leading to Triple H coming out to confirm they would be doing just that. With his career in an uncertain state, its good to reminisce on why Cedric is viewed so highly by many fans.
8 Ali Vs Lince Dorado
In a match between two stars who now actively compete on WWE's main roster, Ali (then known as Mustafa Ali) wrestled Lucha House Party member Lince Dorado in a first-round match of the Cruiserweight Classic.
In a surprising turn of events given their current place within the company, Ali failed to pick up the win against Dorado, who advanced to the second round only to lose to future Cruiserweight champion Rich Swann. Ali impressed officials so much however that he was signed following the tournament, and continues to perform as one of the most beloved and underrated WWE babyfaces today.
7 Tajiri Vs Gran Metalik
An oft-forgotten participant in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, former underdog Tajiri made his long-awaited return to the WWE to compete at the event. After advancing to the second round, he met another Lucha House Party member in the form of the perennially underrated Gran Metalik.
In a shock to many, Metalik would defeat Tajiri and even go on to the finals of the tournament, before being bested by the tournament winner TJP, who would himself go on to become the first Cruiserweight champion of the modern era, a belt recently rebranded as an NXT title.
6 Raul Mendoza Vs Brian Kendrick
Another wrestler who returned to the WWE to compete in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament was a similarly underappreciated Brian Kendrick, who wrestled current NXT superstar Raul Mendoza in the first round bracket.
This became one of the surprise highlights of the tournament, as Mendoza joined the aforementioned Ali and Cedric Alexander in impressing WWE officials so much that he was offered a contract with the company after the tournament took place. Kendrick would go on to have an even more memorable match in the quarter-finals, however.
5 Brian Kendrick Vs Kota Ibushi
In a match that would likely never have been booked outside of the tournament, Brian Kendrick and Kota Ibushi both advanced to the quarter-finals and wrestled each other in a forgotten yet classic encounter.
Brian Kendrick would even pull off a burning hammer in this match, one of few occasions the legendary move has ever been attempted inside of a WWE ring. Even this wasn't enough to put away Kota Ibushi however, who managed to finally end Kendrick's dreams of reinventing his career via the tournament, advancing to a semi-final match with the eventual tournament winner TJP in the process.
4 TJP Vs Johnny Gargano
Long before he became the standard-bearer for WWE's NXT brand, Johnny Gargano was known only as a tag-team wrestler as a member of DIY. He entered himself into the Cruiserweight Classic and met TJP in the second round of the tournament, which serves as one of Gargano's singles matches that few remember today.
Though he failed to win the match, Gargano put on a stellar performance that helped to push TJP in the eyes of the WWE audience, in turn making TJP a worthy winner despite the questionable booking he received later on in the company.
3 Jack Gallagher Vs Fabian Aichner
Fabian Aichner is now best known as a member of Imperium alongside current WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER. But Aichner first appeared in the WWE alongside Jack Gallagher in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic. Aichner showed off the impressive athleticism that would make him a standout in Imperium, but it was Gallagher's charisma and grappling prowess that allowed him to advance in the tournament.
This is where he also had a memorable match with Akira Tozawa. Gallagher recently returned to the WWE sporting a whole new look, so it will be interesting to see how his new hard-hitting style differs from his comedy presentation of old.
2 Zack Sabre Junior Vs Gran Metalik
Gran Metalik and Zack Sabre Junior wrestled in one of the semi-final matches of the tournament in a largely forgotten encounter that deserves greater appreciation from the WWE universe today.
ZSJ proved why he is renowned as the most talented technical wrestler in the business today, whilst Gran Metalik showed his unbelievable high-flying talent; if WWE only believed in him more Metalik could be as big of a star as Rey Mysterio, but much like Ultimo Dragon he has failed to be given the opportunity to establish himself appropriately in the company, much like many other talents throughout history.
1 Johnny Gargano Vs Tomasso Ciampa
In by far the most surprising match to take place in the Cruiserweight Classic, longtime rivals Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa had their very first singles match against each other in the first round of the tournament. The two men are even now on a collision course with one another, with another singles match planned for whenever NXT's next Takeover event will take place.
But the Cruiserweight Classic was where both showed what they could accomplish as singles competitors. In one of the best matches of the entire tournament, Gargano managed to triumph over his tag-team partner Ciampa in the most emotionally-charged match of the entire tournament.