When WWE announced the first ever Cruiserweight Classic, it was met with equal parts excitement and doubt, but through an amazing presentation, great commentary and even better wrestling, so far it has lived up to most fans' expectations. Although big names such as Marty Scurll, Ricochet and Will Ospreay were left out of the field of 32 competitors, there is still a great mix of experience and youth, and big names (like Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr.) with lesser-known names looking to make their mark.
Through 4 weeks and 16 match ups of Round 1, Triple H has indeed reiterated the point that he is the future of the WWE, with a great sporty feel to the presentation, as well as giving the performers the freedom to be themselves and showcase 100% of their talent. While not all the matches have been free-flowing, high-flying affairs, they have each offered something different to the Full Sail crowd, and after ranking these matches from worst to best, there is no doubt that fans should be highly excited for Round 2 and beyond.
31 16. Noam Dar def. Gurv Sihra
The second match on the final show of Round 1, these 2 stars tried to show off their talents in a rather short affair, yet it all came off as slightly rushed with a few botched spots. Entering the match, many fans knew of the talented Scottish performer Dar, who was also the youngest competitor in the tournament at just 22, but the pressure seemed to fall squarely on the shoulders of Sihra, whose brother had already been eliminated, leaving him as the only Bollywood Boy left in. Unfortunately for both competitors, the match never got a rhythm going, and with a botched side slam and a few other sloppy spots, neither man could ever get the crowd fully into the match. Dar finished the match with a knee bar, and here’s hoping that he can get a better flow going in his next match with Hoho Lun.
Rating: 4/10
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29 15. Hoho Lun def. Ariya Daivari
Speaking of Hoho Lun, he competed on the first ever show in the CWC, yet despite feeling far more inexperienced and less polished than his opponent, he managed to pick up a win in the short outing. With the crowd firmly behind the Hong Kong native Lun, Daivari began to play the heel, and looked comfortable & confident in the role, signaling that he could become a player in the new cruiserweight division if WWE were ever to give him a call. As for the action itself, nothing much was memorable about the match, but Hoho Lun’s infectious energy got him over with the crowd before he ended Ariya with a bridging German suplex right around the 5 minute mark. If Lun is to go any further in this tournament he must show some substance behind that likeable personality or he won’t last much longer.
Rating: 5/10
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27 14. Tony Nese def. Anthony Bennett
Personally speaking, I didn’t quite get/connect with the gimmick of Anthony Bennett, and from the reactions of the Full Sail crowd, they didn’t either, as he was dispatched by the much bigger and much more impressive Tony Nese. There seemed to be a size mismatch in this one, with Nese weighing about 50lb more than his opponent, and although they put on a solid bout, Bennett seemed to get little to no offense in the entire time. Nese on the other hand was made to look like a star with several high flying maneuvers, and looking at the potential, it makes a fan wonder why WWE haven’t looked at a star like this before, given he has everything they like in a performer for the NXT brand. Come the end of the bout, Bennett looked to be hurt, with the ref having to check on him before Nese delivered a beautiful 450 splash for the win, making him look like a dark horse threat going into the later rounds.
Rating: 5/10
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25 13. Rich Swann def. Jason Lee
NXT performer Rich Swann is one of the most exciting performers in the world, and therefore this served as a showcase for the skills of the Baltimore native, although it may have run a little short in the eyes of many fans, hence its lowly rating. Despite this quick finish, the Kung Fu artist Jason Lee was able to show off some of his quick, hard strikes, which made the match much more interesting than it had the right to be, and was quickly finished in under 5 minutes with Swann’s impressive standing 450 splash. Longtime fans of the young star will know that even though he looked fantastic in victory, with several high flying, effective moves, Swann is only just getting started, and has many more tricks up his sleeve, which makes the prospect of Swann vs. Lince Dorado or Gargano/Perkins in the upcoming rounds highly intriguing and exciting.
Rating: 5/10
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23 12. Tajiri def. Damian Slater
While this was an entertaining back and forth match, many fans, including myself have questioned the outcome, as a win for Slater would have been much more exciting and done more for his career at this point than the 46 year old Tajiri. The Australian opened many eyes with his stiff, impressive kicks and aerial assault, but ultimately he fell to the crowd favorite Japanese Buzzsaw, who is reportedly looking to make his way back into the WWE following the brand split for one final run. This match saw some classic Tajiri, which the fans haven’t seen in a WWE ring for almost a decade, and despite the questionable booking decision, he looked much better in the ring than anyone could have expected, so a round 2 match up with Gran Metalik will no doubt be another enjoyable match.
Rating: 6/10
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21 11. Drew Gulak def. Harv Sihra
While many fans won’t be jumping up out of their seats while watching a Drew Gulak match, he is a throwback to hard nose wrestlers of the past, and that is good to change up the pace from all the high flying, innovative offense that we usually see with cruiserweight wrestling. As for this match though, nothing seemed to click throughout, as fans were visibly not enjoying the match, but moving onto the second round, that should all change with Gulak as he goes up against one of the most innovative and smooth technical wrestlers in history, Zack Sabre Jr. One major positive to come out of this match was the finish, as Drew used a vicious dragon sleeper which looks like it could put any competitor away, making him a danger heading into the next few rounds of competition.
Rating: 6/10
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19 10. Akira Tozawa def. Kenneth Johnson
While this one lacked the high flying moves or jaw dropping sequences of others, it was a technical, hard hitting match, which although went longer than it deserved, served a great purpose featuring two performers who were very easy to root for as fans. The Japanese veteran was the favorite going in, and throughout continued to show why he is one of the more beloved and versatile Japanese stars in all of wrestling, finishing Johnson with a brutal German suplex. As usual with the CWC, the pre match video package was fantastic, giving fans a reason to get behind both guys, and while the performance left much to be desired, WWE should see potential in both competitors in this match.
Rating: 6/10
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17 9. Gran Metalik def. Alejandro Saez
This match kicked off the tournament, and gave fans an insight into what they could expect, and while it was full of highlights, the short run time at just 4 minutes was a major disappointment, as it looked like it was shaping up as one of the best matches of the tournament. These highlights include a great spring board dive, a missed spiral tap and an apron shooting star press, and coming out victorious, the unique looking Metalik becomes one of the most intriguing WWE prospects going forward, as he could be a dark horse to go far in this competition. Fans shouldn’t be surprised to see either of these men in the company in the near future, as they both showed flourishes of great potential, potential which could be greatly nurtured at the performance center, which could lead to great NXT and WWE careers.
Rating: 6/10
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15 8. Cedric Alexander def. Clement Petiot
This one had a big fight feel to it, as former ROH star Cedric Alexander showcased his wide array of talents for a WWE audience for the first time, and neither man disappointed even though again, time constraints held this back from being a classic match. Alexander was particularly impressive, hitting a reverse ‘rana and a springboard clothesline which gave fans an insight into his athleticism, and the lumbar check finish he used made him look like a brutal finisher, which he will need in his round 2 match up with Kota Ibushi. Petiot showed an ability to adapt within this big fight atmosphere, as he adopted some heel tactics to combat the electric, fan favorite Alexander, and made it a very competitive match with a massive discuss clothesline, but in the end it was not meant to be, but don’t close the book on Petiot and WWE working together again in the future.
Rating: 7/10
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13 7. Zack Sabre Jr. def. Tyson Dux
Fans of the Technical Wizard know just how impressive his move set can be, but fans who are only just finding out about Zack Sabre Jr. may not be as impressed, as these moves can often be underwhelming to many, and this first round match up with Dux was not as exciting as it could have been, with Sabre not showing off his entire arsenal. The match itself however, despite being short managed to showcase the positives in each competitor, although it may not have helped Sabre live up to the lofty expectations that his legions of independent wrestling fans have made for him. Trading holds back and forth (which impressed Daniel Bryan more than most), the two put together a good, technical contest, and while Tyson Duxs’ redemption story that WWE played up may have been in vain, the match did what it was supposed to do, and that was put Sabre over as one of the top 3 or 4 contenders to win the inaugural tournament.
Rating: 7/10