Hello Smarks!
This will be the results page of the final three rounds so by the time this comes out, all the results will have finished.
Current Predictions
Ibushi over Kendrick
Swann over Perkins
Sabre Jr. over Dar
Metalik over Tozawa
Then the Semi Finals
Ibushi/kendrick vs. Swann/Perkins (Prediction is Ibushi)
Dar/Sabre Jr. vs. Metalik/Tozawa (Prediction is Sabre Jr.)
Finals= Ibushi over Sabre Jr.
Quarterfinal Matchups
Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa
The opening contest of the Quarterfinals was one of the best matches of the tournament. I had been waiting for a quality shining performance from Tozawa and I finally got it this round! Metalik/Mascara Dorada has been sensation since his first round matchup against Alejandro Saez and I can't wait to see what happens next. Honestly, (while I didn't think about it at first) with the two biggest favorites reportedly not signing to WWE right away (Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr.), that rumor automatically makes Metalik the realistic favorite (kayfabe?) to win the entire tournament and even potentially become the rumored Cruiserweight Champion.
Metalik via Dorada Screwdriver
Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick (I had Ibushi in this match)
The Main Event of Night 1 of the Quarterfinals was theatrically fantastic. The desperation of Kendrick shone through as he took every shortcut to beat the heavily favored Ibushi. The commentary during this match was even more phenominal than the rest of the tournament. In terms of storytelling, you could say that this match was equal to the Ciampa/Gargano first round matchup. Ibushi going over was the right choice and the emotion that Kendrick showed (especially when longtime friend Daniel Bryan came into the ring to embrace him) was exactly what this tournament was about. Also, I am stoked that Kendrick gets a final chance on the main roster in the new Raw Cruiserweight Division.
Result: Ibushi via World Star Powerbomb .
Dar vs. Sabre jr.
Sabre Jr. over Dar via Ode to Breaks without arms
Such a great purist match! Absolutely loved it! Plus Dar gets to join Raw!
Swann vs. Perkins
Perkins over Swann via Kneebar
Great story told, Perkins was the heel but was great. Such a great match. Can't wait to see BOTH of these guys on the main roster.
Semi-Finals
Metalik over Sabre Jr.
Perkins over Ibushi
Both could have been surprises and technically they were because I got both wrong. However, with Ibushi and Sabre Jr. not officially signing on to be exclusive, the finals were easier to predict.
Tag Team Specialty Match: Gargano and Ciampa def. Alexander and Dar
SPOTFEST AND AWESOME!
FINALS
TJ Perkins Def. Gran Metalik to Win The Cruiserweight Classic and become the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion
While I was temporarily sad for about a second when I found out I was wrong about the finals, it all changed when Triple H came out and announced that the winner would become the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion representing the CWC roster on Raw.
Immediately I stopped caring and just started cheering on the Filipino Representative. And Boy was I stoked when Perkins Won. Originally following him in TNA as Puma during the 2006 World X Cup before finding out about PWG, Perkins stood out for that cool Spider Man stop in the ropes. To see him now being the flag bearer for not only the CWC and the Cruiserweight, but essentially the Independent Wrestling Scene's Pure representative was wonderful to watch and to absorb. I can't wait for what happens after that.
The following Wrestlers from the Cruiserweight Classic have all been announced to be in Raw's Cruiserweight Division:
Rich Swann (USA/BALTIMORE!)
Noam Dar(Scotland/Israel)
Brian Kendrick (USA/Washington State)
TJ Perkins (Philippines/Los Angeles)
Tomasso Ciampa (USA/Italy/Milwaukee)
Cedric Alexander (USA/Charlotte)
Johnny Gargano (USA/Cleveland)
Gran Metalik (Mexico)
Akira Tozawa (Japan)
Jack Gallagher (England)
Finally, here are the final rankings based off of 3 factors:
Where they were eliminated
Their performance
Crowd Interaction
1. TJ Perkins
It's a no-brainer that the top guy in this tournament would be the winner. Perkins was fantastic in Round 1 against Da Mack, then followed it up with two well told stories against Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann, then had a finals-like miracle upsetting my pick Kota Ibushi, and finally squaring it all with a phenomenal victory over Gran Metalik. Truly deserving of the Cruiserweight Championship, the fact that it was a Filipino winning it made it even sweeter! Grade: A++++++++++
2. Gran Metalik
Metalik did not have a single bad match. Alejandro Saez, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Akira Tozawa, Zack Sabre Jr. and TJ Perkins all had phenominal matches against the former Mascara Dorada. Metalik probably had his two best performances against Tozawa and Perkins. The final match could have gone either way and he impressed in his first Raw appearance as well. I look forward to more out of this dude. Grade:A++
3. Kota Ibushi
Ibushi was my pick to win the entire thing and he was 1 round and two wins short. A grand favorite that had been advertised since NxT Takeover Dallas, Ibushi had stellar victories over Brian Kendrick, Sean Maluta, and a round stealing thriller against Cedric Alexander. He topped that with his performance against eventual winner TJ Perkins in what was an instant classic. While in most circumstances, the results would label Ibushi as a choker or bust, I believe he deserves this grade for not only how great he was, but how strong he made his opponents. Grade: A+
4. Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre Jr. was one of the top guys and probably was the 2nd favorite behind Kota Ibushi. Sabre had won some of the biggest international tournaments in independent wrestling, including wXw's 16-Carat and PWG's Battle of Los Angeles. He had technical masterpieces against Noam Dar and Drew Gulak that a wrestling purist would salivate for. He also had a solid matchup in the opening round against Tyson Dux. Finally, he had a fantastic back and forth fest against Gran Metalik. Unlike Ibushi though, Sabre didn't have a Spectacular lineup of matches that improved his opponents' standings. Therefore, out of the four semi-finalists, he's the only one that (as much as this hurts me) doesn't get a solid A or higher. Grade: A--
5. Brian Kendrick
Kendrick was the tournament's one solid heel character that got out of the first rounds, and his desparation shined through the storytelling of all of his matches, whether it was Raul Mendoza, Kota Ibushi, or Tony Nese. Kendrick is the highest non-semi finalist because he had the most compelling matches of the tournament (in terms of the quarterfinalists). Also, since the tournament ended, he became the no. 1 contender against TJ Perkins for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and has done a fantastic job with the storytelling since. Grade: A
6. Akira Tozawa
It took a few rounds for Tozawa to get going, but man......his match against Gran Metalik as well as both of his finishes against Jack Gallagher and Kenneth Johnson were so frenetic in pace and so devastating in sight. I know he used the delayed deadlift German, but honestly he could end matches just with that counter snap German suplex. That is SO much more deadly. Grade: B+ (Can't wait for his debut in November!)
7. Rich Swann
Swann had the more balanced of performances between himself and fellow quarterfinalist Noam Dar. He had solid matches against Jason Lee and Lince Dorado. He's also had some good match perfomances on Raw since the classic ended so that pretty much determined the spot. His match against TJ Perkins was one of the underrated matches of the Quarterfinals. Grade: A
8. Noam Dar
This is going to sound mean, but Noam Dar's run in the CWC was essentially a lower level version of Akira Tozawa's: underwhelming first round, questionable second round, fantastic elimination match. Dar had the worst of the runs in terms of match quality, but was able to get over with the crowd by the second round. He also held his own in the Tag match between himself and Cedric Alexander versus DIY. He is in the top 8 due to the fact that he got to the quarterfinals. Looking forward to his Raw debut soon. Grade: B
9. Cedric Alexander
Honestly, he was the best story after the first two rounds, with the match of his life against Kota Ibushi essentially leading him to be signed to NxT and the Raw Cruiserweight Division. The highest spot he could get was 9 since he didn't get out of round 2, but if rounds weren't a factor, he would have been much higher. Plus he's been fantastic in his Raw appearances. Grade: A
10. Johnny Gargano
Gargano had the best match of Round 1 against Tomasso Ciampa. Then he had a fantastic match against TJ Perkins. Plus himself and Ciampa not only beat Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar, but they are now positioned as both future competitors of the Cruiserweight Division, AND could become the next NxT Tag Team Champions considering their current rivalry with the current champions, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of the Revival. Grade: A
11. Jack Gallagher
12. Lince Dorado
-Dorado was better if you take both performances against Swann and Mustafa Ali and compare it to the balance of work from the people lower on this list. The only pitfall that could come out of this considering he's on the Cruiserweight roster is the lack of mic skills. Grade: B
13. Drew Gulak
-Gulak had a lackluster first round match, but his second match with Zack Sabre Jr. was a technical masterpiece in terms of the rugged catch as catch can style wrestling. Gulak could have taken it just as suddenly as Zack Sabre Jr. did. He's been semi-jobber fodder since though on Raw, so that's a small concern. But in terms of the tournament, he was better than recent tag partner Tony Nese.
Grade: B+
14. Yoshihiro Tajiri
-Tajiri had a good first round match and a better second round match. He edges Tony Nese by the slightest of margins and loses out to Drew Gulak by similar margins. Solid first round win against Damian Slater, but his match with Gran Metalik could have stolen other shows around the world.
Grade: B
15. Tony Nese
-The grades are based off of the tournament results more so than results+recent Raw production. If the Raw production was included, Tony Nese would be much higher. He lost to current No. 1 Contender Brian Kendrick in the Second Round but had a good match. With how he's progressing on Raw and NxT now, I can't wait to see more of his work under the WWE banner. Grade: B+
16. Ho Ho Lun
- Out of the winners of Round 1, Lun seemed to be the most gimmicked. He was by no means the worst wrestler of the tournament, with a solid first round victory other Ariya Daivari and an equally solid 2nd round loss to Noam Dar. That being said, he was the wrestler with the least polish, understandable considering he was the main representative of Hong Kong. Lun and fellow HK rep Jason Lee could use more seasoning, but he was good for what he produced. Grade: B
17. Tomasso Ciampa
-Out of the losers of Round 1, there was no one better in their match than Tomasso Ciampa. Gargano and Ciampa had the best match of Round 1 bar none. Stiff strikes, fantastic story told, and continuity with the NxT storylines that literally no other competitor had. Every other match was slightly competitive, but predictable. DIY's match was the one that was up in the air, thus had the most drama, and thus had the most to gain. Ciampa losing while being so dominant made him a stronger competitor, and also made you think "if it wasn't Gargano as his opponent, he would have been in Round 2". His tag match with Gargano against Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar was a well played spotfest. Grade: B++
18. Raul Mendoza
-I was very unsure who to rank above or below between Mendoza and Aichner but I chose Mendoza. He was the lesser known and less heralded Mexican in the tournament (Jinzo!) but made an amazing splash in his match against Brian Kendrick. He is such a fantastically smooth wrestler and I thought out of the men that haven't either appeared for WWE since/ haven't been officially signed and didn't win their first round matchup, he was the best. As stated, he needs to come back for another go around with WWE. Mendoza against Kalisto would be so cool! Grade: B++
19. Fabian Aichner
-Personally, he was in my favorite match in the first round against Jack Gallagher and he wasn't overshadowed. Loved his performance and was extremely impressed with his double springboard quebrada (moonsault). I want to see more of his work in the near future, preferable either in the States or at least in Revolution Pro/Progress. Grade:B+
20. Mustafa Ali
-The only real marks against Ali was the risk not being worth the injuries that he suffered during the matches. Considering that Ali was technically the 33rd guy in the tournament (he replaced Brazilian fighter
21. Sean Maluta
-Maluta was fantastic in his match against Kota Ibushi, even turning a Tope Con Hilo Botch into a satisfactory somersault plancha off the apron. His performance has been rewarded so far with a few appearances in NxT, and deservedly so. Grade: B
22. Ariya Daivari
- Out of all the first round losers, Ariya Daivari was the only one who seemed like he was robbed of a spot. In my opinion, he definitely outperformed and outclassed Ho Ho Lun. The five above him had better performances and matches, but the younger brother of Khrosrow/Shawn Daivari earned a spot in NxT in my opinion. Grade: B
23. Da Mack
-Fantastic match with TJ Perkins in the first round. He is currently gaining steam in WXW in Germany and I expect to see him in the near future in NxT or WWE. The gimmick could be a liability later on, but I expect good things. Grade: C+
24. Alejandro Saez
-He had a barnburner of an opening match with Gran Metalik. If he wasn't facing Metalik, he could have gone at least 1 or 2 rounds further. The Shooting Star off the Apron was cool and I would like to see him successfully hit the Spiral Tap. Only criticism is that he came off cartoon-like when selling the facial expressions. Grade C++
25. Tyson Dux
-Dux had a fantastic backstory and a good match versus Zack Sabre Jr. The match showed off the strengths of Dux and his ability to scrap and claw. I had seen some of Dux in TNA but this was his best performance of my memory of him. Grade: C+
26. Clement Petiot
-In the midst of Cedric Alexander's run so far in WWE's Cruiserweight Division as well as the Cruiserweight Classic, his first round match with Clement Petiot seems to be lost in the shuffle. Petiot had a good performance in the match and compared to the wrestlers below him, had the best performance. I would like to see more of this guy in WWE or even NxT. Grade: C+
27. Kenneth Johnson
-Johnson was admittedly helped by two major factors: Great Storytelling and commentary. I would say he put an equal performance to both Damian Slater and Clement Petiot, but had a better match with Tozawa versus Slater's match against Tajiri. Grade: C
28. Damian Slater
-Slater had a cool moveset, and held his own against Yoshihiro Tajiri. He was one of the more unknown competitors coming in, and there are a few Aussies that are having success. I look forward to seeing more of this kid later on. Grade: C
29. Jason Lee
-Lee was very good in his match but had a match that wasn't as dynamic in comparison to the other competitors. He made Rich Swann look good and honestly was a better performer than fellow Hong Kong brethren Ho Ho Lun, but he did lose and others were just better. You could say Lee in this case was the best of the bottom 4...that's not saying much though. He needs more seasoning but is going to be someone. Grade: C-
30. Harv Sihra
-Harv had some good offense in his match against Drew Gulak, but he was pretty overwhelmed by Gulak. He had a better showing than his brother, but it was his non-tournament tag team match with his brother where he impressed the most. The Bollywood Boyz should stay as a team more so than go for singles careers. Grade C--
31. Gurv Sihra
-From all the participants, he had the worst match. However, he isn't last because he had a decent showing compared to No. 32. The crowd couldn't connect with Gurv and Noam Dar in their match and it hurt the momentum for the match and for Noam Dar in his first round victory. Better as part of the Bollywood Boyz Tag Team anyway. Hopefully the Sihra boys will be a NxT Tag Team soon.
Grade:C--
32. Anthony Bennett
-Out of all the matches, Bennett was the most overwhelmed by his opponent (Tony Nese). Plus compared to the others, I believe he had the worst showing. He's young, so he'll be fantastic in the future, but he was the only one that I scoffed about. And by the way....SHUTTER SHADES ON HAIR IS BAD. Grade: D-
No comments:
Post a Comment