TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #8 - Akira Tozawa v Gran Metalik

Aired - 31st August 2016

The Cruiserweight Classic had reached the Quarter Final stage and this episode featured two mouth-watering clashes, as Dragon Gate's Akira Tozawa tangled with CMLL's Gran Metalik and DDT's Kota Ibushi battling WWE veteran The Brian Kendrick. Would WWE be able to up the ante for the stellar Second Round stage? 

Arguably, the show's main event was the opening match between 4 time CMLL World Welterweight Champion Gran Metalik [Mascara Dorada] and 2 time Open the Triangle Gate Champion Akira Tozawa. In a first time meeting, the duo put on a great encounter, across a mixture of different styles. The pair melded their Mexican and Japanese styles tremendously well, with stunning dives, hard strikes and technical submissions, whilst the final few minutes bought a drop of sports-entertainment drama to proceedings. The narrative unfolded at a satisfying pace, with the duo going toe for toe from start to finish, exchanging periods of offence and using similar routines when doing so. Considering that Tozawa came out of the Dragon Gate dojo, which has more than a tad of a Lucha Libre influence and Metalik has had over 200 matches for NJPW then it really should have come as no surprise that the pair meshed so well. 

The narrative would reach it's peak, as it should, in the finish, with Tozawa able to kick out of the bridging German suplex that has eliminated FSW's Jack Gallagher and Kenneth Johnson in the second and first round respectively, before escaping a package version of the move and nailing a Metalik Driver [Samoan Driver] to get the three count. The tournament structure had allowed Tozawa to build up his German suplex as a legit finish, which meant it was a hugely convincing false finish, garnering a superb crowd reaction and also giving Metalik the rub having kicked out of it. As part of the storyline it was the natural conclusion to the match, with Metalik proving that his finisher was the deadlier of the two, after the pair fought an even back and forth encounter. Having Tozawa attempt the package German also gives Big Over somewhere to go if he returns to WWE and if that happens a rematch between the two would be a must. Metalik goes on to face either wXw's Zack Sabre Jr. or ICW's Noam Dar in the semi finals in two weeks time. 

Whilst I think, Metalik v Tozawa should have been the main event because of the international star power, I also felt that The Brian Kendrick and Kota Ibushi managed to one up them. Whilst the previous match melded two styles together, Kendrick v Ibushi made sure the two men's styles were kept completely separate and this presented a wonderful story as the match became less about Kendrick v Ibushi and more about The crafty veteran against the flashy up and comer. It was established early on that Golden Star had the edge on Kendrick in almost every category, hitting a snug roundhouse kick and a beautiful triangle moonsault in the opening exchanges, and from here on in we'd see The Post-Apocalyptic Scavenger pull out a number of sly acts that would keep him the running. Trapping Ibushi's leg in the guard rail as he attempted to get a countout win and hitting a neckbreaker on the apron that bought the 3 time IWGP Junior-Heavyweight Champion's surgically repaired neck across the metal turnbuckle were among the highlights of Kendrick's clever performance. 

It seemed clear that Ibushi was destined to reach the semi-final, but that certainty was called into question on numerous occasions in the closing stretch of the bout, as Kendrick got a number of tremendously close nears and Ibushi spent plenty of time in the Bully Choke [Grounded Reverse Chinlock], which both men played perfectly through their faces and movement. Twice Ibushi ended up in the hold that's put away Tony Nese and Raul Mendoza, with the second occasion seeing 34 year old DDT star missing a Phoenix Splash directly into the hold, and each time it was equally dramatic with Ibushi selling perfectly before, after and during the hold to get over it's strength and add to that turmoil. Throw into the mix a nasty Burning Hammer near fall for the former TNA X-Division Champion, with Daniel Bryan screaming for Kendrick to get to the cover on commentary and you had more drama than an Eastenders omnibus. When Ibushi got the win with mid-rope deadlift German suplex and the Golden Star Powerbomb [Elevated Sit-out Powerbomb] to claim the victory, it was a satisfying conclusion to a great contest. Ibushi goes onto a semi-final with EWF's TJ Perkins or WWE's Rich Swann.  

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 8.38/10

I wondered whether WWE would be able to lift the quality of the action that was produced across the three Second Round episodes for the Quarter Final and they definitely did, producing the best episode of the Cruiserweight Classic to date. Two very strong match, featuring a variety of action over the show meant that this was a more than satisfactory watch. By this stage you'd expect all four talents to be able to put on great matches and they delivered as Akira Tozawa, Gran Metalik, The Brian Kendrick and Kota Ibushi bought their A-game to help WWE raise the bar for their inaugural international series. 

With the next episode featuring two equally intriguing bouts as Zack Sabre Jr takes on Noam Dar and TJ Perkins battles Rich Swann, it has to be expected that the penultimate episode of the show will continue the trend.

Words - James Marston 
Banner - Kai Stellar

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #7 - Johnny Gargano v TJ Perkins 2

As the Second Round came to a close, Episode Seven of the Cruiserweight Classic included AIW's Johnny Gargano taking EWF's TJ Perkins. Could tournament head into the Quarter Final's with another Cruiserweight Classic classic? 

Johnny Gargano and TJ Perkin's main event clash was the first contest from the entire Cruiserweight Classic, so far, that I haven't predicted correctly. I felt certain that Gargano would advance to the Quarter Final, where another Battle of the NXT stars could have occurred opposite Rich Swann, but it was Perkins who came out victorious winning by submission with the Figure Death Lock. Despite being taped almost a month before NXT's Takeover: Brooklyn II, the commentary team of Daniel Bryan & Mauro Ranallo did a marvelous job of carrying on the story from that match, that saw Gargano tap out to a Inverted Figure Four leglock from Scott Dawson and tying into the match that Perkins and Gargano had already had. It helped, of course, that the leg was a big part of the match! The story began earlier in the match, but really came to the forefront when Gargano overshot on a somersault dive off the apron and ended up whacking his leg off the bell table. After that Johnny Wrestling's would give out a number of times, before the former TNA X-Division Champion escaped a Dragon Suplex and transitioned into the finishing submission. Gargano was marvelous whilst in the hold, reaching and reaching for the ropes, selling the pain on his face and eventually tapping out.

As compelling and dramatic as the end of the match became, a lot of the action was a back and forth indy-style bout that was exciting and pacy. Hard strikes, slick submissions, a handful of dives and more than a handful of near falls and close calls, this was a cross-section of the popular American Indy style, put on by two of it's biggest proponents. The alternating strikes sequence was done with a real purpose and was an improved version of an over-used wrestling trope, and ended with a great double big boot spot with both men refusing to go down. The two were superbly fluid from start to finish and managed to move easily from one part of the match to the next without it ever feeling forced or contrived. I have to say that when I went to check how often the pair had faced each other over years, I was very surprised to see they'd only had one previous one on one contest [PWG DDT4 2015] because the contest looked like they were much more familiar with each other. Perkins goes on to face Rich Swann in the Quarter Final.

After I'd been underwhelmed by wXw's Zack Sabre Jr's first round appearance, his Second Round bout with CZW's Drew Gulak was a much more satisfying contest. The pair bought the World of Sport style to the 'E and put on a belting eight minute contest. With Bryan & Ranallo bleeding the story of Gulak wanting to prove he was a better technical wrestler than ZSJ, the two had gripping fight, that had an intensity that has been missing from some of the previous CWC matches. Each strike had that little bit extra behind and Gulak, in particular, was a vicious little shit. He'd use the ropes to launch into a stomp and at one point bodyslam ZSJ into the ringropes, whilst also trying to get an early victory with a Northern Lights suplex. The exchanges between the pair were as beautiful as they were painful looking, but were made even better by the juxtaposition of the brutal strikes, especially the pair slapping the absolute shit out of each other heading into the finish. Every move had that little extra touch, whether it was ZSJ moving quicker than I've seen anyone get into an Octopus Stretch or Gulak's modified Boston crab, that made me wanting more when ZSJ was able to slip out of the Dragon Sleeper and bridge to get the pin. With five or ten minutes more this would have been a masterpiece. ZSJ goes on to face ICW's Noam Dar in the Quarter Finals.

Rounding out the 2nd Round, NXT's Rich Swann and BELIEVE's Lince Dorado were the highflying representatives putting on a very good opener. The commentary team put over how familiar the pair were and that was clear to see in how they wrestled with each other. Their six years of history with each other, one on one, in scramble matches, as a tag team or on opposite teams, for the likes of the NWA, DGUSA, AAW and FIP, was evident in every step they took here. After a comedic opening where the two engaged in an impromptu dance off, the action got serious quickly with a massive strike battle that was highlighted by a huge chop from Dorado. The theme would be bought back latter when the two went punch for punch in a lengthy exchange that the crowd adored. The closing section was an aerial assault with the duo going for a series of impressive moves and whilst Swann missed a standing 450 splash and there was no water in the pool for Dorado's shooting star press, Dorado was able to hit a tasty reverse rana and Swann pulled out a Phoenix Splash. It was the latter that got the win as Swann advanced to face TJ Perkins in the Quarter Finals.  

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.69/10

Another cracking episode of the Cruiserweight Classic, which is once again the best show that WWE has aired this week. In fact it was miles ahead of RAW, Smackdown Live and NXT. It also get's a higher rating than both NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II and SummerSlam. Obviously that's helped by being an all in-ring based show and having only simple stories to follow, but that would mean nothing if the performers didn't go out and put on tremendous action. All three matches this week were impressive, with a number of different styles showcased throughout the hour. It would be difficult to pick a match of the evening, but if I was pushed I'd probably go for the main event between Johnny Gargano and TJ Perkins, for the sole reason that there was more of it! 

As the Quarter Finals begin next week with Kota Ibushi, Akira Tozawa and Gran Metalik [Mascara Dorada] through to the final eight, the action can only get better.

All content - James Marston
Banner Credit - Kai Stellar

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #6 - The Brian Kendrick v Tony Nese

Last week's Cruiserweight Classic was the best so far, so as the second half of the tournament began, could the likes of Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher and Tony Nese improve on the previous week's outing?

In this episode's main event, The Brian Kendrick and NYWC's Tony Nese produce a strong bout with a split crowd. Both men played to their strengths and what we got was psychologically sound encounter, that set it's shop out well in the opening stages and built on it throughout the match. The idea that Nese was the quicker and stronger competitor was presented early as Kendrick ran straight into a knee and dominated the early going including a slick sequence leading into a superkick on the outside. On the other side of the coin, Kendrick reverted to the gritty veteran role quickly, doing everything and anything to take control after initially fish-hooking Nese's mouth. Pushing the Premier Athlete's arm inside the turnbuckle pad (which is much larger than WWE's regular pad) is one of the most intelligent spots of the tournament so far. 

Once the story was set-up, the pair put on some real quality wrestling inside of it, mostly going back and forth with Kendrick locking in submissions and Nese get a number of near falls. A section of the bout were Kendrick locked on a cross armbreaker and Nese escaped with a series of blows to the back of the neck had more than just a hint of an MMA influence, in a contest that was one of the most varied of the CWC to this point. The build towards the conclusion was done neatly, introducing Kendrick's Bully Choke, initially having Nese power out of the hold in a dramatic sequence, before The Post-Apocalptic Scavenger was able to take advantage of a missed 450 splash and pick the victory after Nese submitted almost instantly. A clever wrestling match to close the show with Kendrick moving onto a Quarter Final match with DDT's Kota Ibushi.  

Whilst Kendrick v Nese was a good main event, the match of the show for me was Dragon Gate's Akira Tozawa taking on FSW's Jack Gallagher. The contest unfolded brilliantly with the popular Gallagher ruling the initial exchanges, tying Big Over into knots and generally being a bit of a cheeky chappy. This would infuriate Tozawa who fired back with a series of big strikes and getting more and more aggressive in his demeanor as Gallagher continued to entertain the crowd with his technical submission style. Similar in it's set to the main event, the story of both competitors styles was presented early with both guys getting a chance to demonstrate their approach, before the rest of the match would build on those foundations and continue to run with that psychology throughout. 

Whilst Gallagher's lively style had most of the crowd on his side, Tozawa's performance was definitely that of a star. The Extraordinary Gentleman would strategically work over Tozawa's knee and Big Over sold it for all that he was worth. Seriously, the former Open the Brave Gate Champion was brilliant here, not just selling when Gallagher had moves locked in, but whenever he was on a roll himself. A charging bicycle kick where Tozawa grabbed his knee immediately got a big grin and a double thumbs up from me. The final stretch astutely brought elements of the bout together as Gallagher caught Tozawa with a heel hook after the latter had shouted to the crowd, before a deadlift German suplex attempt from Tozawa was initially countered by the Mat Wizard by grabbing hold of the injured knee, with the 31 one year old from Japan powering through to get the win adding a lovely bridge to his suplex. Tozawa goes on to face CMLL's Gran Metalik in the Quarter Final.

Rounding out the action this week was ICW's Noam Dar taking on ZERO1 Hong Kong's Ho Ho Lun in the best outing for both competitors in the tournament so far. After disappointing showings in the 1st Round, the crowd was cold to both guys, but definitely had begun to warm to, at least, Dar by the close of the contest. However, for me, whilst this was a solid contest, I felt that it suffered from coming straight after the Tozawa v Gallagher match, with which it had a number of similarities. Dar worked the knee well, but whilst HHL sold the injury consistently I found his selling a little bit hammy, especially with the instant comparison to Tozawa earlier in the show. The moment where HHL was unable to maintain the bridge from a Fisherman's suplex was well performed however and probably the best work HHL has done in WWE, alongside a tasty Michonoku Driver near fall. A much more aggressive Dar would claim the victory with the Champagne Super Knee Bar to earn a Quarter Final bout against either Zack Sabre Jr or Drew Gulak.  

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.05/10

Following last week's breakout episode for the show, this week maintained that momentum with a very good hour of wrestling TV. A slight drop in quality from last week, but with more action on display, this is well worth the watch. 

The Cruiserweight Classic has been the best show WWE has to offer ever since hitting the 2nd Round, with next week's episode bringing Round 2 to a close and featuring Zack Sabre Jr, Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann in action could we see the best episode yet next week?

All content - James Marston

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #5 - Kota Ibushi v Cedric Alexander

With the Second Round getting underway, as Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik and Tajiri looked to make it to the Quarter Finals, would the action of the Cruiserweight Classic begin to heat up even more? 

DDT's Kota Ibushi and ROH's Cedric Alexander put the 1st Cruiserweight Classic on the map, making everything that had came before it feel like a mere warm up, going out into Full Sail Arena and lighting it up with a 15 minute belter. Considering it was the pair's first match ever involving the other, this was spectacularly smooth, fast action that built to a wonderful crescendo following a number of near falls for both men. Every single move was hit with a real purpose, whilst the even relatively simple moves like a diving clothesline were made believable near falls thanks to the bumping abilities of both men. The urgency that both brought to their performance can only act to lift the tournament in the prestige stakes, as both looked desperate to stay in the tournament.  

The pair showed that they are accomplished at a number of different styles and capable of pacing a contest to get the most out of themselves and the crowd. The early portion of the contest saw them work a technical style, with Ibushi focusing on Alexander's arm, before working through some strong-style strikes, beautiful high-flying moves, whilst also weaving in some quality storytelling as Alexander easily slotted into the underdog role with the crowd on the edge of their seats as he hit a superkick and a tight brainbuster for two consecutive near falls. After a flurry of moves ended with the Golden Star Powerbomb to seal the win for Ibushi, I couldn't help but think that it was a real shame for Alexander to have had only two matches on the show! I feel like that is how I should be feeling after each and every elimination in the tournament! Ibushi will face either NYWC's Tony Nese or WWE's The Brian Kendrick in the Quarter Final. 

With such a strong main event, it would be easy to overlook CMLL's Gran Metalik [Mascara Dorada] and WWE's Tajiri having a good contest in the only other match on the show. The two battled in what was a well put together, back and forth clash of styles that felt much richer than it's ten minute run time would indicate. The "everything you can do" opening followed by the Lucha-style exchange of submission holds was one of my favourite sequences of the tournament so far and was very different from most of what WWE presents at the moment. Both men got to showcase themselves once again, with some slick tightrope style moves from Metalik for near falls, whilst Tajiri's submission work looked brutal at points and made Metalik look even better when he not only withstood it but managed to escape. When it came down to it it was Metalik who picked up the win, once again with the Samoan Driver to advance to the Quarter Finals, where he will face Dragon Gate's Kota Ibushi or FSW's Jack Gallagher.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 8.08/10

As predicted the 2nd Round produced the strongest episode of Cruiserweight Classic so far with a big jump in quality above the previous best, Episode 2. Kota Ibushi upped the bar in the main event, alongside Cedric Alexander, showing why he is among the favourites to win the entire tournament, whilst Tajiri and Gran Metalik put on a bout that may become a forgotten gem of the tournament, thanks to having to share a show with Alexander v Ibushi! 

This was the first must-watch episode of tournament so far and I have feeling we'll see a few more of those before it's over. 

All content - James Marston 

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #4 - Johnny Gargano v Tommaso Ciampa

With the final four matches of the Cruiserweight Classic's First Round, Episode 4 also featured the most high profile clash of the series so far, as current #1 Contender's to the NXT Tag Team Championships, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa would face off for a place in the Second Round. Would the show manage to live up to the hype? 

The biggest match of the 1st Round ended up being the best match of the first round as Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa upped the game of the tournament with a cracking outing, that had the crowd hooked from start to finish. The storyline was simple and one that has played out numerous times around the world, two tag team partners and good pals having to face each other for a prize that they both wanted, a universal story that pretty much any viewer could invest in. Elements of the bout played off this, such as Ciampa removing his knee pad and then hesitating before making his next move, adding to the drama and protecting Ciampa, whilst also potentially offering future storyline direction for NXT. This would be added to with Gargano removing an elbow pad en route to victory. The embrace between the two that ended the show cleverly played on regular pro wrestling tropes and concluded with something refreshingly different.  

The action within this framework was to the high standard that most indy wrestling fans have come to expect for either guy over the last ten years. The clash built nicely from a series of strikes in the opening to a ridiculous sequence that would leave both down on the mat in the middle and a superbly well-flowing series that would conclude the match with a crucifix roll-up for Gargano, all the while throwing in strong near falls that easily could have ended the contest. The strongest of those near falls had to have come from Ciampa, who hit an air raid crash on the apron and Project Ciampa that both had the crowd convinced it was over. The only negative I've got for this match was that their just wasn't enough of it, the pair did an amazing job with just ten minutes, wouldn't it be great to see what they could do with fifteen or twenty? 

FSW's Jack Gallagher would make a real name for himself on his WWE debut, as the Full Sail Arena quickly took to Gallagher's technicality, as he picked up a victory over NEW's Fabian Aichner [Adrian Severe]. It was telling that Aichner was heavily booed by the Winter Park crowd, despite pulling out a number of impressive manoeuvers including a ridiculous powerbomb out of a guillotine choke from Gallagher and big double springboard moonsault. Daniel Bryan's enthusiasm for Gallagher on commentary also quickly got over to the unfamiliar home audience the skill of what they were watching, if the uber-technical Bryan was getting excited then Gallagher had to be something special. Gallagher came off as a much more extraordinary than fellow countryman and bigger name, Zack Sabre Jr. did on the previous episode en route to picking up the victory with a headbutt and a huge corner dropkick. The Tetsujin Shoot Style Tournament winner will face Dragon Gate's Akira Tozawa in the second round. 

In almost the polar opposite of Gallagher's debut, ICW's Noam Dar and ECCW's Gurv Sihra didn't have the best of introductions, in a match that struggled to find it's groove and even seemed to include a major production edit at one point. After a decent start, Dar and Sihra just didn't seem to connect with each other in the ring and the rest of the match lacked fluidity. Things weren't helped by a completely dead Full Sail Arena, who clearly didn't warm to either man quickly. Whether it was down to nerves, with this being both men's biggest TV exposure to date and the occasion got the better of them, I'm not too sure. Dar did finish strongly however, showing glimpses of the skill that got him to the tournament in the first place, getting a submission victory after transitioning a Fisherman's brainbuster into the Champagne Super Knee Bar. Hopefully we'll get to see a much more measured Dar performance against ZERO1 Hong Kong star, Ho Ho Lun.  

HHL's fellow ZERO1 Hong Kong performer Jason Lee was also in action on this week's show battling NXT's Rich Swann in a fun opening contest. The match was all about making Swann look as impressive as possible and he dominated his opponent, before pulling out a 450 splash for the win. After a pair of matches with Baron Corbin and Finn Balor on NXT TV in the first quarter of 2016, it seems like the Cruiserweight Classic is going to be a real vehicle to push Swann going forward, as he had one of the swiftest victories in the tournament so far and didn't put a foot wrong in doing so. Swann put on a show for the crowd who quickly got into his funky dancing, seranding him with his old indy theme song "All Night Long" by Lionel Ritchie. He'll face BELIEVE's Lince Dorado in Round Two.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.25/10

With two of the best matches the series has produced so far, the Cruiserweight Classic continues to impress. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano put in a splendid effort in the marquee bout, whilst Jack Gallagher went out there and made himself a star. The average rating reflect the lacklustre Noam Dar v Gurv Sihra bout, as well as the glorified enhancement bout for Rich Swann. Still I'd say this was the 2nd strongest episode so far, only behind the more well-rounded Episode 2 [Akira Tozawa v Kenneth Johnson]. 

As we head into the 2nd Round, with 16 men left and names like Japan's Kota Ibushi and Akira Tozawa, England's Zack Sabre Jr, Mexico's Gran Metalik and USA favourite Johnny Gargano still left in the tournament it has to expected that the action is about to reach at whole new level. 

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #3 - Zack Sabre Jr. v Tyson Dux

The third week of the Cruiserweight Classic saw the First Round of the tournament continue, with Zack Sabre Jr, Anthony Nese and The Brian Kendrick and others join in on the fun. Would the tournament continue it's slow burn towards the 2nd round or would we finally see a breakout match? 

In my opinion, this week's main event opened the show, as PWG World Champion Zack Sabre Jr. jousted Canadian indy stalwart, Tyson Dux in a solid technical match. I'm extremely appreciative of ZSJ's technical, submission based style, and this match did a good job of getting over the kind of wrestler that he is, as he controlled large portions of the contest with various painful looking holds. He'd use a variety of different hold on various parts of the body, but always came back to Dux's arm in preparation for the Jim Breaks Special. Dux looked more than comfortable in their with someone who is considered one of, it not the, best technical wrestlers in the world, knowing his main role was to make ZSJ look as damn good as possible, whilst also having a near fall off a brainbuster, that was well worked indeed. The crowd seemed to struggle with the slower pace of the contest at times, however I'm not too concerned for ZSJ as I know when given a longer match later in the contest he'll have the fans eating out of the palm of his hand in no time at all. 

In the strongest bout on the show, The Brian Kendrick defeated Raul Mendoza [Jinzo] in a gritty and exciting effort, that had the Full Sail crowd on their feet at various points. Mendoza may have become the break out start of the tournament, as in only his third appearance in the USA as he impressed with a series of aerial manoeuvres, including a stunning corkscrew plancha and an unconventional cross-legged swing that dropped down in a submission of some sort. The crowd took to him swiftly, helped by veteran Kendrick being especially vicious, including placing Mendoza's mouth over the rope before kicking the rope hard, causing the Mexican to bleed from his lower lip. The reaction to Mendoza going for a Coast to Coast, with Kendrick in a tree of woe position was incredible as the whole building seemed to get to it's feet in unison! The finish was satisfying stuff, as Kendrick played possum before getting a submission with a reverse headlock takedown transitioned into a choke. It was a shame not to see Mendoza advance as he'd been taken to by the crowd, but I'm expecting at just 24 years old that this won't be the last we see of him on the world stage. 

In the weakest match of the tournament so far, as New York regular Tony Nese went over some lad called Anthony Bennett. I know very little about Bennett, and my usual source cagematch.net doesn't have a profile for him, which isn't a great start. From watching this match, it was clear that Bennett was completely out of his depth in this tournament, looking sloppy when executing moves and struggling to keep up with Nese's pace leading to a horribly messy section in the final third. The crowd's reaction to some of the botches were hilarious though. Nese is top draw talent however and managed to salvage his own credibility with a series of well-performed moves, including the 450 splash that would win him the match and 2nd Round tie against The Brian Kendrick. 

Rounding off the show, Drew Gulak would book his 2nd round place with a victory over one half of the Bollywood Boyz, Harv Sihra. This was an enjoyable, but short-lived contest, that told a rewarding story and told it well. Gulak bought a powerful and rather rough style to the match, whilst Sihra used his speed to attempt to get flash victories at numerous points. One particular moment that stands out was Gulak hitting a scoop slam, where Sihra's leg came crashing down the middle of the top rope. The finish was a clever piece of booking that raised a little smile, as it called back to a previous part in the fight beautifully. After Shira had escaped a body scissors by wrapping his own legs across Gulak's to create a kind of ankle lock, the finish would see Gulak locking in a brutal variations of the dragon sleeper, which included a body scissors, however when Shira tried to reverse again, Gulak was quickly able to recover and crank the sleeper on harder for the victory. It's the kind of wrestling that just wouldn't be possible on Monday Night RAW, because of the size of the crowd, so it's great to see it find a home on CWC. 

It was announced that next week's show will see the last four first round matches, including the likes of Johnny Gargano, Fabian Aicher [Adrian Severe] and Rich Swann.

Results 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Zack Sabre Jr def. Tyson Dux in 8 minutes, 26 seconds 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Drew Gulak def. Harv Sihra in 5 minutes, 17 seconds 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Tony Nese def. Anthony Bennett in 6 minutes, 34 seconds 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: The Brian Kendrick def. Raul Mendoza in 7 minutes, 47 seconds.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.69/10

The weakest episode of the series so far, which has more than a lot to do with the show including a piss-poor performance from Anthony Bennett. The rest of the show was of the same quality as had been seen in the first two weeks, with The Brian Kendrick and Raul Mendoza putting on a particularly strong bout, that had the crowd at the hottest they've been so far. Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo continue their strong form on commentary, helping to tell the stories, including the complex submission based narrative of Drew Gulak v Harv Sihra, whilst Bryan cheerleading for his pal Kendrick on commentary also added an extra depth to that already enjoyable contest. Having two second round matches confirmed throughout the show with Gulak facing Zack Sabre Jr and Tony Nese clashing with The Brian Kendrick was also a neat idea, with each winner being presented well in their match and making the potentially clashes even more appetising. 

All content - James Marston

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #2 - Akira Tozawa v Kenneth Johnson

After the first episode of the Cruiserweight Classic had produced some entertaining wrestling, but been a fairly average TV show on the whole, how would the 2nd episode shape up? With Akira Tozawa, Tajiri and TJ Perkins in action, what would the CWC have in store for us next? 

The main event of the evening saw Dragon Gate star Akira Tozawa reach the 2nd round of the competition with a victory over the unknown Kenneth Johnson. Seriously, Johnson doesn't even have a cagematch.net profile, what's that all about? It confuses me even more that Johnson looked comfortable in the ring with a competitor on the level of Tozawa, never looking out of place and never looking like he was having to be carried. The bout was full of hard strikes from both men, with Tozawa getting a good opportunity to show off what he has to offer to WWE with hard chops and elbow strikes. The commentary team pushing Johnson's heart during the match helped make a couple of his near falls feel more believable, as he was being pushed as potential giant killer in the tournament. Tozawa would go to hit German Suplexes throughout the match, including a brilliant sequence that would end with Johnson flipping out and the duo doing a double clothesline spot, so it was extremely satisfying to see Tozawa claim the victory with a pair of Germans, the first a snap version before closing the match with a stunning deadlift. Tozawa will face either Jack Gallagher or Fabian Aichner in the 2nd Round.

In the semi-main, WWN's TJ Perkins knocked wXw performer Da Mack out of the competition at the earliest opportunity. It was a battle of the show boaters, with both men looking to make the victory look as easy as possible. It crowd the crowd nicely worked up when Mack would start cutting shapes or Perkins would dab in the middle of submission and it would always play back into the story of the match with the opponent taking or trying to take advantage. There was a tidy mixture of styles here, with Perkins bringing some lovely submission based offence, that he'd transition well from hold to hold, whilst both men also pulled out some big highflying moves here also. The closing moments of the bout were very satisfying as Mack would injure his knee attempting a top rope enziguiri, with Perkins latter hitting his Detonation Kick, before leg scissoring himself into position to lock on the Figure Four Deathlock, which of course is all on the knee, to earn himself the win. Perkins will now face Johnny Gargano or Tommaso Ciampa in the 2nd Round. 

In the most flippy floppy bout of the Classic so far, ACW's Lince Dorado would earn himself a place in the next round with a win over FW's Mustafa Ali. Both men impressed me here as they took the short amount of time they were given and really went for it, pulling out some big spots and keeping the action coming thick and fast throughout the match. As soon as Dorado had crashed to the outside after a knee off the apron, the match picked up and it became an exciting spot-fest, that had the crowd bouncing. A double jump super spanish fly from Ali got a wonderful reaction both for the move and then the kick out. To be honest, I was actually much more impressed with Ali than Dorado, mainly because of the horrible reverse rana that he hit, but also because the finish involved Ali missing an imploding 450 splash before Dorado hit a Shooting Star Press. As cool as the Shooting Star Press will always be it's not 450 splash, and certainly not an imploding one. Perhaps that was a slight problem in the putting together of the match. Dorado does seem to have some potential though and I look forward to seeing him in the 2nd round against either Rich Swann or Jason Lee. 

In the opening bout, Wrestle-1's Tajiri went over WR's Damian Slater in a bout that was right up my alley. It took on a different tempo to what had been seen elsewhere in the show, keeping things technical throughout, making use of Tajiri's veteran skills to keep the pacing of the outing just right. Both men would sell stiff kicks from each other superbly throughout with Slater holding his arm, whilst Tajiri would have problems with his knee throughout the bout, which would lead to both attempting various submissions. I'd have been more than happy to see this go another ten minutes or so, as I think the two would have taken that extra time and ran with it to create an extra depth to the storytelling. Slater has to be one of the first round exitees that I've been most impressed with, whilst Tajiri's still got something in the tank and will provide a brilliant victory for someone later in the tournament. The fact that he was selling his knee at the conclusion of the bout made me a happy chappy indeed. Tajiri will face Gran Metalik in the 2nd round. 

It was announced that next week, Zack Sabre Jr, Tony Nese, Brian Kendrick and others would all be competing in 1st Round action.

Results 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Tajiri def. Damian Slater in 5 minutes, 28 seconds 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: TJ Perkins def. Da Mack in 6 minutes, 31 seconds 

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Lince Dorada def. Mustafa Ali in 5 minutes, 56 seconds.

Cruiserweight Classic First Round Match: Akira Tozawa def. Kenneth Johnson in 9 minutes, 45 seconds

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.5/10 

This was a step-forward after last week's solid start with the Cruiserweight Classic beginning to find it's feet with four different but all entertaining matches across the hour. These first round matches are going to be made as much by the losers as they are by the showcased winners and this card seemed to have a much more solid base of exitees than we saw in the last episode. Of course, the stronger the opponent, then the stronger match you are going to get. There's a lot still to come from the competition, but WWE has certainly come flying out of the traps with this one. 

TV Review: WWE Cruiserweight Classic #1 - Maluta v Ibushi

It's been a long time coming, but finally WWE's Cruiserweight Classic kicked off on the WWE Network on 13th July, with four first round match-ups. With names like Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik (Mascara Dorada) and Cedric Alexander on the first episode, would the tournament start as it meant to go on? 

In the main event, DDT star Kota Ibushi would over-come Sean Maluta [Roundhouse Kick and Leaping Sitout Elevated Powerbomb] in a strong contest. Ibushi would come out of the bout looking like a real star, with a mixture of his in-ring performance, Maluta's selling of his offence and some brilliant commentary from Mauro Ranallo & Daniel Bryan. Considering this was Maluta very first broadcast match I thought he presented himself well and despite botching an angled tope conhilo attempt (wonderfully thoughtful commentary from Bryan here), he sold Ibushi's offence well, whilst bringing an underdog type fire to his performance, fighting Ibushi's superplex attempt off (and then getting nailed with a ridiculous Pele kick) before delivering the strongest near fall of the show, blocking a tiger suplex attempt and hitting savate kick with Ranallo adding to the drama on commentary. All these first round contest seem to have the aim of showcasing the winner to set them up for the rest of the tournament and Ibushi came out of this looking like a real star. 

Clement Petiot (Tristan Archer) came up short against former ROH regular Cedric Alexander [Lumbar Check] in a good demonstration of Alexander's potential. Petiot came across as a generic French heel type, which probably wouldn't last long on WWE's roster these days, but as a means of putting over Alexander and allowing him to show off what he can do it worked. There was a nice story of the brawl against the highflyer usedd here, with Petiot initially controlling the match with strikes, whilst Alexander looked for space. The strongest action of the bout came during a back and forth transition sequence that would climax with Petiot nailing a big lariat for a near fall. The prospect of Alexander taking on Kota Ibushi in the second round in a few week's time is positively mouth-watering and the quality of these opening round matches has a lot to do with that. 

Ho Ho Lun picked up a speedy victory over Ariya Daivari [Bridging German Suplex] in what was probably the weakest bout of the show. For me, this was carried by HHL coming across a very likeable performer, whilst Daivari played WWE's typical Iranian heel. It wasn't ground-breaking but it got the crowd going and kept the mediocre action entertaining for it's five minutes of air time. Despite the characters sizing up well, the duo didn't gel well in the ring and most of the action was kind of clunky. There were similarities to the Gran Metalik and Alejandro Saez opener as well, with Daivari's missed frog splash being the opening for HHL's final flurry of action. HHL will have to improve in the next round if he doesn't want to stick out like a sore thumb! 

If the opener that saw Gran Metalik (Mascara Dorada) defeat Alejandro Saez (Xtra Large) [Corner Clothesline & Samoan Driver] was supposed to be a little appetiser for things to come in CWC then it did it's job very well. At only four minutes long, the match was fought a real lightning pace with Metalik able to show off just a handful of his lucha libre style moves with a tightrope splash and gorgeous tope conhilo standing out amongst the bunch. Saez showed he wasn't just there to make up the numbers either, as the current XNL World Champion hit a shooting star press off the apron, that whilst not perfect, was impressive none the less. As mentioned above the finish shared similarities with the Ho Ho Lun v Ariya Daivari match, as Metalik moving out of the way of a Spiral Tap by Saez before finishing the match off. I can't help but feel that a little discussion between the various competitors would've helped and removed the similar finishes.

Next week's matches were also announced as former ECW Television Champion Tajiri will face Damian Slater, former TNA X Division Champion TJ Perkins taking on Da Mack, Full Impact Pro star Lince Dorada shaping up to Mustafa Ali and former Open the Brave Gate Champion Akira Tozawa going up against Kenneth Johnson.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.94/10 

This was a very easy to watch first episode for the Cruiserweight Classic and perhaps the score may seem harsh because of this. However, I wouldn't really have wanted the first episode of a show based on a tournament to be scoring much higher. If the Cruiserweight Classic had came out of the box with a couple of top top matches, then they would have had nowhere to go for the rest of the series. This was all about showcasing the winners, introducing Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander and Ho Ho Lun to a WWE audience, letting them show what they can do, whilst having as good a match as they could, without giving everything away in one go. As I had been expecting the show to be around this level, the main positives that I came away with here were the strength of the commentary from Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo, who will only become better together throughout the next nine weeks, as well as the different types of presentation that WWE have chosen for the show, like the referee being miced up during the start of each match and the raising of the winners arm at the conclusion. 

I feel like many wrestling fans, I'm looking forward to the seeing the next three weeks of First Round matches and getting to see how the likes Akira Tozawa, Johnny Gargano and Zack Sabre Jr. get on, but this tournament is really going to get going in the 2nd Round.