The Cruiserweight Classic, formerly the Global Cruiserweight Series, was a professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE. All participants were billed at a weight of 205 lbs or less to determine the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Champion[a] for WWE's revived cruiserweight division. The tournament consisted of various matches that had predetermined results. Tournament qualifying matches took place in various promotions of the independent circuit, including well-known promotions such as Revolution Pro Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, and Evolve. Many cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world were given the chance to qualify for the 32-man tournament, which took place over four dates: June 23, July 13, August 26, and September 14, 2016. The winner was T. J. Perkins.
| Cruiserweight Classic | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the live finale featuring the Cruiserweight Classic trophy | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date |
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| City | Winter Park, Florida | ||
| Venue | NXT Arena at Full Sail University | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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Background
editIn 2016, WWE announced that they would be holding a 32-man professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event wherein all participants were billed at a weight of 205 lbs or less, referred to as cruiserweights. The event was originally titled the Global Cruiserweight Series before being renamed as the Cruiserweight Classic. Tournament qualifying matches took place in various promotions of the independent circuit, including well known promotions such as Revolution Pro Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, and Evolve. Many cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world were given the chance to qualify for the 32-man single-elimination tournament, which took place over four dates: June 23, July 13, August 26, and September 14.[1][2] During the finale, it was announced that the winner of the tournament would become the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Champion for WWE's revived cruiserweight division, which would compete on the Raw brand.[3] The tournament consisted of various matches that had predetermined results.[4][5]
Announced competitors
editNXT competitors Rich Swann, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano along with international standouts Zack Sabre Jr., Noam Dar, Ho Ho Lun, and Akira Tozawa were announced for the Cruiserweight Classic. At an independent show in Orlando, Florida on April 2, Lince Dorado joined the series. On April 24 at Progress Wrestling Chapter 29, Sabre Jr., Jack Gallagher also won a qualifying match, while on May 7 at Evolve 61, T. J. Perkins and Drew Gulak also joined the series. On June 11 at Evolve 63, Tony Nese defeated Johnny Gargano, Drew Gulak, T. J. Perkins and Lince Dorado and qualified for the tournament. Two days later, WWE officially revealed all 32 wrestlers taking part in the tournament.[6] Originally, Brazilian wrestler Zumbi was scheduled to compete in the Cruiserweight Classic. However, he had issues with his visa that WWE could not clear in time, and was replaced by Mustafa Ali.[7]
Qualifying matches
edit- Progress Wrestling Chapter 29 - April 24 (Electric Ballroom - Camden Town, London)[8]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Flash Morgan Webster | Cruiserweight Classic British Qualifying Match |
| 2 | Jack Gallagher defeated Pete Dunne | Cruiserweight Classic British Qualifying Match |
- Revolution Pro Wrestling Live at the Cockpit 8 - May 1 (Cockpit Theatre - Marylebone, London) [9]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noam Dar defeated Josh Bodom | Cruiserweight Classic British Qualifying Match |
- Evolve 61 - May 7 (La Boom - Woodside, Queens, New York)[10]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T. J. Perkins (with Stokely Hathaway) defeated Fred Yehi | Cruiserweight Classic US Qualifying Match |
| 2 | Drew Gulak defeated Tracy Williams[11] | Cruiserweight Classic US Qualifying Match |
- American Combat Wrestling The Tradition Continues! - May 28 (All Sports Arena - New Port Richey, Florida)[12]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lince Dorado defeated Romeo Quevedo | Cruiserweight Classic US Qualifying Match |
- Evolve 63 - June 11 (Downtown Recreation Complex - Orlando, Florida)[13]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Nese defeated Drew Gulak, Johnny Gargano, Lince Dorado and T. J. Perkins (with Stokely Hathaway) | WWE Cruiserweight Classic Flashpoint Elimination Match Since Nese won, he qualified for the Cruiserweight Classic |
Participants
edit| Wrestler | Weight (in pounds) |
|---|---|
| Akira Tozawa | 156 |
| Alejandro Saez | 205 |
| Anthony Bennett | 147 |
| Ariya Daivari | 180 |
| The Brian Kendrick | 157 |
| Cedric Alexander | 200 |
| Clément Petiot | 199 |
| Da Mack | 160 |
| Damian Slater | 193 |
| Drew Gulak | 193 |
| Fabian Aichner | 203 |
| Gran Metalik | 175 |
| Gurv Sihra | 159 |
| Harv Sihra | 144 |
| Ho Ho Lun | 155 |
| Jack Gallagher | 167 |
| Jason Lee | 154 |
| Johnny Gargano | 170 |
| Kenneth Johnson | 156 |
| Kota Ibushi | 189 |
| Lince Dorado | 168 |
| Mustafa Ali[Note 1] | 182 |
| Noam Dar | 178 |
| Raul Mendoza | 178 |
| Rich Swann | 165 |
| Sean Maluta | 191 |
| T. J. Perkins | 167 |
| Yoshihiro Tajiri | 189 |
| Tommaso Ciampa | 195 |
| Tony Nese | 196 |
| Tyson Dux | 193 |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 181 |
- ^ This competitor is a replacement for another participant who was taken out of the tournament
Alternates
editIn the event an official participant had suffered an injury or did not make the 205 lbs weight limit, they would have been replaced by one of the following participants:
| Wrestler | Weight (in pounds) |
|---|---|
| Aaron Solow | 182 |
| Jesse Sorensen | 184 |
| Jesus Yurnet | 182 |
| Kai Katana | 197 |
| Vandal Ortagun | 155 |
Replaced
editThese participants were taken out of the tournament for a specific reason and therefore were replaced by another competitor.
| Wrestler | Weight (in pounds) (max. 205) |
Progression in the tournament | Reason | Replacing wrestler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zumbi | 167 | Replaced before the official start of the tournament | Visa issues[7] | Mustafa Ali |
Broadcast team
edit| Ring name | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Rome | Austin Romero | Ring announcer |
| Mauro Ranallo | Mauro Ranallo | Lead commentator[14] |
| Daniel Bryan | Bryan Danielson | Color commentator[14] |
Results
editTournament bracket
editThe following time limits were in place:
- Round one: 20 minutes
- Round two: 20 minutes
- Quarterfinals: 30 minutes
- Semifinals: 30 minutes
- Final: Unlimited
| Round of 32 Taped June 23 | Round of 16 Taped July 14 | Quarterfinals Taped August 26 | Semifinals Live on September 14 | Final Live on September 14 | ||||||||||||||
| July 20 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kenneth Johnson | 09:46[15] | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 3 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Gallagher | 11:38[19] | |||||||||||||||||
| Jack Gallagher | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 31 - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fabian Aichner | 06:45[16] | |||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 20 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik | 15:49[22] | |||||||||||||||||
| Yoshihiro Tajiri | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 10 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Damian Slater | 05:28[15] | |||||||||||||||||
| Yoshihiro Tajiri | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 13 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik | 10:53[20] | |||||||||||||||||
| Alejandro Saez | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| September 14 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik | 04:04[17] | |||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 27 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 13:13[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| Harv Sihra | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 24 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Drew Gulak | 05:18[18] | |||||||||||||||||
| Drew Gulak | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 27 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 08:27[21] | |||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| September 7 - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tyson Dux | 08:28[18] | |||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 3 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 15:46[23] | |||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gurv Sihra | 05:26[16] | |||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| July 13 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ho Ho Lun | 07:02[19] | |||||||||||||||||
| Ariya Daivari | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| September 14 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ho Ho Lun | 05:03[17] | |||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| July 27 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins | 17:47[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| Raul Mendoza | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brian Kendrick | 07:35[18] | |||||||||||||||||
| Brian Kendrick | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| July 27 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Nese | 13:42[19] | |||||||||||||||||
| Anthony Bennett | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 31 - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Nese | 06:34[18] | |||||||||||||||||
| Brian Kendrick | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 13 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi | 13:58[22] | |||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 10 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sean Maluta | 09:40[17] | |||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| July 13 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cedric Alexander | 15:00[20] | |||||||||||||||||
| Cedric Alexander | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| September 14 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Clément Petiot | 05:58[17] | |||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| July 20 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins | 14:52[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 24 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Da Mack | 06:32[15] | |||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| August 3 - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Gargano | 12:18[21] | |||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Gargano | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| September 7 - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tommaso Ciampa | 10:47[16] | |||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins | Sub | |||||||||||||||||
| - July 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann | 17:03[23] | |||||||||||||||||
| Mustafa Ali | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 24 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lince Dorado | 05:55[15] | |||||||||||||||||
| Lince Dorado | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| August 3 – | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann | 08:14[21] | |||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann | Pin | |||||||||||||||||
| Jason Lee | 03:47[16] | |||||||||||||||||
Finale
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[3] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1D | The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv and Harv Sihra) defeated Ariya Daivari and Sean Maluta | Tag team match | 05:15 | ||
| 2 | Gran Metalik defeated Zack Sabre Jr. | Cruiserweight Classic tournament semi-final match | 13:13 | ||
| 3 | T. J. Perkins defeated Kota Ibushi by submission | Cruiserweight Classic tournament semi-final match | 14:52 | ||
| 4 | #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) defeated Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar | Tag team match | 09:49 | ||
| 5 | T. J. Perkins defeated Gran Metalik by submission | Cruiserweight Classic tournament final match for the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Championship | 17:47 | ||
| |||||
Aftermath
editBefore the final match between T. J. Perkins and Gran Metalik started, Triple H revealed that the winner of the tournament would be crowned the first WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Also, T. J. Perkins, Gran Metalik, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar, Lince Dorado, Tony Nese, Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, Tajiri, Ariya Daivari, Rich Swann and The Bollywood Boyz signed contracts with WWE. On July 15, Pro Wrestling Torch reported that Kota Ibushi had signed an NXT contract with WWE.[24] In an interview published July 25, Ibushi admitted he had been offered a contract, but denied having signed it.[25] After the tournament, Pro Wrestling Torch went back on their earlier report and stated that Ibushi had not agreed to a WWE contract beyond the tournament, which was a factor in him losing the semifinal match.[26]
See also
edit- WWE 205 Live
- Mae Young Classic
- WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament
- D-Generation X: In Your House (A similar WWE tournament for lighter wrestlers culminated at this event)
Note
edit- ^ Despite having the same name, this is a new championship with its own separate lineage from the previous WWE Cruiserweight Championship that was originally established in World Championship Wrestling and acquired by the WWE (at the time WWF) in 2001 and retired in 2007.
References
edit- ^ "WWE Network adds Global Cruiserweight Series to robust 2016 programming slate". wwe.com. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
- ^ "WWE Cruiserweight Classic tickets available starting Friday, May 20". www.wwe.com. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
- ^ a b c d e Caldwell, James (2016-09-14). "9/14 WWE Cruiserweight Tourney Finals – CALDWELL'S Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, James (2016-06-13). "All 32 wrestlers announced for WWE's cruiserweight tournament". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2016-06-25). "Triple H – WWE to hold future editions of Cruiserweight tournament, why did one wrestler miss inaugural tourney?". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ "Who qualified for Cruiserweight Classic at PROGRESS?". www.wwe.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ^ "Who qualified for Cruiserweight Classic at RevPro?". www.wwe.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ^ "Who qualified for Cruiserweight Classic at EVOLVE?". www.wwe.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ^ "Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams - Cruiserweight Classic qualifying match". WWE. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ^ "WWE Announces New Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match". www.411mania.com. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ^ "WWE Cruiserweight Flashpoint - A Prelude To The Tournament". www.dgusa.tv. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ a b Melok, Bobby. "Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo to host WWE Cruiserweight Classic". WWE. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
- ^ a b c d Caldwell, James (2016-07-20). "7/20 WWE Cruiserweight Results – Caldwell's Week 2 Report on Akira Tozawa, Tajiri, TJP, excellent Dorado vs. Ali match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- ^ a b c d Caldwell, James (2016-08-03). "8/3 WWE Cruiserweight Tournament Results – Caldwell's Report on Week 4 to conclude First Round, including Gargano vs. Ciampa". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ^ a b c d Caldwell, James (2016-07-13). "7/13 WWE Cruiserweight Results – Caldwell's Week 1 Report on Ibushi, Cedric Alexander, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- ^ a b c d Caldwell, James (2016-07-27). "7/27 WWE Cruiserweight Results – Caldwell's Week 3 Report on Zack Sabre, Brian Kendrick, more in action". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ a b c Caldwell, James (2016-08-17). "8/17 WWE Cruiserweight Results – Caldwell's Report on stellar Kendrick vs. Nese and Gallagher vs. Tozawa Sweet 16 matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2016-08-10). "8/10 WWE Cruiserweight Tournament Results – Caldwell's Report on Ibushi vs. Alexander classic, Tajiri vs. Metalik in Sweet 16". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
- ^ a b c Caldwell, James (2016-08-24). "8/24 WWE Cruiserweight Tournament Week 7 – Caldwell's Report on Gargano vs. TJP, Sabre vs. Gulak, Swann vs. Dorado to finish Sweet 16". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2016-08-31). "8/31 WWE Cruiserweight Tournament Week 8 – Caldwell's Report on Ibushi vs. Kendrick, Tozawa vs. Metalik Elite 8 matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2016-09-07). "9/7 WWE Cruiserweight Tournament – Caldwell's Report on Sabre vs. Dar, Swann vs. Perkins to conclude Elite 8 Round". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
- ^ Caldwell, James; Radican, Sean (2016-07-15). "PWTorch Report – Ibushi & Metalik agree to deals with WWE, several other Cruiserweight tourney stars on WWE's radar". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ プロレスの原点は3歳で犯した万引き？WWE入団の噂は本当？女性ファンがショックを受けた、飯伏幸太の“トンデモ”半生【インタビュー】. DDNavi (in Japanese). 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- ^ Caldwell, James; Radican, Sean (2016-09-15). "Inside the WWE Cruiserweight Finals – why the match results occurred in the Final Four & Championship match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-09-15.