Last week’s episode of the Cruiserweight Classic featured three great Round 2 bouts. Japan’s Akira Tozawa won in what some might say was a shocking upset when he defeated the gentlemanly Englishman, Jack Gallagher. Hoho Lun would then go on to give it his all against Noam Dar, but would eventually fall short. To main event the night, Brian Kendrick would keep his dream alive by defeating Tony Nese.
Tonight features the three final matches of the second round. Puerto Rico’s Lince Dorado takes on the energetic Rich Swann. The technical wizard Zack Sabre Jr. faces submission expert Drew Gulak, and Johnny Wrestling (Johnny Gargano) takes on the cocky TJ Perkins.
Lince Dorado (Puerto Rico) vs. Rich Swann (United States)
If there is someone in this tournament that can match the level of energy in Rich Swann’s move set, it is Lince Dorado. Lince Dorado had a match that stole the show in the first round against Mustafa Ali, showcasing incredible moves like the inverted frankensteiner. Swann took on China’s Jason Lee, and after Lee impressed the crowd, Swann would win the match with a standing 450 splash. With how these two compete in the squared circle, this match is sure to be exciting.
Swann manages to roll out of the way for Dorado’s Shooting Star Press attempt, and capitalizes with a corkscrew 450 Splash onto Dorado’s skull for the victory. Swann will either face TJ Perkins or Johnny Gargano depending on how that match goes later tonight. Winner: Rich Swann | Eliminated: Lince Dorado
Zack Sabre Jr. (England) vs. Drew Gulak (United States)
These are perhaps the two most technically proficient wrestlers in the Cruiserweight Classic. Sabre used his unmatched submission knowledge and escapism techniques to defeat Tyson Dux in the first round of the tournament. Drew Gulak defeated Harv Sihra with impressive submission technique of his own, using a body scissors dragon sleeper, which Daniel Bryan calls the most vicious maneuver in this tournament.
Both Sabre and Gulak competed at EVOLVE 66 last Friday, which is a setting that these two tend to frequent more than a WWE ring. Gulak competed in a Cruiserweight Classic Showcase match against “The Premier Athlete,” Tony Nese, and was victorious in his outing. Sabre faced Cody Rhodes in Rhodes’s first-ever independent match, and ended up losing by submitting to the American Nightmare.
This match was all about counters. Gulak and Sabre were so evenly matched, that only a reversal could end the match. Gulak escapes a pinning attempt from Sabre, and the technical wizard immediately prevents the escape by locking the legs in, getting the pinfall to end an incredible sequence. Zack Sabre Jr. will advance to the Top 8, where he will face Scotland’s Noam Dar. Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. | Eliminated: Drew Gulak
TJ Perkins (Phillipines) vs. Johnny Gargano (United States)
TJ Perkins lives up to his “showman” moniker, being understandably arrogant. Perkins defeated Da Mack in the first round, and showed incredible technique while patting his own back in the process. Like Gulak and Sabre, Perkins also competed in EVOLVE 66. TJP would be successful in his Cruiserweight Classic Showcase match against Cedric Alexander.
Johnny Gargano has had quite the past couple of weeks. He had an amazing match in Round One against his partner, Tommaso Ciampa. Then, the two would team up to almost defeat The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: Brooklyn last Saturday. That match is shown to have taken a toll on Gargano, with his knee taped up after tapping out to Scott Dawson’s kneebar.
Perkins takes advantage of Gargano’s injured knee, and locks in his signature kneebar on Gargano to fill the last spot in the quarterfinals. Perkins moves on to face the high impact Rich Swann. Winner (via submission): TJ Perkins | Eliminated: Johnny Gargano
Round 2 of the Cruiserweight Classic had the best set of matches WWE has hosted in quite some time. Ibushi/Alexander, Kendrick/Nese, Metalik/Tajiri, Tozawa/Gallagher, Dar/Lun, and every match tonight were at the very least great. With the stakes only getting higher, the matches will inevitably, somehow, get better.
