Cruiserweight Classic
2016 WWE Network event and tournament
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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.
- June 23, 2016
- July 14, 2016
- August 26, 2016
- September 14, 2016
| 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 event chronology | |||
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Background
In 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
NXT 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
- 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
| 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 |
| 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
In 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
These 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
| 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
Tournament bracket
| 1st Round[b] Cruiserweight Classic June 23, 2016 (Aired: July 13 – August 3) | 2nd Round[c] Cruiserweight Classic July 14, 2016 (Aired: August 10–24) | Quarterfinals[d] Cruiserweight Classic August 26, 2016 (Aired: August 31 – September 7) | Semifinals[e][3] Cruiserweight Classic September 14, 2016 | Final[f][3] Cruiserweight Classic September 14, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Kenneth Johnson
| 9:46[15] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Gallagher
| 11:38[16] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Gallagher
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fabian Aichner
| 6:45[17] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Akira Tozawa
| 15:49[18] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiri
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Damian Slater
| 5:28[15] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiri
| 10:53[19] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alejandro Saez
| 4:04[20] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr.
| 13:13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Harv Sihra
| 5:18[21] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Drew Gulak
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Drew Gulak
| 8:27[22] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr.
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr.
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tyson Dux
| 8:28[21] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Zack Sabre Jr.
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar
| 15:46[23] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gurv Sihra
| 5:26[17] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Noam Dar
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ho Ho Lun
| 7:02[16] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ariya Daivari
| 5:03[20] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ho Ho Lun
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gran Metalik
| 17:47 | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Raul Mendoza
| 7:35[21] | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Brian Kendrick
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Brian Kendrick
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Nese
| 13:42[16] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anthony Bennett
| 6:34[21] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Nese
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Brian Kendrick
| 13:58[18] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sean Maluta
| 9:40[20] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cedric Alexander
| 15:00[19] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cedric Alexander
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Clément Petiot
| 5:58[20] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kota Ibushi
| 14:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Da Mack
| 6:32[15] | ||||||||||||||||||
| T.J. Perkins
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Gargano
| 12:18[22] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Gargano
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tommaso Ciampa
| 10:47[17] | ||||||||||||||||||
| T. J. Perkins
| Submission | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann
| 17:03[23] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mustafa Ali
| 5:55[15] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lince Dorado
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lince Dorado
| 8:14[22] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rich Swann
| Pinfall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jason Lee
| 3:47[17] | ||||||||||||||||||
Finale
| 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
Before 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
- 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)
Notes
- 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.
- The first round of the tournament had a time limit of 20 minutes.
- The second round of the tournament had a time limit of 20 minutes.
- The quarterfinals of the tournament had a time limit of 30 minutes.
- The semifinals of the tournament had a time limit of 30 minutes.
- The tournament final had no time limit.