WWE Cruiserweight Classic (2016)

Original Airdate: July 13, 2016 – September 14, 2016

From Winter Park, Florida; Your Hosts are Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan. Instead of separating this into a bunch of different reviews for each individual show (since the 32-man tournament was taped over four dates, but aired as weekly hour-long WWE Network specials over the course of two months), I’m just going to review the entire tournament at once. Synergy!

Aired July 13, taped June 23

First Round Match: Alejandro Saez (Chile) v Gran Metalik (Mexico): The ropes are SUPER tight here, so expect lots of springboarding in this tournament! Saez slugs him down after Metalik evades a headlock, and catches him with a seated dropkick for two. Springboard dropkick (told ya!) gets two, but Metalik blocks a whip into the ropes with a handspring, and superkicks Saez. 2^nd rope dropkick knocks him to the outside for a springboard somersault bodyblock, and a ropewalk splash gets two on the way back in. Saez backdrops him onto the apron to avoid a charge, and a roundhouse kick knocks Metalik to the floor - Saez going after him with a shooting star press off the apron! In, Saez tries a corkscrew senton, but Metalik dodges, and puts him away with a Samoan driver at 4:11. Too short to really go anywhere, but the spots were fun. * ¾

First Round Match: Ariya Daivari (Iran) v Ho Ho Lun (Hong Kong): Daivari refuses a handshake at the bell, and wrenches a standing side-headlock to start. He's also dressed like Lex Luger circa the end of WCW. Lun catches him with a dropkick, then adds a seated version to the back of the head for two. Short-clothesline, but Daivari counters with a neckbreaker for two, and pounds him in the corner. Stinger splash misses, but he recovers with a high knee for two, and a pair of running kneesmashes to the shoulder blades setup a chinlock. Really, a chinlock in a five minute cruiserweight match? Lun escapes, and dodges a roundhouse kick, but eats an enzuigiri for two. Daivari goes for the kill, but runs into a spinheel kick, and Lun starts throwing clotheslines. 2^nd rope missile dropkick sets up a German suplex, but Daivari reverses, so Lun elbows him - only to run into a fist on a charge. Daivari tries a flying frogsplash to put it away, but misses, and Lun superkicks him for two. Back to the bridging German suplex, and this time he hooks it up to advance at 5:03. * ¼

First Round Match: Cedric Alexander (USA) v Clement Petiot (France): Reversal sequence to start, controlled by Cedric. A pair of armdrags send Petiot bailing for the floor, and he wisely puts some distance between himself and the ring to avoid a dive. In, Cedric hooks a neat back flip headscissors to setup a dropkick for two, but a charge gets him backdropped onto the apron, and Petiot uses a knee to take over. He works Alexander over in the corner, and a snap suplex gets two. A corner whip sets up a gutwrench suplex for two, and Petiot grounds him with a chinlock. Alexander escapes, but misses a charge in the corner, and Petiot puts him down for a running kneesmash for two. Kneelift misses, however, and Cedric nails him with a springboard forearm smash. Some great elevation on that one! Side suplex, but Petiot blocks, and hits a discus clothesline for two. Another one, but Alexander counters with a modified double-knee backbreaker to advance at 6:21. The least spotty of the matches thus far. **

First Round Match: Kota Ibushi (Japan) v Sean Maluta (American Samoa): They size each other up to start, and into a feeling out process that ends with Ibushi putting him down with a kick. Maluta reverses in the corner to setup a flying frogsplash, but Ibushi dodges, and hits a springboard missile dropkick. Sean's style of selling is really odd. Not bad, just odd. Ibushi with a capture suplex, but a charge in the corner misses, and Sean capitalizes with a double-kneeling facebuster - sold by Ibushi with a full back flip! He rolls to the floor, but Maluta is on him with a 450 plancha - though he slightly botches it. Still pretty cool anyway. Inside, it gets two, and Sean grounds him in a chinlock. Ibushi tries to escape, but gets put down with a neckbreaker for two, and eats a series of kicks. Ibushi fires back with a dropkick, and his own series of kicks setup a standing moonsault for two. Superplex, but Sean blocks and tries a dive - only to get popped with a back flip kick that knocks him off the top rope to the floor! Ibushi dives out after him with a springboard moonsault press, getting two with it on the way back in. Maluta tries coming back with a superkick for two, but a swinging kneelift misses, and Ibushi drills him with an elevated sitout powerbomb at 9:43. Best match of the first night, with both guys working hard, and delivering a well rounded match. ** ½

Aired July 20, taped June 23

First Round Match: Tajiri (Japan) v Damien Slater (Australia): Wow, Tajiri got old. He dominates Slater through a reversal sequence to start, but gets caught in a cradle for two during a criss cross. That was really smooth execution by Slater there. They trade armbars until Damien throws a dropkick, but a second misses, and Tajiri grounds him in a modified hammerlock. Slater makes the ropes, but Tajiri keeps zeroing in on the arm, so Slater uses a roundhouse kick to send him to the outside. Damien goes after him with a corkscrew plancha, and brings him in for a tornado DDT before shining his wizard for two. Inverted suplex, but Tajiri blocks, so Slater throws a dropkick to the knee instead. He tries going after it, but Tajiri starts throwing roundhouse kicks, so Slater tries a legsweep. Charge in the corner gets him caught in the tarantula, and Tajiri tries the Buzzsaw to finish, but Slater dodges. Tajiri keeps going with the handspring elbow, however, and a second try at the Buzzsaw ends it at 6:15. Good selling by Tajiri throughout, but he was looking ancient here, and as much as I enjoyed watching him in my teen years, Slater really should have went over. ** ¾

First Round Match: TJ Perkins (Philippines) v Da Mack (Germany): I hope Perkins advances just because Mack looks like such a smug asshole. Nice reversal sequence to start, ending in Perkins hitting a dropkick. A slick headscissors takedown gets two, and another one traps Mack on the mat. Third one is blocked with a cartwheel, however, and Mack wins a criss cross with a dropkick. Cross corner punch and some chops follow, but Perkins dodges getting tossed to the floor, and hooks him in a modified surfboard. Mack makes the ropes and bails, then suckers Perkins to the outside, and hits him with a somersault plancha. That gets two on the way back in, but Perkins catches him in an octopus hold, then drops down into the muta-lock. Mack makes the ropes, and fires back with a springboard somersault bodyblock, but that leaves both men looking up at the lights. The resulting slugfest ends in Perkins dropkicking the leg, but Mack counters a tiger suplex with a victory cradle for two. Springboard high knee gets two, but Perkins blocks a suplex - only to miss a 450 splash! Mack tries to recover with a headscissors of his own, but Perkins counters with a sitout facebuster, and a fireman's kick weakens Mack for a kneebar at 6:33. Great match, with lots of unique high spots, smooth execution, and good psychology - Mack hurting his knee, and Perkins exploiting it for the win. *** ½

First Round Match: Mustafa Ali (Pakistan) v Lince Dorado (Puerto Rico): Don't call him 'Lance!' Ali jumps him at the bell, and unloads in the corner, but runs into a headscissors takedown, and bails to the apron. Dorado tries going after him with a springboard dropkick, but ends up wiping out, and Ali capitalizes with a flying high knee of the apron! Another thing I love about the staging for this event is how every seat in the arena isn't lit up like a Christmas tree like the main roster shows are. Sometimes some darkness is welcome. You don't want to go early 80s level of dark, but this is a nice middle ground. Ali with a neckbreaker for two (done with a Van Dam-esque somersault-that-has-no-bearing-on-the-actual-move first), and a slam gets two. Ali is sloppy as fuck, and comes off like a backyard wrestler. He misses a flying moonsault to allow Dorado a seated dropkick, and a springboard rana sends Ali to the apron - Dorado able to hit a slingshot dropkick this time, then follow with a headscissors from the apron to the floor! Springboard moonsault press follows, and a flying bodypress gets two on the way back in. Ali tries coming back with a jawbreaker, but Dorado blocks a suplex, and hits an enzuigiri. Springboard inverted rana gets two, but both guys fighting on the top ends in Ali hitting a crazy spanish fly - but only for two! Those are some crazy high spots. And it's not over, as Ali tries an inverted 450 splash, but misses, and Dorado kills him with a shooting star press at 5:56! Wild spotfest here! *** ¼

First Round Match: Kenneth Johnson (USA) v Akira Tozawa (Japan): Long feeling out process to start, with Akira generally dominating on the mat. Johnson tries a sunset flip, but gets his wizard shined for two, and Tozawa snapmares him over for a chinlock. Chopfest goes Tozawa's way, and a bodyslam sets up a senton splash for two. Mat-based abdominal stretch follows, but Johnson escapes and absolutely MURDERS him with a leg lariat. That was nasty! Side suplex, but Tozawa blocks, and starts throwing kicks. German suplex, but Johnson pops back up, and they work a double-knockout spot. The resulting slugfest goes Tozawa's way, but Johnson catches him with a double-kneeling facebuster for two. Inverted double-underhook facebuster gets two, but a 2^nd rope corkscrew splash misses. Johnson's selling is absolutely horrendous. And Akira doesn't look like he appreciates it either - punishing him with a pair of German suplexes at 9:46 to advance. This got a lot of time, but didn't really warrant it. It reminded me a lot of Dean Malenko's work in 1996, where the crowd wanted to see high spots, but Dean would spend half the match on the mat. ¾*

Aired July 27, taped June 23

First Round Match: Zack Sabre Jr (England) v Tyson Dux (Canada): Sabre is fucking scrawny. Like, even beside the other cruiserweights, he looks anorexic. I dig his British Bulldogs-esque tights, though. Feeling out process to start, giving Sabre a chance to show off his technical chops. His stuff is super fluid, wow. He controls on the mat as he works the arm, but Tyson escapes an armbar with a bodyslam, and cracks him with a chop. Pair of corner whips, but Sabre comes diving at him with a 2^nd rope backelbow, and a cross corner clothesline follows. Zack goes back to the arm, but a leg-feed enzuigiri is countered with a fisherman's buster for two! Vertical suplex, but Sabre blocks - only for Dux to counter to the mat in a fujiwara armbar. Sabre counters with a crucifix cradle for two, but eats a clothesline for his insolence. Tyson pounds him, but Sabre gets an octopus hold on - only for Dux to make the ropes. Zack keeps coming with a series of kicks, and a running seated roundhouse kick gets two. Tyson comes back with an inverted atomic drop and a DDT for two, but Zack counters a Texas cloverleaf with a bridging cradle for two. Dux responds with a clothesline, but Sabre counters a fireman's carry into omoplata for the submission at 8:28. This very technical outing played well to Sabre's strengths, and his execution in particular masterful throughout. ** ¼

First Round Match: Harv Sihra (India) v Drew Gulak (USA): If Steve Austin ever does return to the ring, it should be against Sihra. Imagine, the Hollywood Blonde versus the Bollywood Brunette. That WrestleMania sells itself. Drew hooks a quick inside cradle for two during the feeling out process, but gets caught on the mat with a leglock. More feeling out stuff, until Sihra tries a bodypress, but gets countered into a fireman's carry - countering back with a sunset cradle for two. Crucifix gets two, and an inside cradle is worth two. Charge misses, however, and Drew blasts him with a 2^nd rope clothesline for two. Corner whip gets him two, and a neat bodyslam INTO the ropes sends Sihra bailing for the outside. He backdrops Drew from the apron to send him out as well, then dives with a springboard bodypress. Inside, Sihra unloads mounted punches, and a swinging neckbreaker gets him two. Sihra's 1995 Randy Savage gear is pretty awesome. Vertical superplex sets up a sharpshooter, but Drew blocks, and applies a dragon sleeper to advance at 5:18. Not much to this one. * ¼

First Round Match: Anthony Bennett (USA) v Tony Nese (USA): The Tonypowers EXPLODE! Feeling out process to start, and Nese unloads a barrage of kicks for two. They spill to the outside, where Nese catches him with a superkick, but a powerbomb on the floor gets blocked, and Bennett dives at him with a somersault bodyblock off the apron. It gets two on the way back in, and he tries a butterfly submission, but Nese stunguns him to escape, then adds a springboard moonsault for two. Vertical suplex gets two, and he grounds Bennett in a bodyscissors. Anthony escapes, and hits a pair of jumping clotheslines, followed by a dropkick. Sloppy tornado DDT gets two, and a reversal sequence gets slightly screwed up, but ends in Nese hitting a pump-handle slam to setup a 450 splash at 6:35. Bennett didn't quite look ready for prime time here, but it was a good exhibition for Nese. * ¼

First Round Match: Raul Mendoza (Mexico) v Brian Kendrick (USA): A lot of American contenders this week. Kendrick looks a lot dirtier and hippyish than I remember him looking. I didn't really need both descriptors there, did I? 'Hippy' and 'dirty' are practically synonyms, after all. His chest is already red at the bell, so I'd like to think that Ric Flair is hanging out in gorilla, giving guys motivational chops on the way through the curtain, the way football players do ass slaps. They get right into criss crossing, and a nice sequence ends in Mendoza sending him to the floor with a headscissors, then teasing a dive. Back in, Brian tries a dropkick during another criss cross, but misses, and Mendoza delivers an inverted giant swing to setup a kneebar - Kendrick making the ropes. Brian suckers him into a roundhouse kick, then acts like a total dick - putting Raul's face on the middle rope, and kicking the rope so it snaps into his mouth. Ouch! He ties him up on the mat, but Raul gets the ropes, and counters a lariat with a schoolboy for two. Springboard missile dropkick sends Brian to the outside, and this time Mendoza makes good on his threat - diving after him with a corkscrew plancha. Springboard 450 splash on the way back in misses, but Raul quickly recovers with an enzuigiri instead for two. Cross corner charge doesn't go as well for him, however, and Kendrick goes up - only to get kicked down into a tree of woe! That sets him up for Mendoza to hit a corner-to-corner flying dropkick, and a vertical double-knee backbreaker is worth two! Brian suckers him again, however, and he slaps on the bully choke for the submission at 7:35. These two meshed well together, and made the most of their allotted time. ***

Aired August 3, taped June 23

First Round Match: Rich Swann (USA) v Jason Lee (Hong Kong): Swann appears to be auditioning for a role in the New Day with that entrance routine. Feeling out process to start, and a nice criss cross ends in Swann dropkicking him for two. That was a well worked sequence. Rich grounds him in an armbar, but Lee gets the best of an exchange in the corner, and hits an enzuigiri for two. Swann fires back with a spinning-backfist, however, and a well executed rana off the top sets up a frogsplash for two. Lee returns fire with a series of kicks and a magistral cradle for two, but runs into a reverse roundhouse kick, and Rich hits a wild standing 450 splash to advance at 3:47. Quick, but very fun while it lasted. Swann looked amazing here. **

First Round Match: Noam Dar (Scotland) v Gurv Sihra (India): Feeling out process to start, dominated by Dar. Sihra responds by elbowing him during a wristlock, and he takes Noam down with a headlock. Criss cross goes Dar's way with a dropkick, however, so Sihra fires back with a sloppy backbreaker for two. Corner whip hits, but a second gets reversed, and Dar kicks his leg out. They don't seem to be meshing very well here, with lots of awkward transitions. Dar with a dropkick, but Sihra sweeps him down and tries for a sharpshooter, but Noam blocks. Dar with a corner dropkick for two, but Sihra counters a figure four with an inside cradle for two, then throws a spinheel kick for two. 2^nd rope elbowdrop misses, and Dar throws an enzuigiri and a vertical suplex for two. Grapevine earns a submission at 5:16. They tried, but it just didn't click between them, for whatever reason. *

First Round Match: Jack Gallagher (England) v Fabian Aichner (Italy): Gallagher looks classically English, and would fit right in with the Vaudevillains. Though, I wouldn't wish that on him. Smooth reversal sequence to start, with Aichner controlling with a wristlock. Jack does a slick counter into a hammerlock, but Aichner uses a fireman's carry to counter to an armbar. Jack tries to escape, so Aichner sweeps him down for a standing anklelock, but Jack reverses, and it ends in a stalemate. Gallagher's facial expressions are just brilliant here - this guy could be a star. Though, he's too small to ever be taken seriously on the main roster, and would end up playing a goofy manager type. Aichner with a leg lariat for two, and he tries grounding Jack in a chinlock, but Gallagher fires back with a sunset flip - leading to a reversal sequence. That ends in Aichner hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, and a double-springboard moonsault follows for two. Vertical suplex, but Jack counters with a pair of dropkicks, and catches him with a bodypress. Aichner tries another tilt-a-whirl, but this time Gallagher counters with a guillotine - only for Aichner to counter with a sitout powerbomb for two. Aichner reminds me of Cesaro, in all the best ways. He goes for the kill with a flying frogsplash, but Jack dodges, and hits a stunning cross corner dropkick to advance at 6:45. Another five minutes would have been very welcome here, as both guys were working very well together, and it was tremendous. *** ½

First Round Match: Johnny Gargano (USA) v Tommaso Ciampa (USA): This is the final match of the opening round, and both guys have a history as tag team partners. Gargano controls through some early reversals, and holds Ciampa on the mat in an armbar following an armdrag. Ciampa fights to a vertical base, so Johnny switches to a hammerlock - only for Ciampa to absolutely blast him with an elbow (Johnny selling it with zeal), and then tossing him to the floor. Ciampa follows for a chop against the rail, and he drapes him over the apron for a kneelift that gets two on the way in. Snapmare sets up a chinlock to wear Johnny down, but a vertical superplex is blocked, and Gargano kicks him down off the turnbuckles. Gargano flies at him with a slingshot DDT for two, but a running powerslam is blocked, and Ciampa tries a Samoan drop off the top - only for Johnny to counter with a sitout running powerbomb! That sends Ciampa to the outside, but Johnny is right on him with a tope, then back in with a slingshot shoulderblock through the ropes, but Ciampa counters with a vicious knee for two! That was awesome! Tommaso tries a powerbomb, but Gargano blocks, so Ciampa hits him with a bicycle kick to soften him up. Back to the powerbomb, but Johnny blocks again, and knocks him to the apron with a kick. He follows onto the apron to chop it out, but Ciampa gets the best of it with a big boot, and he follows with a brutal air raid crash on the apron for two! This is getting nasty, folks! The announcers are doing an absolutely phenomenal job of getting the drama of this over too, as they have been for the whole tournament thus far. The air raid crash is enough to weaken Johnny up for a double-knee powerbomb, but it still only gets two! The crowd is hanging on their every move here! Ciampa is good and frustrated now, and he starts unloading on Johnny with chops. Discus punch, but Gargano counters with a backslide - triggering a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Johnny hooking a crucifix cradle at 10:58 - making this both the last, longest, and best match of the first round! The first round was basically a long feeling out process, but there were some great performances - including this one. Excellent match, loaded with drama and psychology! ****

Aired August 10, taped July 14

Second Round Match: Tajiri (Japan) v Gran Metalik (Mexico): They do some chain wrestling to start, ending in a relative stalemate. A reversal sequence also ends in a stalemate, and they move on to trading holds on the mat. I've been trying not to gush too much about the commentary throughout this tournament (because, otherwise, that's all I'd talk about), but it has been just tremendous. Amazing what can happen when you allow experienced guys who know their business to talk about it, without micromanaging their every thought. The action spills to the outside, where Gran superkicks him, but Tajiri manages to sucker him in the corner, and hit a kneedrop on the way back in. Neckbreaker gets two, and Tajiri grounds him in a chinlock. Gran starts fighting free, so Tajiri switches to a headscissors, but Gran gets the ropes. Tajiri punishes him with a roundhouse kick, but Gran manages to knock him to the floor with a springboard missile dropkick, and he dives after him with a ropewalk somersault bodyblock! Tajiri tries a kick as they re-enter, but Gran snaps his leg across the middle rope to block, and follows with a ropewalk elbowdrop for two! That was cool! Springboard backelbow gets two, but Tajiri escapes a fireman's carry, and superkicks him down. That softens Gran up for a tree of woe, and Tajiri drives into him with a baseball slide for two! Gran tries coming back with a 2^nd rope flying seated senton, but Tajiri catches him in a powerbomb for two. Buzzsaw, but Metalik ducks - only to get caught on the mat in a submission while trying a cradle! Gran escapes, so Tajiri throws another roundhouse kick at him, but the Buzzsaw misses, and Gran puts him away with a Samoan driver at 10:53. Nice to see them getting some room to stretch their legs as we move into the second round. This one would have been right at home in late 90s ECW. ** ¾

Second Round Match: Kota Ibushi (Japan) v Cedric Alexander (USA): Reversal sequence to start, as they feel each other out. They trade armdrags, and then get into a phenomenal, fast paced sequence where both guys throw all sorts of high impact moves in rapid fire, with the opponent countering - all ending in a pinfall reversal sequence that goes to a stalemate. Alexander gets him on the mat in a side-headlock, but Kota escapes, and another reversal sequence ends in him putting Cedric down with a roundhouse kick. Kota adds a springboard missile dropkick to knock Alexander to the outside, and he dives after him with a springboard moonsault - only to miss! That allows Cedric to hustle back in for his own dive - nailing Kota with a somersault tope suicida! Alexander with a springboard clothesline for two on the way back in, and a pair of chops get two. Vertical suplex, but Kota slips free, and plants a dropkick on him. That results in a slugfest, with Kota able to win with a barrage of kicks, then add a sick standing corkscrew moonsault for two! That was insane! Alexander tries a lariat to stop this rally, but Ibushi is ready with an exploder suplex to send him to the floor, and this time Kota sticks the landing with a springboard moonsault! Inside, it gets two, as the announcers start to bring up the twenty minute time limit. Kota tries for a powerbomb to put him away, but Alexander counters with a Michinoku driver for two! Alexander goes up, but Kota follows with a rana off the top - only for Cedric to land on his feet. That would have been more impressive had the camera angle not completely exposed that the rana didn't even hook Alexander in the least. Oh well. Kota recovers with a back flip kick, but Alexander blocks the elevated sitout powerbomb again, and this time follows up with an enzuigiri in the corner! That sets up a quick brainbuster for two, followed by an equally quick spinkick for two! This is getting crazy! Poor Cedric doesn't know what else he has to throw at this guy, and decides to take a risk with flying double-stomp, but Ibushi rolls out of the way, and gives him a German suplex. That sets up a roundhouse kick, which is finally enough to daze Cedric for the elevated sitout powerbomb at 15:01! Oh man, that was something else! Really well booked and worked, with loads of drama and eye-popping spots throughout. And both guys fucking SOLD the drama too - this wasn't about 'having fun out there,' this was a war where both guys pulled out all the stomps to try and advance, with Alexander even going so far as to shed tears after the loss because he's so passionate. I MISS THAT about wrestling! **** ¼

Aired August 17, taped July 14

Second Round Match: Akira Tozawa (Japan) v Jack Gallagher (England): The difference in skin tone here is absolutely jarring. Gallagher makes fucking Sheamus look like a Hawaiian Tropic model. They trade off on the mat, with Jack being his usual awesome self. I feel like if Gallagher ever went bald, he would lose 40% out of his act right there. After a fair bit of comedy wrestling, Tozawa has enough, and just starts violently kicking Jack down to setup a senton splash for two. Jack returns fire by going after the leg, and decimates it on the mat - no longer going for laughs here. Tozawa gets off the mat with a bicycle kick for two, and a cross corner high knee follows, but Jack counters a piledriver to a heel hook. Tozawa gets the ropes, and man, he's selling the leg like crazy - even going so far as to collapse during an Irish whip attempt. He tries for a German suplex, but Jack blocks, and goes right for a figure four - Tozawa countering with a quick cradle for two. He manages to follow up with a well executed German suplex, and a second bridging version finishes at 11:38. The comedy in the early going was a little too goofy at points for my tastes, but once it got into Gallagher destroying the knee, and Tozawa selling it like crazy, it was much more my speed. A bit disappointing as an overall match though, the second time in a row that's been the case for Tozawa. **

Second Round Match: Noam Dar (Scotland) v Ho Ho Lun (Hong Kong): Dar tries to get cute during a criss cross, and runs into a spinheel kick for two. They trade off on the mat, and Lun hits a seated dropkick to the back of the head for two, but takes a corkscrew legwhip, and Noam dropkicks him to the outside. Lun hurts his knee, and Noam goes after it on the way back in, then hits a side suplex for two. Back to the leg, but Lun counters a hold with a small package for two, and clocks him with a roundhouse kick for two. DDT, but Noam kicks his leg out from under his leg to block, then follows with a corner dropkick. That puts Ho Ho down for more leg abuse, and Dar tries for the submission with an elevated half crab, but Lun gets the ropes. That pisses Noam off, causing him to make the mistake of a reckless corner charge, and Ho Ho responds with a 2^nd rope missile dropkick. Cross corner high knee follows, and a Michinoku driver is worth two. Fisherman's suplex gets two, but the bridged pin aggravates Lun's knee, slowing him down. He still manages a series of kicks for two, but Noam counters a German suplex into a kneebar for the submission at 7:02. Good stuff, with Dar hurting the knee, and following through on it all the way to a finish. ** ½

Second Round Match: Brian Kendrick (USA) v Tony Nese (USA): Kendrick tries charging at the bell, but runs right into a big boot. Tony capitalizes by blitzing him in the corner so badly that Brian falls out of the ring, but he's still got enough presence of mind to dodge a springboard moonsault. That only serves to piss Nese off, however, and he cracks him with a superkick before bringing it back in. Big chop gets two, but Brian escapes a fireman’s carry, and chokes him in the corner. Reversal sequence ends in Nese unloading a flurry of kicks for two, and a pair of nicely executed legdrops get two. Another big boot misses, however, and Kendrick takes him down in a fujiwara armbar, but Tony slugs free. He tries dumping him to the outside, but Brian hangs on and flies back with a slingshot sunset flip, but Nese blocks. He tries a springboard moonsault, but Brian dodges, and gets him in a cross armbreaker. Nese won't go down quietly, flailing around as he tries to counter, so Brian subdues him by shifting back to the fujiwara. Nese escapes, so Brian tries another slingshot, but Tony sweeps the leg to knock him to the floor for a corkscrew moonsault suicida! That's crazy! Back in, Nese wins a slugfest, and a big boot/spinheel kick combo leave Kendrick dazed. Falcon arrow gets two, but Kendrick is stirring, so Tony thinks better of trying the 450, and hits him with a lariat first instead. Up for the 450, but Brian pops up and shakes the ropes - knocking Tony off his perch, and covering for two. Leg lariat gets two, so Brian goes back to the arm with another cross armbreaker, but Tony dead lifts him, and THROWS him into the corner to escape! It only gets two, but that was fucking cool! He goes for the kill, but Brian is ready with the bully choke. Nese keeps fighting for an escape, and a pump-handle sitout front powerslam gets him two! Tony's doing a phenomenal job of selling the arm throughout this here too, it's worth noting. Slugfest goes Brian's way with some headbutts, and a superkick sets up a leg lariat. Kendrick goes up to try and finish, but this time it's Nese's turn to knock him off. He immediately tries for the 450, but Brian rolls out of the way, and swiftly applies the bully choke to advance at 13:44! Good showing here, with both guys making a major effort, and wrestling a hard fought, intense, and psychologically sound match. *** ½

Aired August 24, taped July 14

Second Round Match: Lince Dorado (Puerto Rico) v Rich Swann (USA): Big criss cross right out of the gate, with Dorado hooking a rollup for two, but getting countered into a cradle for two. They follow that gorgeous sequence up with another nice one that sees them go to a stalemate while attempting various takedowns, so Lince goes with plan-B: mock Rich's dancing. Oooh, big mistake. And, indeed, Swann quickly dropkicks him, so Dorado one ups him with a springboard dropkick to put Rich on the outside - Dorado following with a well executed flying bodypress that gets so much distance that he nearly crashes into the entrance set! Wow! It gets two on the way back in, but a corner charge misses, and Swann capitalizes with a neckbreaker. He ties Dorado up in a unique submission hold (that looks almost like an upside down abdominal stretch), but Lince escapes, and cradles him for two. Swann tries a rana off the top, but Lince blocks - only for both guys to try bicycle kicks at the same time for a double-knockout. That leads to an extended slugfest, and Dorado manages a high knee, then throws a flying bodypress for two. Dorado tries the German suplex, but Swann back flips onto his feet to block, and grabs Lince with a DDT for two. Standing 450 splash, but Dorado lifts his knees to block, and whacks him with an enzuigiri. Inverted rana is enough for only two, so he tries for the shooting star press, but Rich rolls out of the way - Swann able to capitalize with a phoenix splash to advance at 8:14! This was two guys throwing everything in their respective arsenals at one another until Dorado made a mistake, and Swann was able to capitalize. *** ¼

Second Round Match: Drew Gulak (USA) v Zack Sabre Jr (England): Gulak tries to come in all fiery, but Sabre outclasses him on the mat, and stretches him a bit. Gulak is able to take control by chopping him, and a bridging northern lights suplex gets him two. Mat-based abdominal stretch follows, but Zack gets out of it, so Drew tries to punish him with a flying clothesline - only to get caught in a fujiwara armbar. Gulak uses his power advantage to counter to a vertical base with a gory special, then down into a modified Boston crab - Zack able to counter into a cradle for two. Gulak responds with a fireman's carry slam, and he grounds Zack again, this time with a reverse chinlock. Sabre escapes and ties him in an octopus hold, but Gulak counters to an anklelock - Sabre countering to a headlock, but Drew countering back with a side suplex! Great sequence there, and smoothly executed. Sabre gets a kimura lock on, but Gulak responds by slamming him into the ropes to break, so Zack sweeps the leg, and punts him in the face for two. Cradle gets two, so Drew slaps him silly, and hooks a sunset cradle for two. Dragon sleeper, but Sabre counters into an awesome bridging cradle for the pin at 8:27! Sabre is like a fucking machine - his execution of everything is nothing short of incredible! Good match too, with the larger Gulak using his power advantage, but falling prey to Sabre's technical prowess. ***

Second Round Match: TJ Perkins (Philippines) v Johnny Gargano (USA): They start with a test-of-strength, and an outsized Perkins wisely uses a takedown to leverage control. They trade monkeyflips, but Perkins gets the best of it with a muta-lock - Gargano making the ropes. Johnny uses a dropkick to send him to the outside for a tope, and a rollup on the way in gets two. Gargano keeps hold of him to apply a modified surfboard, but Perkins counters into a rocking horse, then shifts into a surfboard of his own for two! Reversal sequence ends in TJ taking him down and holding a headscissors, but Johnny escapes with a schoolboy, then kicks him in the face. Perkins tries to dump him, but Johnny comes right back in with a tope from the apron for two. Nice timing on that sequence. Another well timed sequence sees Perkins hit a pop-up dropkick, then a sitout powerbomb for two. Criss cross ends with Gargano on the apron, so TJ tries a springboard dropkick, but Gargano blocks with a superkick to knock Perkins to the floor - Johnny right on him with a somersault neckbreaker off the apron! Wild! He smacks his leg on the landing, however, and the slowdown allows Perkins to counter a slingshot on the way in to a fireman's kick, immediately followed by a double-chickenwing double-knee gutbuster for two. Insane! Perkins with a rebound dropkick, but Gargano recovers enough to try a running snake-eyes, but his leg gives out half way, and TJ capitalizes with the kneebar! Johnny quickly counters to a crossface, but Perkins blocks, so Gargano hooks a magistral cradle for two instead. The knee again slows him down, however, allowing Perkins a neckbreaker. Rana off the top, but Gargano counters with a stungun, then grits his teeth through the leg pain to run TJ across the ring with a running snake-eyes for two! That took a lot out of Gargano as well, and he was really hoping it would be enough to put this guy away. He uses the ropes to get to a vertical base, but Perkins ducks a superkick, and dropkicks the knee. Gargano makes a last ditch effort, but Perkins is ready with the kneebar again, and Gargano taps at 12:19, to end what has been a tremendous second round. Another fantastic showing from Gargano here, both men’s timing just impeccable! ****

Aired August 31, taped August 26

Quarterfinal Match: Akira Tozawa (Japan) v Gran Metalik (Mexico): They trade off on the mat to start, both men fairly evenly matched. Tozawa takes it to the next level with a kick during a break on the ropes, but a criss cross ends in another stalemate when both men throw dropkicks. Tozawa tries criss crossing again, but this time Gran follows him into the ropes with a running dropkick, and adds a springboard version to send Akira to the outside. Gran follows with a tope that lands about halfway to the dressing rooms, and a springboard bodypress on the way back in gets two. He nearly hit the lights on that one, too! Figure four, but Tozawa gets the ropes, so Metalik punishes him with a roundhouse kick for two. He tries the handspring backelbow, but Tozawa counters with a perfectly timed dropkick, and a big boot sends Gran to the outside - Tozawa following with a tope of his own! He tries rolling Gran back in, but Metalik fights to stay on the outside, so Tozawa responds by hitting him with a second tope! It's worth two on the way back in, and a bodyslam sets up a senton splash for two. That leads to a battle of wills through a chopfest, with Tozawa again winning by not being afraid to take it to the next level - this time with a closed fist. It gets two, and a seated corner dropkick follows. Charge misses, however, and Metalik quickly capitalizes with a superkick, followed by a ropewalk dropkick off the middle, and a running shooting star press for two! That was quite the flurry of offense! Springboard backelbow gets two, but Tozawa blocks a fireman's carry, and shines his wizard for two! Tozawa with a cross corner bicycle kick to setup a saito suplex for two, but another charge gets countered with a superkick, and Gran sends him to the outside with a ropewalk dropkick - Metalik following with a springboard somersault bodyblock! Gran with a bodyslam on the way back in, but a flying moonsault hits the knees, and Tozawa hooks the leg for two! Superplex, but Gran dumps him to the apron to block, and then brings him back in with a springboard rana for two! Wild! Tozawa tries firing back with a German suplex, but Gran back flips onto his feet - only to get caught with it on the second try. Dead lift bridging German suplex looks to finish, but Metalik gets a shoulder up at a dramatic two! Crowd thought that was it. Another German, but this time Gran counters to the Samoan driver to advance at 15:50. After a few lackluster performances in the early rounds, the talented Tozawa finally matched up with an opponent he meshed well with in this tournament! The psychology was kind of all over the place, but the spots were all exciting and well executed, and the pacing was great as well. *** ¾

Quarterfinal Match: Brian Kendrick (USA) v Kota Ibushi (Japan): Realizing he's very potentially outgunned here, Kendrick stalls on the floor to start - a first in this tournament thus far. Guess it's safe to say Michael Hayes wasn't the assigned agent for this whole event. That only serves to piss Kota off (the stalling, not the lack of Hayes), and he unloads on Brian with kicks. Kota dives after him with a springboard moonsault press, but Kendrick keeps stalling. That suckers an overconfident Kota out again, and Brian drives him into the rail, then tries wedging his foot between the bars, and leaving him out there for the countout! I love it! It doesn't work, however, and Kota punishes him with a springboard missile dropkick for two, then unloads a bunch more kicks. They fight out onto the apron, where Brian manages to drop him with a neckbreaker across the top turnbuckle - leaving Ibushi taking the count on the outside. I love how Kendrick doesn't even bother trying to roll him in, he'll gladly take the countout win. Ibushi’s neck is hurt, but he claws his way in anyhow, so Kendrick kicks him down for two, then grounds him in a cravat. Kota escapes and throws a dropkick, then powerslams him to setup a springboard 2^nd rope moonsault for two. Nicely done! Standing moonsault, but Kendrick lifts his knees to block, and grabs a quick inside cradle for two. Ibushi pops right up, so Brian buys time with a superkick, and a slow slugfest ends in Kendrick executing a shiranui for two. Chinlock, but Kota actually fights to the top rope in the hold, then leaves Kendrick sitting on the turnbuckle - blasting him with a back flip kick! He then raises the bar with an absolutely insane release German suplex from the apron into the ring - over the top rope! Wild! It only gets two, but that was impressive as fuck! Powerbomb, but Brian counters to the bully choke, so Kota elbows his way out - only to run into a burning hammer for two! Kendrick goes for the kill, but Ibushi counters a victory cradle by dropping to his knees and driving Brian right onto his neck for two! Phoenix splash looks to finish, but Kendrick moves, and gets him in the bully choke - Kota countering into a cradle for two! Both pop up, but Ibushi is ready with the elevated sitout powerbomb at 13:58! This was a lot less spot driven than many of the other efforts in this tournament, with more focus on the story being told, and Kendrick's heel underdog tactics ultimately falling short against the superior Ibushi. The neck work was all really well done too, with Kendrick using unique and complex spots to get his heat, instead of the usual paint-by-numbers moves. **** ½

Aired September 7, taped August 26

Quarterfinal Match: Zack Sabre Jr (England) v Noam Dar (Scotland): Both guys have yet to have any truly standout performances in this tournament, but both are capable, and given that these Quarterfinal round matches have been given time thus far, this has potential to be interesting. They trade off on the mat to start, in crisp, fast paced fashion. Sabre ties him up in a straightjacket, but Dar gets into the ropes. He taunts Zack, suckering Sabre into making the mistake of charging, and Dar dropkicks the knee to take him down in an armbar. Zack starts to escape, so Dar changes gears with a leglock, and he hammers the part with stomps. Great bit of selling as Sabre escapes, and goes after the arm - only for his knee to give out while trying a jumping stomp to the elbow. That was really nicely done. He keeps after him, but a 2^nd rope bodypress misses - Zack landing on the knee to further aggravate it. Dar immediately capitalizes, but Sabre just won't quit, and keeps fighting Noam off with various takedowns. The leg slows him down, however, and a pinfall reversal sequence ends in Dar trying a German suplex, but getting countered into a bridging half-nelson suplex for two. Noam cuts him off by swiping at the knee again, and he follows with an enzuigiri to setup a fisherman's buster for two. Grapevine, but Sabre kicks his way out of it. He tries a full-nelson suplex, but Dar counters with a victory cradle, so Zack delivers a shining wizard for two. The leg is still slowing him down though, and Dar is able to bicycle kick him to the floor to setup a tope. Noam immediately rolls him back in to add a cross corner dropkick, but it's only enough for two! Zack manages to hold him off with an abdominal stretch, but the knee prevents him from hanging onto it for long, and Dar counters a rana into the kneebar! Sabre counters into a cradle for two, but Dar holds onto the hold, so Zack counters to a cross-armbreaker. Noam escapes, but Sabre counters a camel clutch with a bridging cradle for two - only to have a running uppercut countered into a backslide for two! Noam goes back to the leg, so Sabre tries the cross-armbreaker again, but Dar gets the ropes. He goes high risk with a dive off the top, but Dar moves, and poor Zack lands right on the bad knee. Dar immediately capitalizes with a flying double-stomp to the leg, and it's kneebar time! Zack nearly makes the ropes, so Noam preemptively releases and applies a figure four instead, only for Sabre to roll to the outside - while still in the hold! Slugfest out there goes Dar's way when the knee give out, but Zack claws back in to avoid the countout. Dar keeps relentlessly pounding the leg, but beautifully counters a bicycle kick into a mean looking modified rings of saturn for the submission at 15:47. That last counter was almost unbelievably smooth! Well, color me impressed! Excellent execution throughout (especially by Sabre), transitions so smooth they could be in a textbook, and wonderfully realistic selling by Sabre. His style of selling here was less of what you'd traditionally see in a pro-wrestling environment, and much more like what you'd see during a legit injury in other sports. I'm running out of stars to give with this tournament! **** ¼

Quarterfinal Match: TJ Perkins (Philippines) v Rich Swann (USA): They go to a couple of stalemates on the mat to start, illustrating that they're both evenly matched. They up the ante with criss cross sequences, Swann dominating the first one, but getting taken down into a kneebar - Rich quickly in the ropes. TJ punishes him with a stiff pair of European uppercuts, but Swann manages to dropkick him to the floor - only to misses a moonsault press off the apron, and bang up his knee on the landing! Perkins is right on him with springboard dropkick out there, and he rolls him in for a slingshot somersault senton. Vertical suplex rolled into a side suplex gets two, and TJ grounds him in a modified wristlock. Swann escapes, so Perkins tries another side suplex, but Rich back flips onto his feet - only for TJ to dodge a 2^nd rope dropkick, and go after the leg Swann injured earlier! He ties Rich up with a grapevine, but Swann kicks free, so Perkins applies a toehold instead - putting distance between himself and Rich's educated feet. Swann still fights, so Perkins shifts to a leglock, and this time applies a front-facelock at the same time to keep Swann docile. He won't quit though, so TJ tries a stinger splash in the corner, but Swann dodges, and puts him down with a neckbreaker. Tornado DDT gets him two, but the knee slows him down, and Perkins delivers a neckbreaker. He immediately follows with double-chickenwing double-knee gutbuster, but it only gets two! TJ tries a tiger superplex next, but Rich shoves him to the floor to block. He tries to dive after him, but the leg slows that effort down, allowing Perkins to recover, and bring Swann to the mat with a rana off the top! Perkins goes up for a follow-up, but Rich brings him down with his own rana, then adds a rolling thunder and a standing moonsault for two! Michinoku driver gets two, but it knocks Perkins loopy, and Swann looks to capitalize with the standing 450. The leg slows him down, however, and Perkins counters to a kneebar - Rich in the ropes to save himself. Perkins shows no mercy as he unloads kicks to the knee, so Swann throws an enzuigiri, but TJ ducks! Double-chickenwing again, but this time Swann counters with a victory cradle for two, and a double-underhook powerbomb into a somersault cradle is worth two! It takes its toll on Swann as well, however, and Perkins is able to crack him with a spinkick - only to run into one from Rich as he tries a follow-up! Unfortunately, that really aggravates Swann's leg in the process, and he collapses while trying to run the ropes. That allows Perkins to catch him in a fireman's carry kick, and the kneebar finishes it at 17:04 - ending the United States' hopes in this tournament. Another instant classic, and a standout performance by Swann! **** ¼

Aired September 14  

Semifinal Match: Gran Metalik (Mexico) v Zack Sabre Jr (England): Rip roaring start, as Metalik comes right at him with a running dropkick to send Sabre to the outside, and Gran immediately follows with a somersault tope suicida! Right back in with a springboard somersault senton for two, but another springboard gets blocked with an uppercut from Sabre to put a stop to that wild blitz! It did some damage to Zack, however, and he's slow in following up - deciding to ground Metalik with a cravat. Gran starts to escape, so Sabre shifts into a headscissors instead, but Metalik gets the ropes. Sabre keeps it mat based with another cravat, but Metalik wants to fly, and manages to take him down with a headscissors, then throw a dropkick. Great timing on both moves there. Sabre realizes he's not going to win that game, and tries to force it to the mat again, but Metalik's in the ropes. A criss cross sees Metalik botch a handspring backelbow, but they cover it up fairly well. Zack with a modified bow-and-arrow, but Metalik starts to escape so Sabre whacks him with a big boot - only to run into a superkick! Metalik puts him down with a corkscrew bulldog to setup a running shooting star press for two, but a magistral cradle gets reversed for two - reversed back by Metalik for two. Zack tries to ground him again, but Metalik manages to surprise him with an octopus hold, then shift into a sunset cradle for two. Sabre fires back with a guillotine, but Metalik counters to a Boston crab - Sabre able to counter to a cradle, but get reversed by Metalik for two. Metalik can wrestle Zack's kind of match, but not vice versa. Metalik with a clothesline for two, but Sabre escapes the fireman's carry, so Metalik throws another superkick to setup a springboard backelbow for two. Another springboard, but Zack knocks him out of the air with an uppercut, then hits a well executed shining wizard for two. Sabre wins a slugfest for two, and he slaps on an octopus hold, but Metalik gets into the ropes to save himself. Zack keeps coming with a superplex, but Gran crotches him on the top rope to block ('got his eggs scrambled there,' notes Ranallo), then brings him down with a rana! Springboard flying headbutt looks to finish, but Sabre catches him in a triangle choke - only for Metalik to counter into a beautiful somersault cradle for two. I thought that was it! But no, as Sabre has one last bit left in him with a charge - only to get caught in the Samoan driver at 13:13. This was tremendous, with both guys trying to force the other to wrestle their kind of match, with Metalik able to hang proficiently with Sabre, but Sabre unable to hang with Metalik's high flying style. ****

Semifinal Match: Kota Ibushi (Japan) v TJ Perkins (Philippines): They size each other up to start, then onto a feeling out process. Criss cross ends in Ibushi countering a tope with a springboard dropkick to put TJ on the outside, and Kota tries following with a springboard dive - only for Perkins to pop up onto the apron, and kick him down off the top rope as he does so! Unbelievable timing there, and a nice bump from Ibushi. TJ wisely conserves energy and leaves him out there for the count, but Kota beats it in, so Perkins blasts him with a seated dropkick for two. Chinlock, so Ibushi starts throwing kicks, but Perkins is ready with a corkscrew legwhip. He keeps after the leg with a toehold, but Ibushi escapes, and throws a dropkick at him to buy time. Rana sends TJ to the outside, and this time Ibushi is able to springboard out with a moonsault press. Kind of missed his mark there, but it's the thought that counts. He makes up for it with a gorgeous missile dropkick for two on the way back in, and a powerslam sets up a quick springboard moonsault - only for Perkins to lift the knees to block, and grab a kneebar! Kota's quickly in the ropes, so TJ throws a spinkick, but a fireman's carry is countered into a bridging German suplex for two. Ibushi with a series of kicks, but Perkins blocks a dead lift German suplex from the apron, and hits a springboard dropkick. He goes up, but Ibushi is ready with a back flip kick to the head to bring him down - only to have the powerbomb countered with a DDT! Perkins doesn't bother covering, and quickly capitalizes with the double-chickenwing double-knee gutbuster, but it still only gets two! That was quite a sequence there. Fireman's carry, but Ibushi counters with another back flip kick - only to get caught in midair with the kneebar! Wild! Kota counters to the German suplex, but Perkins blocks, and they starts trading kids. Ibushi manages to caught him with the elevated sitout powerbomb to finish, but Perkins gets a shoulder up at the last possible second! The entire crowd is on their feet, and losing their shit! Ibushi tries the Phoenix splash, but wipes out, and Perkins manages the fireman's kick! He tries to put him away with a quick victory cradle, but Kota counters into a rocking horse driver, then plants a roundhouse kick on him. Powerbomb, but TJ counters to the kneebar, and he pulls back on it to make sure Ibushi doesn't get the ropes - earning the submission at 14:52! Some major lapses in psychology, but another heart pounding war in this tournament! *** ¾

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa v Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar: This is basically a bonus match, to give the two finalists a bit of rest. Ciampa and Alexander start us off, and immediately criss cross - Ciampa getting the best of it by dodging a dropkick, but then getting cocky, and running into an even better dropkick. Tags all around, and Gargano and Dar work a reversal sequence that ends in Johnny blasting him with a knee. Tag to Ciampa for a cravat, but Dar escapes, and passes back to Cedric. He pops Ciampa with a handspring roundhouse kick to knock him to the outside, and Alexander goes after him with a somersault tope suicida! Cedric with a sweet diving reverse STO for two on the way back in, and he tries another handspring - only for Ciampa to counter with a well timed baseball slide! Tag to Gargano for a release overhead suplex, and Johnny smacks Cedric with a slingshot shoulderblock for two. Running snake-eyes, but Alexander counters with a Michinoku driver for two. Tag to Noam for a tandem-move, but Gargano avoids it, and passes to Ciampa. Dar dodges a charge and hits a corner dropkick for two, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! Everyone is left down after a flurry of spots, and the dust settles on Johnny and Noam. Slugfest goes Dar's way, and he applies the kneebar, but Ciampa saves. Tommaso tags in, but Dar blocks a backdrop driver off the top, and Alexander hits Ciampa with a brainbuster for two. Roundhouse kick gets two, but a stinger splash misses, and Gargano capitalizes with a running snake-eyes on Dar - Noam going down to a tandem-superkick at 9:49. Just a non-stop spotfest here. ***

WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Gran Metalik (Mexico) v TJ Perkins (Philippines): And then there were two! Winner becomes the first Cruiserweight champion in some nine years - a surprise stipulation announced by Triple H literally at the last possible second. What an ugly belt, too. Reversal sequence to start, as they feel each other out. Perkins ties him up on the mat with a reverse rocking horse into a cradle for two, then down to the canvas for a side-headlock. Metalik escapes for a criss cross, but Perkins gets the best of it with an octopus hold, then shifting down into the muta-lock. Gran gets the ropes and bails, so TJ tries a dive, but Metalik dropkicks him off the apron, then goes after him with a tope! Metalik with a well executed ropewalk somersault senton for two, and a painful looking surfboard has Perkins begging for mercy. He finds it in the form of the ropes, but Metalik offers little reprieve - cracking him with a chop in the corner. TJ fires back with a cool flying rana that sends them both rumbling over the top, and he hits a slingshot somersault senton for two on the way back in. Snapmare sets up a seated dropkick to the back of the head for two, and Perkins grounds him in a mat-based abdominal stretch. Gran makes the ropes, so TJ punishes him with a sidewalk slam for two, then delivers a snap suplex rolled into a side suplex, but Metalik blocks the second alarm. Crazy spot follows, as Metalik backdrops Perkins onto the apron, then comes running at him with a rana to the floor - Metalik cleanly hurdling over the top rope while executing the already complex move! Just insane! He didn't even TOUCH the ropes on the leap there! He follows TJ out with a springboard somersault bodyblock - though he misses the mark a bit. The crowd is still in absolute shock over the rana spot, and who can blame them! Oddly, they don't replay it once, which seems like one of the few times that tool would have been useful. Metalik with a springboard elbowdrop for two on the way back in, and a 2^nd rope dropkick sets up a running shooting star press, but Perkins dodges, and immediately capitalizes with the kneebar! Gran gets the ropes fairly quickly, but some damage is done, and Perkins unloads kicks at the knee. Spinkick dazes Metalik, and a dropkick to the knee puts him down. That one didn't really connect, but it was nice of Metalik to sell it like it did anyway. What a gent! Reversal sequence ends in Gran hitting a DDT for two, but a flying moonsault hits the knees, and Perkins capitalizes with the double-chickenwing double-knee gutbuster. Metalik kicks out at two, so Perkins uses his own momentum against him to apply the kneebar! Nice transition there! TJ keeps having to drag Gran off the ropes to keep it on, so Metalik suckers him - using TJ's own momentum against HIM to counter into a victory cradle for two! So many believable near falls here! Samoan driver gets two, but Metalik aggravates his knee on the landing, and Perkins is able to counter another one into a dropkick. He goes up, but Gran pops him with a kick to crotch him on the top turnbuckle. Metalik follows for a Samoan driver off the top, but Perkins counters to the kneebar on the way down, and Metalik tap tap taps at 17:47. A fitting end to the greatest tournament of all time, with both guys pulling out all the stops here, and saving something special for the finale, as they deliver another instant (cruiserweight) classic. **** ¼     

BUExperience: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? The greatest tournament of all time – bar none! I loved everything about this, from the unique set design, to the commentary, to the booking (a five round tournament without a single bye?!), to how much they made this feel like a real sport that is entertaining, instead of ‘sports entertainment.’

And it’s not just for workrate freaks. Going into this, I only knew one or two of the participants, but they did such a great job of building up each guys persona, that by the end, I was rooting for and against guys, and made a real emotional investment into the matches. And this was all done with simple, direct video packages, informative commentary, and (most importantly) engaging in-ring performances rooted in real emotion! No authority figures or backstage skits needed – or wanted.

If you ever wondered what an Olympic presentation of pro-wrestling would look like, this is it! I tried my best to savor this while it lasted, because I don’t think we’re ever going to see anything quite like it ever again. I haven’t felt this type of youthful, buoyant excitement for the product in fifteen years.

Highest recommendation possible!