Photo:WWE.com
The night has finally arrived. After weeks of some of the most exhilarating action in WWE history, tonight a champion was crowned. 32 men entered, only 4 remain. Gran Metalik takes on Zack Saber Jr. and Kota Ibushi tangles with T.J. Perkins, in the first LIVE 2 hour episode. Triple H’s baby has been a grand success so far, let’s see if they can go out with a bang in the finals of the Cruiserweight Classic!
Cruiserweight Classic Finals
Great Opening with Trips doing the voice over. You can just hear the passion in his voice.
Gran Metalik vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Love the use of strategy by Metalik early on. You have to try to take as little damage as possible, because the winner has to win two matches tonight. Wasn’t really the clash of styles early on that I expected from these two. In fact, it was much more of Metalik trying to prove that he can go move for move with Saber’s submission style. Not to say Metalik avoided his typical high flying acrobatics, he performed some amazing high risk maneuvers in this one. In fact, this match really had it all, the high spots, submissions, and such stiff offense that we’ve come to expect with the tournament. Some of Sabre’s submission counters to Metalik’s high spots were also so unique.
I would have rather seen him win and move on, just because of how different his style is. But, I have no problem with Metalik getting the win, he is one the best Luchadors in the world and I think he’ll be a great matchup for Ibushi in the finals if he makes it that far. And a nice touch that he’s won every match with the Metalik driver. That’s how you build a finisher!
Rating: A-
Kota Ibushi vs T.J. Perkins
Another great start for this one. A tentative start to separate the match from the previous one. Also, a great early theme of Perkins, the underdog, having the favorite Ibushi well-scouted. He parlayed away a few of his kicks, countered his moounsault to the outside, and caught another kick and reversed into a dragon screw leg whip. That last one softened up for Perkin’s patented knee bar. Great psychology. But then, Ibushi put on a clinicout maneuvering Perkins, punishing him with kicks and great reversals. Perkins became weakened and was now unable to stick to his gameplan of countering the kicks, yet another example of great ring psychology.
There last ten minutes were some of the best sequences I have seen in a long time. Perkins’s counters to the German suplex from the ropes, sit-out powerbomb, and Pele kick were nothing short of amazing. Rarely does a match ever have me on the edge of my seat like this one did. And for someone who was not that high on Perkins coming into the bout, I was thoroughly cheering on the comeback kid. If you watch just one snippet of this tournament, look up the home stretch of this contest. One of the best matches of the tournament. Just…wow. How will the final top that?
Rating: A+
The in-ring promos post match have been a nice inclusion. Neither of the promos have been particularly great, but a nice touch nonetheless.
Johhny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa vs Noam Darr and Cedric Alexander
An obvious inclusion just to reach the two hour mark. But, it was a very entertaining way to put Johnny Gargano and Tommoso Ciampa over. I think what hurt it for me was it’s place on the card. I was still t from the end to the previous match, that it took me a little while for me to get into it.
A side note, I can definitely see why the fans love Cedric Alexander, he’s is insanely fast and crisp in the ring. Plus, he can work a hard hitting or high flying style. Crisp match that served it’s purpose in hitting the two hour mark.
Rating: B
A really good interview with William Regal followed before the final. He put over everything from what it means to be a cruiswerweight to some of the pioneers of the division that he saw in England. One of my favorite guys in the business, love hearing him speak.
T.J. Perkins vs Gran Metalik
Triple H came to ring and announced not only would the winner be the first Cruiserweight Classic winner, that competitor would also be the very WWE Cruiserweight champion.Very cool that the winner becomes the champion, a very worthy first holder of the belt. And hey! The fans actually didn’t hate the belt! There’s a plus right off the bat!
A bit of slow start with nothing we haven’t seen before yet. That is until Metalik hurdled the top rope to deliver a head scissors off the apron. The match really got going with the long knee bar from Perkins. He sold himself as the underdog the entire match, which added to the excitement. He’s beaten up, with welts all over his body. Metalik took it to TJP, but Perkins was just crafty enough to find counters at the right times. Appropriately Perkins won with another crafty counter, this one of the avalanche Metalik driver.
The underdog story has been done so many times before in wrestling. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t (see Savio Vega). But, tonight they won me over. Perkins is the by far not the best wrestler in the tournament, but he showed an a amazing amount of resilience. He was battered, but he just had enough in him to find a way. Doesn’t top the Ibushi match for me, but no doubt great.
Rating: A
Post-match, Perkins, welts battering his chest, broke down in tears in the middle of the ring. A special moment that transcended the tournament itself.
Overall Rating: A+
What else is there to say? Such a fitting culmination to one of the best things to happen to the wrestling world in a long time. This live special had so much exceptions leading into it, and it exceeded all of them for me, much like the tournament itself. I can’t say it better than Triple H did before the final…tonight they made history.
