RAW Deal: An instant classic

If, by any reason at all, you find yourself tired of RAW and maybe SmackDown, and maybe WWE PPVs, or maybe the WWE in general, do yourself a favor and watch the Cruiserweight Classic.

2016 is a very strange year for wrestling, and the creation and execution of the CWC just adds to this oddity. 2016 was the year WWE finally looked beyond its self-contained bubble and saw the wrestling world outside of it, ripe for the taking. They signed Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and the rest of his Club; they signed stars away from TNA and free agents Michael Cole would’ve turned his nose up at back in 2010. It’s truly amazing, and the CWC just takes the cake.

If you thought NXT was the most “indy” program the WWE could put on its 8+ hours of weekly wrestling programming—and rightfully so—the CWC ups the ante and turns everything Vince McMahon built over the last two decades and a half on its head. The tournament is treated like a legitimate sporting event in both conception (unlike impromptu playoffs, like last year’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament) and presentation (unlike inconsistent traditions, like the King of the Ring). Even though it’s a sideshow to the bigger WWE canon, you feel like it’s a big deal—and more importantly, WWE (or at least, Triple H) wants it to be a big deal.

And here’s what’s even better: if you think the Cruiserweight label means that all you’re going to get is a bunch of flying around, you’d be mistaken. While that’s mostly true, the lighter weight class just means you’re going to get an all-around clash of styles with a higher workrate. In addition to the high-flyers, you also have the strong-style strikers, the technicians, the brawlers, and the jack-of-all-trade wrestlers. Helmsley did his homework and knew “cruiserweight” should not be a pigeonhole.

All that said, let’s take a look at the premiere episode of the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic:

Gran Metallik (Mexico) def. Alejandro Saez (Chile)

If you’re gonna open a tournament, you have to open it strong. The Man Also Known As Mascara Dorada went toe-to-toe in a good match with Alejandro Saez of Chile, who more than proved himself for a man hailing from a country that isn’t known for its wrestling. Although I said the cruiserweight division doesn’t necessarily have to mean high-flying, I can see the logic in starting off with a lucha libre-style match, as an appetizer for those who came in with preconceived notions.

It’s easy to say the right man won, but what’s great about the CWC is that it seems as though everyone (and we mean everyone) is getting a backstory. It’s not just the big names getting recognition, and it kinda makes it just a little harder to see the losers sent packing. Giving everyone a reason for people to care about them is something that’s sorely been lacking in the main shows, and I’m glad no one is treated like a true jobber in this tourney.

Ho Ho Lun (Hong Kong) def. Ariya Daivari (Iran)

Ho Ho Lun came into the Cruiserweight Classic touted as arguably the best wrestler from Southeast Asia (although only because TJ Perkins doesn’t hail directly from the Philippines, just representing it) but a lot of viewers were quite underwhelmed with his showing. It’s not hard to see why: although he can move in the ring, Lun’s style seems to be a basic template of what a light heavyweight wrestler should be. There are flashes of a distinct, certain style, but he hasn’t explored them yet.

I can’t blame him for that either. The Southeast Asian wrestling scene is still a growing one, with very few big names going through the territory. Japanese and other foreign wrestlers don’t come often enough to teach, and for a guy who singlehandedly founded the Hong Kong wrestling scene (and trained around the world) Lun’s achievements do say something about him. He just has to step up while he’s here, however.

Meanwhile, Ariya Daivari (the younger brother of former WWE Superstar Khosrow/Shawn/Dara Daivari) works a wrestling style that wouldn’t be out of place in the WWE midcard. He’s solid all around, but not too memorable. Between him and Lun, Lun was arguably the better choice to win if they want to foster another underdog story in the tournament, but I want to see Daivari hang around in NXT.

Cedric Alexander (USA) def. Clement Petiot (France)

On my first viewing, I didn’t think much of Alexander/Petiot. It was clear to me that Alexander, a wrestler in the same mold as Apollo Crews, would go over Clement Petiot, a student of former WWE star Lance Storm, just because he was the bigger, more established indy name. I was wrong—Petiot brought it and showed why he was a first-ballot selection for the CWC’s final 32, and I had a lot of fun watching his deliberate brawling and technical style.

It makes me a little sad to see Petiot go, but not so much because I know there are others in the tournament who work just like him. I also want to see him hang around in NXT, or if not, develop a little more in EVOLVE. In fact, I want to see almost none of these guys leave the WWE banner.

Kota Ibushi (Japan) def. Sean Maluta (Samoa)

Everybody knew Sean Maluta, a cousin of Roman Reigns and the Usos, didn’t stand a chance against the “Golden Star” Kota Ibushi. What everyone didn’t know coming in (and will most likely be the running theme of this year’s CWC) was that despite his, uh, stereotypical Samoan look, Maluta very much held his own against the NJPW and DDT standout.

Ibushi, for his part, gave it everything he got in a first round match. To understand the gravity of that, consider that Ibushi has been injured frequently precisely because of his high-risk wrestling style. He left DDT and NJPW this year, promising to learn and change his style so that he could have a longer career, but what he did in the main event was the exact opposite. He didn’t want to learn, he just wanted to wrestle in the States more.

That’s not to say what he did wasn’t amazing, however; far from it. I’m just really concerned for the guy, and I hope he doesn’t end up taking himself out before he reaches the finals. (He’s totally reaching the finals, if not winning the whole thing.)

Next week on the Cruiserweight Classic, we’re getting the first-round match from the hometown hero, TJ Perkins! He takes on Germany’s Da Mack (no relation to Lucha Underground’s The Mack) as he tries to advance to the second round of his pretty stacked bracket. – Rappler.com

Do you listen to podcasts? Would you want to listen to a local podcast about pro wrestling? If the answers to those questions – especially that last one – are yes, then you should check out the cleverly-named Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast, featuring Mellow 94.7 DJ and PWR General Manager Stan Sy, wrestling writer and Wrestling God Romeo Moran, and all-around multimedia person and former voice of PWR Raf Camus! This week, to prepare for next week’s WWE Draft, the boys fantasy draft RAW and SmackDown!