7/20/16 WWE Cruiserweight Classic Coverage

We see the opening video for the WWE Cruiserweight Classic and then we go into the arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan welcome us to the show. We go backstage to Corey Graves, who then recaps what went down on last week’s episode. We see the four matches that will take place tonight: Tajiri vs. Damian Slater, TJ Perkins vs. Da Mack, Lince Dorado vs. Mustafa Ali, and Akira Tozawa vs. Kenneth Johnson.

Match #1: First Round Tournament Match: Tajiri vs. Damian Slater
They tie up and Slater gets Tajiri in a hammer lock. Tajiri gets to the ropes and reverses the hold onto Slater. Slater comes back with a back kick and takes Tajiri down with a shoulder block. Slater applies a wrist lock, but Tairi comes back with kicks and works over Slater’s arm. Tajiri takes Slater down with a snap-mare and continues to work over Slater’s arm. Slater comes back with a dropkick and goes for another, but Tajiri counters and kicks Slater in the head. Tajiri applies a hammer-lock down on the mat, but Slater gets to the ropes. Tajiri continues to work over Slater’s arm, but Slater gets free and kicks Tajiri in the back of his head and Tajiri goes to the floor. Slater flies over the top rope and takes Tajiri out with a corkscrew. Slater tosses Tajiri back into the ring, but Tajiri applies a wrist-lock. Slater tries to kick out of it, but Tajiri gets his own kicks in. Slater comes back with a tornado DDT and a running knee and goes for the pin, but Tajiri kicks out at two. Tajiri goes behind Slater, but Slater elbows his way out and dropkicks Tajiri’s knee. Slater goes for a submission, but Tajiri kicks his way out of it. Tajiri delivers a few kicks, but Slater sweeps his leg and takes Tajiri down to the mat. Tajiri comes back and locks in the Tarantula and then goes for a big kick, but Slater ducks. Slater sends Tajiri to the ropes, but Tajiri counters with the handspring elbow and then connects with the Buzzsaw Kick and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Tajiri.
After the match, we see that Tajiri will take on Gran Metalik in the second round.

We take a look at the next two competitors, T.J. Perkins and Da Mack.

Match #2: First Round Tournament Match: T.J. Perkins vs. Da Mack
They lock hands and Perkins takes Mack down to the mat and applies a wrist-lock. Mack reverses, but Perkins comes back and dropkicks Mack away. They tie up and Perkins takes Mack down and goes for the cover, but Mack kicks out. Mack comes back and drops Perkins with a dropkick. Mack delivers a flying forearm in the corner, but Perkins sends him away. Perkins charges, but Mack counters with an uppercut. Mack sends Perkins to the ropes, but Perkins lands on the apron. Perkins applies a Boston Crab and then grabs Mack’s arms to enhance the hold, but Mack gets to the ropes. Perkins goes for the Triangle Dropkick, but Mack moves and Perkins goes to the floor. Mack launches over the top rope and takes Perkins out on the floor. Mack tosses Perkins back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Perkins kicks out. Mack goes to kicks Perkins in the face, but Perkins moves and gets Mack on the mat and locks in the Muta Lock. Mack gets to the ropes to break the holds. Perkins charges, but Mack catches him with a back elbow. Mack takes Perkins down to the mat and both men are down. Perkins connects with a spinning heel kick and goes for the tiger suplex, but Mack rolls through. Mack comes off the tope rope and kicks Perkins in the face and goes for the cover, but Perkins kicks out. Mack goes for a suplex, but Perkins counters and sends Mack to the ropes and connects with a dropkick. Perkins goes for the 450 splash, but Mack moves. Perkins comes back and drops Mack with a face-buster and then kicks him in the face and applies a knee-bar submission down on the mat and Mack taps out.
Winner: T.J. Perkins.

We take a look at the next two competitors, Mustafa Ali and Lince Dorado.

Match #3: First Round Tournament Match: Mustafa Ali vs. Lince Dorado
Ali attacks Dorado from the bell and then delivers a couple chops. Dorado comes back and sends Ali to the outside and goes for a springboard, but Ali moves. Ali takes Dorado down with a flying knee. Ali tosses Dorado back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Dorado kicks out. Dorado comes back and chops Ali into the corner, but Ali comes back with a kick to the face and then hits a neck-breaker. Ali goes for the cover, but Dorado kicks out at two. Dorado comes back with a kick to the head, but Ali comes back with slams Dorado back down to the mat. Ali goes for the cover, but Dorado kicks out once again. Ali goes for a moonsault, but Dorado moves and then kicks Ali in the head. Dorado kicks Ali in the back of the head and then takes Ali to the floor with a head scissors from the apron. Dorado then takes Ali down with a moonsault from the apron. Dorado tosses Ali back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Ali kicks out. Ali comes back with a jaw-breaker, but Dorado knees him in the head. Dorado connects with a back-elbow and then Dorado spikes Ali down on the mat. Dorado goes for the cover, but Ali kicks out at two. Dorado places Ali on the top turnbuckle and then climbs up, but Ali counters and slams Dorado down to the mat. Ali goes for the cover, but Dorado kicks out at two. Ali goes back up top and goes for an inverted 450 splash, but Dorado moves out of the way. Dorado goes up top and hits the Shooting Star Press and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Lince Dorado.

We take a look at the next two competitors, Kenneth Johnson and Akira Tozawa.

Match #4: First Round Tournament Match: Kenneth Johnson vs. Akira Tozawa
They tie up and Tozawa takes Johnson down to the mat. Johnson gets back to his feet and applies a wrist-lock to Tozawa. Tozawa comes back and takes Johnson down again, but Johnson gets to his feet and we have a stalemate. Tozawa takes Johnson down and goes for a knee-bar, but Johnson counters into his own knee-bar. Tozawa gets free and gets Johnson down on the mat and applies a wrist-lock. Johnson gets to his feet but Tozawa keeps the holds. Johnson counters into a headlock, but Tozawa takes Johnson down again and another stalemate ensues. Tozawa and Johnson exchange side-headlocks and Johnson takes Tozawa down with a monkey flip. Tozawa rolls through and kicks Johnson in the head and goes for the cover, but Johnson kicks out at two. Tozawa connects with a senton and then locks in a rear chin-lock. Tozawa transitions into another submission, but Johnson gets free. Tozawa goes for the waist lock, but Johnson counters again. Tozawa catches Johnson with a discus forearm, but Johnson comes back with a leg lariat. Johnson goes for the back-body drop, but Towaza counters with a suplex, and Johnson lands on his feet. They take each other down with a clothesline and the referee begins to count. Both men get to their feet and exchange forearm shots and Johnson finally connects with a knee. Tozawa comes back with two German suplexes and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Akira Tozawa.

We go backstage and Corey Graves informs us of the four matches for next week’s show: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyson Dux, Drew Gulak vs. Harv Sihra, Tony Nese vs. Anthony Bennett, and Brian Kendrick vs. Raul Mendoza and the Cruiserweight Classic comes to a close.