8/24/16 WWE Cruiserweight Classic Coverage: Last Night of the Second Round

This week’s WWE Cruiserweight Classic opens with the unveiling of the Cruiserweight Classic trophy from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II this past Saturday night. We see highlights from last week’s show, which saw Akira Tozawa defeat Jack Gallagher, Noam Dar defeat Hoho Lun, and Brian Kendrick defeat Tony Nese. We take a look at tonight’s matches: Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr, Lince Dorado vs. Rich Swann, and T.J. Perkins vs. Johnny Gargano. We go live into the area at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan welcome us to the show. We take a look at tonight’s first two competitors, Lince Dorado and Rich Swann.

Match #1: Second Round Tournament Match – Linde Dorado vs. Rich Swann
Dorado takes Swann down with a shoulder block, but Swann kicks out and they exchange leapfrogs and roll-ups. They exchange head-scissors, but both and on their feet and are at a stalemate. Swann goes to dance, but Dorado stops him and does a dance of his own. wann applies a headlock and then dropkicks Dorado to the floor. Swann goes to dive through the ropes, but Dorado catches him with a kick and then connects with a missile dropkick that sends Swann to the floor. Dorado launches over the top rope with a corkscrew plancha and takes Swann down. Dorado tosses Swann back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Swann kicks out at two. Dorado sends Swann to the corner and charges, but Swann moves and takes Dorado down with a neck-breaker. Swann applies a full-body submission down on the mat, but Dorado gets free and rolls Swann up for a two count. Dorado delivers a few forearm shots and Swann fires up and comes right back. Dorado delivers a big chop and sends Swann in the corner. They exchange forearms in the corner and Swann puts Dorado up top. Swann goes for a Frankensteiner, but Dorado shoves him off. Both men charge and connects with a scissors kick and both men are down. They exchange slaps down on the mat and then progress to chops across the chest and then to right hands on their feet. Dorado connects with a knee and a kick to the head. Dorado takes Swann down with a cross-body and goes for the cover, but Swann kicks out at two. Dorado goes for a Herman suplex, but Swann lands on his feet. Swann takes Dorado down with a DDT and goes for the cover, but Dorado kicks out at two. Swann goes for the standing 450 splash, but Dorado counters with knee. Dorado rolls Swann up, but Swann kicks out at two. Dorado connects with a shoulder and an enzuiguri. Swann comes back with his own kicks, but Dorado takes him down with a reverse hurricanrana. Dorado goes for the cover, but Swann kicks out at two. Dorado goes up top and goes for the Shooting Star Press, but Swann moves out of the way. Swann goes up top and connects with a phoenix plash and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Rich Swann.
After the match, we see that Rich Swann has advanced to the quarterfinals and will take on Johnny Gargano or T.J. Perkins.

We take a look back at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II and see highlights from Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa’s match against The Revival. We see Gargano getting taped up backstage and Ciampa is with him. He says he is not taking anything away from T.J. Perkins but he is a lot of people’s pick and he doesn’t want to let anybody down. He says he is going to go out there and become one step closer to winning the Cruiserweight Classic.

We take a look at the next two competitors, Drew Gulak and Zack Sabre Jr.

Match #2: Second Round Tournament Match – Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
A quick start and both men take each other down and Sabre goes for the quick arm-bar, but Gulak gets free. Sabre applies a wrist-lock to Gulak down on the mat and then turns it into a straight jacket face-lock. Gulak flips Sabre over, but Sabre comes right back and takes Gulak down again. Gulak reverses the straight jacket hold on Sabre, but Sabre gets free and wrenches Gulak’s arm behind his back. Gulak flips out and kicks Sabre in the face. Gulak stomps down onto Sabre and then delivers a chop in the corner. Gulak takes Sabre down with the Northern Lights suplex and goes for the cover, but Sabre kicks out. Gulak works over the midsection of Sabre and then applies a wrist-lock down on the mat. Gulak smacks Sabre on the mat, but Sabre kicks his way free. Sabre sends Gulak to the corner and Gulak goes to the apron. Sabre charges, but Gulak connects with a forearm. Gulak goes up top and jumps, but Sabre counters into the arm-bar down on the mat. Gulak escapes and applies the Gory Guerrero Special in the middle of the ring. Gulak takes Sabre down and goes for the cover, but Sabre kicks out at two. Gulak applies the Boston Crab, but Sabre rolls through and goes for the cover, but Gulak kicks out at two. Gulak takes Sabre in the corner and then takes Sabre down with a fireman’s carry takeover. Gulak applies an arm-bar of his own and then he goes for a big clothesline, but Sabre counters and goes for a standing arm-bar, but Gulak counters into an ankle lock. Sabre tries to get free, but Gulak suplexes him down to the mat. Gulak lifts Sabre up, but Sabre counters and locks in the triangle/Kimura Lock combo, but Gulak gets free and slams Sabre in the corner. Gulak delivers some elbow shots and goes for an uppercut, but Sabre ducks under and kicks Gulak in the face. Sabre goes for the cover, but Gulak kicks out at two. Sabre charges Gulak in the corner and then takes him down with a judo toss. Gulak and Sabre exchange slaps to the face and Gulak drops Sabre with a huge slap. Gulak takes Sabre down with a sunset flip and goes for the cover, but Sabre kicks out and gets a surprise pin on Gulak for the pin fall.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
After the match, we see that Zack Sabre Jr. will take on Noam Dar in the quarterfinals. Sabre extends for a handshake after the match, and Gulak quickly shakes hands and leaves the ring.

We take a look at the next two competitors, T.J. Perkins and Johnny Gargano.

Match #3: Second Round Tournament Match – Johnny Gargano vs. T.J. Perkins
Perkins quickly take Gargano down and works over Gargano’s injured knee. Gargano comes back and applies an arm-bar, but Perkins reverses is and applies an Indian death-lock. Gargano gets free and sends Perkins to the outside. Gargano dives over the top with a tope suicida and takes Perkins out. Gargano tosses Perkins back into the ring and takes him down again and a reverse surfboard submission. Perkins fights out and applies a rocking house and then the Romero Special on Gargano. Gargano rolls over and both men’s shoulders are down as the referee counts and they get out of it at two. Perkins sends Gargano to the corner and charges, but Gargano gets a boot up. Gargano goes for a sunset flip, but Perkins rolls through and applies another submission down on the mat. Gargano comes back with a kick to Perkins face and sends him to the corner. Gargano gets to the apron and Perkins charges at him, but Gargano takes him down with the launch spear. Gargano shoves Perkins to the corner and delivers a chop. Gargano delivers another chop, and another, and then puts Perkins on the top. Perkins hops down and kicks Gargano in the face. Perkins connects with a spinning heel kick, but Gargano comes back with an enzuiguri. Perkins comes back with a sit-out powerbomb and both men’s shoulders are down and the referee makes the count, but both men get their shoulders up. Perkins kicks Gargano to the apron and Perkins launches off the top rope, but Gargano kicks him in the face. Perkins goes to the floor and Gargano flips onto him and they crash into the timekeeper’s area. Gargano tosses Perkins back into the ring and they exchange rights and lefts. Perkins sends Gargano into the ropes and connects with a wrecking ball dropkick. Perkins goes up top, but Gargano kicks him in the face. Gargano goes for the Lawndart, but his knee gives out. Perkins locks in the knee-bar, but Gargano counters into the cross-face. Perkins escapes and rolls Gargano up, but Gargano kicks out at two. Gargano charges at Perkins, but Perkins takes him down with a neck-breaker. Gargano drops Perkins into the turnbuckle and connects with the Lawndart. Gargano goes for the cover, but Perkins kicks out at two. Gargano kicks Perkins in the back of the head and then lifts him off the mat, but Perkins counters into the TJP Clutch knee-bar and Gargano taps out.
Winner: T.J. Perkins.
After the match, we see that Perkins will take on Rich Swann in the quarterfinals. Perkins and Gargano share a hug in the ring as a trainer checks on Gargano.

We see that the quarterfinals will start on next Wednesday’s episode as the CWC comes to a close.