This week on the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic," the second round of the well-received tournament finally wraps up. The Elite Eight of the tournament is decided for the last three episodes.
Rich Swann (USA) def. Lince Dorado (PR)
It's a hard-fought battle of the high-fliers in the first match of this episode of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" as NXT signee and indy star Rich Swann takes on one of the masked favorites in the tourney, Lince Dorado from Puerto Rico. Obviously, there was a lot of flying around between both men as that's the kind of wrestling they're both the best at. Rich Swann secured the pin with a Phoenix Splash after Dorado missed a crucial Shooting Star Press.
Zack Sabre, Jr. (UK) def. Drew Gulak (USA)
This "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" matchup was a battle between two technical masters—Drew Gulak from the US and EVOLVE Wrestling, and Zack Sabre, Jr., the technical wizard from across the pond. Interestingly, despite Sabre's mastery of submission maneuvers—and the exchanges of bone-breaking holds and locks all throughout the match—he secured the win using a bridging roll-up.
TJ Perkins (PH) def. Johnny Gargano
Here comes the biggest "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" upset of the night. Many people thought Gargano was running away with this one considering his relatively premiere status as an established star on "WWE NXT," but surprisingly, the Philippines' TJ Perkins won this one, and won this one clean. Some fans expected Gargano's tag team partner Tommaso Ciampa, who was eliminated in the first round of the tournament, to come and cost him the match, as it would have been logical after their string of losses elsewhere.
It seems that that wouldn't be the case, as Perkins moves ahead cleanly to the quarterfinal round. Perkins and Rich Swann would be facing each other sometime in the next two episodes of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic." The semifinals and finals will be shown live on the tournament's finale on September 14, imitating the format of the old "King of the Ring" tournament and PPV events.