After 10 weeks of high-flying, hard-hitting cruiserweight action, the inaugural edition of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" has finally come to a bittersweet end this week. In this week's two-hour live finale, the tournament's semifinal and final round took place.
Prior to the beginning of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" finals, WWE COO Triple H came out and added an interesting twist. It turns out that the winner of it all goes to "WWE RAW" next Monday as the brand-new Cruiserweight Champion, in order to jumpstart the division on the show.
Gran Metalik (Mexico) def. Zack Sabre, Jr. (UK)
The semifinal round of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" began with the first bracket, as Mexico's Gran Metalik took on the Technical Wizard, UK's Zack Sabre, Jr. Sabre came into this match as the clear favorite considering his credibility and reputation in the independent wrestling scene, although not everyone discounted the ability of Metalik.
The high-flying Metalik ended up dictating the pace of the match, forcing the technical Sabre to go out of his comfort zone trying to play the scientific game, as he had done for the entire "WWE Cruiserweight Classic." In the end, it was Metalik who pulled off the surprising upset win with his acrobatics, ending the journey for Sabre, who was at least projected to go to the final round.
TJ Perkins (Philippines) def. Kota Ibushi (Japan)
If Sabre was projected to make it to the finals of the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic," then Kota Ibushi was predicted by many fans to win it all. Looking back on it, however, considering all the credibility of everyone Perkins had defeated up to this point, it shouldn't have been a surprise that the dark horse of the tournament got this far.
Ibushi did what he had always done in the entire "WWE Cruiserweight Classic," which is try to force his way to a win with hard-hitting kicks and reckless acrobatics. In the end, though, Perkins persevered and outlasted Ibushi for the bigger shocking victory. Many believed that Perkins's journey would end here, as Ibushi had demolished everyone in his path.
TJ Perkins def. Gran Metalik to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion
In the end, the "WWE Cruiserweight Classic" boiled down to these two men, and it's safe to say that the crowd at Full Sail University would have accepted either one winning the match. The two were obviously tired from their taxing semifinal matches, but like true champions, they gave it everything they got. Although both were very skilled, Perkins was just savvier in the ring, getting the better of Metalik to win the tournament and the title, capping off a full 18-year career that saw him be homeless at one point.