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WWE Cruiserweight Tournament Taping Results
August 26, 2016
Full Sail University
Report by Kyle N., PWTorch correspondent
Dark match: Hideo Itami beat Ernest Alexander with the GTS.
(1) Quarterfinal #1 – Zack Sabre, Jr. beat Noam Dar.
(2) Quarterfinal #2 – Gran Metalik beat Akira Tozawa. Incredible match. Only behind Ibushi-Cedric from the last tapings. Not at that level, but great to watch.
(3) Cedric Alexander beat Oney Lorcan. Cedric got a big pop after his breakthrough performance last month.
(4) Tony Nese & Drew Gulak beat Lince Dorado & Kenneth Johnson.
(5) Quarterfinal #3 – TJP tapped Rich Swann with the same leglock he beat Gargano with. The crowd was not happy with the result, chanting “b.s.” Great match.
(5) The Bollywood Boyz beat Sean Maluta & Ariya Daviari.
(6) Quarterfinal #4 – Kota Ibushi beat The Brian Kendrick with his sit-out powerbomb. Five minutes in, Kendrick had Ibushi on the apron and hit a neckbreaker on the turnbuckle. Ibushi was counted out by the ref and the bell rang. I’m not sure if he forgot it’s a 10-count in the States and not 20, like in Japan, but he never got back in after taking a Flair Flop face-first on the ring apron. The crowd knew this wasn’t the finish and went berserk. Kendrick looked frustrated and Ibushi was still on the ground.
In some quick thinking they sent Regal out to say the move was illegal and he was in charge of the CWC and NXT, so he was restarting the match. This killed the crowd for the first few minutes of the restart, with people behind me complaining about it giving away the winner.
The two went on to have a fantastic match. It is a testament to the ability of both men to be able to make the crowd emotionally invest a second time. Highlights include Ibushi standing on the second rope on the inside of the ring and Kendrick on the second rope on the outside and Kota German-suplexing him over the top rope and into the ring. Kendrick went on apply his submission, but Ibushi got out and hit his finisher.After the official finish and the announcement of the winner, crowd hit Brian with heavy chants, including
After the official finish and the announcement of the winner, the crowd hit Brian with heavy chants, including: “Brian Kendrick” and “Thank you, Brian” and “One more match” and “Please don’t go.” This lasted a good five minutes. Kendrick was moved to tears.
At some point, Daniel Bryan threw down his jacket and ran down into the ring. The two embraced and Bryan and Kendrick began sobbing in each other’s arms. It was remarkable and definitely seemed like the last match of Kendrick’s fabulous career.
Just when you thought the Cedric saga from July would be the emotional highlight of the tournament, this public showcase of a brotherhood stole the spotlight and showed the bond the two have on a personal level. So damn proud to have watched those two live for so many years.
The semi-finals are set for the live finale on September 14:
Semifinals – Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Gran Metalik
Semifinals – Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins
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