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The Cruiserweight Classic (CWC) wraps up tonight on the WWE Network, immediately following NXT.
CagesideSeats.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage of the finale below, beginning with the semi-finals and right on through to the main event.
Hard to believe it was only a little more than two months ago when 32 men walked into Full Sail Live for first round matches. Now, we’re down to four.
The two hour finale, coming your way tonight (Sept. 14, 2016) at 9PM Eastern on WWE Network features men representing four different countries. Two early favorites will face two more suprising names in the semi-finals, then, after a break, the winners of those matches will square off.
At stake, the CWC trophy and bragging rights as the champion of the first ever Cruiserweight Classic.
In addition to our usual reactions post later, we’ll have a full live blog for tonight’s show, right here. Feel free to use the comments before, during and after the broadcast to discuss tonight’s event, and the entire tournament, with your fellow Cagesiders.
So kick your off your shoes, relax, and enjoy all the action with the best damn pro wrestling community on the interwebs. And remember to keep refreshing!
REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.
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WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CLASSIC QUICK RESULTS
- Gran Metalik def. Zack Sabre, Jr. in a semi-final match
- TJ Perkins def. Kota Ibushi in a semi-final match
- Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano def. Cedric Alexander & Noam Dar in a tag team match
- TJ Perkins def. Gran Metalik Finals & Cruiserweight Championship
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WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CLASSIC LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
What? You say you're through with me? I'm not through with you, because I'm here to liveblog a wrestling show for you, folks.
Show opens with a HHH voiceover on a highlight reel over the first three rounds of the tournament with comments from all four semi-finalists.
Standard CWC intro video follows and then Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan welcome us to the show. They quickly cover the semi-final matches and we go to a video package with varied comments from the four semifinalists about what being in the Cruiserweight Classic means to them.
Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (Cruiserweight Classic Semifinal Match)
Metalik out the gates with a dropkick and a tope con giro! Sends Zack back in and goes for a springboard swanton that gets two! Whip, Zack catches the ropes and back drops Metalik over, Metalik tries to springboard in and gets cut off. Zack follows up by wrapping him in the ropes and kicking hard. Sabre going after the neck on the mat, picks Metalik up for an uppercut.
Reverse cravate on Metalik, Sabre transitions to a headscissors and wrenches the choke in. Grabs a toe now and stretches Metalik back before breaking the hold. Normal cravate now, Metalik flips him out and fires off a headscissors takeover and a dropkick to follow. Forearms to Sabre now, Zack fires back with uppercuts. Metalik catches a kick into a standing stepover leglock neck crank! Sabre breaks out but Metalik lays a hard slap to the chest, handspring but Zack is ready. Trust fall springboard, Zack catches him into a Stretch Plum!
Sabre standing on the back of Metalik's neck for a second before landing another uppercut. Grabs an arm, then the other, stepover surfboard but Metalik fights it so Zack shifts to a standing surfboard. Wrenching both arms, Metalik flips out of it so Sabre hits a big boot and a charging uppercut in the corner. Second one cut off by a superkick, bulldog, running shooting star press!
Looking for the fireman's carry but Zack slips out, La Magistral and Zack reverses, Metalik reverses back for two! Wheelbarrow, Zack reverses to a pin. Headscissors hammerlock, Zack struggles, Metalik takes it to a pin for two. Tilt-a-whirl bodyscissors guillotine but Metalik strikes his way out into a crab. Sabre rolls through, Metalik rolls with him into a pin but it's no good.
Head-to-head, kneeling on the mat, Sabre likes uppercuts in. Metalik fires back with slaps, Sabre with his own, shoves, back on their feet Metalik drops him with a lariat! Zack looking for an O'Connor roll but gets an uppercut, Metalik with a superkick and a springboard back elbow for two. Metalik to the second, ropewalk, dives face-first into an uppercut, Sabre with the Penalty Kick follows!
Sabre grinding the point of his elbow into the back of Metalik's head. Uppercut for forearm, slap for headbutt, Zack wins the exchange and grabs a lateral press for two. Back to their feet, uppercut begats more forearms, half nelson suplex reversed into an arm drag but Sabre gets the octopus hold! Metalik makes it into the ropes and Sabre sets him up in the corner. Looking for a superplex, Metalik fights out so Sabre grabs a cravate to wear him down. Second try on the superplex and Sabre's Jesus Zipper eats the top rope. Metalik with an avalanche Frankensteiner!
Springboard but Sabre catches him into the triangle and adds a figure four wristlock. Metalik flips him over for a nearfall! Sabre charges in...
Gran Metalik wins by pinfall with the Metalik Driver and advances to the Cruiserweight Classic finals.
William Regal comes out to present Metalik with a finalist medal and raise his hand.
Metalik is interviewed. He thanks us, then says some more stuff ending with a clear claim that he's number one but the interpreter doesn't say anything so there you go.
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Kota Ibushi is shown warming up backstage in front of Michael Nakazawa and Sho Funaki, then TJ Perkins in front of officials and referee Drake Wuertz.
A video package of tournament highlights for the cruiserweight division's Raw debut on Monday and then a house ad for the Network play.
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa interviewed backstage. Gargano says they're medically cleared and ready to rock and roll. Ciampa says no disrespect to Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander, but they're focused on the tag titles.
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Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins (Cruiserweight Classic Semifinal Match)
Knucklelock to start, TJP gets a front facelock but Ibushi gets him in the ropes. Tries to deny the clean break with a kick but Perkins blocks it. Shoots in, go-behind, standing switch, back to the front facelock and again Ibushi backs him into the ropes and again TJ blocks the kick. Perkins with a headlock, switches to a wristlock, Ibushi rolls through, reverses it to a hammerlock, side headlock, Perkins gets him in the ropes, catches the leg, takes him down and goes for the kneebar but Ibushi gets the hell out of Dodge!
Collar and elbow but TJP quickly gets the wristlock. Ibushi reverses, Perkins rolls and cartwheels out into a headscissors takeover from the mat! Keeps the headscissors on, quick pin, back to the side headlock. Ibushi ducks a lariat off the ropes and lands a chest kick on the rebound. Whips TJP, gets caught in the ropes, Ibushi charges in, Perkins ducks, Ibushi up top for a missile dropkick that sends him outside!
Looking for the Golden Triangle, Perkins kicks him in the thigh to block it and Ibushi falls clean to the mat. Ibushi tries to climb back in and fails, eventually using most of the count. Back inside, snapmare into a dropkick, Perkins working a reverse chinlock. Ibushi to his feet, another chest kick drops Perkins right off. Dragon screw from Perkins, he follows up with a toehold, wrenching away. Into the kneeling crossleg double underhook submission but Ibushi gets to his feet and rams him in the corner.
Charges in, Perkins up and over, off the ropes into a dropkick from Ibushi! TJP drags himself to his feet with the ropes and fires a kick off but eats a snap Frankensteiner when he he tries to capitalize. Golden Triangle for a second time and it connects! Ibushi sends Perkins back in and climbs to the top for another huge missile dropkick that gets a two count. Charges in to a roundhouse from Perkins but gets a powerslam counter when he charges to follow. Moonsault but TJP has the knees up! Kneebar in but Ibushi gets the ropes!
Jumping solebutt nails Ibushi in the face but he has it together enough to fake a full nelson into a snap German suplex. Perkins eats more chest kicks and ends up on the apron. More and more kicks in the ropes, Ibushi firing off four or five in the last chain. Ibushi looking for the springboard German suplex but Perkins fights out with back elbows from the second!
Springboard dropkick, TJP up top but Ibushi nails him in the face with a Pele kick! Looking for the Golden Star powerbomb but Perkins counters with a DDT and into the chickenwing gutbuster for two and three quarters! Fireman's carry, Ibushi slips out and fires off another Pele kick but TJP catches it into the kneebar! Ibushi rollls him back and goes for a half nelson but Perkins looks for Detonation Kick. Ibushi slips out and they trade strikes in an awesome sequence. Golden Star powerbomb... NOT ENOUGH! TJ PERKINS KICKED OUT!
Ibushi up top for the Phoenix Splash but Perkins rolls away! TJP crawls over and they go forearm for forearm. TJP ducks a kick, Detonation Kick, Ibushi with a wheelbarrow driver! Roundhouse kick, Golden Star but Perkins rolls through into the kneebar again! Ibushi stands up, Perkins fights him back down! Turns it into an STF and wrenches back hard...
TJ Perkins wins by submission with an STF and advances to the Cruiserweight Classic finals.
Regal out to present TJP with his finalist medal and now the interview. TJP says they say before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. He won one, he can win another. He's this close, he just has to focus a little more.
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Footage of Gran Metalik getting iced up backstage now, into a house ad for Clash of Champions.
Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar backstage getting interviewed about their tag match. Dar says they don't need a gameplan because they're making history. They only need to be on the same page for 3 seconds, after all. Cedric says that some folks would call them beating DIY an upset, but they disagree.
Cut to Sasha Banks, Kalisto, Rich Swann, Jack Gallagher, and Bayley in the crowd and on to the tag match.
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Cedric Alexander & Noam Dar vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
Alexander and Ciampa start. Collar and elbow, Cedric picks a leg, leapfrog, backflip, headscissors takeover, looking for a dropkick but Ciampa holds the ropes. A second connects and Ciampa backs off for the tag. Dar in as well, knucklelock, Gargano with a snapmare but Dar counters. Big chop from Gargano, they trade drop toeholds and Gargano gets a rollup. Rolling crucifix, Gargano sends Dar in the corner but Dar heads right back out and eats a kick to the jaw.
Tag to Ciampa and he goes right to the cravate. Breaks it for a tight facebreaker but Dar hits the dragon screw and gets a tag. Cedric knocks Johnny off the apron and runs Ciampa over before going for the handspring enzuigiri and a huge tope con giro! Sends Ciampa back in and hits the springboard reverse STO. Cedric grabs a reverse chinlock but switches to a waistlock. Ciampa out with a back elbow, Cedric with a handspring but Ciampa dropkicks him in the back of the head.
Tag to Gargano, off the ropes with chops and a big overhead belly-to-belly. Dar runs in and eats a kick to the face and a superkick Doomsday Device on the apron! Alexander charges in and eats a Superman Spear! Gargano sends Alexander into the corner for a chop and sets him up top thinking Lawn Dart. Cedric slips out and nails him with that huge Michinoku Driver he does so well. Tag to Dar, whip, Johnny catches the ropes, low bridge on Alexander, tag to Ciampa!
Big running dropkick from Dar in the corner gets two. Ciampa with knee lifts and a jumping knee, Alexander tags in with a springboard lariat, Gargano runs in to enzuigiri Dar and eats a knee from Cedric after before Ciampa lays Alexander out with another knee strike. Tags to Gargano and Dar, Gargano with lariat and they go forearm for forearm before Dar lays a kick in. Forearm to the back of Dar's head, Gargano with the roll-through enzuigiri but Dar catches it and takes him to the Champagne Superkneebar but Ciampa breaks it up with stomps.
Gargano tags Ciampa back in, who sets Dar right up top and chops him hard. Thinking about the second rope Air Raid Crash but Dar slips out and tucks Ciampa neck into the turnbuckle so Cedric can tag, land a dropkick and a brainbuster for two! Spinning kick gets a super tight nearfall and Cedric tags Dar back in.
Gargano back in, superkick, Alexander dives off the top and into a superkick and a knee strike from DIY! Lawn Dart connects on Dar...
DIY win by pinfall with the superkick/knee strike combo on Noam Dar.
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WWE Network video package ensues before Mauro and Bryan welcome us back.
William Regal comes out for some comments. He says it was HHH's idea but Regal and Canyon Ceman were in charge of picking the 32 men for this tournament field. Regal then speaks about being trained by Marty Jones and how he knew Tiger Mask before he was Tiger Mask. He then says that to be the best cruiserweight today you need to have no holes in your game.
Corey Graves comes out to represent Raw, since that's where the cruiserweights are going and all. He puts over how Ibushi was the overall favorite and everybody's brackets got busted and then agrees with Bryan that Kendrick's story was incredible.
Recaps of the semifinals now.
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Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Cruiserweight Classic Final Match)
After entrances, HHH comes out. He says tonight we're here to make history. They scoured the world for 32 of the best and tonight it's been boiled down to two men. But he's not looking for two, he's looking for one, looking for the one. The one that will be known as the best in the world, the one that right here tonight will make history, and will be the winner of the first Cruiserweight Classic. Even more importantly than that, they're looking for the one, the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion!
Collar and elbow, Metalik with a wristlock, TJP reverses. Metalik rolls through, picks a leg, snapmare into a crucifix pin. Test of strength, Metalik pushes Perkins to the mat but TJP bridges. Out into the headscissors and the spinning takeover but Metalik converts it to a pin. Perkins does the takeover again and Metalik reverses into a headscissor of his own.
Big slap to the back but TJP fights out and reverses to a crab before grabbing the arms for the rocking horse. Quick rollup gets TJP two. Side headlock takeover from Perkins, Metalik to his feet but TJP takes him over again. Back to his feet, shoots him off, leapfrog, dropdown, handspring, TJP gets the octopus! Drop toehold, TJP grabs a Muta Lock!
Metalik to the ropes and goes outside. TJP looking for a springboard, lands on the apron, Metalik dropkicks his legs out of his legs and then goes flying with a huge suicide dive! Sends Perkins back in the ring, goes up top, ropewalk senton atomico! Deathlock surfboard wrenches TJP back and puts his free foot between his shoulders, Perkins trying to fight out and eventually gets the ropes.
TJP having trouble getting to his feet, Metalik puts him in the corner and lays a huge chop in. Whip, Perkins with the corner handstand into the headscissors takeover and then a diving Frankensteiner over the ropes and to the outside! Perkins sends him back in, slingshot senton gets two. Snapmare, dropkick to the back of the head but Metalik kicks out.
Double armbar with an elbow to the side of Metalik's jaw but the luchador gets to the ropes. TJP with a side slam for two. Spinning chickenwing with the leg and a rear chinlock but Metalik fights out. Straight suplex into the back suplex but Metalik lands on his feet and TJP fires off an uppercut. To the apron, Metalik with that beautiful running leap over the ropes into the Frankensteiner to the outside!
Brillo Metalik! Both men laying in pain on the outside but Metalik manages to drag himself to his feet first and send TJP inside. Springboard elbow drop gets a nearfall. Metalik charges in, TJP dodges, kick to the leg, Metalik with the step up dropkick off the second but he misses the running shooting star press and Perkins grabs the kneebar! TJP keeps spinning him but Metalik fights to the ropes!
Perkins levels Metalik with another leg kick and then drags him for for a second. Metalik with a big slap but Perkins gets a third knee kick. Slaps for slaps, forearm for forearm, rolling solebutt from Perkins gets a superkick from Metalik. Metalik off the ropes, full head of steam, Perkins dropkicks the knee! Perkins looking for a Stinger Splash but Metalik gets out of the way and hits a superkick.
Metalik with a fireman's carry, TJP out; TJP with a fireman's carry, Metalik counters into a DDT! Drags Perkins into position and climbs to the top for a moonsault but Perkins gets the feet up. Chickenwing gutbuster gets two, then he locks the kneebar in! Metalik nar the ropes, TJP pulls back, and tries to get the other leg for the full TJP Clutch but Metalik counters into a roll-up... TJ Perkins kicks out!
Fireman's carry, Metalik Driver but his knee went out on him and he makes the cover late and Perkins kicks out! On their knees Metalik lays forearms in trying to knock TJP out cold. Fireman's carry again but Perkins turns it into an arm drag and hits the triangle dropkick! Perkins up top and Metalik lands a gamengiri! Metalik follows, and they trade forearms on the second before Metalik thinks Metalik Driver off the second... BUT TJP COUNTERS INTO THE KNEEBAR!
My god! HE'S GOT THE FULL TJP CLUTCH! METALIK TAPS! TJ PERKINS IS WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION!
TJ Perkins wins by submission with TJP Clutch to win the Cruiserweight Classic and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
His chest looks like ground meat, but by god he did it.
Triple H and William Regal out to present TJ with the title belt and his trophy. He hugs Metalik and Metalik raises his hand in return. HHH and Regal quietly congratulate him and leave the ring.
Interview time. He says he kept a key on a necklace but now he doesn't need it anymore because he made it. It means the world to him to be able to inspire people the way folks inspired him when he was down and out. It's not just him, it's all 32 men that were in this tournament. They started out as peers, but now every one of them is his hero.
TJP celebrates some more as confetti rains down. That's the show, folks.