WWE announces first Global Cruiserweight Series qualifiers for EVOLVE & Progress

As we get closer to the scheduled taping dates in June, WWE Network's Global Cruiserweight Series short a bunch of names for the 32-man field who will compete in the inaugural tournament.

There also hasn't been much news regarding the affiliate promotions who announced they'd be holding qualifying matches on their shows.

WWE.com addressed both today, when the first two win-and-you're-in bouts were set up for EVOLVE 61 on May 7 in Queens, New York:

Two of EVOLVE's most prominent mat technicians, reigning EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams, will square off against each other in the first qualifier. The second match is a battle to determine whether a rookie's pure determination can overcome experience, as up-and-comer Fred Yehi battles 15-year veteran TJ Perkins.

Followers of Gabe Sapolsky's promotion will note that all four men are part of the Catch Point stable. In fact, the only current member missing is Matt Riddle, the former MMA pro whose assignment to EVOLVE kicked off the partnership with WWE Developmental.

The winners of Gulak/Williams and Yehi/Perkins (the latter known to some fans as former TNA X-Division champ Manik) will join these names already announced by Triple H:

-Rich Swann
-Johnny Gargano
-Tommaso Ciampa
-Noam Dar
-Akira Tozawa
-Ho Ho Lun
-Lince Dorado

Both the EVOLVE announcement and the WWE.com list curiously leaves out Zack Sabre, Jr. The British high-flier WRESTLING GOD was announced by The Game in his pre-TakeOver conference call in late March, and is presumably either an oversight or a will be added to a qualifier (that Hunter unintentionally spoiled).

We're still awaiting qualifying match announcements for Progress and Rev Pro. The GCS is scheduled to tape at Full Sail Live from June 20 - 24 and premeire on WWE Network on July 13.

UPDATE:

Progress' qualifiers were announced by WWE.com as well, and that is where Sabre will factor in:

On Sunday, April 24 in Camden Town, London, PROGRESS will present two matches with the incredible opportunity to compete in the GCS on the line. In the first qualifier, international star and technical wizard Zack Sabre Jr. will begin his journey in the GCS when he takes on up-and-coming highflier Flash Morgan Webster, who will surely be out to play spoiler and catapult himself into the spotlight. The second bout sees world-traveled grappler Jack Gallagher square off against the hard-hitting "Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne.