The WWE Global Cruiserweight show

[...TG]

I was worried before Metalik-Tozawa that there would be a style clash, but man was I wrong. Great match here! Built really well, kinda mat-based to start and picked up with the highspots later on. Metalik did that nutty springboard from the inside of the ring flip dive that he did in the first round. Tozawa looked better than he had in the first couple rounds, and had some great facials. Really fun, I don't imagine Tozawa will sign full-time but hopefully Metalik will, as rumored.

[hammerva]

Some really innovative heel stuff from Kendrick tonight trying to get his leg stuck in the guardrails for a countout and that neckbreaker on the steel part of turnbuckles. Nice work on the neck and great to make a point of how Ibushi did have surgery on his neck. The little things.

 

HOLY FUCK A BURNING HAMMER ON A WWE SHOW

 

Never thought a Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick match would actually happen much less be so damn fun to watch. Not as good as Tozawa vs Metalik but still really good. Maybe Kendrick's best match ever

[Matt D]

During the countout spot, I did a quick check on twitter because I was expecting everyone to cry foul about the edit. I think out of the hundreds of mention of Kendrick or Ibushi there were less than five about the countout edit. Very surprising to me and it says something about people's willingness to avoid spoilers or the way that they engage with this that I wasn't expecting at all. Either they weren't spoiled to the match or they just didn't care because they were enjoying it.

[Jmare007]

That was fucking fun as hell to watch, great hour of wrestling, loved every moment of it.

 

Fuck a Cruiserweight division. We need THE Brian Kendrick back on Smackdown.

 

No way Sabre loses next week, but man I really hope they put Metalik over him. I have nothing against SZJ (well, I do find him a little overrated but whatever) but Metalik has been more impressive, more over and I REALLY want to see a match with him against Ibushi.

[Jmare007]

During the countout spot, I did a quick check on twitter because I was expecting everyone to cry foul about the edit. I think out of the hundreds of mention of Kendrick or Ibushi there were less than five about the countout edit. Very surprising to me and it says something about people's willingness to avoid spoilers or the way that they engage with this that I wasn't expecting at all. Either they weren't spoiled to the match or they just didn't care because they were enjoying it.

 

From what I've read in other forums, most people haven't read the spoilers. I saw a whole bunch of "I hope Gargano wins the whole thing" tweets and post after his match with Ciampa when at that point the match were he lost was already taped.

 

I didn't check the results myself this time and the edit was done greatly, didn't even realize there was an important cut. What happened? Ibushi couldn't get into the ring before 10?

[...TG]

Some really innovative heel stuff from Kendrick tonight trying to get his leg stuck in the guardrails for a countout and that neckbreaker on the steel part of turnbuckles. Nice work on the neck and great to make a point of how Ibushi did have surgery on his neck. The little things.

 

HOLY FUCK A BURNING HAMMER ON A WWE SHOW

 

Never thought a Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick match would actually happen much less be so damn fun to watch. Not as good as Tozawa vs Metalik but still really good. Maybe Kendrick's best match ever

Oh yeah, this was awesome. Loved Kendrick as the crafty, cheating old bastard mercilessly working over Ibushi's neck. And that goddamn burning hammer...never thought I'd see that, and hopefully we don't see it again, as Kota took that right on his head. Anyway, great finishing stretch, playing off the Nese-Kendrick finish.

[C.S.]

Great episode this week!

 

Akira Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik: I'll be honest: I don't love either of these guys, but I don't hate them either. They're both very solid, and so was this match. I'll give Metalik props for changing his costume between matches. I think he's the only person in the CWC who has done that. (Well, Tozawa changed the color of his mouth guard.) It's a small detail, but it really makes these matches seem important. The most famous example of this is, of course, Randy Savage at WrestleMania 4. Anyway, a really fun match that could have gone either way. I felt myself kinda, sorta rooting for Tozawa, but I have zero issues with Metalik winning.

 

THE Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi: Fucking awesome! In the previous two matches, Ibushi has been the best wrestler in the ring. Not this time! Kendrick was the star tonight, and it wasn't even close IMO. How abso-friggin'-lutely amazing is that? When the CWC began, I don't think anyone expected Kendrick of all people to be such a breakout performer. Like Bryan, I was actively rooting for him tonight - again all odds, not a hope in hell - but I still wanted it to happen. Ibushi won, of course, but Kendrick had his "Cedric Alexander moment." Daniel Bryan coming down and embracing him after the match was beautiful and emotional, and the Full Sail fans were actually respectful enough to shut down the "YES! YES! YES!" chants after a few seconds and put the focus back on Kendrick where it belongs.

 

Next week: Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar (in a match between the two worst people still in the tournament) and TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann (neither have impressed me yet, either). I really hope one or more of these guys changes my mind next week, or this could end up being the weakest CWC episode yet.

 

Early prediction: An Ibushi-Metalik finale. They've both beaten the two biggest stars in the tournament - Tajiri and Brian Kendrick, respectively - so it makes sense to me.

[jcmmnx]

I never thought I'd say this, but Brian Kendrick smokes every worker in WWE right now

[Johnny Sorrow]

Best thing is, Kendrick can come back as a heel who's mad at Regal for fucking him over. Kendrick is clearly the best guy on this show, and we're gonna see him on TV on the regular. The fan in me is pissed he lost to a guy who , in THIS show, has all the character of a grapefruit; but they're creating a CW division. Both Kendrick and Gallagher and other dudes who got over will be sticking around.

[greenmistguy90]

Daniel and Bryan hashtag friendship goals

[PhilTLL]

I never thought I'd say this, but Brian Kendrick smokes every worker in WWE right now

His grizzled, world-weary look is fantastic too. He looks like the lost 4th member of Mountain.

[Gutenberger]

I liked Kendrick in his earlier WWe tenure. I am absolutely IN LOVE with him now! By far the most impressive guy in all the tournament, and even though it was pretty much a foregone conclusion for Ibushi, I was roothing so hard for Kendrick here and was literally on the edge of my seat in that final Bully Choke after the top rope spot, which btw. was a nice throwback to the finish in his second round match.

[Jimmy Redman]

So that was something.

 

This week I have no idea what to do with Mauro shouting things like "This ain't your grandfather's puroresu!", but Daniel Bryan was channeling his inner elliott by getting not one but two El Satanico name drops into this thing.

 

Metalik/Tozawa was better than I expected going in, I was worried when they went into a horrid lazy puro forearm battle early, but damn by the end this turned out great. Great dives, great fire up/striking battles (eventually), great finish. This was Tozawa's best outing for sure.

 

And yet I've already forgotten about it because HOLY SHIT AT KENDRICK VS IBUSHI.

 

I had high hopes for this and they didn't let me down. This was something. I LOVED the opening. In some ways it was my favourite part of the whole thing. For the first two rounds Kendrick came out thinking he could win. He was desperate, but he was confident enough in himself that he could get the job done, IF he took the opportunities and shortcuts that were presented to him. They were fair fights. But now that he's up against tournament favourite Ibushi, he's just as desperate but he's not as sure of his chances this time. In fact he's kind of acting like he knows he's already lost. So from the opening bell he's doing the most basic, gauche cheating shit - going to the floor, taunting him, going for quick countouts...he's reaching, really reaching, and it's borderline pathetic, but this is what he feels like he has to do, because he just HAS TO win but he's also up against Ibushi so he's kind of fucking doomed.

 

Those first two minutes did more to put over Ibushi as a threat than anything else we've yet seen.

 

AND THEN...that neckbreaker on the turnbuckle. First of all, it was fucking boss as fuck and how has nobody done that move on a show that I've seen before. But second of all, that was THE moment, the great equalizer that fucked Ibushi's neck so much that it brought him back down to Kendrick's level and made it a fair fight. It reminded me so much of Taker injuring his leg during the second Shawn match, in the sense that it was just the luckiest, most opportune thing that could possibly happen to Kendrick in that moment. The one thing that gave him a legitimate chance.

 

And of course Kendrick is scrappy and desperate and dangerous enough to target the neck like a total asshole, which was glorious. Ibushi for his part keeps himself in the game by constantly kicking Kendrick's fucking head off whenever he can. That outside-in German was motherfucking BONKERS AS SHIT and it still wasn't the coolest move of the match because BURNING FUCKING HAMMER MOTHERFUCKERS! I dunno man, I saw the replay and Ibushi took that thing right on his fucking head so I'm not entirely convinced that he's not dead in the ground right now and we're all in some kind of delirious denial phase but ok. Anyway it was sickness and a super nearfall and I was throwing things and then Kendrick countered the thing into the choke and I threw some more things and Jesus I haven't wanted someone to win a wrestling match that badly in a LONG time. And then after all that they get to the finish that was written in the stars at the opening bell.

 

After the match when I saw Kendrick's eyes well up and heard Bryan's voice crack I totally lost it. Then they came back and he was bawling and the crowd was chanting and Bryan came down and fuck man. Just fuck.

 

This show is the best.

[Jimmy Redman]

Furthermore, this is all totally fucked up and I hate wrestling. Because they're putting Kendrick in the cruiserweight division on Raw and that's utter bullshit, not just because nobody deserves that kind of treatment, but because nothing, fucking NOTHING on earth would be more perfect than GM Bryan bringing in his best friend Brian Kendrick to face The Fucking Miz on Smackdown as his proxy.

 

I mean...imagine the promos Miz would cut on Kendrick. And Kendrick's desperate, bug eyed, bawling, last chance, "nobody loves pro wrestling more than Brian Kendrick" indy veteran is the PERFECT foil for what The Miz currently has going on. Like, maybe even more perfect than Bryan is. Because at least Bryan reached the top of the mountain for a glorious moment in the sun, before dying for our sins and paying for it forever. Kendrick has never had that, he's given the same amount of years, toil and love to the business, destroyed his body just the same...just to be a 37 year old indy worker who's been given a bone in the CWC. So Miz kind of has even more legitimate ammunition to hurl at him since he's destroyed his body for nothing in that "argh that asshole heel is kind of right but I don't want to ever admit it" way, and Kendrick is even more fired up to get at Miz because not only would he love to beat the shit out of Miz for being Miz, not only could he avenge his best friend Bryan who can't defend himself, but winning the Intercontinental Title would legitimately be the biggest achievement of his career and this is his absolute last chance to accomplish something that meaningful in wrestling at his age. It's his CWC motivation, but times a hundred.

 

Of course none of this will ever happen and now I'm upset.

[BBscout]

As long as Miz wins

[Cap]

Yeah, I can't do much else but echo the love for this whole thing and especially for Kendrick. I think at this moment, judging by just this tournament, I would put him as one of the top 5 (maybe 3) wrestlers in the world. I said that after his second round match and this solidified it. I can't overstate how much I have loved his work in the CWC. This match was lights out and the Burning Hammer made me jump out off my couch. I thought Ibushi has been a pretty great offense machine in this tourney and we all knew he was winning, but this might have been the best possible way to go about it.

 

I wish we were going to get Kendrick in NXT for a bit and think he belongs on Smackdown as well, but if they take the CW division seriously he could be crucial in its rise.

[Matt D]

Someone somewhere (maybe here) said that Kendrick was wrestling exactly like they wanted Ambrose to wrestle, and I'm completely on board with that. It was pure up desperate hobo wrestling and it was awesome. Boxcar Kendrick.

[C.S.]

I kinda think they're going to have Miz beat Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest reigning IC Champ ever.

[Johnny Sorrow]

See, Kendrick in the IC level would just end up with results people would bitch about. Kendrick as a top guy player in a CW Division is going to be awesome. If the division is kept as its own world , then he'll be able to be this character to its fullest.

[Coffey]

Really like Kota Ibushi's finish. I liked both of the matches this week. I hope TJ Perkins beats Rich Swann next week as I don't see a lot of potential in that dude - never have.

 

Kendrick is still awesome. I don't like the Bully Choke though, it just looks like a headlock to me.

 

This whole tournament has been a ton of fun & I'm really enjoying it.

 

I assume the finals is going to be Zack Sabre, Jr. Vs. Kota Ibushi? I'm still not sold on Zack. To me, I had heard some buzz about him from the Indies, even here on PWO, but thus far he's yet to impress me. I actually thought that last week Drew Gulak looked better than him. So maybe I'll be wrong about him making it to the finals.

[The Chief]

Finally getting to this week's episode and yeah, Boxcar Kendrick is awesome.

[...TG]

Zack Sabre Jr. v Noam Dar was good. Dar looked better than he did in his first two matches, but I'm just not seeing it. I've liked ZSJ a lot in Evolve, but something's just not clicking with him in this setting. Still, this match seemed to get over, though it wasn't as good as either of last weeks' matches.

[sek69]

I kind of get why Ibushi wouldn't want to sign with WWE full time, but it seems odd ZSJ would make a point of mentioning he's relocating to the US just to do Evolve shows. They can't be making him that much of a lowball offer.

[...TG]

TJP - Rich Swann was good too. Really good selling by Swann - the knee injury affected all the moves he did, he went much slower and less explosively than he showed in the first round. Hopefully Swann keeps developing, he has a ton of charisma, a great story, he has a big chance to become a star I think. Having said that, maybe a bit too many leg selling stories in this tournament?

 

Next week is the 2-hour live finals, this has been a great couple of months of TV.

[C.S.]

My thoughts:

 

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar: I haven't made it a secret that I consider ZSJ and Noam Dar the two worst people still in the tournament. But I can give credit where it's due: This was head and shoulders the best match either of them have had to date in the CWC. With that said, I still didn't love it. Most of the moves looked weak, and it rarely resembled an actual contest to me. The finish was cool though! But the sit-down hug at the end felt like they went to that well one too many times - it lacked the emotional impact of other similar moments in the tournament. BTW, if you're wondering who ZSJ reminds you of: a very thin Ethan Hawke with a meth addiction.

 

Edit - One more thing to add: What the fuck was up with Noam Dar scratching his ears before the match?! Then poor ZSJ had to shake those same hands that were just in Dar's ears.

 

TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann: A really fun match and easily the best either of them have looked in the tournament. I wasn't particularly impressed with their other matches, but they worked very well against each other. I had no preference regarding the winner, and I still don't. They call Perkins a "wrestling genius" and the "Wrestling Yoda" but I haven't really seen any evidence of that yet. It makes me wonder if there's more than meets the eye with this kid though. He has been around for 18 years, after all. The one thing I will give credit to both of them on though is how likeable and easy they are to root for. They're great babyfaces. And I say that even though they haven't been my favorites in the tournament.

 

My prediction for the finals: I'm still betting on Kota Ibushi vs. Gran Metalik, with Metalik getting the "upset" as they try (and fail) to recreate yet another Rey Mysterio. I say that only because Ibushi is the obvious winner, and are they really going to telegraph it this much? Maybe. We'll see.