July 28, 2016
WWE/Screenshot
Anthony Bennett wrestled in the Cruiserweight Classic on Wednesday night against Tony Nese.
WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic aired its third episode on the WWE Network Wednesday night, and we finally got to see Anthony Bennett in action. If you’ll remember, Bennett was a guest on Episode 45 of The Straight Shooters podcast talking about his story and what it meant for him to be chosen to participate in this tournament.
Would Bennett come out victorious? Let’s find out.
If you subscribe to the WWE Network, you can watch these matches on demand. Here are the results of the third batch of matches in Round 1:
It was Britain vs. Canada in the first match of the night. I can see both of these guys in Raw’s Cruiserweight Division, but only one of them was able to walk out victorious in the first round at the Cruiserweight Classic.
The technical wrestling started out furiously, but both Dux and Sabre Jr. were able to trade submission holds before Sabre Jr. locked in an omoplata. Sabre Jr. added extra pressure, making Dux submit.
Drew Gulak is no stranger to Philly, having attended Northeast High School and worked for the Philly-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling and other independent promotions. So, I almost feel like he’s our hometown hero in this tournament. And he didn’t disappoint.
In a fast-paced mat wrestling classic, Gulak and Sihra put on a clinic. Despite being hit with a moonsault and a superplex, Gulak recovered nicely and locked in the Dragon Sleeper, forcing Sihra to submit.
Gulak will face Sabre Jr. in the second round.
No! No! No!
Our good friend couldn’t pull out the victory on Wednesday night against Tony Nese. Bennett was decked out, but he came out on the wrong side of the battle against Nese. Selling an injury to his knee, Bennett was pinned after a 450 splash by Nese.
Maybe next time. Maybe on Raw.
I mentioned before that I didn’t think WWE would have Tajiri and Brian Kendrick in this tournament just to lose their first round match. And I was right.
In an entertaining match, Kendrick avenged himself and how his previous WWE run ended and submitted Mendoza with a Bully Choke after faking an injury.
Kendrick really showed all the veteran instincts of the mat in this contest, something we don’t see a lot of in today’s wrestling. It was great to see as Kendrick heads to the second round to face Nese.
Follow Nick on Twitter: @nickpiccone
Follow The Straight Shooters -- Twitter: @ShootersRadio | Facebook: The Straight Shooters
