NWK Reviews WWE Crusierweight Classic Episode 4 (historic)

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NWK2000
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NWK Reviews WWE Crusierweight Classic Episode 4 (historic)

Post by NWK2000 » Aug 22nd, '19, 20:14

August 3, 2016, Orlando FL
Opening video package: Better than the last three. It seems they've decided on a good soundtrack/flow


Rich Swann video package: GREAT! Rich somehow straddles the line of being a babyface while speaking with confidence and swagger.
Jason Lee video package:: Put this guy in the "Why was he not signed?" category with Clemont, Mack and Slater. Dude can speak decent English AND he has a cool gimmick.


CWC Round 1 Match
Jason Lee vs Rich Swann
Props to Rich for A. Learning the lyrics to his theme song so he could mouth it during his entrance. B. Choreographing his entrance to move in time with the song. Rich does a Micheal Jackson spin flourish out of the handshake, and Lee strikes a kung-fu stance in response. Perfection.

Both guys get their signature shit in. Lee has great heelish facial expressions and mannerisms. Unfortunately, this served as a mere showcase for both guys, and Swann was transparently the guy to win. This is still far from the worst tournament match so far.

5/10

Gurv Sihra video package: He seems more serious than his brother

Noam Dar promo: Terrible. The best thing that ever happened to Noam was someone in WWE realizing he had heel potential, as the guy cannot cut a standard babyface promo to save his life.

CWC Round 1 Match
Gurv Sihra vs Noam Dar


Noam gives heel vibes immediately by coming out with his arms behind his back like he's a member of Ring Kamf and with his dorky skull jacket. Props to whoever decided the Bollywood Boys should have individual entrance themes.


The story of the match is that Gurv works the back while Noam works the leg. I like the idea that Noam's offense is so lethal that he can go back to a worked body part anytime he wants and get to the same result. Dar taps him out with a kneebar

This was a somewhat botchy match with some above average psychology which I liked a lot. Also Dar did a good job getting his "cocky young whippersnapper" character
5.75/10

Fabian Aichner video package: Eh. He's got a presence and a look, but doesn't have a character like Clemont did
Jack Gallagher video package: GREAT! Him, Tozawa, Swann, Kendrick, and Cedric are the guys you can tell are going to be the big stars going forward immediately upon being introduced to them.

CWC Round 1 Match
Jack Gallagher vs Fabien Aichner
Lots of great catch wrestling stuff to start. Aichner in particular gets over his power by doing the same things Gallagher does but with more oomph and impact. The second part of the match sees Fabien roughousing Jack around and using stiff sounding strikes. Jack gets back into it with a pinning reversal chain, but Fabien hits a big backbreaker to cut that off. Fabien gets to kick out of his Double Springboard Moonsault, which the video package established as a finisher. Gallagher kicks out at 2. He fires back with a comeback and a Guillotine, but Aichner reverses that into a powerbomb for another near fall. Aichner misses a splash, and Gallagher hits his headbutt into a corner dropkick for the win. D-Bry gets over how impressive it is to finish a match with a dropkick.

This was a good match, with a great story told.
7.25/10

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa video package: GREAT! They get over how good a friends they've become since forming their tag team almost a year ago, but how important it is to give this match their all and win.

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa interview: Brilliant . Johnny cuts a good babyface promo, but Ciampa gives us the first notion that he's tired of hearing about "Johnny Wrestling" and that he needs to win. This is the first inkling we get that Ciampa is a little more insecure than he lets on. Meanwhile, Johnny is nodding attentively, and even smirking at Ciampa as he speaks. Johnny simply replies with "You do what you gotta do", and if you freeze frame right as Johnny walks away, you can see anger on both Ciampa's face and in his eyes

CWC Round 1 Match
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa


D-Bry makes the point that Ciampa took a while to shake Johnny's hand. We get some chain wrestling to start, as you might expect, and then it ramps up. Ciampa hits the loudest back elbow I've ever heard, which sets up the story of Ciampa working over Johnny's jaw. Johnny fights back, and from there it's a fucking fight. Ciampa in particular is super good at making everything make sense in sequence, which compliments a guy who's more based on moves like Gargano astonishingly well. We get some proto heel-Ciampa imagery with Ciampa smiling down at Johnny as he holds out a hand for help. These guys go to a level of intensity no one else in the tourney has, which sets up Johnny's first Super Cena style performance up quite nicely. Ciampa hesitates on a bare bones running knee and pulls his pad back up. Johnny takes advantage but Ciampa fires right back. Johnny kicks out of Project Ciampa and a star is born. Ciampa heels out and stalks Johnny with chops. Johnny and Ciampa trade counters, Johnny crucifixes Ciampa for the sneaky win.

This was the best match of the tournament so far, and shows that Johnny and Ciampa are on a different level than all the other guys in the tournament

9/10
Post match: Ciampa teases denying Johnny a handshake, standing on the apron. I think, from a storyline standpoint, this is the exact moment The Blackheart was born. He could've ended the team right there by walking out or attacking Johnny. But no, Ciampa decides he's going to lure Johnny in to the spider's web and strike at the best moment possible., Another more subtle reason I think Ciampa decided this right here is because he hams it up, making a big show of punching himself in the head as if to mime "What am I doing?" before going back and, like a good friend would, mirroring Johnny's stance (a contemplative, crosslegged position) before pulling him into a hug.

Closing video package: YAY! Cedric/Ibushi and Metalik/Tajiri is next show!


Conclusion


Overall,this was the best flowing show of the tournament, as we got better as things proceeded. I would say Gargano/Ciampa is a must watch, as it's both guys first stand out single performance in WWE, and the catalyst for their feud, which is one of the best feuds in the past several years.
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