The WWE Cruiserweight Classic is rapidly approaching and to say fans are excited is an understatement. Many of the best wrestlers from all over the world will be a part of the event meant to showcase the exciting cruiserweight style on the WWE Network.
Wrestlers from various countries and continents are a part of it and will have a chance to make a name for themselves in front of a WWE crowd.
The upcoming brand split on the WWE main roster means NXT could be raided and that will open up quite a few roster spots and strong performances here could go a long way to getting a gig in NXT.
Here we will take a look at 10 exciting names you should be on the lookout for the cruiserweight classic.
Some honourable mentions include Brian Kendrick and Tajiri who have had careers of their own in the WWE, so for the sake of this list, we will be looking at independent stars you might not have heard of before.
#10 Cedric Alexander
The athletic Alexander has been a mainstay in Ring of Honor since 2011. He had originally debuted as a tag team with Caprice Coleman, they were constantly in contention for the ROH Tag Team Championship, but on many occasions, came up short in their quest to gain the titles.
They would split in 2014 and Alexander found some success as a singles competitor, earning shots at both the ROH TV Title and ROH World Title, which he never won.
Alexander had many matches against some of the top talent in Ring of Honor, including current WWE Superstar Kevin Owens, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, Jay Lethal, and newly signed WWE developmental talent Moose
#9 Johnny Gargano
Gargano has made several appearances on NXT in recent months, but he does remain active on the independent circuit too. He is probably best known for his time in Dragon Gate USA/Evolve, where he was a multiple time champion who regularly wrestled some of the top independent stars in the world.
Gargano has faced several of the men competing in the Cruiserweight Classic, such as Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, Brian Kendrick, and Drew Gulak. Gargano also formed a tag team with former WWE Superstar Drew Galloway (McIntyre).
In 2015, Gargano signed a contract with NXT that also allowed him to work independent shows, and immediately got himself noticed as part of a tag team with Tommaso Ciampa, winning their first NXT match as part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
#8 Tyson Dux
Tyson Dux is a Canadian wrestler who has been working around the world for nearly two decades. Dux is a well-respected veteran of the independent circuit.
During his years as a wrestler, Dux has fought some of the top talent in the world, including Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. He has also made several appearances on WWE programming, wrestling on Heat, Velocity, as well as several untelevised dark matches.
He also had a brief stay in TNA, as part of the Team Canada faction that also included Bobby Roode and Eric Young, wrestling in the 2006 TNA World X-Cup.
When he was announced as part of the Cruiserweight Classic, WWE Superstar Kevin Owens congratulated Dux on social media. When someone is lucky enough to get Kevin Owens seal of approval, they must be worth a watch
#7 TJ Perkins
Perkins trained in Los Angeles at a New Japan-run dojo, as part of the same class as Daniel Bryan. When he debuted in New Japan officially, he adopted the masked gimmick of Puma, in tribute to the original Tiger Mask.
In America, Perkins wrestled both under the Puma gimmick and his regular ring name for organizations like Ring of Honor, Wrestling Society X and PWG. Eventually, Perkins managed to land a full-time contract with TNA, again under a mask, known as Suicide.
Eventually, he abandoned the persona completely and wrestled under his regular name. During that period, he won the TNA X Division Championship once.
Now we can look forward to seeing Perkins wrestle on the much-anticipated cruiserweight classic.
#6 Noam Dar
Noam has been a wrestler since he was 15 and has worked for most of the top wrestling organizations in the UK. He has also wrestled at Ring of Honour events in North America.
In these events, he faced off against top talents such as Rob Van Dam, Drew Galloway and John Morrison. In 2014, Dar was a contestant on TNA’s British Boot Camp reality show, where the winner received a contract with TNA.
While he did not win the contract, finishing sixth, Dar made several appearances on TNA programming and at live events in the UK. Just before the Cruiserweight Classic began, it was announced that Dar has signed a developmental contract with WWE.
#5 Drew Gulak
Gulak is a very well put together technical wrestler and brings a style that is unlike anybody else’s in the Cruiserweight Classic. Currently, he is part of the Catch Point faction that he heads in EVOLVE. It is based around bringing the art of competition to wrestling rather than characters or gimmicks.
Gulak has been rumored to be on WWE’s radar over the past year and actually appeared on Monday Night Raw playing one of the police officers that arrested Vince McMahon in Brooklyn last December.
Gulak’s style could be hit or miss for the fans on the main roster, but he will become an instant fan favorite during the big cruiserweight matches.
#4 Lince Dorado
This will be Lince Dorado’s WWE debut in the Cruiserweight Classic after nearly a decade of experience on the independent scene.
Most people know Dorado for his work in CHIKARA but he has also performed for numerous promotions all over the world. Dorado actually made a few appearances on TNA television during their X-Division themed PPV’s, but the WWE Network shows coming up will be the biggest events of his life.
His amazing high-flying skills and superb aerial displays will be a part of his game plan as he hopes to steal the show any time he gets to wrestle for the WWE.
Dorado performs a perfect Shooting Star Press that will likely be worked into his match(es) in the tournament. We may not see Dorado back in a WWE ring following this showcase (well you never know), but we are lucky he’s a part of it either way.
#3 Akira Tozawa
Seeing Akira Tozawa wrestle in a WWE ring will truly be a surreal moment. Tozawa was a huge hit in PWG and showed he could hang with the best North American wrestlers.
His English is known to not be great, but the language didn’t hinder him at all and he was able to deliver a great deal of personality due to his natural charisma.
Tozawa had stellar matches against the likes of Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn. His great in-ring work and ability to entertain a crowd will benefit Tozawa in becoming one of the top performers in the tournament.
WWE wanted the best unique talents to put on display for the tournament and Tozawa was a very easy pick for them. No one comes off like a bigger badass while still being able to make you laugh at the drop of a hat.
#2 Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre is one of the biggest stars in independent wrestling right now. The UK-based wrestler has had success all over the world, including the US and Japan, and some say he might be the best technical wrestler in the world that WWE still haven’t signed.
One would only imagine that with his talents the WWE will more than likely sign him to a deal after the tournament. Sabre rose to fame in 2008, after a Match of the Year candidate against Daniel Bryan a.k.a “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, and has only gotten better in the ring since then.
If Sabre isn’t a contracted WWE talent by the end of the Cruiserweight Classic, it will come as a very big surprise.
#1 Kota Ibushi
Possibly the hottest current free agent in professional wrestling, Ibushi most recently competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.
In 2015, Ibushi challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the NJPW Intercontinental title at Wrestle Kingdom 9. The match was something of a spectacle to say the least.
After spending time on the shelf with a reported herniated disc in his spine, he resigned from both NJPW and DDT in early 2016, and after appearing in the crowd at an NXT TakeOver special, rumors are that Ibushi officially signing with WWE.
Wouldn’t it be great to see Nakamura vs Ibushi again?
Only this time, on a WWE stage.
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