By Graham "GSM" Matthews Akira Tozawa def. Jack Gallagher in a Second Round Match Tozawa was already established coming into this tournament, but Gallagher was virtually unknown and really blew me away with his strong showing in the first round. As great of a traditional wrestling match as this was, I really liked how they sprinkled a little "sports entertainment" (i.e. the WWE style) into the matchup, too, and it worked wonderfully for these two competitors. For some reason, it reminded me of the dynamic William Regal and Tajiri used to have back in the day. Anyway, this was a very enjoyable matchup and they made excellent use of the time they were allotted (because you damn well know they could have gone longer if able to). Tozawa advances, but I hope to see Gallagher signed to a WWE contract sooner rather than later. Noam Dar def. Ho Ho Lun in a Second Round Match Lun was by far the worst wrestler of everyone in the first round, yet still managed to advance to the second round. Dar also had a pretty boring bout the first time around, so while I was expecting an atrocious match here, it ended up being passable. The crowd wasn't nearly as hot for the match as they were for the opener, but Dar stood out more in this match than he did in the first round. More importantly, Lun didn't stink up the joint and was eliminated! On a side note, props to the Full Sail University for the cool Darth Vader chants for Dar. I don't know if that's a thing on the independent scene, but I got a kick out of it.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Gran Metalik def. Tajiri in a Second Round Match It was assumed coming in that Tajiri would be utilized as a stepping stone for the younger talent, so I was glad he made it to the second round before putting over a fresh face. The best part is that he can still very much go in the ring, so this was a fun match in the opening slot and they made great use of the time they were allotted. Metalik impressed me in the first round, but following his performance here, I will definitely keep an eye out for him in the rest of the tournament. Kota Ibushi def. Cedric Alexander in a Second Round Match Before I begin breaking down this match, I want to shout out the illustrious John Napolitano for his high recommendation of the match and watching along with me, as it was every bit as excellent as he hyped it up to be on the phone. I was completely unaware that these two would be meeting in the second round, and as established as Ibushi is, I truly think this was a defining match/moment in the career of Cedric Alexander. As I've said in the past, Alexander is an amazing athlete, and this match was pure proof of that as he pulled everything out his arsenal and then some in an attempt to put Ibushi away. Their in-ring chemistry was off the charts and there never seemed to be a dull moment. Had this match had more backstory (i.e. a month-long build), I would certainly say it was the best bout of 2016 to date in WWE because these two freakin' killed in and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Not to mention that the ending with Triple H coming out from behind the curtain to endorse Alexander was simply phenomenal. Beautiful stuff from start to finish. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Rich Swann def. Jason Lee in a First Round Match Swann has been under a developmental deal for a few years now, so it shocks me we haven't seen more of him on NXT TV. And it's not that he's green, either, because he has plenty of experience from the independent scene and is one of the most charismatic competitors I've seen in this entire tournament. He really shined in this match and the crowd took to him fairly quickly (then again, Full Sail University has been exposed to him much more than we have). This was a very fun opening round match and Swann was the right choice to advance. That said, I feel bad for Lee because he should have been in the second round instead of Ho Ho Lun, who was absolutely awful. Noam Dar def. Gurv Sihra in a First Round Match The Bollywood brothers are entertaining, but they just aren't all that in the ring, and it didn't help that this Sihra brother wasn't as exciting to watch as the other one. I've heard quite a bit about Dar coming into this show, though nothing he did here blew me away. He had a fine showing, but the bout fell flat for this viewer and the live crowd as well in what was one of the weaker matchups of the first round. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Zack Sabre Jr. def. Tyson Dux in a First Round Match I have heard plenty about Sabre through the grapevine and specifically through an article written by JJF earlier this year. That said, I had yet to see any match of his in its entirety. He may be a cruiserweight, but he doesn't wrestle the same style as everyone else, which makes him stand out from the get-go. Rather, he is one of the best mat-based wrestlers in the game today, and had a stellar showing versus an equally excellent Dux. This was properly placed in the opener and as much experience as Dux has, it was a no-brainer that Sabre would go over. Drew Gulak def. Harv Sihra in a First Round Match Gulax are one and the same in terms of their wrestling styles, and Sihra had an infectious personality, but this match just didn't do anything for me for whatever reason. The crowd wasn't all that engaged in the action and didn't seem to take as kindly to the contets as they did the previous match. Perhaps they knew that neither would advance far in the tournament considering they would have to go up against Sabre in the next round. |
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