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Follow @TheDocLOP QUESTION OF THE DAY: Which did you prefer - Gallagher vs. Tozawa or Kendrick vs. Nese? Whether you like it - hell how could you not like it? - it's the best thing going today. Wrestling has been at its best in the Cruiserweight Classic this summer. I have heard people for years talk about how we need more in-ring action on TV and I have often countered, “No, we need more in-ring action that matters on TV.” If there is nothing at stake, what is there to invest in? The CWC has clearly defined stakes and the in-ring action thrives accordingly, with whatever narrative develops between the combatants only enhancing the already instilled story of the wrestlers wanting to win the tournament. Everything about the presentation thus far has supported the theme of victory, particularly the commentary. Daniel Bryan's announcing inexperience is irrelevant; he's calling the action within the context of winning and allowing himself to be consumed by the stories on which he is commentating. This whole experience is just fantastic and I love it. Match 1: Akira Tozawa defeated Jack Gallagher in 11:38 (Doc's Rating - *** ¼) (Doc's Notes – My disappointment in Gentlemen Jack getting ousted in the Second Round aside, this was another very good match for this tournament's growing overall body of work. The style utilized by Gallagher to work over Tozawa's legs for the vast majority of the run-time was so interesting to see and a lot of credit to Tozawa for selling it so well. Akira is such an intense performer that to watch him get tied up in some of Jackie Boy's innovative grappling holds was emotionally engaging and, most importantly, believable. The sequence that saw Tozawa get tied up in a ball of his own limbs, for instance, would have been difficult to buy from a fan's perspective had Akira not sold it expertly. So, as good as Gallagher was throughout his short run in the CWC, be sure to acknowledge and appreciate that his second outing would not have been nearly as good without Tozawa's body language and facial expressions. Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik in the quarterfinals has me teeming with excitement. That could be a classic. As for Gallagher, I fondly bid him farewell and hope to see him again; that guy is a star in the making) Match 2: Noam Dar defeated Ho Ho Lun in 7:08 (Doc's Rating - **) (Doc's Notes – And so goes Ho Ho Lun...I wish not to harp on that which I stated following his unimpressive opening round match in Week 1, but he was the worst wrestler in this tournament, a fact perhaps unfairly emphasized because of the sheer talent level of the rest of the field. Tonight's performance from Lun was better, but it was still no better than average. I wonder if there was some ulterior motive for using him instead of someone with more experience and poise, like maybe a chance to tie into a possibly growing Hong Kong wrestling scene that Lun has apparently stimulated as a promoter. I don't know, but I do know that I'd much rather see Jack Gallagher or Tony Nese in the quarterfinals than Noam Dar. First impressions are said to be everything for a reason and, though Dar was better in Round 2 than Round 1 as well, he still has a lot to prove in the Elite 8. I did see more from him tonight than I did a few weeks ago, enough to find myself wondering if he is, at his age, only as good as his opponent and that we'll maybe see a giant leap in the quality of his performance when he steps in the ring with Gulak or ZSJ. I hope that to be the case) Match 3: Brian Kendrick defeated Tony Nese in 13:43 (Doc's Rating - *** ½) (Doc's Notes – When doing some research on the CWC weeks ago, I was browsing its Wiki page. Someone had apparently decided it'd be funny to post the results from the tapings in the brackets, so I knew ahead of time that Kendrick was going over Nese and that Ibushi was defeating Alexander. Both matches had to overcome my knowledge of the results and I absolutely abhor trying to rate matches for which I already know the victors. Unpredictability does not mean a great deal to me, but I do prefer there to be at least some doubt on my initial viewing. With that element extracted, Alexander vs. Ibushi still had my pacesetter for Match of the Month because I was able to get lost in Cedric's underdog tale; for me, the question heading into tonight's main-event was whether or not Kendrick and Nese could suck me into their story in similar fashion. Does the fact that I thought it was the third best match of the tournament give you the answer to my question? It was like a new age Rocky vs. Drago fight, with Kendrick playing a heel version of the Italian Stallion and Nese oddly playing the babyface despite all the physical advantages. Kendrick's cagey demeanor continued the role that he played against Mendoza in the first round, during which he embraced his limitations and tried to take any advantage, legal or otherwise, that was presented to him. Nese was once again fantastic as the tournament's most athletic specimen and I would think it safe to say that he made the most of his opportunity to shine on the WWE stage and that he will be around for a bit longer in some other capacity. Comparing one match to another, what I liked more about Kendrick vs. Nese than Gallagher vs. Tozawa was the finish. Whereas Tozawa had to no sell his leg injury to execute his match-closing move, Kendrick sold perfectly his barely able body to move out of the way of Nese's 450 Splash and then Nese, having had the wind driven out of him by fiercely belly-flopping the mat, sold perfectly the Bully Choke by tapping out with no wind left to fight out of it and a logically temporary disorientation to boot; hence the quarter star difference) All in all....It was yet another great night for the CWC, the only program in mainstream wrestling today that will give you matches of this quality with the sort of natural investment necessary to achieve such critical heights via organic reasons to engage in the action. Every match should have a purpose; the slightest mention of a future championship opportunity can sometimes be enough to create purpose, but so rarely in today's mainstream scene, speaking specifically of WWE, are such little touches executed consistently. The CWC has been an exercise in many things to date, but one of my favorites has been its purpose to remind WWE as a whole that every match on TV every week can be engaging so long as there is a reason for it to be happening beyond “we need something to fill quarter hour 7.” We're on the downhill slope of the CWC at six weeks in, so I'm going to enjoy this for all its worth over the next month. Until next week folks!  Third Edition Now On Sale (Updated All-Time Rankings, New Entries, Plus the "Wine Cellar" Section); Click to Order
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