By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Gran Metalik def. Zack Sabre Jr. in a Semifinal Match

These two undoubtedly benefited from opening the show because the audience was engaged and red-hot for everything they did. Their styles meshed perfectly and while I was never too high on Metalik up to this point, he impressed the hell out of me with his phenomenal performance here. As for Sabre, he's one of the best in the world today and I had him making it to the finals, so I was certainly shocked he didn't. I don't know if he turned down a contract or they didn't offer him one, but he better be a part of WWE eventually given how good he truly is.


TJ Perkins def. Kota Ibushi in a Semifinal Match

Every Ibushi match in this tournament has been absolutely incredible and this matchup was zero exception. I was initially worried that the crowd would be too burned out from the previous bout to get fully invested in this one, but that was far from the case. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was the better bout and these guys freakin' killed it. There never seemed to be a dull moment, the constant counters were insane, and the final few minutes were fantastic. Ibushi losing shocked the hell out of me, but I suppose I should have seen that coming considering he has said he doesn't want to join WWE at this time. Hopefully sooner rather than later, though!

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Zack Sabre Jr. def. Noam Dar in a Quarterfinal Match

Once again, I really feel like you have to dig Sabre's style (and Dar's for that matter) in order to appreciate this match. They've both wrestled the same type of match throughout the tournament, so they were the perfect opponents and brought the best out of each other in this bout. They didn't do a ton of aerial stuff but they didn't need to; their reversals and constant counters were exciting enough to hold my interest and it was extremely well paced, too. Sabre was the obvious choice to go over in my book, but I look forward to seeing what Dar can do on Raw in the Cruiserweight division (if that's where he's headed as has been reported).


​TJ Perkins def. Rich Swann in a Quarterfinal Match

The established history and friendship these two have made the match all the more meaningful and engaging for me, as they told a tremendous story as a result. In addition to the exhilarating action, Swann did a stellar job of selling the leg injury during the bout and I loved how that was the central focus of the match, ultimately costing him the contest. It just continues to blow my mind TNA absolutely underutilized Perkins while he was there, but hey, it worked out for the better and led to him having some sensational matches as part of the Cruiserweight Classic, and now he's in the semifinals!

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Gran Metalik def. Akira Tozawa in a Quarterfinal Match

For a guy I wasn't completely aware of coming into the tournament, Tozawa has absolutely blown me away with his three matches, and the same can be said for Metalik. They killed it in this contest with multiple nearfalls and had the crowd on the edge of their seat the entire time. Their styles meshed perfectly and it made for an extremely exciting opener. I was slightly surprised to see Metalik advance over Tozawa, but hey, I can't complain because both of them are fantastic. I clearly underestimated these two because they exceeded my expectations in having one of the best matches all season.


Kota Ibushi def. Brian Kendrick in a Quarterfinal Match

I would have said "Good luck topping that!" to any other two competitors, but this is Ibushi and Kendrick we're talking about here, and both men have had nothing but instant classics throughout the tournament. This was no exception as each of them took the other to their respective limit, although I could have done without Kendrick hitting his finisher so early on (I couldn't buy into that nearfall). There was an amazing emotion about the match from both men that resulted in just a beautiful piece of art. Kendrick did an exceptional job of being built up only to put over the rising star, but I surely hope this isn't the last we've seen of him. Him and Daniel Bryan shedding tears in the middle of the ring afterward was truly something to behold.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rich Swann def. Lince Dorado in a Second Round Match

I had completely forgotten about Dorado from the first round. Not because he was bad, but rather because we have had so many notable names and exceptional performers in this tremendous tournament that it's difficult to keep track of them all. Swann has been one to watch and his crazy charisma should make him a fan favorite in NXT in no time. I liked how it was not only a great wrestling match, but their antics were entertaining as well with both guys dancing and whatnot. This was perfectly placed in the opening slot and I'm glad Swann advanced.


Zack Sabre Jr. def. Drew Gulak in a Second Round Match

Sabre's style of wrestling is different than everyone else's in this tourney, which is what I like about him because he's unique in that respect. His methodical pace can be boring for some and genius for others. In fact, I truly though this was a better match than what we saw from him in the first round, and that shouldn't be surprising simply because Gulak is great, too. It had an old school feel to it and the constant counters were a blast. I look forward to seeing Sabre go far into the finals, hopefully.

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.