 Akira Tozawa takes on Kenneth Johnson. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Tajiri def. Damian Slater in a First Round Match Other than a short-lived run in TNA in 2014, I honestly haven't seen much of Tajiri's work (outside of archived footage, obviously) from recent years. That said, it was a treat to see him back in action in front of a WWE crowd, and it seemed like he hadn't lost a step whatsoever. It's a shame Slater got knocked out out the tourney so early because he had a good look and had a fine showing here, but of course, Tajiri is a bigger priority. And no green mist, either! Here's hoping he doesn't use it all for as long as he's a part of the bracket. I don't want any stupid sports entertainment-esque finishes to these matches. TJ Perkins def. Da Mack in a First Round Match For those unaware, Perkins is the former Suicide/Manik in TNA, where I always thought he was highly underutilized under the mask. Thankfully, he had his chance to truly showcase his skills in this match and he made the most of the opportunity. Mack was another individual I would have liked to see go further simply because he's so damn fun to watch in the ring, and I'm glad he was able to share the spotlight with Perkins here.  Tajiri returns against Damian Slater. Lince Dorado def. Mustafa Ali in a First Round Match
I wasn't familiar with either one of these men coming into the Cruiserweight Classic, but I most definitely won't forget either of them now. Holy hell! A phenomenal performance from both men and a match filled with multiple memorable moments. The crowd was pretty lively throughout the show, but they were extremely engaged in this matchup. Not only did both athletes put forth an incredible effort, I assume it was also due to the unpredictability surrounding the outcome, which I'll sure we'll get more of with the notable names once we progress into the later rounds. Akira Tozawa def. Kenneth Johnson in a First Round Match Similar to Kota Ibushi last week, I hadn't been exposed to Tozawa's work before now, but I've heard enough about him lately that I was excited to see him perform on this show. He definitely lived up to the hype in being as talented as everyone has been making him out to be and he was the clear fan favorite here. Johnson didn't have a chance from the start, and it showed when the crowd barely reacted to his near-falls, but credit should go to both him and the commentators for at least attempting to get him over as a potential threat the best they could. Overall Show Although I enjoyed the debut episode slightly more, this was still a very fun night of wrestling, and I have a feeling every edition will be similar in that respect going forward. No distraction roll-ups, no long-winded promos, no sports entertainment silliness. Just pure wrestling and athleticism. It's a very refreshing change of pace for that reason, and now we have Zack Sabre Jr.'s first match to look forward to next week. I can't wait!
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