WWE Cruiserweight Classic 2016: Winners, Grades, Reaction for September 15

After 10 weeks of incredible matches, we have finally reached the end of WWE's inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament.

This has been one of the most original and entertaining concepts WWE has developed in quite some time, and it has allowed several talents who might otherwise never be exposed to the general public a chance to show how good they really are.

Guys such as Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa have made big impressions with fans, while veterans like Brian Kendrick and Tajiri were given the opportunity to prove they still have what it takes to steal the show.

The two-hour live finale featured two semifinal matches, with the winners battling in the final, but we were also treated to a bonus tag match featuring four of the tournament's best and brightest.

Let's not waste anymore time and get right into what happened on the final episode of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.

Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

The show opened with Triple H's monologue about how important this tournament has been to the talents involved. Say what you will about Trips, but the guy has the perfect voice for something like this.

The first bout featured Gran Metalik taking on one of the favorites to win since the start of the tournament—Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre came into this tournament with a lot of buzz, but Metalik was unknown to many American wrestling fans. After the way he has performed in every match of this tournament, nobody is going to forget his name.

Metalik didn't waste any time taking it right to Sabre with a flurry of high-flying offensive maneuvers. However, it didn't take long for ZSJ to use his technical knowledge to start inflicting some serious damage.

The crowd was hot from the moment the bell rang, and both competitors brought their A-game to give them a show they will never forget.

With a pace as fast as what we saw, a few small mistakes come with the territory, but this was still a match capable of standing next to anything we have seen from the main roster this year.

After a hard-fought contest, Metalik shocked the world and defeated Sabre to advance to the final. William Regal came out to present both finalists with their medals and to congratulate the winner.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• It's too bad Daniel Bryan is SmackDown general manager because he and Mauro Ranallo are so great on commentary together.
• This is the kind of match that will inspire a few people to start training to be a wrestler.
• So many people had Sabre pegged as the winner from the start, so it's cool to see WWE go in a different direction to keep us on our toes.

Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins

Following Metalik and Sabre would be hard for anyone on the WWE roster, but if anyone was up to the challenge, it's Kota Ibushi or T.J. Perkins.

Both of these men have provided us with numerous highlight-reel moments throughout the tournament, making this one of the most anticipated bouts from the entire 10 weeks the show has been running.

Unlike the first match, Ibushi and Perkins started off slow to feel each other out. At first, it seemed like Perkins had Ibushi well-scouted. He was blocking kicks and reversing everything Ibushi threw at him.

The Japanese Superstar eventually found his groove and started hitting some of the moves he is known for, but Perkins kept himself in the fight.

Everyone in the building was either standing up or sitting on the edge of their seat leading up to the finish, which saw Perkins prove everyone wrong and make Ibushi tap out.

This was easily the upset of the tournament, and like the first match of the night, it proved WWE can still surprise us from time to time.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• Both men hesitating to shake hands at the beginning added some extra tension to the match.
• Ibushi looked genuinely dazed when he hit his head on the floor early in the match. It was hard to tell if it was real or just great selling by a pro at the top of his game.
• Everything Ibushi does looks so smooth and natural. He is one of those rare talents who seems like he was born to do this. However, Perkins was equally responsible for the match's quality.

Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano

In order to give the finalists a break before they locked up and fill up the whole two hours, WWE added a tag match featuring four men who stood out during the Cruiserweight Classic.

NXT's Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano took on Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander in a fun and fast-paced match that showed off what makes each of these guys special. Ciampa and Gargano always work well together, but Dar and Alexander didn't make things easy for them.

If anything negative can be said about this match, it's that it felt more like they were moving from one sequence of spots to the next than it felt like a story was being told.

However, it's hard to tell a story with no feud in place sometimes. This was still an outstanding contest showcasing four guys who will be great additions to the cruiserweight division.

Gargano and Ciampa picked up the win after a superkick/knee combo. 

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• You could tell Bryan was starting to lose his voice at the start of this match, and he didn't talk much during the action.
• I love the Imperial Death March chant for Dar. I hope it catches on when he moves to Raw's cruiserweight division.
• Ciampa drop-kicking Alexander in the middle of a handspring off the ropes was one of the more brutal things we saw all night.
• I hope Gargano and Ciampa get a run with the NXT tag titles. They are my favorite tag team in the entire company right now.

T.J. Perkins vs. Gran Metalik

Just as it appeared as if the bell was going to ring for the final match, Triple H's music hit, and he made his way out to the ring for a special announcement. Not only would the winner be leaving with a big trophy, but he would also be crowned the new cruiserweight champion.

With all the talk about looking for the best in the world, the pressure was on for TJP and Metalik to put on an instant classic to cap off the tournament.

They started off with a more methodical pace, and it allowed them to be a bit more technical before incorporating any of their arsenal of high-flying moves.

You could tell both men were a little worn out from their semifinal matches, but they were still able to put on a performance worthy of being the final contest in what has been an outstanding tournament.

Both competitors deserved to win, but when the bout started, this writer had Metalik picked as the favorite, which is why it was such a pleasant surprise to be shocked once again when Perkins picked up the victory.

He was covered in bruises and welts from all the strikes he had taken, but you know this is the greatest night of this young man's life. The tears he shed as soon as the final bell rang were as real as it gets.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• I like the cruiserweight title belt more than the majority of WWE belt designs right now. It's unique and actually looks like a title belt instead of a toy.
• WWE was smart to insert shots of certain fans during the match. You could see how invested they were in what was happening in the ring, which you don't always see during Raw and SmackDown.
• I wasn't the biggest supporter of Perkins before Wednesday night, but after his performance in the finale, I am firmly behind him as the first cruiserweight champion of the new era.
• Perkins left with a medal, trophy and belt. That's quite the haul of hardware to take home.
• Perkins gave a great speech during his post-match interview about how this tournament was about everyone involved, not just himself.

Final Thoughts

Writers aren't supposed to use "I" and "me" too often, so you'll have to excuse what follows.

If you've been reading my weekly recaps throughout the tournament, you know I have done nothing but praise it from the start, and Wednesday's show lived up to every expectation I had going into it.

Not only did we get to see three amazing singles matches, but we were also treated to a great tag team match featuring four guys who all performed well in the tournament.

I can honestly say that I was looking forward to this event more than any pay-per-view since I knew Daniel Bryan was going to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30.

On top of delivering one of the best two hours of wrestling WWE has produced in years, the outcome of every match was a surprise, which made the whole thing feel even more special.

Heading into the finals, most fans would have picked Ibushi and Sabre to end up in the last match, but Metalik and Perkins winning did not feel like it was done just to throw us off. Their victories felt earned, if that even makes sense in a predetermined contest.

Some people may have felt I was generous with the grades, and that may be true, but I take a lot of things into account when assigning a grade to each match, and sometimes an emotional reaction can trump everything else.

It's shows like this that make us remember why we are fans of the most ridiculously over-the-top form of entertainment in the world. The only thing to be sad about is knowing we won't have another episode to enjoy next week.

What did you think of the finals of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic? Did the right person win? What's your opinion of the new title? 

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.