WWE Cruiserweight Classic Participants Announced

WWE confirmed Monday the 32-man field for the Cruiserweight Classic, which will begin airing on the WWE Network on July 13. 

In addition to members of the NXT roster, stars from Evolve Wrestling, Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro Wrestling are also taking part:

Wrestler	Country
Kota Ibushi	Japan
Gran Metalik	Mexico
Tajiri	Japan
Zack Sabre Jr.	England
Noam Dar	Israel
Cedric Alexander	United States
Clement Petiot	France
Fabian Aichner	Italy
Harv Sihra	Canada
Gurv Sihra	Canada
TJ Perkins	United States
Rich Swann	United States
Drew Gulak	United States
Brian Kendrick	United States
Akira Tozawa	Japan
Ho Ho Lun	Hong Kong
Anthony Bennett	United States
Tyson Dux	Canada
Lince Dorado	Puerto Rico
Sean Maluta	United States
Raul Mendoza	Mexico
Kenneth Johnson	United States
Alejandro Saez	Chile
Damian Slater	Australia
Jason Lee	Hong Kong
Ariya Daivari	United States
Da Mack	Germany
Johnny Gargano	United States
Tommaso Ciampa	United States
Zumbi	Brazil
Jack Gallagher	England
Tony Nese	United States

Johnny Gargano is among the names familiar to WWE fans who have been watching NXT. In an interview with WWE.com's Bobby Melok, Gargano spoke about why the Cruiserweight Classic is such an important event for cruiserweight wrestlers:

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We've been wrestling on the indies for a very long time; some of us over 10 years, easy. To get an opportunity like this, to wrestle on WWE Network in front of, potentially, over a million people, is mind-blowing. For a lot of these guys, it's going to be the biggest exposure they've ever had. I would say it's not only a coming-out party for them, but for independent wrestling, because fans are going to tune in and say, "Where can I go see Zack Sabre Jr. wrestle?" or "Where can I see Drew Gulak wrestle?"  "Oh, I can see them at an EVOLVE Wrestling show? I’ll check that out." It's beneficial, not only for the wrestlers, but the promotions they work for.

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Sabre will be one of the wrestlers whose stock could rise as a result of the tournament:

He spoke to Melok about his in-ring approach:

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I base almost everything I do on trying to get a submission or trying to pin someone. Also, there’s an ideology called escapology. The easiest way to get out of a hold is to fight your way out or grab the ropes, but there’s a poetic creativity to outdoing your opponent [to get out of a hold]. Johnny Saint pioneered that style. The goal of wrestling should be to win, but I try to do it in the most creative and interesting way. I want the fans to be absorbed in every aspect of what I do.

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Many fans are aware of Sabre's work both in the United States and overseas. The Cruiserweight Classic could be a springboard for the 28-year-old to gain more broad appeal in the U.S., similar to how Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have seen their popularity grow since their arrivals to WWE.

WWE also likely has big plans for Kota Ibushi after he showed up at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in April:

Those stars already in NXT, such as Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and Rich Swann could use the Cruiserweight Classic to make more of an impression on the WWE Universe. The company is likely to promote even more NXT stars to the main roster in preparation for the brand split in July.

Gargano, Ciampa and Swann could be part of the next wave of developmental talent who prove themselves worthy of a call-up to Raw or SmackDown down the road.

The Cruiserweight Classic will be a great way to expose more casual WWE fans to a different style of wrestling and some of the best in-ring technicians in the world.