WWE Cruiserweight Classic 2016 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction for July 27

WWE's Cruiserweight Classic has been getting rave reviews from the WWE Universe for its fresh feel and exposing many fans to talents they may not have a chance to see otherwise.

This week's episode will feature the highly anticipated appearances of Zack Sabre Jr., Drew Gulak and former WWE Superstar Brian Kendrick.

Since WWE is bringing back the cruiserweight division to Monday Night Raw, we could see some of these talents signed to permanent contracts to fill out the division.

There's no confirmation yet, but it's quite possible the winner of this tourney could end up being awarded a brand-new Cruiserweight Championship.

But that's all future speculation. For now, let's take a look at what happened in Week 3 of the Cruiserweight Classic.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyson Dux

The first match of the night featured Englishman Zack Sabre Jr. taking on someone who is no stranger to a WWE ring: Tyson Dux.

Despite being cruiserweights, both men prefer to work a ground-based technical style. The first few minutes were nothing but holds and reversals.

Dux used his power advantage to hit some slams and suplexes, but whenever he went back to using holds, Sabre was able to reverse anything Dux tried to apply.

The pace was a little slower than some fans would like to see from two cruiserweights, but their technical prowess made the encounter more interesting.

Once Sabre had Dux where he wanted him, all the Canadian could do was tap out. We don't see matches like this in WWE too often, which actually helped both men stand out in the end.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Neither man played the clear heel, but the fans were more behind Sabre based on how the crowd was chanting his name before the opening bell. This forced Dux to take on some traits usually associated with villains.
• WWE needs to find a place for Daniel Bryan to be a permanent commentator. He is so much better at it than anyone could have anticipated.
• Sabre's use of different submission holds was impressive.
• Dux was using a mouth guard. It's surprising more wrestlers don't use them. The Miz probably considered it after AJ Styles knocked out a few of his teeth.

Drew Gulak vs. Harv Sihra

Drew Gulak is one of the guys with the most name recognition in this tournament, but Harv Sihra wasn't about to let him steal all the spotlight.

Both men had their supporters in the crowd, but Gulak's cheering section was a little bit bigger. It's probably why the crowd wasn't as vocal while Sihra was in control.

It looked like Sihra was in firm control toward the end, but Gulak put him in a dragon sleeper to force him into a submission.

This was a good match as a whole, but it fell a little short of the previous bout.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• The way Gulak slammed Sihra onto the top rope could have been dangerous had Sihra not known how to take it.
• It will be interesting to see if the other half of The Bollywood Brothers advances to the next round. It would certainly give him something to brag about during family dinners.
• Either one of these guys would be a great addition to the NXT roster.

Anthony Bennett vs. Tony Nese

Tony Nese and Anthony Bennett competed in the third match of the night. Judging from the lack of noise during their entrances, few people in the crowd knew who they were.

They started out with some basic chain wrestling, but Nese eventually gained the upper hand by taking full advantage of his strength to control his opponent.

There was a strange moment toward the end of the match where the referee stopped Nese so he could make sure Bennett was capable of continuing. It killed the momentum a little, but it's good to see the officials making the performers' well-being a priority.

Once the ref signaled it was alright to continue, Nese finished off his opponent with an impressive 450 splash.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• When did the Kid 'n Play hairstyle come back into fashion? Is Bennett auditioning for a role in House Party 6?
• I can't be the only one who laughed at Bennett for wearing a second pair of sunglasses just for his hair.
• You don't often see the bigger of two wrestlers also be the most agile, but the 5'10", 196-pound Nese proved he can wrestle any style the occasion calls for.
• Nese looks like he could be Damien Sandow's little brother.

Brian Kendrick vs. Raul Mendoza

Thanks to his past runs in WWE, Brian Kendrick was the fan favorite over Raul Mendoza despite using a few heel tactics throughout the match.

Mendoza looked impressive from start to finish, winning over many of the fans in the crowd in the process. His high-flying style is always fun to watch, and it meshed well with Kendrick's own unique brand of offense.

In fact, you would think these two had been wrestling each other for years with how well they worked together. As the match progressed, more people began backing the Mexican luchador, especially after he hit a coast-to-coast dropkick just like Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon have been known to do.

Kendrick picked up a submission win with what Bryan called "the bully choke." They definitely stole the show, and it would be a shame if WWE didn't sign both of these men to help fill the cruiserweight division.

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• It's hard to believe it's been almost eight years since Kendrick appeared in a WWE ring. He had a few appearances in NXT, but they weren't heavily publicized.
• It would have been awesome if Kendrick had Ezekiel Jackson as his bodyguard again.
• Mendoza ended up bleeding from the mouth after Kendrick placed his face against the rope and kicked it as hard as he could.
• Bryan being so biased made his commentary a lot funnier.
• It's not often you see three out of four matches end in a submission.

What did you think of the third episode of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic?

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