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Showing posts with label Global Cruiserweight Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Cruiserweight Series. Show all posts

May 7, 2016

WWE Cruiserweight Classic Update


The WWE Global Cruiserweight Series has been re-named to The Cruiserweight Classic. Apparently other changes are being discussed for the 32-man tournament that kicks off this summer. F4Wonline.com reports that there may be changes to come for the tapings schedule. The tapings have been announced for the week of June 20th at Full Sail University, apparently over a few days. This past week that there was talk of having some of the matches take place with WWE NXT TV matches.

May 2, 2016

Christopher Daniels Talks AJ Styles And Samoa Joe Joining WWE, WWE's Global Cruiserweight Series


"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels has seen it all and been a little bit of everywhere after two decades in wrestling. From appearances in WWF and WCW to stints in TNA, ROH and NJPW, Daniels is a true veteran of sports entertainment.

Daniels was crucial in the prime of TNA's X-Division, and once actually got a shot at the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. When I spoke to him recently about WWE's upcoming Global Cruiserweight series, he seemed optimistic about the idea.

"I guess I'll have to wait and see," Daniels explained. "I feel like the last couple of months for NXT have shown they're willing to think outside the box and get rid of the constraints they put on their programming back in the day in terms of their attitude towards cruiserweights. You look at some of the hirings over the past couple of months, picking up Austin Aries, giving guys Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Rich Swann an opportunity to excel. I look forward to the matches, knowing that a guy I hold in high regard like Zack Sabre Jr. is going to be a part of it. I'll see what they do with it. I feel like they're giving it an honest chance to get over. I think NXT is the right platform to do that."

While Daniels is under an exclusive contract with Ring of Honor and won't be participating the tournament, or in the WWE any time soon, a few of his friends that he's made history with will be. Daniels was a part of one of the greatest matches in the last 20 years when he took on AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event of TNA Unbreakable 2005. Fast forward 11 years, the WWE has signed both Styles and Joe to contracts.

"I try to keep in touch with them as much as possible," Daniels told me. "I'm thrilled to see them doing well and knew they would if they were given the opportunity. I kept in contact with Joe as he was going through the process of signing with them and finding out the opportunities he was being given, it's exciting. It shows you there's a change of perception in the office there. If there's anyone that deserves it that opportunity, it was Joe. He did so much at TNA and ROH, he deserved to be seen on a grand scale. Now he's showing his worth in NXT, and he's the first guy to hold the TNA, NXT and ROH title. History is his."

April 24, 2016

Two Stars Qualify For WWE Global Cruiserweight Series


WWE announced the following:

Zack Sabre Jr. and Jack Gallagher qualify for WWE Global Cruiserweight Series at PROGRESS Wrestling

LONDON – Zack Sabre Jr. and Jack Gallagher, two of the United Kingdom's brightest stars, earned their way into the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series by winning qualifying matches at a PROGRESS Wrestling event, WWE.com has confirmed.

Sabre, often described as one of the best unsigned wrestlers in the world, defeated up-and-comer Flash Morgan Webster to cement his place in this summer's highly anticipated tournament.

Gallagher, a technician with experience in mixed martial arts, bested hard-hitting "Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne in the second qualifying match to earn a coveted spot in the GCS.

The Global Cruiserweight Series, featuring 32 of the world's best competitors under 205 pounds battling for supremacy, begins Wednesday, July 13, at 9/8 C, only on WWE Network.

April 22, 2016

WWE Announces Global Cruiserweight Series Qualifying Match For Revolution Pro Wrestling


WWE announced the following today:

Revolution Pro Wrestling to host WWE Global Cruiserweight Series qualifying match on May 1

The race to earn a spot in this summer's hottest tournament just got a little more exciting, as Revolution Pro Wrestling in the United Kingdom has announced the participants in its qualifying match for the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series. The bout is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 1, at The Cockpit in London.

Previously confirmed participant Noam Dar of Scotland enters the GCS in the qualifying round. The Israeli-Scottish competitor has made a name for himself as one of the most adaptable wrestlers in the world. Among the U.K.'s premier technical wrestlers, the 22-year-old Dar has shown he can hang with the world's best in the squared circle, having taken on the likes of AJ Styles, former NXT Champion Finn Bálor, and Austin Aries.

Dar's opponent in the qualifying match is Josh Bodom. Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in British wrestling, Bodom has made a name for himself against Superstars like Bálor and another GCS competitor, Tommaso Ciampa. He'll certainly look to ruin Dar's summer and put himself on the biggest stage possible by earning a spot in the Global Cruiserweight Series.

The all-important qualifying match takes place at Revolution Pro Wrestling's Live at The Cockpit 8 event on Sunday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m. GMT at The Cockpit in London. For complete information on how you can see this Global Cruiserweight Series qualifier live and in-person, visit RevolutionProWrestling.com. For more information on Revolution Pro Wrestling, follow them on Twitter @RevProUK and like their Facebook page.

April 16, 2016

Evolve’s Gabe Sapolsky discusses Paul Heyman, Daniel Bryan, WWE

April 15, 2016

WWE Global Cruiserweight Series Qualifying Matches Announced For EVOLVE And PROGRESS Wrestling


WWE made the following announcements today:

PROGRESS Wrestling's Global Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches announced

The worldwide race to earn a spot in the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series is heating up, as U.K. independent promotion PROGRESS Wrestling has announced the participants in the qualifying matches they're playing host to ahead of this summer's tournament.

On Sunday, April 24 in Camden Town, London, PROGRESS will present two matches with the incredible opportunity to compete in the GCS on the line. In the first qualifier, international star and technical wizard Zack Sabre Jr. will begin his journey in the GCS when he takes on up-and-coming highflier Flash Morgan Webster, who will surely be out to play spoiler and catapult himself into the spotlight. The second bout sees world-traveled grappler Jack Gallagher square off against the hard-hitting "Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne.

These matches take place at PROGRESS Chapter 29: Practically PROGRESS in Every Way on Sunday, April 24 at 8 p.m. local time at the sold-out Electric Ballroom in Camden Town, London, England. Check back with WWE.com to find out which of PROGRESS' grapplers will advance to the prestigious tournament. For more information on PROGRESS Wrestling, visit PROGRESSWrestling.com, and follow them on Twitter @ThisIs_Progress.

Also:

Two WWE Global Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches take place at EVOLVE Wrestling on May 7

As the July 13 premiere of WWE's Global Cruiserweight Series on WWE Network draws near, the world's best competitors are going above and beyond to stand out in hopes of receiving an invite to this summer's historic tournament.

On Saturday, May 7, in Queens, N.Y., EVOLVE Wrestling plays host to two qualifying matches, giving four competitors the opportunity of a lifetime. Two of EVOLVE's most prominent mat technicians, reigning EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams, will square off against each other in the first qualifier. The second match is a battle to determine whether a rookie's pure determination can overcome experience, as up-and-comer Fred Yehi battles 15-year veteran TJ Perkins.

Don't miss your chance to see these all-important qualifying matches for what is sure to be one of the most talked-about wrestling events of the summer. The Global Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches take place at EVOLVE 61 on Saturday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET, at La Boom in Queens, N.Y. For complete ticket information, visit EVOLVEWrestling.com.

The winners from these matches will join the following talents in the tournament:

-Rich Swann
-Johnny Gargano
-Tommaso Ciampa
-Noam Dar
-Akira Tozawa
-Ho Ho Lun
-Lince Dorado

April 2, 2016

Another Global Cruiserweight Participant Revealed


Team Vision Dojo has tweeted that luchador Lince Dorado will be a participant in the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series.

March 31, 2016

Triple H On Working With Indies For The WWE Global Series, WWE NXT Growth, Takeover: Dallas, More


WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H did a media call today to promote Friday's WWE NXT "Takeover: Dallas" event. We will have more highlights later but below he talks about Takeover, the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series, working with indie promotions and more.

* He mentioned how he always says it's an exciting time for NXT and today is no different as they're about to have their first Takeover special that's a part of WrestleMania weekend. He talked about how they went from Florida to The Arnold in Columbus, the non-televised WrestleMania 31 Week event to this year's Takeover event. He says the brand has grown in a massive way in one year and he's looking forward to seeing it continue to grow. He said it's very exciting and should be amazing

* He reminded everyone that Takeover starts at 9pm EST tomorrow night with the pre-show. The actual main show airs at 10pm EST. He said it will be an amazing show with a ton of talent. He believes Austin Aries' debut against Baron Corbin will be very exciting for fans. He said Corbin has really come into his own recently. He said Shinsuke Nakamura's debut is going to be one of the most exciting things on the card. He's been a big fan of Nakamura for a while and he's looking forward to seeing what he does in WWE. He also said Sami Zayn continues to wow people. Triple H called American Alpha and The Revival two of the best tag teams in the world right now. He said he's been looking forward to Asuka vs. Bayley since Asuka arrived. He praised Bayley as champion and called Asuka a destroyer. He also said he can't wait for the Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor rematch from London to take place.

* They are very excited about the buzz for the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series. He talked about working with other indie promotions for the qualifying matches and said it's an exciting time that opens the door to a lot of things. As noted, he announced Rich Swann, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Zack Sabre Jr., Noam Dar, Ho Ho Lun and Akira Tozawa for the tournament. He called it a very diverse group and said they're looking for the absolute best to be involved with this.

* He announced NXT will return to the UK in June. They will start on June 10-12 at the Download music festival. They will go through Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Bournmouth and Plymouth.

* Triple H then took questions from the media and was asked if they are now signing talents just for NXT to keep there instead of signing them with the potential to go to the main roster. Triple H said he dislikes saying "main roster and NXT" because it feels like it lessens things. He said NXT is a brand and he wants to present it like that. Anyone who is signed with WWE has the potential to be on RAW, SmackDown or WrestleMania. He's sure that is everyone's goal in this industry and if it's not, he would be shocked. He said NXT is an amazing brand in itself and he has guys calling saying they want to be a part of NXT, who are happy with making it to the main roster but fine if they don't. That's amazing to him. He wants to treat it like a brand and doesn't want to lose perspective of what they do. He said as guys come out of the Performance Center and are ready to go to NXT, they will. As they get ready for RAW and SmackDown, they will go. He said there are a lot of guys and girls in NXT who would be ready for the transition. He said it's all about timing and the different positions you need filled. He said, "I can't have 12 short-stops."

* He was asked about the relationships with independent promotions for the Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches. Triple H said they're figuring a lot of that out as they go but he called it a win-win for everyone. He's a big fan of the independent undercurrent of everything they do and he believes it's important to the health of the business. These are things that help those promotions but also help the legitimacy and the image of what WWE is doing. He said it's a great thing and a win-win. He also noted that WWE will be promoting the qualifying matches on their website and other pages.

* He was asked if he sees a time in the near future where they do more than 4 Takeover specials per year. He said anything is possible because the NXT brand grows so rapidly. It's hard for him to say what they can do in the future but he doesn't want to over-saturate the market. He likes what they're doing and the product they have. He always hears people say NXT should be two hours each week but said then you run into bigger problems. He likes the way they're doing things and people like the product so that's wonderful. He said if they can increase things then that's great. He said he's just seeing where everything goes and what the demand is

* He was asked if they will start doing more teasers and vignettes with new NXT talents and NXT talents getting called up. He is open to doing more of those but tries not to follow one plan for everyone. He tries to look at each talent they're bringing in and create a plan. If that includes vignettes that air for 3-4 weeks, like they're doing with "No Way Jose" now, they're open to it.

* He was asked if he or other WWE representatives will be at some of the Global qualifying matches in the UK since the company will be in town. He joked that he doesn't even know what he's doing all day tomorrow and said there are too many things on the calendar to look that far ahead. He said maybe to an appearance by someone. They are working on the relationships to see what he's there. He's not trying to take over anything that Progress or Revolution Pro is doing. He said they are doing a great job and doing their thing. WWE can give them a rub and benefit from that rub in some way, like letting people learn more about the Global Series talents. He mentioned getting the talents and the promotions more exposure. It's not about WWE coming in and planting their flag at Progress, he's not interested in that at all. In regards to working with other promotions, he's open to working with quality promotions of a style and quality that they like and want to do business with. If he likes their style and what they're doing, he's open to working with them. He was asked about Zack Sabre Jr. and Noam Dar. He praised them both, calling them amazing in-ring athletes and phenomenal talents. He said he has a team that William Regal and Canyon Cemen are a big part of. They look across the world for talents that have potential and may be a diamond in the rough. They're just looking for great talents.

March 30, 2016

More Details On WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Series


The new WWE Global Cruiserweight Series is currently scheduled to start airing Wednesday nights on WWE Network beginning July 13th at 9 p.m. EST, right after NXT airs.

The tournament will feature 32 participants, and the whole thing is expected to be filmed from June 20th through the 24th at Full Sail University in Orlando. The tapings would likely see two episodes taped per night, and the finals of the series would air on WWE Network on September 14th. It was noted that the idea for the tournament is to make it an annual event.

As far as the qualifying matches go, they are expected to be taped, but might not air in full on WWE Network. As of right now WWE production teams would not be involved with shooting the qualifiers, and the promotions hosting those matches would provide the footage.

Progress Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling and EVOLVE Wrestling have been announced as qualifying match hosts so far.

March 28, 2016

Details On WWE Global Cruiserweight Series Tapings


The WWE Global Cruiserweight Series tournament will be filmed over five days during the week of June 20th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, according to PWInsider. As we've noted, tournament qualifying matches will be held at upcoming EVOLVE, PROGRESS and Revolution Pro indie events.

Another UK Promotion Hosting WWE Global Series Qualifiers


The UK's Revolution Pro Wrestling announced today that they will be hosting qualifying matches for the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series. No word yet on when they will take place or what talents will be in the match. As noted, UK promotion PROGRESS Wrestling and EVOLVE will also be hosting qualifying matches.

March 27, 2016

Progress Wrestling to Host WWE Global Cruiserweight Series Qualifying Matches, Details


Progress Wrestling just announced they will be hosting two qualifying matches for WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Series.

Progress made the announcement live on Periscope moments ago, and said the two matches will take place at their next event on April 24th at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London, England. Tickets for the event will go on sale April 4th.

NXT General Manager William Regal previous announced qualifying matches for the Global Cruiserweight Series would take place all over the world, including matches for EVOLVE Wrestling. Regal made the announcement during his appearance at EVOLVE 56.

March 19, 2016

William Regal announces that qualifying matches for WWE Network's Global Cruiserweight Series will take place on Evolve shows


During his appearance at EVOLVE 56 internet pay-per-view (iPPV), one of Triple H's right-hand men said this:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the reason why I'm here - I'll get to it. In a few months time, the WWE will be holding the Global Cruiserweight Series. 32 of the finest crusierweights from around the world will compete, and I am here tonight because I'm obviously scouting for those competitors. Most importantly, qualifying matches for the Global Cruiserweight Series will be taking place all over the world, but the qualifying matches here in America will be taking place at Evolve. So please, keep an eye out on the website and find out exactly when they are."

March 5, 2016

The Golden Age of Independent Wrestling Is Right Now: Don't Be Left Behind


There is an awakening. Can you feel it?

Last weekend, there were four independent wrestling promotions running within 45 minutes of each other in New York City - CHIKARA, SWA, House of Glory and NYWC. All four featured good live crowds and in the case of at least three of the events, they sold out. NYWC and House of Glory had so many fans, there weren't enough chairs with a number of fans choosing to pay to stand and watch the shows. In The Carolinas, there were multiple events with upwards of 1,700-2,000 fans showing up to see The Rock N' Roll Express battle the Powers of Pain in a Steel Cage for Big Time Wrestling while CWF Mid-Atlantic presented a 105 minute bout that everyone is raving about featuring Trevor Lee and Roy Wilkins. Multiple shows in California for promotions APW and Revolution Pro were sold out. Beyond Wrestling sold out two back to back shows in Rhode Island that received great reviews.

This weekend, Northeast Wrestling is expected to have close to 2,000 fans at their Wrestlefest event in Newburgh, NY. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will present their latest big events, All Star Extravaganza in Reseda, CA that will undoubtedly draw raves and a sellout crowd. MCW in Baltimore will have another big house in Joppa, MD. There are countless other promotions running this weekend as well.

Wrestlemania weekend, there will be no less than TEN independent wrestling events with everyone from SHIMMER to EVOLVE to CZW to the NWA to VIP Wrestling to Queens of Combat to Kaiju Big Battel presenting shows. That number, by the way, does not include Ring of Honor. Most of these events, if not all, will be packed and will feature a lot of great in-ring wrestling. The biggest wrestling event of the year and ten events will be there as the alternative for the 100,000 fans in Dallas.

Mind you, none of what I wrote about mentions other promotions that are currently trying to build their foundation and brand name. AAW in Illinois. AIW in Cleveland. FIP in Florida. Tier 1 in NYC. WrestlePro in New Jersey. Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment in Georgia. Wildkat Sports in New Orleans. There are more quality independent wrestling promotions right now, at the same time, in the United States than at any point before this era.

Nor am I talking about promotions that can be seen in some vein, nationally, on cable. Championship Wrestling Hollywood. Paragon Pro Wrestling....or the countless ones that can be found on Youtube. Just this week, On Point Wrestling in New Jersey launched their own series online.

Now, let's open our scope to include Europe. WXW in Germany. OTT in Ireland. IPW-UK, Revolution Pro, PROGRESS in Great Britain. [Note from Mike: Or ICW, which many fans wrote me about after I neglected to list them here. Sorry!] The level of wrestling and the sheer amount of stuff out there is staggering, even for someone like me, who loves to follow as much as he can.

Holy sh**!

Don't say it's a revolution. Don't say it's aberration. There is no doubt about it. We are living in the golden age of independent professional wrestling, and it's pretty awesome.

So, why is it happening now? There's always been an independent, undercurrent to what mainstream professional wrestling is. Independent wrestling used to be a dirty word. Back in the territory era, anyone who didn't run without permission were considered "outlaw" shows and if those shows crossed the wrong promoter, The National Wrestling Alliance members would team up to trounce them.

When the WWF national expansion took place, suddenly the rules had changed. One, the territory rules no longer applied. Two, many of the smaller towns and venues that had previously been home to spot shows from the larger companies or now-defunct promoters were available. The era of the independents had begun.

Independents used to be, for the most part small, fly by night promotions. They ran shows that were pretty much the equivalent of the circus coming to town for a day. There would be a few names that fans recognized - The Jimmy Snukas, The Terry Funks, The Big Bossmans, The Abdullah The Butchers - either former nationally known names or renowned wild men who were their own men - responsible for drawing the house. Underneath would be a litany of locals, some talented, some not. Most of the locals never made it past that level. The promotions would come in, put on a show and be done. The shows might be good, they might be bad but most often, unless it was a specific promoters, it was likely a haphazard show. How haphazard? I once witnessed Terry Funk beat Abdullah the Butcher in a Texas Death Match...by DQ. These were shows designed to get money and get out. There was no foundation.

Now, following on the blueprint that promotions like ECW, IWA Mid-South and Ring of Honor created, we have independent promotions running regularly in the same venues, with the same talents, telling storylines that exist over multiple months. Some of them are still running and promoting the old grass-roots style and having great success with it. Big Time Wrestling and Wildkat Sports routinely draw good crowds without seeking online audiences. There are also companies building their momentum on DVD sales, digital downloads and streaming websites. We are seeing promotions making good money with multiple revenue streams. They aren't anywhere close to destroying WWE's place as the top wrestling company in the world, but they are making money for themselves and in many cases, thanks to t-shirt companies like ProWrestlingTees.com, the wrestlers have regular additional income coming in for themselves.

So, why are things so hot again? A cross-sectional check-in with independent promoters and personalities show that there's a number of different reasons that all seem to be hitting at just the right time.

February 16, 2016

Triple H Talks Plans For New WWE Cruiserweight Series, Recruiting Talents For The Tournament, More


As noted, WWE has officially announced that "WWE Global Cruiserweight Series" will premiere on the WWE Network Wednesday, July 13th at 9pm. They wrote:

For the first time ever, WWE invites cruiserweights from all over the world to compete in the inaugural Global Cruiserweight Series. Thirty-two of the greatest in-ring competitors under 205 lbs. will descend upon Full Sail University in Orlando and collide over 10 weeks to earn the right to call themselves the best cruiserweight in the world.

WWE is currently looking across the world for talents to fill those 32 tournament spots. Triple H spoke to PWInsider about the new show and said he's looking at this as a fan. He also commented on how excited he is:

"I'm excited about this. I really am. It's a really great opportunity for us to tap into what's a really exciting talent pool. I believe, sort of an underutilized talent pool. There are just numerous, numerous, numerous Cruiserweights around the world that are great performers that have not fully had the opportunity to be seen around the world and that's something that hopefully, WWE can give them."

Before the series airs, WWE will be featuring the talents on their website and social media as Triple H wants fans to get to know the talents. He commented on selecting wrestlers for the tournament:

"I would say the vast majority [of talents on the series] will be non-contracted or long-term contracted WWE talents. We haven't finalized the selection process, watching tapes and seeing who we want to work with and all of that. It's going to be a discovery process. Look, I want to have the best in the world. I don't want to negate anyone from that process because they are under contract to us. At the same time, I'm looking for the best in the world and the brightest around to give them a platform that they've never had. I'm certainly looking at the vast majority from being from the outside [of WWE.] When I say Global, I mean Global. We are recruiting from everywhere. UK, Japan, China, to find the best talent. That doesn't mean we are going to find someone everywhere, but we are really trying to turn things over and really find someone from every part of the globe to be part of this and show the world who they are and what they can do."

Triple H also commented on if this means the return of a full-fledged Cruiserweight division and title. He said:

"I think it is slightly the cart before the horse. I think.. I want this to be something that is repetitive. I would like this tournament to be a recurring thing where we take the best talent from around the world and let them do their thing. Does that morph directly into a Cruiserweight division right away? I don't know about right away...and it might...but we're clearly looking at all the guys in this tournament and saying, 'who do we want to work with long-term? Maybe we give this guy a year and we'll work with him long-term next year' and who are all these talents. I think where it lands is sort of a work in progress. If you look at this tournament, it's going to be a platform where somebody and it could be more than one person, is going to be seen as one of the best Cruiserweights in the world or the best Cruiserweight in the world. It's a hell of a platform and it's going to get bigger and better but just not sure 100% what that is."

WWE Network Adds to 2016 Programming Slate Including New Cruiserweight Series


– WWE Network continues to add to its already robust slate of original programming in 2016, with the newly green-lit show, Global Cruiserweight Series, a tournament which brings together more than 30 of the greatest in-ring competitors at Full Sail University in Orlando, to vie for the right to call themselves the best cruiserweight in the world. Global Cruiserweight Series is set to premiere Wednesday, July 13 at 9pm ET on WWE Network.

WWE previously announced three new original series for WWE Network including The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness, WWE Ride Along, and Camp WWE, along with new episodes of Stone Cold® Podcast Live!, the second season of Swerved, new episodes of Legends with JBL and more.

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