If you’re anything like us, when you looked at the full field for WWE’s upcoming Cruiserweight Classic, you weren’t familiar with all 32 men. After all, this is an international sampling of both independent superstars and fledgling talents looking to break out. We’ve already covered some of the big names like Zack Sabre, Jr. and Kota Ibushi, but who are the rest of these world travelers? We’ll break down some of these names, and we’ll also tell you who we’d like to see them face.
Name: Gran Metalik
From: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Bio: The Wrestling Observer had recently reported that a luchador of high regard was looking to compete in the Cruiserweight Classic under a new name. Rumors began flying as to the identity of this mystery man, but we now know who it was … none other than Máscara Dorada, famous for his work in CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Debuting in Mexico while he was still a teenager, he quickly made a name for himself in the top echelons of lucha libre.
Dream Opponent: Lince Dorado. An opening round luchador contra luchador match sounds like a great idea, especially against this veteran of CHIKARA and many other American indies.
Name: Da Mack
From: Hamburg, Germany
Bio: Not to be confused with Lucha Underground’s The Mack. Despite looking more like Famous B, Da Mack is a well-known German cruiserweight. He made a name for himself in Westside Xtreme Wrestling, and he’ll look to prove that European wrestling is much more than British guys doing painful submissions.
Dream Opponent: Jack Gallagher. Yes, I want this to break down into dueling England/Germany soccer chants (“Two world wars and one World Cup”), but I also think the clashing styles of these two would make for a very interesting bout. The Extraordinary Gentleman versus a guy who wears a Michael Jackson Sparkle Glove to the ring.
Name: Clement Petiot
From: Amiens, France
Bio: “Trained by Lance Storm.” Those are four words that will usually get you far in the wrestling business, and this Frenchman will probably be looking to live up to his teacher’s sterling reputation. Don’t look for a lot of high-flying here, because Petiot (also known as Tristan Archer) would probably prefer a submission victory.
Dream Opponent: Drew Gulak. Speaking of throwback-style grapplers, this veteran of CZW and Evolve also prefers to keep things grounded and twist opponents into knots.
Name: Zumbi
From: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bio: First of all, his name is ZUMBI. He’s one letter away from being Derrick Bateman’s favorite pastime. Zumbi is a star of the Brazilian Wrestling Federation, and he’s also done a few stints in Mexico. Oh, and he’s also a capoeira teacher. This guy is about four Street Fighter characters smashed into one body. If you’re not all in on Zumbi, I don’t know what to tell you.
Dream Opponent: Kota Ibushi. At the intersection of hard-hitting and high-flying, you’ll find Ibushi. If you think Ricochet and Will Ospreay ruffled some feathers for being too showy, imagine these two squaring off.
Name: Harv and Gurv Sihra
From: British Columbia, Canada
Bio: No, you’re not seeing double. This brotherly tag team will be representing Canada in the CWC, and they’ll most likely be trying to one-up each other. Brothers tend to do that.
Dream Opponent: Each other. Sibling fights are absolutely mandatory in pro wrestling. I think it might actually be a law.
Name: Ho Ho Lun
From: Tai Po, Hong Kong
Bio: Part strange charisma, part pro wrestling prowess, part businessman … that’s Ho Ho Lun. Hong Kong’s top cruiserweight isn’t just good in the ring, he also owns the ring. He founded the Hong Kong Pro Wrestling Federation, which prides itself on bringing in top European talent in addition to native wrestlers.
Dream Opponent: Rich Swann. Just license “All Night Long” for one taping and have these two kick the tar out of each other as the song plays. Easy money.
Name: Damian Slater
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Bio: No relation to Heath, as far as we know. You’ve noticed that Australia has sent a lot of talent to Full Sail lately, right? Slater will look to be next in that line.
Dream Opponent: Tommaso Ciampa. Slater has done his share of battle with the recently-debuted TM61 in Australia, so why not have him prove himself against one of the guys who gave Shane Thorne and Nick Miller their brutal welcome to NXT?
Name: Alejandro Saez
From: Santiago, Chile
Bio: Apart from a surprisingly well-publicized excursion by the man we know today as Sami Zayn, I don’t know much about the Chilean wrestling scene. But from what I gather, Saez is viewed as a pretty big deal. Standing taller than most cruiserweights at 6-foot-1, the man they call “Xtra Large” strives to emulate Japanese strong style in the ring.
Dream Opponent: Akira Tozawa. It’s not exactly David and Goliath, but let’s go ahead and put on a strong style clinic between two guys of noticeable size difference. Tozawa works well with bigger guys, just ask Apollo Crews.
