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WWE: Gargano vs. Ciampa and Redefining ‘Cruiserweight’

By AJ Balano

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Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had an epic match to close out the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic. With some even calling it a contender for WWE Match of the Year, the match offers a glimpse of what Raw’s Cruiserweight Division may look like

In professional wrestling, the term ‘cruiserweight’ has often been misinterpreted for years to be the ‘flippy’ style that was reserved for luchadors. This was due in large part to WCW Monday Nitro’s introduction and spotlight on its revolutionary Cruiserweight class during the Monday Night Wars.

Bischoff would showcase the likes of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, and many others to interject some much needed high-flying action to serve as a balance to the star-studded main eventers who operated at a slower pace, and to get the crowd into the show. Not only did it work, but WCW’s cruiserweight division influenced many of today’s wrestlers.

must read: Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa Can Lead WWE Raw's Cruiserweight Division

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In the final match of the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic, Johnny Gargano went up against his NXT tag team partner and real life close friend, Tommaso Ciampa, for the right to advance to the next round. It was a match befitting of the main event and delivered some of the same emotional reactions that you would typically find on the WWE main roster headliners. But what made the match special, was that Gargano and Ciampa worked a story from beginning, middle, to end; a distinctly different approach to what many have often considered to be the cruiserweight style.

cruiserweight is an umbrella term that is not exclusive to only the ‘flippy’ stuff or lucha libre

One of the things that the CWC promised was that it would show that cruiserweight is an umbrella term that is not exclusive to only the ‘flippy’ stuff or lucha libre. Gargano and Ciampa are neither luchadors, nor do they pull off some of the feats that Ricochet and Ospreay did in Japan. What they did was harken back to the technical mat-based and striking style of Malenko and Benoit and brought it up to modern times with the staples of today’s scene: false finishes, numerous near-falls, and an intensely invested audience in attendance.

The match had the same feel of a back and forth roller coaster ride reminiscent of the final third of the Shawn Michaels and Undertaker match at the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania, the only notable difference is that it wasn’t exactly household names such as HBK or Taker wowing the crowd and keeping everybody on the edge of their seats; rather it were two venerable stalwarts from the independents in Gargano and Ciampa. The last notable time WWE featured a main event with “smaller guys” was the incredible headliner to NXT TakeOver R-Evolution, when Sami Zayn defeated Neville for the NXT Championship. If Zayn/Neville and Gargano/Ciampa are any indication, WWE is looking to have their own interpretation of what a cruiserweight is and what they are capable of, with a heavy leaning towards storytelling.

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WWE had initially brought the Light Heavyweight Championship back to the company in the late 90s as a sort of answer to WCW’s own Cruiserweight division, however, it never truly reached the level of popularity of Nitro’s, and the it would eventually be phased out in favor of the Cruiserweight Title that was brought over from WCW after WWE purchased the promotion in 2001. Fast forward fifteen years later, WWE appears to be going a different route from what they had done before, as well as what WCW had introduced the style as.

The incredible response to Gargano vs. Ciampa bodes well for WWE and is good news for Raw’s exclusive Cruiserweight Division, which is supposedly to begin shortly after the conclusion of the CWC. It is also a potential much needed shake up for main roster talents such as Neville, who after an impressive stint down in NXT, would be lost in the shuffle upon being called-up. Neville has the experience and can tell a great story in the ring, as evident in his classic match against Sami Zayn and later Finn Balor. After seeing Gargano and Ciampa tear the house down, one can only assume that someone such as Neville is chomping at the bit to be able to have performances like that on Raw under the Cruiserweight division which is he surely to be a centerpiece of.

WWE’s style is storytelling. Can you tell a story with a beginning, middle, and an end and take the audience on an emotional roller coaster and keep them invested the entire time

WWE’s style is storytelling. Can you tell a story with a beginning, middle, and an end and take the audience on an emotional roller coaster and keep them invested the entire time? Gargano and Ciampa’s masterful display of storytelling on Wednesday night proves that it doesn’t matter how big you are or what weight class you’re in: the WWE Universe wants to be told a story. It doesn’t have to be the larger than life names like Cena, or The Rock, or Shawn Michaels, or the Undertaker to only have the ability to tell such a story in the main event. Over the past decade, it’s been proven that the smaller guys such as Punk, Bryan, Zayn, Neville, and now Gargano and Ciampa can deliver that same product just as well as any future first ballot hall of famer.

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If what we’ve been seeing in the CWC is any indication of things to come, Raw’s Cruiserweight Division will be home to the type of in-ring action and storytelling that we witnessed between Zayn and Neville and now Gargano and Ciampa. It will be a great way to showcase good wrestling and good storytelling in a three hour format that often struggles to keep audiences entertained. And it will give many who have been defined or described to be cruiserweights a platform to shine rather than be potentially wasted.

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