Cruiserweight Classic 12

February 6, 2018 – Kansas City, Missouri

Kalisto def. Lince Dorado {First Round Match}
I really enjoyed this. They kept it super fast paced, incorporated moves that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, and even when a reverse hurricanrana near the end was executed kind of sloppily, the mistake was seamlessly incorporated into the finish. Kalisto won with the Salida del Sol at 11:37, and then he was immediately congratulated by his Lucha House Party buddy. ***½ 

Roderick Strong def. Hideo Itami {First Round Match}
Twelve and a half years after their famous ROH match, they finally get an audience for this fight. This was during Strong’s family man phase. I kind of miss his babyface music. These guys worked really hard and laid their shots in snugly, but they didn’t really provide the dramatic peaks and valleys you hope for from a match like this. It was fun, but it wasn’t engaging enough to get me to buy any of the near falls. All the points in the world for the athletic effort, it just needed a stronger narrative to really draw me in. Strong won with the End of Heartache in 17:04. ***½