Triple H Announces First 7 Participants For WWE Global Cruiserweight Series
NXT and international stars among the first group of talent confirmed.
During yesterday's NXT conference call, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative Triple H announced the first seven men confirmed to compete in the 32-man Global Cruiserweight Series this summer.
The men represent NXT, U.S. independent wrestling, and the pro scene from around the world:
Rich Swann - The 25-year-old Swann signed with WWE last year and has since made a pair of appearances on NXT TV. Prior to joining NXT, the high-flyer competed for EVOLVE, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Full Impact Pro, and Japan's Dragon Gate promotion.
Johnny Gargano - "Johnny Wrestling" has already made several appearances with NXT, but he's continued to dominate the indies in the meantime. Along with former WWE star Drew Galloway, Gargano holds the EVOLVE Tag Team Championship.
Tommaso Ciampa - Like Gargano, Ciampa has wrestled for NXT extensively despite not being signed to WWE. He's also competed for Ring of Honor in the past, holding the group's Television Championship in 2014. In 2011, he won ECWA's prestigious cruiserweight-focused Super 8 Tournament.
Zack Sabre Jr. - Sabre, a two-time winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Bryan Danielson (Best Technical Wrestler) Award, is considered one of the best pure grapplers in the world. He's competed for RevPro, PROGRESS Wrestling, EVOLVE, and Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Noam Dar - 22-year-old Noam Dar is best known to a wide audience for his appearance on TNA's British Boot Camp series, but the Scottish pro has earned his reputation in UK indies such as PROGRESS, Preston City Wrestling, and Insane Championship Wrestling.
Ho Ho Lun - One of the founding members of the Hong Kong Wrestling Federation, Ho Ho Lun is known on the Asian wrestling scene as "Hong Kong's Cool Star." The seven-year veteran also competes for Middle Kingdom Wrestling and has plied his trade in Europe and Japan, as well.
Akira Tozawa - Dragon Gate mainstay Akira Tozawa has competed for the company since his 2005 debut, winning most of the group's titles over the course of his career. He's also appeared in the U.S. for promotions such as PWG and Chikara.