12 Ups And 15 Downs For WWE In 2016

6. Cruiserweight Classic

WWE Cruiserweight Classic Cedric Alexander Kota Ibushi
WWE.com

You’d be understood if you doubted WWE when the company announced a tournament for cruiserweights and wondered whether they’d be able to deliver what they promised.

But not only did WWE deliver, the company produced an outstanding product that had some of the best matches in North America in 2016, brought international stars to WWE and into the spotlight. We saw Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr., Akira Tozawa, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander, Tajiri, TJ Perkins, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano and Jack Gallagher compete in matches that were well-received, highly regarded and provided a fresh perspective for wrestling fans.

The Cruiserweight Classic was by most measurements a success, and it brought several new superstars to WWE, some of whom hopefully will be able to catch on regardless of how the new cruiserweight division fares.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.