Cedric Alexander battles France's Clement Petiot in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

Heading into the CWC, France’s Clement Petiot felt his strength, mat wrestling ability and willingness to bend the rules gave him the advantage over the rest of the field, while Cedric Alexander was determined to make the most of the huge opportunity the tournament presented him. Alexander used his agility to frustrate the Frenchman early on, landing a backflip into a headscissors takeover before hitting a picture-perfect dropkick.

Putting a stop to Alexander’s theatrics with a hard knee to the face, Petiot took control of the bout. The Frenchman muscled Alexander around the ring, but could not keep the American down. Despite being turned inside out by a discus lariat, Alexander rallied and put Petiot down for the three count with the Lumbar Check to move on in the CWC.