ORLANDO, Fla. — The first match of a tournament often has the distinction of setting the pace for the rest of the field. Mexico’s Gran Metalik and Alejandro Saez of Chile set the bar ridiculously high, throwing all caution to the wind in the opening battle of the Cruiserweight Classic.
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Though he cut 30 pounds to make the 205-lb. weight limit, Saez still had the size advantage over Metalik, using his strength to overpower the masked marvel. The Chilean grappler did his best to keep his rival grounded, but there was no stopping Metalik from taking off. The luchador stunned Saez with a superkick, then walked up and across the ropes to deliver a diving dropkick that sent Saez to the floor. Gran Metalik capped off his offensive burst with a daredevil springboard dive over the ropes that brought the crowd to its feet.
Regrouping back in the ring, Saez sent Metalik to the floor with a vicious strike, then showed he could fly too, shocking the WWE Universe with a shooting star press from the ring apron to the floor. However, when Saez tried to capitalize with a spiral tap off the top rope, Metalik evaded the high-risk maneuver. Driving his opponent into the canvas with a fireman’s carry fisherman buster, the masked marvel cemented his place in the second round.
