Earlier this week, it was announced that a tournament would be held to crown the first-ever Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion, much to the dismay of current NXT Champion Jordan Devlin. The reasoning behind the tournament stems from Devlin being unable to travel over seas due to the coronavirus situation.
The participants for the competition have been confirmed and the tournament seems to be similar to New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Best of The Super Juniors or G1 Climax. WWE has revealed four men for Group A and Group B, which is indeed a round-robin style tournament. The participants with the highest scores in Group A and B will meet in the finals, though it’s not confirmed when that match-up will take place.
Several surprises include newcomer El Hijo del Fantasma, who’s best known for his stints down in Lucha Underground, CMLL, and Lucha Libre AAA. The 35-year-old is a former Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Champion, AAA World Cruiserweight Champion, and CMLL World Middleweight Champion.
Another newcomer within the tournament is Jake Atlas, who signed with the company late last year; however, the 25-year-old just recently made his debut on NXT. Atlas is well known for his stints down in All Pro Wrestling and PCW ULTRA.
The four men in Group A consists of:
Kushida
Drake Maverick
Tony Nese
Jake Atlas
The four men in Group B consists of:
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
El Hijo del Fantasma
Akira Tozawa
Gentleman Jack Gallagher