WWE Cruiserweight Classic gets debut date, announcing team

The Wednesday night wrestling block will get a bit more crowded this summer as WWE announced that the much-anticipated WWE Cruiserweight Classic will debut on the Network starting Wednesday, July 13th at 9 PM EST, airing for 10 weeks through a live two-hour finale on Wednesday, September 15th.

Current Smackdown lead man Mauro Ranallo and former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan were announced as “hosts” for the Classic, but we confirmed they are indeed calling the action.

Also announced was a preview special — CWC Bracketology — for Wednesday, July 6th at 9 PM EST where we should get the actual tournament brackets and all 16 first round match matchups.

The Classic will feature 32 talents (some under WWE contract & some not) from around the world in a single-elimination tournament including Zack Sabre Jr., Gran Metalik, Noam Dar, Kota Ibushi, Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander, Tommaso Ciampa, and more. Here’s the full list of participants.

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Josh Nason
Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.