Offtopic/fun » Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with P

Building off of the tremendous momentum of the Cruiserweight Classic makes all the sense in the world for the WWE, especially on Raw, which boasts a format that occasionally lends itself to some lulls in the middle of the show. Monday nights Raw will feature the debut of the cruiserweight division, led by inaugural CWC winner and new cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins.Six other superstars, all of whom were also in the 32-man field of the CWC, have officially been announced to be joining Perkins on Monday night. While there are a number of other wrestlers who are rumored to join them in the coming weeks and months, these are the six cruiserweights who will make their debuts (and a seventh making his return) to Monday Night Raw.If you havent been keeping up with the CWC, or if youre simply looking to learn more about these seven competitors, look no further. From measurables, to career highlights, to thoughts from the new cruiserweight champion himself, heres a full guide to Raws new cruiserweight division.T.J. PerkinsBirthdate: Sept. 3, 1984Billed from: Los AngelesBilled height: 5-foot-10Billed weight: 167 poundsSignature move: Knee barPerkins has been positioned as the centerpiece of the new division on Raw after his win in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic that crowned him cruiserweight champion. Hes a seasoned ring veteran at 32 years old, having first gotten into the ring at the age of 14 under a mask, and before coming to the WWE he wrestled for almost every major wrestling company in the world. Perkins was the youngest non-Japanese wrestler ever to compete in New Japan Pro Wrestling when he debuted just three weeks after his 18th birthday, and competed in legendary Mexican promotion CMLL, Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. His highest-profile tenure pre-WWE came with TNA, where he was a onetime X-Division champion.Thoughts from the champ: Its really exciting to be able to represent the cruiserweights on Monday Night Raw, Perkins told ESPN.com. I grew up watching Monday Night Raw, and its really a big dream of mine to perform on that stage -- the talent there is so incredible, so Im in good company and Im excited for it.I think about it a little bit, but I try to stay in the moment. At the Cruiserweight Classic finale I had said ... I dont know if people had looked it up, or if they had heard it before, but its an old Zen proverb. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment you chop wood, carry water. It can be interpreted a lot of ways but for the most part its about staying in the moment.Things will come and go and your life will go on, but you dont want to get too ahead of yourself. I used that as a way to view each round of the Cruiserweight Classic so I didnt get ahead of myself and stayed in the moment. I see the same way in terms of the opportunity to go to Monday Night Raw -- Ill take each moment as it comes and Ill wait for that bridge before I have to cross it.Gran MetalikBirthdate:?Nov. 3, 1988Billed from: Guadalajara, Jalisco, MexicoBilled height: 5-foot-9Billed weight: 175 poundsSignature moves: Metalik Driver (firemans carry fisherman driver)Gran Metalik, or Mascara Dorada as he was previously known on the independent circuit, has been wrestling professionally since he was 16 years old. He spent the vast majority of his career wrestling for CMLL in Mexico, and through their relationship with NJPW, also made a significant amount of trips to wrestle in Japan. During Metaliks run in CMLL, he was a world super lightweight champion, world welterweight champion and world trios champion, along with wins in several major tournaments. He joins the cruiserweight division after finishing runner-up to Perkins in the CWC.Perkins thoughts: Gran Metalik was a student in CMLL when I was there as a teenager and I was in main events and big time matches, so I used to see him in the gym all the time. He was trying to come up, and I was kind of in the spot he wanted to be in. We also shared locker rooms in Japan while he was becoming a superstar at that time, so Id sort of seen him get up to this point and, likewise, hes kind of watched me and caught up to me.Because of the style similarities and because of that [history], [the finals] was really an interesting match and for me, selfishly, I really loved that aspect of it. I think it showed too, in a lot of the action, because we didnt deter too much away from some of the authentic Lucha Libre style, and it really didnt get away from that until the end when it got a little bit more intense.Brian KendrickBirthdate: May 29, 1979Billed from: Venice, CaliforniaBilled height: 5-foot-8Billed weight: 157 poundsSignature moves: Bully choke, Sliced Bread No. 2Kendrick occupies a unique role in the new WWE cruiserweight division, having made his debut with the company more than 13 years ago. Hes a two-time tag team champion in the WWE (one reign each with the world and WWE tag team championships, both of which came with Paul London) and was even a current WWE champion during a championship scramble match held in 2008, though he didnt end the match as champion and is not recognized as such in the record books. At 37 years old, Kendrick is the oldest member of the new cruiserweight division, and to put the length of his wrestling tenure into context, one only needs to know the history behind the emotional moment that Kendrick and?Daniel Bryan?had?after Kendrick was eliminated from the CWC; they each had their first professional wrestling match against one another in October 1999.Cedric AlexanderBirthdate: Aug. 16, 1989Billed from: Charlotte, North CarolinaBilled height: 5-foot-10Billed weight: 200 poundsSignature move: Lumbar CheckCedric Alexander didnt have to wait very long in his career to taste the upper echelons of the independent wrestling world. After making his debut in 2009, Alexander was already wrestling dark matches for Ring of Honor by 2010 and became a full time member of the roster by 2011. His high-flying style and natural charisma led him to work for a wide variety of independent companies including Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Evolve, among many others, over the next five years. During his run in the CWC, Alexander fell to Kota Ibushi in the second round, but in defeat garnered some of the most attention of any competitor in the tournament. The 15-minute match between Alexander and Ibushi received high profile praise from throughout wrestling, including a 4 1/2-star rating from veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, and chants of please sign Cedric rang throughout the Full Sail Arena -- and garnered the attention of?Triple H.Perkins thoughts: Cedric I think was really the breakout performer of our bunch. Hes young, extremely talented, and this is his first crack at a big stage for him so I think if theres anybody thats going to put as much risk on the line, its going to be him because hes really excited to have this opportunity and hes maybe one of the best raw athletes Ive ever seen.Rich SwannBirthdate: Feb. 15, 1991Billed from: BaltimoreBilled height: 5-foot-8Billed weight: 168 poundsSignature moves: Standing 450 splash, Phoenix splashAs you may have heard through fan reactions at times during Swanns entrances to the CWC, he often entered the ring to All Night Long by Lionel Richie in his time on the independent circuit. While his CWC and, likely, his WWE theme isnt quite Lionel Richie, Can You Handle This is an equally worthy reflection of Swanns fun-loving, charismatic personality. His high-flying style and propensity to bust out Michael Jackson dance moves thrilled the Full Sail crowd in a very similar manner to how fans have been reacting to Swann for a long time. He made his first real impact as part of the Combat Zone Wrestling roster in 2009, where he trained under fellow CWC competitor Drew Gulak, among others. Before joining the CWC field, Swann also spent significant time in Evolve, Dragon Gate USA and Pro Wrestling Guerilla.Perkins thoughts: Rich Swann is probably the only guy whos more charismatic among this whole bunch than me, and I think it showed in our match, said Perkins. If it tells you anything, while Rich was entering the ring I was dancing to his music behind the curtain waiting for my entrance when I had to wrestle this guy. If that tells you how enamored people can become with him, [even] I couldnt help but dance.Hes my good friend, but people are going to love him. Its like listening to the Jackson 5 or the Beatles, man -- you just cannot help but feel happy [when youre watching] Rich perform. You get sucked right into it.Noam DarBirthdate: July 28, 1993Billed from: Ayr, ScotlandBilled height: 5-foot-9Billed weight: 178 poundsSignature move: Knee barSimilarly to Perkins, Metalik and a number of other CWC competitors, Dar got his start in the wrestling business at a very early age. His first independent appearance came at age 15 in his native Scotland, but hed soon travel throughout Europe to ply his trade. Over the last decade he rose to prominence with the biggest independent companies in the United Kingdom, including Progress Wrestling, Preston City Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling, but he rarely made his way over to the United States during that time. His lone recorded trip to wrestle stateside was as part of TNAs British Boot Camp, in which he was a finalist, and he wrestled a few dark matches including one against now-NXT star Austin Aries. At 23 years old, Dar was the youngest competitor in the inaugural CWC.Lince DoradoBirthdate: May 11, 1987Billed from: San Juan, Puerto RicoBilled height: 5-foot-7Billed weight: 168 poundsSignature move: Shooting star pressLince Dorado was the lone representative from Puerto Rico in the CWC, and his path to the WWE was unlike the majority of his fellow competitors in that tournament. His earliest wrestling and training took place in Mexico, but early in his career he began to compete for a unique wrestling brand called Chikara, based out of eastern Pennsylvania. Lince Dorada worked for the company and trained under the likes of Chikara founder Mike Quackenbush, former NXT superstar Chris Hero and current WWE superstar?Cesaro?at their training facility. Chikara essentially mixes the tradition of lucha libre wrestling with an almost?cartoon or anime-like style of performance and stories. Lince Dorado spent much of the last few years touring throughout North America with smaller independent companies like Dreamwave, but has been primarily based in Florida. He defeated Mustafa Ali in the first round of the CWC before falling to Swann in Round 2.NMD Sale . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. NMD Cheap . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. https://www.cheapnmdoutlet.com/ . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. NMD Clearance . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. NMD For Sale . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season.The biggest surprise at the midseason mark of the 2016 season is the play of the rookies.?This draft class might not be as good as that of 2011, but it sure is encouraging. Two rookies are in my midseason All-Pro team -- and they arent quarterbacks?Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz, who are winning games in the NFC East.Heres my team at the halfway point:?Quarterback: Matt Ryan, Atlanta FalconsThe Falcons have ridden the Ryan Express to a 6-3 start and the top of the NFC South.dddddddddddd Ryan has thrown for 2,980 yards and?23 touchdowns -- with just four interceptions.Running back: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas CowboysDavid Johnson has been unstoppable in Arizona, but Elliott -- along with Prescott -- has powered the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC. Hes the Offensive Rookie of the Year.? ' ' '