10 Great Wrestlers WWE Must Sign For The Cruiserweight Revival
The division is back but who can make it great again?
Cruiserweight wrestling is officially back in WWE. Stephanie McMahon announced the much-missed division’s long-awaited return on last night’s Raw and, with the the Cruiserweight Classic entering its second week of televised competition, the timing couldn’t be better.
While WWE doesn’t exactly have a great history when it comes to promoting lighter weight classes, the business has changed immensely since the Cruiserweight Championship’s 2007 retirement. WWE is no longer a land of giants, and recent years have seen a number of smaller athletes like Daniel Bryan surge in popularity ahead of their plodding 7ft cohorts.
Interest hasn’t been this high since the division’s WCW heyday, and WWE recognise this. In pushing Cruiserweight wrestling back to the forefront, they’re attempting to breathe new life into a midcard in dire need of rejuvenation, particularly given the current state of the United States and Intercontinental Title scenes.
Whether they’ll take it seriously and ensure its long-term success remains to be seen, but Cruiserweight wrestling will be heavily-featured on the new-look Raw, and with the likes of Neville and the Lucha Dragons already on the roster, WWE have some ideal building blocks for their fledgling division.
Those wrestlers can’t do it alone, however. The new 205lbs weight limit pushes a number of smaller wrestlers like Sami Zayn (212lbs) out of contention immediately, so WWE are going to have to go shopping.
Excluding the likes of Will Ospreay who are bound by multi-year contracts elsewhere, here are 10 great wrestlers WWE must sign for the Cruiserweight division.
10. Matt Riddle
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QT63Hj4qBKI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight fighter Matt Riddle, has only been wrestling for 18 months after switching over from MMA, but he brings considerable grappling pedigree to the table.
A former high school national wrestling champion and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Riddle left MMA with a record of 8 wins, 3 losses, and 2 no contests, and a reputation for dragging his opponents to the mat and not letting them up again.
His transition to professional wrestling has been seamless. Working primarily with EVOLVE, Riddle brings an obvious MMA influence to his wrestling style, taking crisp striking, powerful takedowns, and smooth technical transitions to the table.
More importantly, he’s an exuberant performer who exudes energy and confidence, which helps him connect with audiences while his character work continues to develop.
Riddle is far from the finished article, but he’s already putting on great matches with the likes of CWC participants Drew Gulak and Cedric Alexander in one of the USA’s most popular indies. If he’s already this good after such a short spell in the business, Riddle is going to be unstoppable in a couple of years, and WWE would be wise to invest in his potential immediately.