10 Observations From Attending EVOLVE 67 Live
7. Alexander The Great
For many years, Cedric Alexander was a mainstay in Ring of Honor. In May, though, he left the company, reportedly to pursue a career with WWE. He soon started taking bookings with EVOLVE, and was then announced for the Cruiserweight Classic.
Alexander is out of the CWC, having lost to Kota Ibushi in the best match of the tournament thus far, but he's participated in a lot of "Cruiserweight Classic Showcase" matches for EVOLVE. When the promotion came to Queens in July, he took on Johnny Gargano in a fast-paced blow-away encounter, and on Saturday, he was in action against Zack Sabre Jr.
This bout, given Sabre's submission-based style, was slower, but no less great - in fact, it was the best match of the day, NXT included. Sabre used his devastating array of holds, while Alexander's high-risk offense made an incredible counterpoint. Both men started as faces, but as the crowd favored Alexander, he played to them more while Sabre started working heel.
Sabre eventually scored the win, but Alexander came off like a star. Even though he's been eliminated from the CWC, he deserves to be the centerpiece of Raw's upcoming cruiserweight division. His signing would be a loss to the independent scene, but he'd make an ideal WWE Cruiserweight Champion.