8 Wrestlers WWE Must Sign For The New Cruiserweight Division

7. Will Ospreay

Ospreay Dar
Oli Sandler/WCPW

What Culture Pro Wrestling's own Will Ospreay can lay claim to being the best Cruiserweight on the face of the planet. New Japan Pro Wrestling didn't crown him as their 2016 Best Of The Super Juniors winner purely because he stirred some social media traffic with his Vader spat - they did so because he is a veritable phenom.

His aerial credentials aren't in question - his rotations are jaw-dropping in their smoothness - but he has incurred criticism for his perception as a spot machine unable to grasp the finer points of psychology. This is a misconception. In responding to Vader's gymnastics jibe, he adopted his Vader bomb and V taunt in the following match, demonstrating that he was capable of infusing the space between his spectacular moves with meaning and characterful impulses.

He also drew the ire of many for the martial arts movie-inspired sequence he and Ricochet embarked on in their infamous BOSJ match - but this, logically, was no different to the traditional double kip-up spot. It was an awesome 21st century update on what is an establishing sequence. He didn't unravel wrestling psychology - he augmented it.

WWE has been criticised in the past for rounding off the edges of their Independent scene-honed talents, but a Stamford stint would surely enforce Ospreay to emphasise selling - the one meagre part of his frighteningly advanced in-ring game requiring slight improvement.

He has also proven himself capable of sequential storytelling - something he has fostered in his gripping recurring rivalry with the next man on this list...

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!