8 Wrestlers WWE Must Sign For The New Cruiserweight Division

5. Matt Sydal

Ospreay Dar
WWE.com

Matt Sydal, recent recipient of his and Pro Wrestling Guerilla's first-ever Wrestling Observer Newsletter ***** rating, made a hash (get it?) of his first run in WWE, subjecting his former employer to embarrassment by incurring Wellness Policy violations with the use of 'Serenity Now' - a legal synthetic approximation of marijuana - in an ill-fated attempt to reconcile his love of the drug with his employment.

After a lengthy layoff with injury and his subsequent release, he has since reinvented himself through his acclaimed work with New Japan Pro Wrestling, in which he has ably kept up with the generation which has preceded - but not overtaken - him. Despite the considerable merits of that generation, his Shooting Star Press has retained its status as the best-looking in all of wrestling.

Sydal presents WWE with the opportunity to reinstall a sentimental favourite to their ranks, which would require very little in the way of promotion or imagination, something they've sometimes been incapable of in recent years. He also adds a layer of familiarity to the division - something a few casual fan holdouts may need a bit more of in order to take it seriously.

The plight of recent NXT call-ups Tyler Breeze and Apollo Crews is evidence enough of that.

In this post: 
Will Ospreay
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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!