Projecting Raw's 7 New Cruiserweights' Long-Term WWE Career Prospects

Gran Metalik is a world-renowned luchador who has built a reputation as one of the planet’s most exciting high-flyers. As CMLL and NJPW’s Mascara Dorada, Metalik was a human highlight reel with an outstanding workrate and an impressive arsenal of aerial moves, and his ring work will make him an immediate favourite with Raw audiences.

Metalik made it all the way to the Cruiserweight Classic final, beating the likes of Akira Tozawa and Zack Sabre Jr. in incredible matches along the way. He fell to TJ Perkins, but by the time Metalik was done at Full Sail University, he’d more than established himself as one to watch. The crowd were rooting heavily for him to win the tournament final, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds himself in Cruiserweight Title contention.

Again, WWE’s poor history with masked wrestlers comes into play with Metalik, and WWE would be wise to just let him go out and get over on ring work alone. Metalik is lightning quick and hits like a truck: it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure-out that his appeal lies in his penchant for the spectacular, and this is what WWE will focus on in order to get him over.

Curtailing his risk-taking tendencies is a real concern, however. Metalik’s dives, flips, and apparent complete disregard for his own wellbeing are what make him such an exciting competitor. WWE’s PG style will result in some mitigation, but stripping too much of it away will make Metalik lose what makes him special in the first place.