WWE Announce Cruiserweight Tournament To Decide Buddy Murphy's WrestleMania 35 Opponent

8 men will compete for title opportunity.

205 Live 2019 Tournament
WWE

On last night's edition of 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick announced the creation of an eight man tournament to determine Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy's challenger at WrestleMania 35.

The single-round knockout event will take place over the next six weeks, with Tony Nese vs. Kalisto and The Brian Kendrick vs. Drew Gulak scheduled for next week's taping. As of yet, the remaining four participants in the tournament have not been named.

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Australian Buddy Murphy successfully defended his purple strap at this past Sunday's Elimination Chamber in a high-octane match opposite Akira Tozawa. With the tournament ongoing up until WrestleMania, presumably the champ will take a powder at March's Fastlane.

A similar tournament to determine the new Cruiserweight Champion in the wake of Enzo Amore's sudden departure took place in advance of last year's WrestleMania. Current SmackDown star Mustafa Ali was bested by Cedric Alexander during the final in New Orleans.

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Alexander defeated Mike Kanellis in a strong showing on last night's episode of 205 Live, vowing to return to the Grandest Stage of them All this year. Humberto Carrillo and Ariya Daivari also picked up victories, tacitly throwing their names into the hat.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.