The cruiserweight division has struggled to break out in WWE since the 205 Live project started. WWE has not pushed the brand to a high level as 205 Live is viewed as a forgotten show that takes place after everyone leaves Smackdown. The talent of the cruiserweights has led to individual success for some of the talents to get their WWE start in the smaller role.
Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali have become fixtures on the main roster over the past year. The cruiserweights likely all have hopes of moving to Raw or Smackdown to find success on the bigger stage. There would be more security on the bigger brands than the talents currently have on 205 Live. We will look at some of the names with the ability to break out. These are ten cruiserweights that could shine on the main roster if given a fair chance.
10 Humberto Carrillo
The recent call-up for Humberto Carrillo saw him join the Raw brand as a high draft pick in the 2019 WWE Draft. WWE already shows signs of making Carrillo a bigger name as he moves forward in his career.
Impressive performances against main event caliber stars like Seth Rollins and AJ Styles have Carrillo on the right track. WWE hopes he can become one of the new rising stars as a face. Carrillo clearly has the in-ring skills along with a likable personality. Time will tell how far he gets, but the start provides great reasons for optimism.
9 Jack Gallagher
Jack Gallagher has been one of the standout talents on 205 Live from the show’s inception to its current form. The interesting in-ring style of Gallagher sees him getting in and out of technical holds in entertaining fashion.
Gallagher’s nod to Mary Poppins with the flying umbrella move shows that he can grasp the entertainment side of WWE. The presence of Gallagher on the main roster could see him get over with a bigger audience on Raw or Smackdown if put in the position to succeed.
8 Kalisto
The prior success of Kalisto as a singles star is long forgotten since he moved to the cruiserweight division to become part of the Lucha House Party faction. Kalisto had noteworthy singles success in WWE before this with two United States Championship reigns.
Memorable feuds with Alberto Del Rio and Ryback showed that Kalisto knows how to play the underdog character quite well. Unfortunately, the lack of long-term success would see him moved back to the cruiserweight division. Kalisto would be better off getting one more chance with a singles push.
7 Mike Kanellis
Mike Kanellis achieved strong levels of success in Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling and New Japan with his wife Maria Kanellis at his side. The act clearly could get over when given the right push since three out of three promotions found success with it.
WWE never could get things going as Maria’s pregnancies and Mike’s lack of television time hurt them. Following the end of their recent strange storyline with Maria’s second pregnancy, Mike revealed on social media that he requested his release. It’s a shame since he could have done well if the WWE run started differently.
6 KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA has only been involved in the cruiserweight division a handful of times, but he was a legendary junior heavyweight in New Japan. The all-around talent of KUSHIDA makes him one of the top assets currently still on the NXT brand.
KUSHIDA is among the best workers that could thrive on the bigger stage is booked right. The language barrier certainly provides some concerns, but KUSHIDA with a manager speaking for him could easily get over. Few wrestlers in the world have the same level of talent as the NXT Japanese star.
5 Buddy Murphy
Despite getting called up to the main roster a few months ago, Buddy Murphy is still in the process of getting established. The impressive performances against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan have shown the early signs of potential for Murphy on the bigger stage.
WWE moved Buddy to Raw in the brand split with a bigger opportunity likely coming his way. Murphy is one of the most talented in-ring workers and has a vicious heel side to his character. The only question is if WWE will give him the chance to break out rather than if he has the talent to do it.
4 The Brian Kendrick
One of the few veterans on the 205 Live roster is The Brian Kendrick. WWE fans first saw Kendrick over fifteen years ago as part of the Smackdown brand in the original brand split. The tag team of Kendrick and Paul London dominated the Smackdown tag division for a few years.
Kendrick has been a fixture in the cruiserweight division since the brand returned in 2016. The move to Raw or Smackdown would be beneficial for a wrestler with that much experience. Kendrick could even work a short angle with his former training partner Daniel Bryan as both men would likely thrive.
3 Gran Metalik
The success of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament on WWE Network allowed a few talents to break out on a bigger platform. Gran Metalik was among the most skilled performers advancing all the way to the finals before falling short against TJ Perkins.
Fans of Metalik loved watching him deliver innovative offense that was unlike anyone else in WWE. Unfortunately, the talent of Metalik has not been showcased enough on the 205 Live show. If WWE moved Metalik to Raw or Smackdown and allowed him to be himself, the cruiserweight would get over with his outstanding matches.
2 Lio Rush
Lio Rush’s prior work on the main roster as Bobby Lashley’s former hype man showed the charisma he possessed. The move back down to NXT has seen him become the new Cruiserweight Champion now working 205 Live most weeks as well.
Rush is an outstanding talent at just 25 years old. NXT sees him deliver standout matches whenever he has a match on the card. It would be a safe bet that Lio gets another chance on the main roster in the future. Instead of representing another wrestler, Rush is good enough to break out on his own.
1 Drew Gulak
The move from 205 Live to Smackdown saw Drew Gulak get rewarded for his hard work in the 2019 WWE Draft. Gulak has been arguably the most consistent all-around performer in the cruiserweight division from the start of the project until now.
A former comedic element to his character with the Powerpoint presentations gives Gulak an easy way to get over before even wrestling. The ability to get serious would see Gulak’s character shift when winning the Cruiserweight Championship. WWE must give him the fair opportunity first, but Gulak will hit a home run if given the chance.