10. Alex Shelley/KUSHIDA
I’m kind of cheating with my first pick. I chose two guys
and paired them up because of the fact that, not only are they tag team
partners, but they’re also potential longshots to compete. KUSHIDA is currently
the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and is under contract to New Japan Pro
Wrestling. He should anchor and fix their rather broken junior heavyweight
division. However, on a personal level, I would love to see him involved in
this, despite it being very doubtful. The same goes for Alex Shelley. I’m not
sure if he’s under contract with NJPW, but he does work there sporadically
while spending more and more time with Ring of Honor lately. He is pairing up with
Chris Sabin again, leading to more Motor City Machine Guns fun. Either way, if
any of these two, or both, would be able to find their way into this
tournament, it would make for fantastic television. KUSHIDA has quickly become
one of my favorite wrestlers, while Shelley has been high on that list since he
caught my eye in the mid-2000s.
9. Kamaitachi
If I was making this list a few months ago, you would
certainly not have found Kamaitachi on my radar. It was until the end of last
year that he caught my eye after watching a great match against Dragon Lee in
CMLL. Then, when CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling presented Fantasticamania,
they had a rematch that ranks as my second favorite so far this year.
Kamaitachi is a product of the New Japan Dojo. For those unaware, the graduates
of the dojo work the undercard of NJPW shows, mostly jobbing to veterans. Once
that’s over, they go on excursion and that’s what landed Kamaitachi in CMLL.
Doing my research, he’s gone on to quickly make a name for himself as one of
the best cruiserweights on the planet. That match I mentioned from Fantasticamania
actually saw Kamaitachi become the World Lightweight Champion, adding an
accomplishment to back my claim of him being one of the best in the world. Like
some others on this list, he’s kind of a longshot to appear in the series, but
it would be a ton of fun.
8. Rey Mysterio
With the recent news that Rey Mysterio would be interested
in working with the WWE once again, this one is kind of a no-brainer. His last
two or three years with the company were pretty lackluster and it ended with
Rey seemingly being held hostage in his contract. He was finally rid of the WWE
last February. Since then, he has worked for AAA, is appearing in Lucha
Underground and a few other independent promotions. If he really does want back
in with the company, the Global Cruiserweight Series would be an ideal way. Mysterio
is, hands down, the most successful cruiserweight in WWE history. Not only did
he win the Cruiserweight Title itself several times, but he also did things no
other cruiserweight had ever accomplished. He’s won the Royal Rumble, the World
Heavyweight Title, several Tag Team and midcard titles and would be the biggest
name involved. He shouldn’t win the whole thing, but several solid performances
and a hard fought loss to someone could make that person’s career. Even if he just
showed up as an ambassador or a similar role, it would do wonders for this
entire thing.
7. Will Ospreay
Flippy, high spot offense has never really been my thing.
When I first heard about Will Ospreay he didn’t intrigue me. Then I saw him take
part in Pro Wrestling Guerilla’s Battle of Los Angeles last year and came away
less than impressed (which some people weren’t happy with me about). Then, I
checked out Revolution Pro Wrestling. Ospreay is great there. I’ve watched him
have great matches with the likes of AJ Styles and Marty Scurll and have grown
to enjoy his work. PROGRESS is also a great place to check out to see the best
of Will Ospreay. He’s one of the most exciting British wrestlers currently
around. Already with about four years under his belt, Ospreay is just 22 years
of age. It’s crazy to think that there are guys like Ospreay out there, who
cite matches from the mid-2000’s as the reason for getting into the business. Ospreay
is one of the few guys that retweeted the breaking news about the Global
Cruiserweight Series, clearly showing that he’s interested. He did recently
sign with New Japan but should still be a viable option.
6. Ricochet
I’d say Ricochet is pretty much the prototypical
cruiserweight in the world of wrestling right now. Something about Ricochet
just stands out but one specific trait ranks above all. He is the most athletic
wrestler I have ever seen. He takes to the sky with an ease that is unmatched. I
know Neville has the nickname, but gravity really seems to have forgotten about
Ricochet. The guy has found success pretty much everywhere he’s gone. From
smaller independent promotions to winning the Battle of Los Angeles in 2014 to
success in Dragon Gate to winning the Best of the Super Juniors and IWGP Jr.
Heavyweight Tag Team Titles in the past few years to shining as the flag bearer
for Lucha Underground under the guise of Prince Puma. I actually really prefer
Ricochet as Puma. Something clicks better for him when he’s under the mask but
either way he would show up, he’d be a welcome addition. I’ve heard he has a
multi-year deal with Lucha Underground and he’s also gone on record to deny
involvement in the Global Cruiserweight Series. Still, he’s been a freelancer
for his whole career, so there is some hope held on that he could make an
appearance.
5. Kyle O’Reilly
When it comes to the New Japan Junior Heavyweight
division, I am no shy in voicing my opinions about it being incredibly
disappointing. The two men who have delivered consistently for them are KUSHIDA
and Kyle O’Reilly. I’ve mentioned KUSHIDA already but Kyle O’Reilly is just
incredible. He’s currently one half of the best tag team in wrestling,
reDRagon, and should be set for a Match of the Year candidate rematch against KUSHIDA
at some point this year. He also has risen his profile in Ring of Honor,
competing for their World Title on multiple Pay-Per-Views. O’Reilly would bring
something different to the table than a lot of other cruiserweights, just like
he does for New Japan. O’Reilly isn’t your typical high flying cruiserweight.
He is more in the vein of guys like Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko in WCW, where
they added an ability to bring technical expertise to a world of high flyers.
Considering his deal with ROH, O’Reilly is another that doesn’t seem like a
safe bet, but he would bring something special to the tournament.
4. Fenix
Lucha Underground has quickly become my favorite pro
wrestling program to watch in the entire world. One of the standout guys
throughout both seasons so far has been Fenix. Not only is he one of the most
incredible performers currently wrestling, he’s also insanely young, having
just turned 25 at the end of 2015. It is actually remarkable to be as good as
he is at his age. In the top ten of my giant Top 100 Matches of 2015 list,
Fenix was the youngest competitor to appear (seriously, go watch that match
with Mil Muertes). So far in season two, Fenix has spent most of his time
wrestling someone his own size, King Cuerno. Their matches have been great and
things like that are what we could hope for if Fenix found a way into the
Global Cruiserweight Series. He was among the better guest performers in PWG’s
Battle of Los Angeles last year. No matter how you slice it, Fenix is a guy
that delivers almost every single time out. If the WWE had upped the weight
limit to 215 pounds, I’d have added Pentagon Jr. to this list. As it stands at
205, Fenix should be the most sought after Lucha Underground property.
3. Manny Andrade (La Sombra)
Part of me feels like the Global Cruiserweight Series was
born to make Manny Andrade a star. One of the biggest signings that the WWE has
made for NXT, the former La Sombra has plenty of tools to become a star on his
own, but this series could really help him establish himself. He’s been
wrestling for about half of his young life already, making him something of an
expert. He’s not your typical flashy cruiserweight easier. There’s more to him
than meets the eye. The guy held the CMLL Universal Championship and was a
founding member of Los Ingobernables, which now has Tetsuya Naito among it’s
members. He was acquired by the WWE a while back but has yet to make his
television debut. Andrade has been working the NXT live event circuit under his
real name and this series later this year would be the perfect way to introduce
him. I could see him winning it and immediately becoming a player on the NXT
roster. Considering his placement in the company, he is almost a lock for this experiment.
2. Zack Sabre Jr.
The second I read about the Global Cruiserweight Series,
my mind shot to Zack Sabre Jr. He’s a guy I’ve desperately wanted to come in
and help the New Japan Junior division and I feel like he could bring the same
shot in the arm to this tournament. Sabre is the best technical wrestler in the
world right now. Think about this. Daniel Bryan won Wrestling Observer’s Best
Technical Wrestler award for nine straight years. The man to end the streak?
Zack Sabre Jr. There’s something about him that is just so captivating. There
aren’t many guys that I can watch purely work the mat only and be completely
enthralled. Add in his ability to seamlessly chain wrestle and deliver some
surprisingly stiff strikes and you’ve got one of the best all-around performers
in the world. Sabre could be the Dean Malenko of this tournament, only even
better. He works for multiple promotions (RPW, PWG, Evolve) and even faced AJ
Styles recently. The thing that stands out is his work for Evolve. Triple H has
partnered up with them and Sabre was even featured on wwe.com last year. If
anyone besides Andrade feel like a shoe in, it’s Sabre. They can’t possibly not
include him. Right?
1. Kota Ibushi
Since he moved up from the Junior Heavyweight ranks to
become a full-fledged Heavyweight in New Japan, it was hard to think about Kota
Ibushi when the Global Cruiserweight Series was first announced. He actually
didn’t even cross my mind until I read that he became a freelancer. Not being
under contract to NJPW or any company opens things up wide for Ibushi. Despite
being pushed as a heavyweight in recent years, Ibushi clocks in at under 205
pounds. He had one of the best 2015’s of any wrestler in the world, not just in
Japan. His match against Shinsuke Nakamura was a MOTY contender and he faced a
variety of opponents, almost always with great results. He is one of those guys
that can be among the best strikers in the world, while rivaling someone like
Ricochet in the athleticism department. I honestly feel like, while under
contract with them, Ibushi was one of the three best performers in New Japan,
even ahead of current champion Kazuchika Okada. If he or Sabre show up in this
tournament, they could easily steal the show. The company could plan for La
Sombra or someone else to win but if a guy like this catches lightning in a
bottle, they could hear that fan reaction and change plans. That’s how good a
guy like Ibushi is.
No comments:
Post a Comment