WWE Royal Rumble Match Card Predictions: A Full-Time Universal Champion
By Mark Justice
Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Lio Rush vs. Drew Gulak vs. Cedric Alexander [Cruiserweight Title]⚛
Buddy Murphy dethroned Cedric Alexander at Australia’s Super ShowDown in October, retained against Mustafa Ali at Survivor Series in November, and retained against Alexander at TLC in December. Since 205 Live bounced back to Alexander as a contender for Murphy’s Cruiserweight Championship at TLC, I actually foresaw the brand easily bouncing back to Ali as a contender for Murphy’s title at the Royal Rumble. However, Ali has already been officially announced as a permanent member of SmackDown Live, and a fatal 4 way cruiserweight championship match has recently been announced for the Royal Rumble.
To determine the three contenders for this title match, there are three qualifying matches occurring on 205 Live: (1) Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami, (2) Lio Rush vs. Kalisto, and (3) Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa. I foresee Cedric Alexander, Lio Rush, and Drew Gulak qualifying for this championship match. The Cruiserweight Championship has never been attained by either Drew Gulak or Lio Rush, and the trend of 205 Live’s 1-time cruiserweight champions (except Neville, of course) shows that there’s a solid chance Gulak or Rush could win it for the first time in their careers. Alexander would not stand a chance of winning this bout since he recently lost it to Murphy in Australia, but he has still been very relevant to Murphy’s title reign; when considering storyline build-up, it wouldn’t hurt to keep him in the title picture for more effective in-ring psychology.
Besides, if someone were to dethrone babyface Buddy Murphy, it would most likely be a heel. The question is: Which heel? In Drew Gulak’s case, he has partaken in many cruiserweight title matches, especially during Alexander’s reign, but he has not delivered. Similar to Braun Strowman’s case with the Universal Title, most fans are slowly losing faith in Drew Gulak as a contender for the cruiserweight title. In this new era, the fans need a champion who they can believe in and know very well.
In Lio Rush’s case, he has never been in a cruiserweight title match despite his remarkable mic skills and incredible record on 205 Live (not including his one-on-one loss to Alexander) that make him a credible contender. After receiving sufficient exposure on the more popular Raw brand as Bobby Lashley’s advocate, he is definitely known very well and thereby should become the new top guy of the 205 Live brand. I foresee him winning the gold and immediately facilitating a rivalry with Buddy Murphy on the road to WrestleMania.
Prediction: Lio Rush⚛