Three weeks ahead of SummerSlam, Drew Gulak is still without an opponent to defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against. Here are some potential challengers.
After nearly three years of being apart of 205 Live, Drew Gulak finally captured the WWE Cruiserweight Championship for a reign that so many people considered to be overdue. He won the title in a Triple Threat against Akira Tozawa and then-champion Tony Nese at the Stomping Grounds Pay-Per-View. After successfully defending the title one-on-one against The Premier Athlete at the following PPV, Extreme Rules, Gulak is now ready for SummerSlam.
This is expected to be the third year in a row that the Cruiserweight division – specifically, it’s title picture – has its presence felt at the Biggest Party of the Summer in its current revival. The 2017 edition of the show saw PAC (fka Neville) defeat Akira Tozawa for the belt while last year saw Cedric Alexander successfully defend it against, of all people, Drew Gulak. Because so much can change in a year’s time, Gulak has gone from challenger to champion heading into this year’s show.
Speaking of challengers, the current reigning and defending Cruiserweight Champion still needs a challenger for WWE’s second biggest show of the year. With a large supply of worthy challengers on 205 Live (along with one or two Wild Cards from the main roster), here are some potential opponents for Gulak for what could easily be the biggest match of his career.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
For those unfamiliar with the name, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott is one of the latest names to join the WWE Performance Center. His debut on NXT television saw the young upstart lose in the first round of the Breakout Tournament in match vs. fellow newbie, Cameron Grimes. While he is still new to WWE television, Swerve is far from a rookie.
Before he was Swerve, you may have seen his work either on the independent circuit as Shane Strickland or on Lucha Underground, where he played Killshot. Wherever you may have seen his work previously, he leaves an impression wherever he goes with his unmatched charisma and overwhelmingly impressive in-ring talent. Now, he is slowly creeping his way up the WWE ladder.
Tonight on a special NXT vs. 205 edition of 205 Live, Drew Gulak will battle Swerve in a non-title match. Most fans expect the champion to get himself the victory over the up and comer, but an upset for Swerve would not be completely out of the realm of possibility. Or, perhaps, tonight could work as a prelude to setting Swerve up as Gulak’s SummerSlam challenger. Not only would such a title match quickly elevate Swerve as a star, but we’d get a darn good match out of it.
Oney Lorcan
It seems like WWE have been quietly prepping Oney Lorcan to become the new face of 205 Live for when the time is right. If not, then he’s certainly being molded as one of their key figures in the main event picture going forward. Which makes sense, given how much in quick succession the purple brand lost all of its top stars – namely Ali, Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy – to the main roster all in such quick succession.
Before Cedric left, he was kind enough to put Oney over in his final match on the Apr. 16 episode of 205 Live. Since then, Lorcan has either been racking up big wins – like his win over rival Ariya Daivari during last week’s Anything Goes main event – or showcasing his ability in impressive outings. Seeing how he’s been winning matches as of late, it only makes sense for his next natural progression to be for a title match on PPV.
If the plan coming out of all of this building is to put the title on Oney one day, don’t expect it to happen at SummerSlam seeing as Gulak just won the title a couple PPVs ago. However, what you should expect is an aggressive, technical masterclass between a submission specialist and versatile brawler / striker / technician from Boston.
Rey Mysterio
Let’s not forget that WWE’s Wild Card Rule is still currently in effect and it still applies to all the brands, not just the main roster. Which is why guys like Apollo Crews from SmackDown Live, Kassius Ohno from NXT UK and even Gulak himself have been able to make brief one-off appearances on NXT in the past month or two. It’s about time that someone from the red and blue brand were to exercise that rule to show the purple show some love for once.
That someone might as well be Rey Mysterio, an innovator of classic Cruiserweight action. Now that he’s fresh back from injury, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is currently in limbo and directionless as far as storylines are concerned. His first night back saw him get squashed in mere seconds by Bobby Lashley, while last night’s Raw Reunion saw him beat Sami Zayn with help from Sgt. Slaughter, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam and The Hurricane.
To help him get back on track, it would not be a bad idea to have him visit 205 Live for a cup of coffee in hopes of capturing his ninth Cruiserweight Championship. Let be an old school vs. new school battle, focusing on a changing of the guard between two completely different eras of Cruiserweight action.
Above all else, on top of getting some extra eyes on the underappreciated purple brand, it could help Gulak truly kick off his Cruiserweight Championship run if he were to successfully defend against a future Hall of Famer at WWE’s second biggest event, SummerSlam.