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WWE: Fantasy booking what should’ve been this year’s 205 Live tournament

By Colby Applegate

Oney Lorcan, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari took part in a triple threat match on the October 18, 2019 edition of WWE 205 Live. Photo: WWE.com
Oney Lorcan, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari took part in a triple threat match on the October 18, 2019 edition of WWE 205 Live. Photo: WWE.com /
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WWE didn’t hold a 205 Live tournament before WrestleMania this year. Despite that, here’s a look out how the tournament could’ve unfolded with a round of fantasy booking.

WWE’s Cruiserweight division has seen its fair share of highs and lows since the inception of 205 Live in late 2016. We’ve witnessed incredible in-ring battles and personal rivalries worthy of having a spotlight on a bigger stage like Raw or SmackDown.

205 Live went through another transitional phase in the fall of 2019 when a good chunk of the original roster members were drafted to the red and blue brands. As a result, 205 Live moved under the NXT umbrella, allowing new faces to shine during the “hottest hour of in-ring competition.”

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Even with exciting titleholders such as Angel Garza and Jordan Devlin, the Cruiserweight division is still in a lull. What helped pull 205 Live out of a lull over the last couple of years was the pre-WrestleMania tournament.

In 2018, WWE was forced to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion at WrestleMania 34 following the departure of Enzo Amore. We were blessed with the opportunity to watch Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali tear it up on the big stage. Last year, WWE booked another tournament to determine Buddy Murphy’s WrestleMania challenger, allowing for Tony Nese to earn his due close to home.

These tournaments allowed for exciting contests to take place while highlighting established stories and introducing new faces. Last year in particular saw the emergence of Humberto Carrillo and Oney Lorcan on the purple brand. We also got to witness former partners Nese and Drew Gulak battle in the semi-finals.

In a perfect world, WWE would’ve held another number one contender’s tournament to determine Jordan Devlin’s challenger at TakeOver: Tampa since the Cruiserweights are part of NXT these days. In my fantasy booking, I’ve set up a 16-man bracket to include every roster member, plus a couple of bonus additions.

Here’s the bracket that I’ve laid out:

First-round matches

As you can see, the first-round matches on the left side would feature:

  • Kushida over Brian Kendrick
  • Oney Lorcan over Ariya Daivari
  • Travis Banks over Danny Burch
  • Jack Gallagher over Sunil Singh

Kushida and Travis Banks are both the “surprises” for this year’s tournament. Kushida has competed in a few 205 Live matches, but he hasn’t officially been established as a member of the brand. Considering he hasn’t had a clear direction on NXT TV, highlighting him in this tournament would be beneficial.

Elsewhere in the first round, Lorcan would defeat Daivari in a renewal of their rivalry from mid-2019. Banks would add a bit of UK flavor with an impressive victory over Danny Burch. And Jack Gallagher would continue to establish his new persona with any easy win over Sunil Singh.

On the right side of the bracket, the first-round matches are as follows:

  • Joaquin Wilde over Raul Mendoza
  • Tyler Breeze over Mike Kanellis
  • Lio Rush over Tony Nese
  • Isaiah “Swerve” Scott over Samir Singh

Ideally, Joaquin Wilde would be the breakout star of this whole thing. Playing off his recent matches against Raul Mendoza, the two would meet again with Wilde scoring another win. Tyler Breeze would best Mike Kanellis in a battle of wrestling veterans.

To cap off their recent feud, Lio Rush would overcome Tony Nese to advance. Lastly, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott would keep Samir Singh on his toes in the final first-round bout.

Quarter-finals

  • Kushida over Oney Lorcan
  • Travis Banks over Jack Gallagher
  • Joaquin Wilde over Tyler Breeze
  • Isaiah Scott over Lio Rush

The second round of this tournament would have several fun match-ups. Kushida would continue his hot streak with a victory over Lorcan. Banks would upset Gallagher to prove he’s more than just a fresh face. Wilde would pull off one of the more shocking upsets by getting the three-count on Prince Pretty. And in a battle of acquaintances, Swerve would beat Rush.

Semi-finals

  • Kushida over Travis Banks
  • Isaiah Scott over Joaquin Wilde

The semi-finals would be where Banks and Wilde meet the end of their underdog stories despite valiant efforts. Having all babyface competitors wouldn’t be an issue as the stories here could focus on one-upmanship. Kushida and Banks would work a submission-based match, while Wilde and Swerve would have to find a way to slow down the other.

The winner

I had a hard time deciding who should win, but I settled on Kushida going over Swerve. While he may be an established name outside of WWE, Kushida has yet to breakthrough in a major way on NXT. With this win, he would do battle with Jordan Devlin for the Cruiserweight Championship at TakeOver: Tampa.

Would Kushida win the title? There’s a strong possibility if they’re looking to move Devlin on to bigger things in the UK or even here in the states. Can you imagine Devlin stepping up to North American Champion Keith Lee or even soon-to-be NXT Champion Velveteen Dream?

Even if Kushida doesn’t take the title, he could still be an established star on 205 Live to help carry the brand going forward. We also have new breakout stars like Swerve and Wilde to take on those who were angered by their comeuppance. How about a heel turn for Breeze?

While these are all hypothetical situations, I’m excited to see where the Cruiserweight division will go post-WrestleMania when all is right with the world.

Next. WWE: Ranking every NXT ladder match (so far). dark

Who would you book to win the 2020 Cruiserweight tournament?

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