WWE Elimination Chamber match proves cruiserweights deserve more

Buddy Murphy and Akira Tozawa proved at WWE Elimination Chamber why the Cruiserweight division deserves more respect.

When you think of the top stars of WWE, very rarely do you think of guys like Buddy Murphy, Akira Tozawa or even The Brian Kendrick. But after Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in Houston, it is way beyond time to give them the credibility they deserve.

Every week, the stars of 205 Live hit the ring to entertain the fans, but unless you’re watching the show weekly on the WWE Network, you don’t really see a great deal of coverage unless they can slide a match onto Raw or SmackDown Live.

The problem is, those two weekly TV programs are also flooded with matches and some individuals that could easily switch places with any number of the 205 Live roster. Case in point is Baron Corbin. Corbin possesses zero charisma. The fans barely want anything to do with him, and would love nothing more than to not see him for a good long time.

Meanwhile, Murphy is running around with the Cruiserweight Championship, and having spectacular matches like the one he had with Tozawa should open a lot of eyes and give him and his contemporaries a chance to shine with the main stars of WWE. Yes, they have their own weekly show and their own platform to showcase their abilities. But nobody is going to offer a legit argument that the cruiserweights shouldn’t get a spot somewhere higher than just the Kickoff Show.

Cedric Alexander is one of the most electric Superstars to watch in the ring. He can move around with the quickness of a cat and knock his opponents’ heads off in the same moment. He could be give guys like Kofi Kingston or even Finn Balor a great match that would open some eyes to not only him, but to the potential of the rest of the cruiserweight division.

Look at the women of WWE. They were in a similar position, getting  short,”filler” matches before pay-per-view events. Now they have Women’s Tag Team Titles, they’ve been included in the Royal Rumble‘s and Elimination Chamber‘s titular events and in turn have made history. Given the chance, the cruiserweights could follow that same lead.

Kendrick has been through the ringer with WWE through the years. If anyone could help the younger guys find a way to shine and make a statement, he would have the veteran knowledge to do it and make it promising.

At some point, WWE officials need to take notice of these guys, and the sooner, the better. They are more than capable of getting the crowd behind their matches, as the “this is awesome” chants on Sunday night (in a partially-full arena) during the Tozawa-Murphy contest demonstrated. These matches would be a perfect fit as even a pay-per-view opener or a mid-card match to set up a main event attraction.