I first started watching Ring of Honor weekly in the summer of 2014, but by the fall, I stopped tuning in because I had lost interest in the product. However, once I got back into it the subsequent summer upon its (brief) move to Destination America, one of the first matches I saw featured Cedric Alexander beating Moose, handing the previously undefeated star his premier singles loss in ROH.
It was a memorable moment for the young Alexander, and at that moment, I immediately took notice of him. Of course, his exceptional in-ring work only made me a bigger fan of his over time, and it was apparent to me early on that he had the tools necessary to be a big star in the promotion.
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And with a win over Moose, that seemed to be in the cards for the up-and-coming athlete.
Unfortunately, the feud didn't pan out too well for Alexander, and within a matter of months, he was worse off than he was prior to the program. Sure, they contested a strong series of matches together, but he hardly benefited from working with Moose, to whom he lost on almost every occasion from that point forward.
By the end of 2015, it appeared ROH had no plans on ever utilizing him the right way, so he made the smart decision to leave the promotion when his contract expired this past spring. It didn't take long for rumors to run rampant that he was headed for WWE, and by mid-June, it was officially announced that he was set to take part in the upcoming Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network along with 31 of the very best the business has to offer.
Alexander entered the competition as just another name with a bit of buzz when he debuted during the weigh-ins in early July.
But when he took on Clement Petiot in a first round match on the show’s season premiere, he turned heads with his performance. He had that “star” aura about him when he made his entrance, and with a win in his first ever WWE match, it was evident he was bound for big things in the tournament.
His next match came on the Aug. 10 episode, facing off against fellow fan favorite Kota Ibushi in a second round match. Fans had a hunch, going in, that they were capable of contesting a great match, but no one knew they would have the kind of classic they ultimately produced.
Between their magical chemistry to the phenomenal drama of the match and there never being a dull moment, the audience in attendance at Full Sail University (as well as everyone watching from home) was in absolute awe. They had stolen my breath away with their unbelievable outing.
The crowd was on their feet applauding both men at various points throughout the matchup and offered them a standing ovation following Ibushi's hard-fought victory. But before the emotional Alexander could exit the arena, he was greeted with an incredible endorsement from one Triple H, the man in charge of creating the Cruiserweight Classic and a keen eye for talent.
This came after an amazing “Please sign Cedric!” chant from the crowd, leaving fans to wonder whether he would be signed to a contract at some point. Needless to say, Alexander will surely find himself under the WWE banner before long, especially with the Cruiserweight division set to return to the Raw brand in the next month or so.
Not only that, but Alexander could very well prove to be the next big thing for WWE.
At 26-years-old, Alexander is a prodigy and has plenty of potential to rise through the ranks and become much more than a cruiserweight competitor. Not to say that would be a bad thing as some stars are merely meant to be just that, but Alexander's upside and future are far too bright for him to be relegated to that division forever.
In my opinion, SmackDown is the proving ground for the talent of tomorrow. With Apollo Crews, Kalisto, Baron Corbin and others fighting for their right to be the next breakout star in WWE, Alexander would be right at home on the blue brand. A run with the Intercontinental Championship wouldn't be out of the question, either, and the matches he could have with the likes of Randy Orton, AJ Styles and even John Cena could be spectacular.
Without a doubt, 2016 has been a landmark year for WWE and has featured some of the best wrestling we have seen in several years. That said, few matches got social media and the rest of the wrestling world talking the same way Alexander did with his stellar showing versus Ibushi last Wednesday night. In fact, he was a trending topic on Twitter throughout most of the evening, so WWE would be wise to capitalize off the conversation coming out of that contest by signing Alexander to a deal as soon as possible, assuming they haven't done so already.
ROH barely scratched the surface with what Alexander could achieve, and their loss is now WWE's gain.
