Money in the Bank 2019: 5 potential finishes for the Cruiserweight Championship Match - Ariya Daivari vs Tony Nese

#1 Tony Nese pins Ariya Daivari

The Premier Athlete doesn't plan on being a transitional champion

Tony Nese was essentially forgotten about by mid-2018 when it comes to the cruiserweights. He was simply passed by when Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak stepped up, and he was never able to break onto the title scene of the division.

While it's not exactly talked about in the open, Nese had a difficult time breaking out of the shadow of those that he'd worked with in the past. Two of his fellow Zo Train members, Drew Gulak and Noam Dar, went on to have some great success, even if they didn't hold a title in 2018. Gulak was a formidable opponent for Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander, and on many occasions was a half a second away from taking the title from the Soul of 205 Live. Gulak was also the man to knock Nese out of the first Cruiserweight Championship tournament and was a constant thorn in the side of the Premier Athlete over the past two years.

Noam Dar returned from injury in late 2018 and delivered some serious beat downs to the cruiserweight and NXT UK competitors, and has even challenged for the NXT UK Championship. At this point in the year, Nese was...well...he was Buddy Murphy's second in command. Until 2019, really, Nese had lost to every single one of the men on the 205 Live roster that he'd partnered with in the past. However, he's gone through a huge redemption arc, beating Gulak, Dar, and Murphy in only a few months.

In fact, the only one of those men he has yet to beat is Ariya Daivari. And while some feel that Daivari has a lot to prove Sunday, Nese is the one with a lot on his shoulders. Not only does he have to defend his title, but he has to conquer the one man on that list he's yet to defeat. Not to mention, a lot of people have doubts in Nese as champion, wrestlers and the announce desk included.

It's assumed that he doesn't have the killer instinct that previous champions had. At Money in the Bank, though, he'll prove everyone wrong. A dominant win over Daivari is what he needs to prove to the locker room and the WWE Universe that he's the rightful champion of the brand. If he loses his first title defense after Buddy Murphy, then some may say it was a fluke that he defeated the Juggernaut in the first place. If he wins, he's well on his way to breaking out of the shadow that was cast upon him a year ago.