After loads of hype, the Cruiserweight Division has been on Raw programming for several weeks now. We’ve seen some solid in-ring action, but a lot of wrestling fans seem to feel as though the Division hasn’t quite clicked yet. I’m guilty of this as well, honestly – I, along with many others, expected “late 90s WCW Cruiserweight Division” right off the bat.
Between the Cruiserweight Classic and the month of vignettes leading up to its debut, I thought this was going to be the talk of the wrestling world for the rest of 2016. How could it go wrong with guys like Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr., and Cedric Alexander involved?!? Oh, wait – what? Ibushi and ZSJ didn’t sign? My bad. Old wounds. Moving on.
TJ Perkins won the Cruiserweight Classic, becoming the first Cruiserweight Champion in the process, and so, the focal point of the division. That was all well and good at the time, but it didn’t take long to see that they weren’t pushing Perkins as much as they were pushing this underdog story of rising from homelessness to performing in a WWE ring. It fell miserably flat. Now, they’ve corrected course and put the strap on The Brian Kendrick.
Also, BREAKING NEWS: I’m still calling him The Brian Kendrick, because that’s the man with the plan that I love. The Wizard of Odd.
But, the Cruiserweight Division is starting to pick up some steam. Noam Dar just had a spectacular Raw debut, Tony Nese and Drew Gulak have played flawless foils, Cedric Alexander is still being Cedric Alexander, and the Division is getting in on the brand rivalry at Survivor Series.
It’s Raw’s Kendrick vs. Smackdown’s Kalisto. If Kalisto wins, the Cruiserweight Division comes to Smackdown. I can’t wait for this one.
But, one of the biggest catalysts for the Cruiserweight Division’s takeoff is the immeasurable charisma and immaculate ring presence of one Rich Swann.
The Baltimore native is the walking, dancing embodiment of confidence and, man to man, quite frankly, is the smoothest cat in the wrestling world. Yeah, I’ll say it. And, the people are starting to respond to him. Maybe that was a lack of foresight on my part – not realizing that most WWE fans don’t know who he is. I was a little bummed that 20,000 people weren’t dancing in unison at the first sight of him, but audiences will get there.
Plain and simple – Swann is that Friday feeling personified. You can’t explain it – you’re just on top of the world. You’ve hopefully wrapped up all your hard work up for the week, you’re calling your boys/girls, making plans, and you’re, for lack of a better term, on that straight fire hype train.
Wait, did we just coin a new nickname for Swann? “That Straight Fire Hype Train” Rich Swann – yeah, has a solid ring to it. I’m running with it.
In my book, Swann’s in the running with Braun Strowman for breakout star of the year. But, what makes this man so obviously great? Let Big Natural get his outline on and I’ll tell you.
Amazing story
The narrative with Perkins was more about being homeless than it was, “oh hey – this TJ Perkins guy is a freaking awesome wrestler with a totally unique style and presentation.” I’d be cautious not to repeat that mistake with Swann, but it’s worth mentioning because people react empathetically to these sorts of stories.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6angczPeMhI]
If you have a dry eye or are not in the least bit inspired right now, then GTFO. That’s the kind of stuff legends are made of. Swann’s life is like that of a superhero.
In-ring skills
You can watch Swann for two minutes and understand that this guy is special in between the ropes. At time, I forget that he’s human – it’s as if he legitimately has wings. But, it’s not just the ‘flippy shit’ that makes him great. It’s his timing. He knows the exact moment to pop up, look at the crowd, and flash that smile. People eat that stuff up.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVPLsdgbV7o]
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Swann and Jose should never NOT be a tag team. These two connect with audiences in the most fun, imaginative way possible. That’s high praise. But, they can put on a damn good match, too.
It won’t be long before Raw audiences are chanting, “Can you….handle this? CAN YOU HANDLE THIS?”
And, my personal favorite, his match against Finn Balor:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJh8gIVtCE]
He’s just a barrel of positive energy
Likability is huge in wrestling. Swann is one of those rare wrestlers who can emit charisma by simply stepping out from behind the curtain. Historically, those guys have an edge in the business. Swann’s music makes you want to dance, his performance makes you want to cheer, and seeing a guy with his background succeed makes you want to cry.
He could absolutely be the face of this Division, and could become one of the faces of Monday Night Raw. Just, please, Mr. McMahon, I know you’re sitting there with a huge boner imagining Swann in the New Day. Don’t do it – let him be his own man.
I like seeing him chase the Cruiserweight Champion, and Kendrick is just the grumpy curmudgeon to serve as Swann’s antithesis. I’d rather they save it until Swann has developed a feverish sort of following, but I’ll take it either way. Once he “gets there,” so to speak, it’ll be a great moment.
Bottom line: Swann got me walking into the weekend like…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXS7kEETt2M]
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork
