HOTSEAT: CEDRIC ALEXANDER
ON A WRESTLEMANIA that included both The Undertaker and Daniel Bryan coming out of retirement, Ronda Rousey looking great in her first pro wrestling match, and a 10-year-old fan being plucked from the crowd and winning a championship, one of the overlooked feel-good moments of the night came on the Kickoff Show.
On the second match of the night, and before the main card even began, Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali in the finals of the tournament to crown a new WWE cruiserweight champion. There wasn’t a rivalry, or even nor much of a storyline building up to the bout. All fans needed to know was that they were watching two young, gifted, and hungry wrestlers competing in the biggest match of their lives. What’s not to like?
And, really, that question could be asked about everything having to do with Alexander, the affable Charlotte, North Carolina, native who is living out a dream that began when he was a fan enamored with the brand of highflying wrestling popularized by WCW’s cruiserweight division two decades ago.
His journey to WrestleMania took him through the independent scene, a six-year stint in Ring of Honor, and eventually to WWE’s 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament. There, he turned more than a few heads, including that of WWE Executive Vice President Paul “Triple-H” Levesque, who was so impressed with Alexander’s performance in a losing effort against Kota Ibushi that he came to ringside and offered him a contract on the spot.
Since Enzo Amore was stripped of the cruiserweight title and parted ways with WWE in January, Alexander has anchored a revitalized 205 Live that has focused less on catchphrases and characters, and more on top-flight athleticism. In this interview with PWI Senior Writer Al Castle, Alexander explained why that’s right up his alley.
“I’m just a guy
