Opinion: Buddy Murphy should defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania

About a year ago, a Cruiserweight Buddy Murphy made his debut for 205 Live, against Ariya Daivari in a Cruiserweight Championship tournament qualifying match. Little did anyone know what a run he'd go on to have from that point on. Few people who watched Murphy in that match vs Daivari were assured he's talented enough to make it big on the brand, while others were far from convinced of his performance. Murphy ended up winning that match, wrestling very much like a face and advancing to the quarterfinals.

His second match of the tournament was against Mustafa Ali and this match damn sure opened a lot of eyes for his detractors. Both wrestled at a frantic pace, outmaneuvering each other through a series of high flying and power moves, while the story followed to be about Murphy's arm which he injured by a 450 splash from Mustafa. Buddy ended up losing the match via a rollup but the score between both of them was far from settled. From that point on, the sky was the limit for his potential onto the 205 brand. By winning his next match in a Fatal 4 Way consisting of Akira Tozawa, TJP and Kalisto, he became the new number one contender and what followed for him that year made him an instant favorite to the hardcore fans of the 205 Live brand.

Murphy then went on to have a series of classics with the like of Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Kalisto, and so on and became the MVP of the show for the year 2018. The pièce de résistance of the first year of his run on the brand was the No Disqualification match vs Mustafa Ali. This was a vital match not only for their careers but also for the brand in general. It put a lot of eyes on the brand and showed how great of a resurgence it has had over the past few months before it. And months since, Ali has made a great name for himself on the SmackDown brand while Murphy sits a top of the Cruiserweight division as its champion, winning it at the Super Show-Down in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia defeating Cedric Alexander.

Now, seemingly 'Unstoppable' (as his nickname on the show suggests), Murphy has faced all comers, defeating them in convincing fashion and it doesn't seem like anyone is going to stop his dominance. He's gone as far as to label himself as the GCOAT (Greatest Cruiserweight Of All Time). With no end in sight, and him demanding more competition to prove himself worthy of that nickname, it's time for him to prove his worth against possibly the greatest ever and a former Cruiserweight champion himself, Rey Mysterio.

Yes, Rey Mysterio has had a great run since returning to the company in October of last year, wrestling a series of great matches, and is currently having an instant classic worthy of a series against Andrade. But with that feud seeming to reach its conclusion soon, there won't be anything much left for Rey to do heading into the Grandest Stage of Them All. Instead, it would be nice to see him go back to where he made his name first on the wrestling scene.

If he fights for the Cruiserweight Championship, a lot of eyes will be on 205. Rey Mysterio has been a household name for the casual fans for so many years. His style, size and his underdog spirit have always left the fans in awe and at the age of 44, he is guaranteed to put up an incredible match even to this day. There's all the more reason for him to put in an excellent showing against someone like Murphy. This will also be a major boost and the payoff of all the hard work 205 has put in over the course of a year.

As an athletic contest, these two would be a great match for one another. Since moving to 205 Live, the reigning Cruiserweight Champion has been a jack of all trades, acquiring moves from different styles into his arsenal. But he mostly uses high flying, power and striking moves, which is a good contrast to Rey, who is one of the most revered names in Lucha Libre. A proficient high flyer who has made a career out of defeating bigger opponents, and Murphy would be no exception.

Either way, exciting times ahead for 205 Live.