Matt Sydal comments on whether he'd want to see a Cruiserweight Championship in AEW.
Sydal has wrestled around the world for a range of companies, including TNA, ROH, WWE, AEW, Dragon Gate, PWG, and NJPW. He is a former IMPACT X-Division Champion and a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, among other accolades. Given his accomplishments, he has established himself as one of the most decorated junior heavyweights in the wrestling world today.
In an interview with Steve Fall for WrestlingNewsCo, Sydal was asked about the possibility of AEW introducing a Cruiserweight Championship and whether the company would have room for it. Sydal responded by describing how AEW wrestlers could target NJPW's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He stated that if AEW started a junior heavyweight division, he would be on top, and everyone would be fighting for his spot.
“Yeah, or I mean, we could just start going after the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title because that’s the New Japan title, and I think it has one of the strongest lineages out of any championship in all of pro wrestling. Given that, that would be an iconic belt to represent and to hold. But also if AEW started their own junior heavyweight division or cruiserweight division, whatever you want to call it, that’s my division. I would be owning it, I would be on top of it, and people would be fighting for my spot. When it comes to junior heavyweight wrestling, since the first time I went to Japan, I was winning junior heavyweight belts. It’s just who I am. I’m not trying to be anything other than a guy who’s five-foot-eight, 165 pounds and ready to fight," Sydal said.
Sydal went on to emphasize that he enjoys competing against guys who are in his weight class. He noted that he has faced giants like The Big Show, but he likes the junior heavyweight style. The veteran made it clear that he wants to carry on the legacy of great cruiserweights like Rey Mysterio and Eggie Guerrero.
"I love fighting guys [in] my weight class. I’ve beat Mark Henry, I’ve wrestled The Big Show, I’ve been in there with the biggest guys. But for me, what I want is I want to look somebody square in the eye dead on and go toe-to-toe with somebody who’s of equal skill because I think sometimes styles make fights, and the junior heavyweight division is what got me into wrestling. If it wasn’t for Super Crazy and Tajiri, Rey Mysterio versus Psychosis, Eddie and Dean, all these guys that came before us, that’s what I want to carry forward," Sydal said.
Matt Sydal previously described how Dante Martin has been evolving the sport of wrestling. Check out his comments here.
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