Biggest Takeaways, Projections Following Debut of WWE Raw Cruiserweight Division

WWE Raw received an injection of adrenaline Monday night in the form of the cruiserweight division.

Following a stellar Cruiserweight Classic tournament on the WWE Network, the company's flagship show welcomed some of the high-flyers and mat wizards who made that event so must-watch.

Cedric Alexander, Gran Metalik and Rich Swann all made their Raw debuts in Memphis, Tennessee. Brian Kendrick returned to WWE after a seven-year absence.

The first taste of cruiserweight action left little doubt that Kendrick is doing the best work of his career and that Alexander has massive potential. The latter wowed in his first Raw outing. The former earned a title match against T.J. Perkins for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Kendrick's victory in the Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender's match on Monday's Raw was a glimpse of what's to come, of how the cruiserweights will motivate the rest of the roster.

Other CWC competitors are expected to join the fray soon. As Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports noted, Jack Gallagher, Noam Dar, Tommaso Ciampa and Lince Dorado are among those on their way to Team Red.

Those newcomers will have to compete with Kendrick for attention, a tough task considering his current momentum.

Kendrick in the Midst of Career Renaissance

The Kendrick that fans saw on WWE TV from 2005 to 2009 is not the same man now prowling the ring.

The Wizard of Odd has long been a fun, high-energy performer, but he has become more than that, growing into a top-notch storyteller in his late 30s. The time he spent in TNA, Japan and on the independent circuit after his WWE exit has clearly been beneficial.

During the CWC, Kendrick was one of the more compelling figures of the event.

Using the art of facial expressions and body language, he played a desperate, crafty opportunist. He and Kota Ibushi delivered one of the tournament's most emotional, most complete matches.

Lance Storm, former WWE tag team champ, praised the story Kendrick told throughout:

On Monday, Kendrick continued his run of strong performances. He flipped and dove around the ring like his foes, but he was also the most intriguing character on the canvas that night.

He was a nasty, sneering man on the edge.

Kendrick will prove more than veteran depth for the division. He has shown himself worthy of being one of its cornerstones.

The Cruiserweights Will Push the Rest of the Roster

From backstage, Raw's roster will watch the cruiserweights tear it up and be hit with a tinge of jealousy when fans start gushing over their work.

Alexander will wow audiences with moves like the Lumbar Check. Metalik will elicit roars from the crowd. Perkins and the rest of the division will produce high-octane bouts that will be the talk of Raw each week.

And the rest of the roster won't want to be outdone.

The Fatal 4-Way match between Kendrick, Alexander, Swann and Metalik was by far the best action of the night.

That kind of thriller will be commonplace with the cruiserweights aboard. Just as NXT's success with its TakeOver specials has seemingly inspired the main roster stars to step up their game at PPVs, Perkins and Co. will motivate Raw's Superstars to push the gas pedal further in their own matches.

Count on wrestlers pulling out more high-risk moves and turning up the volume on their intensity in the ring to not be left behind by the cruiserweights.

Cedric Will Be a Star

The audience won't glom onto every member of this new division, but it's a safe bet it will fall for Alexander.

During his run in the CWC and his Raw debut, Alexander's presence shined on the screen. The former Ring of Honor star stood out in the Fatal 4-Way match Monday, both with his in-ring arsenal and how dramatically he sold his opponents' offense.

The strong performance followed what was arguably the best match of the entire CWC event—Ibushi vs. Alexander. His part in that instant classic inspired the fans in attendance to chant, "Please sign Cedric!"

And on Raw, with a brighter spotlight and more pressure on him, he looked just as smooth and comfortable as he has throughout his career.

Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas believes big success is ahead for him:

It's hard to argue with Korderas there. Alexander is a good-looking super athlete who pours his heart onto the mat. That promises to translate into him being one of the division's key components moving forward.

Time Will Be the Division's Worst Enemy

The biggest roadblock standing in the cruiserweights' way is lack of airtime.

Despite having three hours' worth of Raw each week, WWE has often struggled to find balance. At times, the midcard champs get pushed aside. It's regularly the women whose segments and matches get cut or trimmed down to the bone.

We saw hints of that happening to the cruiserweights on Monday's Raw even though the night was to be their welcoming party.

The way things shook out, WWE didn't have time to introduce the audience to the new cruiserweight champion. Instead, the Kendrick-Perkins standoff was relegated to a post-show YouTube clip.

Meanwhile, Bo Dallas got a squash match, and the show's authority figures were featured several times over. Brandon Stroud of Uproxx pointed out the company's ineffective use of the spotlight:

That has to change for WWE to harness the power of its new toy.

The cruiserweights can't be thrown in without WWE fleshing out the wrestlers' backstories. They can't be asked to put on three-minute matches.

But while Perkins and the men chasing him down all beg for a place on the Raw stage, so does the tag team division, the female Superstars, the midcarders and the marquee stars.

Effectively cramming all that into Raw each week is going to be one hell of a challenge. The cruiserweights, the newest arrivals to the party, may not be high enough of a priority for the company to make sure they get their share.