Published: Apr 4, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: Apr 4, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
WWE
TNA Wrestling star Cedric Alexander has shared his honest thoughts on his WWE Cruiserweight Classic match against Kota Ibushi.
The 2016 WWE tournament featured a number of standout matches, including Alexander and Ibushi’s second round match.
With fans chanting for WWE to sign Cedric after the match, Alexander has now spoken about what he believes made this match so special.
Speaking with Know Your Wrestling about this era of WWE’s cruiserweight division, Alexander said:
“That’s probably the most popular time in my career that people remember, just because of the Kota Ibushi match. Everyone remembers that match.
“I saw an interview that he did where he was kind of surprised that people still remember that match ten years later. It really made me think on what made that match so special.
“After thinking about it for forever, it was authentic. From that whole tournament, that whole time, dare I say that whole year, that one match sticks out for what made wrestling beautiful, I think.
“That was a time in my career where no one really knew who I was. People were aware of me, but it was like ‘Oh, this guy’s cool.’ But then they see what I did with Kota and it was like ‘Oh no, this guy’s amazing.’ It really made me feel connected to wrestling more.”
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This match ultimately served as the launchpad for Alexander in WWE, with the star having a nine year run with the company which saw him hold the Cruiserweight, 24/7 and Raw Tag Team titles, and form alliances with MVP, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley in the Hurt Business.
While many fans wanted to see Alexander join this trio – now known as the Hurt Syndicate – in AEW, Alexander recently explained why he chose to join TNA Wrestling instead.
A full reunion featuring Alexander, MVP, Lashley and Benjamin would be welcomed by many fans, however with TNA’s partnership with WWE, this AEW-TNA crossover feels unlikely to happen anytime soon.
With the group splitting ahead of the end of the pandemic, it would be fun to see the four stars in the ring at the same time in front of a live crowd.
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