The Campaign for a Better 205 Live enters what may be its final stage as Drew Gulak challenges Cedric Alexander

There are arguably no two men in the cruiserweight division more driven than Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak.

Cedric famously lost thirty pounds to qualify for the Cruiserweight Classic and, while not initially on WWE’s radar to be brought in full-time, elicited such a response with his performance in that tournament that Triple H himself had to personally come out to respond to the crowd’s deafening “Please sign Cedric!” chants.

But Alexander is a lone wolf, and Drew has been a leader of men everywhere he’s gone, from his original Campaign for a Better Combat Zone in CZW, to his part in Chuck Taylor’s Gentleman’s Club, to founding Catch Point in Evolve alongside his protege “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams, and even to his attempts to wrangle former Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore’s Zo Train into something approaching a lean, mean force for dominance on 205 Live.

Driven to the margin of error

Both men have scraped and fought to get here. Cedric Alexander outlasted the other fifteen men in the tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion earlier this year, beating Gran Metalik, TJ Perkins TJP, Roderick Strong, and finally Mustafa Ali in the finals to take the title he now holds.

Drew Gulak, meanwhile, seemed largely shut out of the title scene for months after losing to Ali in the semifinals (after beating Tony Nese and Mark Andrews to get there) of that same tournament. Gulak would only get one opportunity to secure himself a contendership in the months that followed, falling in the final stretch of a gauntlet match to former champion Kalisto in April.

But good things come to those who wait, and after gathering some allies in the form of Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher (see, the man loves putting factions together!), Drew finally got his shot in a scramble last month, clawing past Ali, TJP, and Hideo “RESPECT ME” Itami to earn this shot at Cedric.

Driven to the edge of control

Let’s take a look at the numbers, shall we?

Since coming to WWE, Cedric and Drew have faced off five times in singles action. (Inexplicably, and I was shocked by this, they never once had a singles in all their time on the indies!) By records alone, Alexander has a 3-2 lead, which makes a degree of sense given that, you know, he got to the title first and all. But if you look at the match times, a more interesting story develops.

Both of Gulak’s victories came in matches that were six minutes or less. Could that be the deciding factor here? Even a passing knowledge of shoot-style pro wrestling will tell you that the mat grappling arts lend themselves to quick and decisive victories, and perhaps no one in WWE today (perhaps aside from the American Dragon himself, Daniel Bryan) is a better technical wrestler than Drew Gulak.

And indeed, both of Cedric’s victories over Gulak’s associates Kendrick and Gallagher in recent weeks have been longer affairs, prime slabs of television match action. If Alexander can keep his motor running, if he can just outlast Drew on the mat, he may well be able to bring his arsenal of deadly kicks and devastating backbreakers to bear and keep the title wrapped around his waist.

Will Drew Gulak prevail at long last in his Campaign for a Better 205 Live or does the Age of Alexander reign a while longer still?