WWE have unveiled a new General Manager for 205 Live as the company’s attempts to rescue the under-fire and ailing brand began in earnest.
Drake Maverick (aka Rockstar Spud) has been appointed as the new authoritative face of Tuesday night’s weekly Cruiserweight showcase.
Maverick, a wrestler of some pedigree from Birmingham, England, has been under contract to WWE since October 2017 but issues pertaining to his United States working visa have kept him shelved until his debut on Tuesday night.
Those in the know were tipped a wink by commentators Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph, who alluded to Maverick’s former potato-based moniker.
Maverick’s first order of business was to confirm a 16-man tournament for the Cruiserweight Championship; vacated after the non-kayfabe firing of Enzo Amore on January 22nd.
The tournament brackets will take place on the 205 Live broadcasts and will culminate with the two finalists squaring off at WrestleMania 34 on April 8th at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The first two matches of the tournament took place after Maverick’s debut, seeing Tyler Bate suffer defeat at the hands of TJP and Cedric Alexander dispose of Gran Metalik.
Next week’s show will feature Hideo Itami taking on NXT favourite Roderick Strong, while Lince Dorado will clash with Kalisto in a bout that promises to teach gravity a lesson or two.
Known as either Rockstar Spud or simply Spud, the newly-christened Maverick has enjoyed a storied career that began in 2001.
After plying his trade in a phalanx of British promotions including the well-established Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Maverick reached Impact (then known as TNA).
His time at Impact brought him to a new audience, and his off-kilter personality and looks saw him as Dixie Carter’s on-screen Chief of Staff before a star turn in the X Division saw him eventually defeat Low Ki for the X Division Championship.
Not long thereafter, and in an event only Impact could contrive, he lost to Broken Matt Hardy’s son, King Maxel.
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