Why 205 Live Isn’t As Bad As People Say

WWE’s cruiserweight division has been the topic of conversation for well over a year now, for better or for worse. Fans all over were rejoicing about the return of the division, and a new emphasis on its importance, when the Global Cruiserweight Series was announced early last year. Excitement grew, even with the sudden re-branding to the Cruiserweight Classic, as qualifying matches were held in independents both in the US and in England.

By the time the CWC hit our screens, dare I say it, it was the hottest thing WWE did that year. Yes, the dream feud of AJ Styles vs John Cena happened last year. Yes, Charlotte and Sasha Banks revolutionized women’s wrestling last year. But week in and week out, fans tuned in to watch what the cruiserweights could really do. This wasn’t just the flippidy do-das that had become associated with the division since it’s popularity gain in the 90s either. People were tuning in to watch stiff strikers, torturous technicians, gripping grapplers and some of the best storytelling on WWE programming at the time.

We reached the live finale and everything had been perfect to that point. Then the cruiserweight championship was revealed. A brand new title that was devoid of the questionable champions such as Oklahoma and Hornswoggle. A fresh start for a division that Triple H was completely invested in. What a glorious moment it was when TJ Perkins won the title and it was confirmed he and a select few other tournament participants would be appearing on the Raw brand.

That’s where many people feel the miscues began. TJ Perkins not appearing on Raw for the cruiserweights’ debut was questioned by the fans, especially seeing as a number one contender for his championship had been decided. The first pay-per-view match had no story behind it and no one really cared. Brian Kendrick won the title on his second try at Hell In A Cell, then the criticisms of the first champion’s reign being short started circulating the web.

The cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live was announced and it was discovered it would air after SmackDown. Kalisto challenged Brian Kendrick to the Cruiserweight title at Survivor Series with the stipulation that the division would move to SmackDown if Kalisto won. Kendrick retained and fans were left scratching their heads going into the debut episode of 205 Live. This is where, I believe, WWE began to put more time and effort into getting the division over.

So why, after Neville has been putting in tremendous work as champion, after Jack Gallagher built up a strong following with his unique character, after Austin Aries’ transition from commentator to competitor provided star power to the division, after awe-inspiring match after awe-inspiring match – why does nobody seem to care about the cruiserweight division?

A lot of people point at the presentation of the division, mostly at 205 Live. My objective today is to explain to you why I think 205 Live is the perfect platform for the cruiserweight division, why I tune in each and every week and why WWE keeps committing to it.

Firstly, I would like to bring attention to the criticisms I do agree with. The purple ropes and mat change for all cruiserweight division matches and segments on Raw just makes them feel like they are invading the show, and aren’t a part of Raw programming at all. At the London Raw taping I watched last month, Alicia Fox was just stood at ringside waiting for all the cruiserweight ring aesthetics to be removed so she could get in the ring, creating this awkward moment for everyone involved, I’m sure. The layout worked perfectly during the Cruiserweight Classic, as it really made the show feel different. WWE had done nothing like this before and they really went out of their way to make it look just as fresh as the concept behind it. It still works for 205 Live as well. Being its own show it should have its own colour scheme and brand, like NXT does and like Main Event used to.

When we’re tuning into Monday Night Raw, the ropes should stay red and the mat should be the same as it normally is. And while we’re at it, why not have the cruiserweights mix it up with not only people in their division, but outside of it as well? WWE seems to be desperately trying to rectify this with the inclusion of Sasha Banks and the Titus Brand into recent cruiserweight storylines, but at the same time Finn Bálor, Kalisto and Enzo Amore are battling heavyweights, despite being under 205 lbs.

On the other side of the divide you’ve got Neville, who reached the King of the Ring final, has challenged for the United States Championship, the WWE Championship and almost won a Money In The Bank Ladder match. He is now no longer able to slay the giants he once was and has to stick with wrestling guys of similar size and stature to him.

So are there things that could be done to improve the cruiserweight division? Absolutely. It’s a young development in the age-old WWE landscape and it needs time to evolve and expand. I believe, however, that 205 Live is not where the problems lie. In fact, I think 205 Live is the best thing the cruiserweights have going for them at the moment. They get given an hour to themselves an the matches and storylines are given suitable time to develop each and every week. The matches are often incredible and the cruiserweights themselves are phenomenal performers.

Let’s tackle the obvious issue first. Many fans perceive the crowd are dead during cruiserweight matches, especially for 205 Live. That is a fact that cannot be denied. What I am going to defend, however, is how a silent crowd doesn’t necessarily mean an uncaring crowd.

I’ll set the scene – You’ve just watched SmackDown Live in the arena. You’ve cheered fanatically for AJ Styles, you chanted “10!” as loud as you could for Tye Dillinger (during a dark match, obviously), you sang along with Nakamura’s theme song every time it was played. 205 Live was included in the price of your ticket. Although you don’t have the Network, or haven’t really had time to watch the show before, you’ve enjoyed Neville’s work as cruiserweight Champion on Raw and pay-per-views so far, so you stick around to watch 205 Live.

Your voice is weak from Styles, Dillinger and Nakamura and you hardly know anyone on the show. At this point, you can literally just watch the show as if you were watching at home, concentrating on what’s going on, really focusing on the action and the story being told in the ring. This is the exact experience a friend of mine had when we went to see Raw and SmackDown in London last month. I remember watching Mustafa Ali vs Tony Nese, which we as the crowd were particularly quiet for, and looking over at him studying the match, lurched forward in his seat. When Ali was named the winner, we agreed we had both just watched a fantastic match. If fans are willing to rest their voices and just watch a great match, rather than feeling bored and chanting “CM PUNK!” and “10!” pointlessly, I am happy for them to do so. I’d pick a silent crowd over a crowd who’d rather make the show about them anyday.

Following the same lines, with people not being overly familiar with the characters and talent on the show, there’s little to no established chants in the cruiserweight division. Aside from Akira Tozawa perfectly finding his own chant with the “HA!” battle cry, no one really knows how to react to the stars most of the time. This stems back to the Cruiserweight Classic, where many wrestlers were unfamiliar to most of the audience. Even though I am a UK native, I was still completely unfamiliar with the work of Jack Gallagher and Zack Sabre Jr and had only watched two matches involving Noam Dar.

Out of 32 people in the Cruiserweight Classic, I’d only heard the names of 15 of them and out of those 15, had only seen 6 of them wrestle. The Classic and 205 Live are both serving the same purpose, in my opinion. These shows are trying to gradually get the WWE Universe more familiar with them, rather than pushing them to the moon straight away and excitedly pointing at them, screaming “LOOK! WE PUSHED THESE GUYS! LIKE THEM NOW PLEASE!”

Ariya Daivari recently commented online that if you go back and watch old FCW shows, you can see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins are having insanely good matches in front of fans that are completely silent. In FCW, Dean and Seth were trying to find themselves, molding each other to become the main event stars they would eventually become. The cruiserweights are a growing division. 205 Live is a growing show, with a roster that apart from a select few, are trying to build their brand and get the WWE Universe connected to it.

Another point I’ve seen raised is that the cruiserweight action on Raw doesn’t seem to have any consequences at all and that it’s all just an advertisement for 205 Live. If you really think about it, can’t you say the same for all action on Raw, SmackDown and even 205 Live? Those shows for the most part are all working towards the same destination most of the time: the next pay-per-view. Unless a rivalry is settled during Raw or SmackDown, are their really any consequences until the PPV? Aren’t Raw and SmackDown just two big advertisements for a Great Balls of Fire or a Money In The Bank? Even then, pay-per-views themselves can sometimes be advertisements for bigger events such as SummerSlam and WrestleMania!

WWE has repeatedly enticed people to watch programming by using other programming, most noticeably the pay-per-view Kickoff shows. If you don’t have the Network, you can watch them live on Facebook or YouTube. During the show, they’ll show you one or two matches, narrate the build for every match that night and entice you into getting the Network on a month long free trial where. With the current pay-per-view schedule, you can watch three of those events for free, including the show being aired immediately after the Kickoff.

The cruiserweight segments on Raw that feel inconsequential are doing the same thing. Why have a show on Tuesday nights for the cruiserweights if you’re going to have all the best matches and story moments take place on Raw? Sure, Raw should have some strong moments and it has had some. Austin Aries making Neville submit for the first time since becoming Champion immediately springs to mind.

I’ve watched every episode of 205 Live since its inception, once live in attendance, and I can honestly say I have never been bored. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the storylines progress and the matches showcasing amazing wrestling ability and storytelling. I hope reading this and taking my points and views into consideration will help some people understand why WWE keeps pushing for 205 Live to succeed and why really, the show isn’t at fault at all. In fact, it’s one of a few things about the cruiserweight division that WWE is actually getting perfectly right.