WWE Raw’s Cruiserweight Division Has Failed So Far
By Jay Sichler
After its initial run of success on the WWE Network, the brand new cruiserweight division has been an absolute disappointment so far on RAW.
It has been a tough few months for the WWE RAW brand. Ever since the draft, the once Flagship Show has been playing second fiddle to its competition on Tuesday night’s, Smackdown Live. RAW has lacked in storylines, talent, and depth in both the tag and women’s divisions.
With most fans aligning themselves with Team Blue over Team Red, RAW needed something to separate themselves from Smackdown Live. Many people thought it would be the fact that they exclusively had the cruiserweight division.
After the success of the Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network, many fans were excited to see this division on the main roster. However, the cruiserweight division has already become a major dud on RAW.
A reason why the division has failed is because of the lack of promo strength of the competitors. A positive and luxury that the CWC had was being able to produce pre-recorded vignettes and promos on the talent. This helped the talent focus on their work in the ring while the production crew focused on their vignettes helping the fans get to know the talent. However, with RAW being live, WWE does not have the opportunity to this.
If something didn’t go right, or the promo wasn’t flowing, the production crew in the CWC could redo it or start from the beginning. RAW can’t do this, as it is either perfect or it going to be a dud. Sadly for RAW, the promos have been terrible. With the exception of Brian Kendrick, none of the talents are particularly strong on the microphone.
More wwe: Power Ranking the Top 25 NXT Alumni
This makes it hard for the casual fan to care about the talent. If their personality doesn’t show, they come off as just another wrestler. TJ Perkins seems to be the main culprit so far in this issue.
As the champion of the division, he should be well rounded. However, he has been awful on the microphone with his promos being extremely boring. If the division wants to grow they need their champion to be both the leader on the microphone and in the ring.
More from Daily DDT
- It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
- Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
- Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
- Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
- Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline
Another major issue is the match quality. When you think of this exciting division you feel it should be fast paced with some spots, close counts, and high drama. However, since being on the main card, none of these matches have stood out. The matches have been even been boring.
Back in days of WCW, the first hour of the show was usually dedicated to the cruiserweight division. On RAW, however, the matches have been seen more as filler, now becoming the bathroom break portion of the show.
The last issue with the new division is the way the ring is presented on RAW. While some fans have liked the purple ropes and ring mat, I have been against it. Changing the ropes makes the division feel like they are not worthy to be on RAW.
Notice that the tag and women’s division don’t have a different theme during their segments. If the cruiserweights going to be on RAW, then they should be using the red ropes. The cosmetic change does seem big but it really makes the difference.
With the division being so new, the changes needed to be made can still be done with still keeping the division fresh. RAW certainly needs help and fixing this brand new division, can surely help fix the brand.
Can the cruiserweight division mirror the success that the division in WCW in the 90’s had? It’s hard to say at the moment but if RAW wants to begin to compete with Smackdown, then their new division will really need to step it up.