Is WWE Raw’s Cruiserweight Division Already a Failure?

With the recent announcement of the upcoming “205 Live” program on the WWE Network, is the company admitting Raw’s cruiserweight division is a failure?

The cruiserweight division had the possibility of being one the best things on Monday Night Raw. After all, most people enjoyed the Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network. The matches were entertaining and the structure of the tournament made every bout matter.

Before the end of the tournament, WWE announced that the cruiserweight division would be returning to Raw. Then on September 19, four wrestlers from the Cruiserweight Classic had a match on Raw to determine who would be the No.1 contender for TJ Perkins’ cruiserweight title.

Raw general manager Mick Foley had the task of putting these guys over by introducing them and telling the fans where they were from. Foley fumbled his words during the promo and then the crowd seemed uninterested in anything he had to say.

Although the four wrestlers put on a solid match that night, the fans in the crowd could care less. The only wrestler who received a loud pop from the fans that night was Brian Kendrick.

Fast forward about a month and a half and nothing has really improved since then. The quality of the matches are not the problem. It is just that the fans have no reason to care about the cruiserweight wrestlers.

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Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins are the only two wrestlers in the division to have an actual storyline in their feud. Every other wrestler has not had the chance to show their personality.

These cruiserweights are just thrown out there in the ring to have a match without any real buildup or reason. Then the WWE expects you to care about these guys.

The cruiserweight division is just a mess at this point. After all the build up, the WWE has failed to deliver the exciting and captivating cruiserweight division they were promising.

Realizing this, the WWE has decided to introduce a new program called “205 Live” that will feature the cruiserweights. The show will air right after SmackDown on the WWE Network and it will be an hour long, just like the Cruiserweight Classic was.

This decision to create a new program could be seen as a sign that WWE has quit on the division, but it shouldn’t be interpreted that way. 205 Live could be WWE’s way of rebooting the division.

Time is something the cruiserweight division does not have on Raw. It is partially the reason why the cruiserweights are not as popular as they should be.

One more hour of programming gives WWE the chance to actually build storylines for the cruiserweights. The wrestlers could also get the chance to show their personalities on the mic, which is something they have not been able to do on Raw.

Recreating the success of the Cruiserweight Classic was never going to be easy. Especially when the cruiserweights are only given ten minutes a week to build up feuds and storylines.

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Adding an extra hour of live programming each week might seem like a lot, but it is really the only way the WWE can salvage the cruiserweight division. It gives these wrestlers time, which is something the desperately need.