205 Live: Time for WWE to End the Experiment of Separate Cruiserweight Division

Cruiserweight wrestling has captivated WWE fans for years with an exciting, up-tempo style that unmistakably defines these high flyers and their in-ring abilities. But is 205 Live having the desired effect?

WWE has attempted a comeback of cruiserweight action with 205 Live over the past year, but since the first episode of 205 Live on November 29, 2016, the division and show has been fighting an uphill battle. Interest has just not been there for 205 Live and it doesn’t appear as if it will ever come.

205 Live continuously garners low viewership on the WWE Network and this begs the question, is there a purpose for 205 Live moving forward? The answer simply is no. It’s not an indictment of the talent in the division because some of the most talented performers in WWE reside in the cruiserweight division. But WWE has not done nearly enough to get fans invested in the product.

When wrestling fans think about cruiserweight action, they think of fast-paced, up-tempo action where competitors are going a million miles an hour at most times. But too many times on 205 Live, the action is too ground-based. The excitement is few and far between, which defeats the purpose of having a cruiserweight division. If WWE was serious about this division, it would allow for more cruiserweight characteristics on a consistent basis.

Outside of just the in-ring action not being on par with typical cruiserweight styles, the storylines aren’t up to par either. There are just too many moving pieces and not enough clarity in the storylines on 205 Live and more times than not, the storylines mean nothing and fans can’t get invested in them.

WWE does the cruiserweight division no favors by putting 205 Live on after SmackDown goes off the air every Tuesday. Many fans in attendance of SmackDown often leave early and miss 205 Live. Why can’t WWE just put 205 Live on before SmackDown? It would make it feel more like a focal point than an afterthought for not only the live crowds, but the WWE Network viewers as well.

Not to mention, the division has taken a couple big talent hits over the past few months as well. The first came when Austin Aries was released in July amid rumors of him being unhappy with his position in WWE. Aries was focused heavily on 205 Live, but as a relatively world-renowned pro wrestler, it’s hard to fault Aries for wanting more than a top spot in the cruiserweight division.

The most recent hit the division has taken has been the status of Neville. The King of the Cruiserweights dominated 205 Live for months and his work on the show garnered much praise from the WWE universe as the only saving grace of the division. But after apparently walking out on the company in October, Neville might have seen his last day in WWE.

A recent kick in the pants 205 Live received was the addition of the charismatic Enzo Amore. But while Enzo’s arrival helped spark some interest in the division for a while, that interest has seemingly died back down to the status quo. Enzo’s character also more or less buries the other competitors in 205 Live and makes the show seem even less important than it’s perceived to be.