The last two weeks alone prove that WWE 205 Live has been killing it this year. It’s time to start giving the Cruiserweights the respect they deserve.
WWE 205 Live until recently lacked the luster and innovation that made fans rave over the highly acclaimed Cruiserweight Classic. The talent on its roster was evident which made it all the more frustrating to witness them get jammed after Smackdown to perform in front of a silent and tired crowd.
The previous 205 Live regime appeared hell-bent on making the cruiserweights into characters they weren’t meant to play. The video packages that got people invested in the competitors from the Cruiserweight Classic were substituted for segments that were more miss than hit. Drew Gulak was arguably the only current 205 Liver that benefitted from this character focus.
Almost immediately after the departure of then-reigning Cruiserweight champion, Enzo Amore, Triple H took the creative reigns over the land of the Cruiserweights and there has been a drastic boost in quality.
Drake Maverick has a case to make as one of—if not the most—underrated authority figures in wrestling. His show-opening rundowns of the night build excitement for the matches to come and atypical to most authority figures in history, his presence is welcome rather than obnoxious.
Everyone on the show is coming into their own. Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali—on top of the already great matches under their belt—put on a masterpiece of a No Disqualification match that may have earned them the title of the best rivalry in 205 Live history.
TJP is excelling as 205 Live’s disgruntled ex-champion. While continuously squashing inferior competition would’ve eventually gotten tiresome, his quick defeat at the hands of the returning Noam Dar has given light to a new rivalry.
In addition to improving the momentum of its current roster, 205 Live has become a place for underused talent the added screen time to earn the audience’s investment that they didn’t have in other places. Lio Rush is a prime example.
With how big name independent prospects are typically treated in NXT, it was surprising that Rush came in to little fanfare. Instead of a big NXT Takeover debut, only had a handful of matches in NXT, usually coming out on the losing end of them. On 205 Live, Rush’s newfound cocky attitude is giving him a second wind and his brewing tension with Akira Tozawa is slowly turning into one of the program’s highlights.
Cedric Alexander has been putting on spectacles as the head honcho of the Cruiserweight division, recently beating Hideo Itami in a match miles better than the lifeless crowd would lead viewers to believe. As Cedric has already toppled most of 205 live’s top contenders, a rematch with either Hideo, Mustafa Ali, or Buddy Murphy is likely until a new challenger emerges.
Next: WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Staff Predictions
Especially in recent weeks, 205 Live has entered the conversation for WWE’s best weekly programming. For anyone who hasn’t been actively watching 205 Live, you’re missing out on a product that has made leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year.