Rey Mysterio Should Make Surprise 205 Live Appearances

It Can Help Make The WWE Universe Feel More Connected

WWE supplies its fans with a seemingly endless slate of programming. If you add up Raw, SmackDown, 205 Live, NXT, the Mae Young Classic, and the smattering of additional Network specials, WWE fans can end up consuming upwards of 10 hours of content per week. And that’s just the amount of time they spend watching WWE, since there are so many other promotions out there.

While WWE has repeatedly indicated that they don’t expect their fans to watch every hour of their programming, the truth is that wrestling fans are so hardcore that they do follow multiple shows. Even if they don’t watch every week, I’d hazard a guess that the majority of network subscribers at least pay attention to 205. They know who most of the wrestlers are, and they’ve probably seen the big Alexander, Ali, Murphy, and Kalisto matches in 2018.

Sometimes it feels like all of these individual shows exist in their own bubbles, with wrestlers rarely appearing outside of their brand. We do see cross-branding with the main roster shows more frequently than initially expected, especially since PPVs post-WrestleMania 34 are now co-branded events.

However, wrestlers on 205 Live and NXT seldomly get to mix it up with others. That has started to change recently, as the loquacious Lio Rush is Bobby Lashley’s manager, and we’ve seen Drew Gulak appear on Raw to help beat up The Shield.

That could open the door for more interaction between 205 Live and the “outside world”. After all, their GM, Drake Maverick, is the mouthpiece for the Authors of Pain, who have been on the rise ever since Maverick replaced Paul Ellering.

205 Live’s stars are rising in stock, and the show as a whole seems to be on the “up”. The quality of the matches – and the show as a whole – have improved exponentially since Triple H took over, and the viewership has apparently increased due to the time change. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, then, that we’re seeing cruiserweights appear on other shows more, Nese’s match against Gargano included.

Mysterio could help bring more unity between WWE shows by getting some matches in on Wednesday nights. It doesn’t have to be much, and it should only happen once in a blue moon. But when it does, it’ll feel special and give WWE fans more of the “anything can happen” feeling that they love. It can make 205 more must-see and plant a seed that Cruiserweight Division wrestlers are important.

They’re appearing on Raw as managers, meaning they are interacting with main roster competitors in a more meaningful way than just being the sideshow they were on Raw in the past. That bodes well for the chances of Mysterio’s hypothetical 205 Live appearances actually increasing inter-brand unity.