WWE 205 Live: Aiden English Added to Commentary Through WrestleMania
With 205 Live moving back to Tuesday nights and a live timeslot, WWE is trying to shake things up and drum up support for the brand. They’ve continued to do so by announcing a new addition on commentary in the form of Aiden English, who will reportedly be part of the team through at least WrestleMania.
WWE announced earlier today that there will be a new voice on commentary for 205 Live moving forward as SmackDown Live’s Aiden English will join Vic Joseph and Nigel Mcguinness at the commentary table. Aiden English has struggled to find a place on SmackDown since departing from Rusev’s side, but he’s not got a new challenge ahead.
It’s not surprising that WWE has finally decided to go with a three-man commentary team for 205 Live, which they already do for Raw, SmackDown Live, and NXT. 205 Live was the odd brand out for this, but it looks like they’re getting a boost heading into the Road to WrestleMania.
Despite WWE’s lack of promotion of 205 Live on their flagship shows Raw and SmackDown, the brand has continued to improve over the last year. With the departure of Enzo Amore in early 2018 and the takeover by General Manager Drake Maverick, 205 Live has quietly become one of the more consistent hours of television in WWE.
Cedric Alexander captured the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 34 in the culmination of a weeks-long tournament after Enzo was stripped of the title due to his release by WWE. Alexander proceeded to lead the division until he was defeated by Buddy Murphy at Super Show-Down in October.
While Buddy Murphy has been a spectacular champion and put on great matches at every turn, another factor in the brand’s growth has been a man once known as “The Heart and Soul of 205 Live,” Mustafa Ali. While Ali is now on SmackDown, he was instrumental in elevating the brand.
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Without Ali, 205 Live has a new challenge to keep their momentum going as the brand returns to Tuesday nights. They’ll still have the challenge of keeping the live crowd invested as the show will tape immediately following SmackDown Live, but they’ve certainly got all the pieces to make it happen.
WWE has called this move a shake-up and indicated it’s just to boost things heading into WrestleMania, but Aiden English could certainly leverage this opportunity into a full-time commentary role in the future. WWE also mentioned in the announcement that English has been working on his commentary skills at the WWE Performance Center.
Even WWE’s Michael Cole had kind words for English and his potential moving forward:
"“We wanted to do something special for WrestleMania season, and Royal Rumble week kicks off the Road to WrestleMania. We’ve been working with Aiden at the WWE Performance Center to see if he has the chops, and it turns out he’s pretty good.”"
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Tonight will be our first chance to hear the operatic voice of Aiden English join the team on 205 Live, and he should be a fantastic addition if his prior history is any indication. While always an accomplished in-ring competitor, Aiden’s strength has always been when he has a microphone, so he could be a permanent asset to WWE as a commentator.