What's going on with the Cruiserweight Division?

By Liam Croft

 

Ah, the cruiserweights. Commonly known for their gravity defying aerial prowess, cruiserweights have long been an important stitch in the tapestry of professional wrestling. When WWE announced they'd be forming a cruiserweight division of their own in their "New Era," many fans were understandably excited. This heralded a return to high flying action week after week, a throwback to the glory days of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and their countless contemporaries.

If you told the same fans excited about all this that, just over a year after the Cruiserweight Classic, Enzo Amore would be the centrepiece of the division, they'd probably say there was only one word to describe you. It probably wouldn't have been "correct," and yet here we are.

This is not to say that I dislike Enzo- I actually love what he's doing for the division, and I think he's developed into a fantastic heel- but it's difficult to look at the division and say, with all honesty, "this is going as planned." Let's take a look at the talent on display in the division and what they're doing well, and after this, we'll go over how I would run it personally, and challenge WWE to do it better, because I'm a... well, you get the idea.

A wealth of styles, none of them AJ

The great thing about the cruiserweight division is that it's not all flips, bells and whistles. The division also showcases a great deal of other wrestling styles, be it the technical prowess of Jack Gallagher or the more conniving tactics of Ariya Daivari. It's great to see that the division gives a platform to more than just high-flyers- Enzo being the current champion proves that anybody who makes the weight limit and proves they can hang at the top has a chance of success.

What's also great about the division is that they're not reliant on top tier talent to get ahead. Yes, there's been a few main roster exports- looking at Neville, Kalisto and of course Enzo- but WWE have yet to pull the trigger on pulling big stars who'd make the weight class out of the main event scene to bolster the ranks. Sure, throwing Finn Balor on 205 Live would probably get more eyes on the show, but it's entirely possible for the current cruiserweights to be successful without the help of main roster talent.

So, why isn't it working as well as it could be right now?

It's no secret that viewing figures for 205 Live aren't great right now- for that matter, they never really have been. If it were up to me, there's a few changes I'd like to make to change that for the better.

First and foremost, give them some direction. As it stands, the cruiserweights seem to have short term memory issues. Just a few weeks ago, every cruiserweight in the division was attacking Enzo, sacrificing their chance at a title shot. Now, Enzo has a posse of heel cruiserweights agreeing with his every word. Come on WWE, I know most fans don't watch 205 Live, but it's an insult to those that do. How can fans be expected to tune in if the events on screen don't matter week by week?

Make them matter. When the cruiserweights end up on our screens during Raw, it's often an isolated affair, regardless of where it is on the card. It's rare to see main roster talent mixing with cruiserweights, and if they do, it's usually in segments akin to Braun Strowman's decimation of Enzo Amore a few weeks ago. In any case, this makes the cruiserweights feel different- to many fans, this may translate to "inferior." The solution to this, I feel, is to show that cruiserweights are just as talented and legitimate as the talent on Raw or Smackdown Live. To do this, a greater number of cross-promotional segments involving cruiserweights would be a welcome addition, whether that be on the 2 main brands or on 205 Live itself.

You don't need to make the likes of Balor and AJ Styles permanent additions to 205 Live to get eyes on the product, but can you imagine how big of a deal 205 Live would seem if an in-ring appearance from similar top tier talent was advertised beforehand? Have Finn team with Mustafa Ali to take on Gallagher and Kendrick, for example; you'd end up with an incredible showcase of WWE's cruiserweight talent, without taking away from the cruiserweights themselves, all the while encouraging more viewers to tune into their show. Allowing Ali to get the pin doesn't hurt Finn on the main roster either, which makes it even sweeter.

If all else fails, admit the project isn't working or move it. 205 Live is, on paper, a decent concept. Giving cruiserweights their own show should have been a great way for fans to get non-stop, high-octane action on demand. It's ended up as an hour long addition to Tuesday nights that barely anybody can be bothered to watch. Placing the programming after Smackdown Live seemed like a clever way to keep people interested, but the fact is that after 2 hours of SDLive, fans are often too burned out to watch another hour (especially when that hour involves Enzo Amore, how you doin'.) It may be worth moving the show to another timeslot, so that fans know they can catch Raw on Monday, SDLive on Tuesday, NXT on Wednesday and 205 Live on a day of its own. Giving it a timeslot that feels exclusive makes it feel more legitimate- and if that doesn't work, perhaps it's time to admit it might have been a mistake to give the division its own show after all. With 3 hours of Raw, a lot of which is filled with sub-par content anyway, it's not hard to see the cruiserweights fitting in full time.

All in all, I do have a "sawft" spot for Enzo and the division as a whole. I think it can work- I hope it can work- and I feel it's about time WWE took them seriously and made moves to keep the cruiserweights relevant. Only time will tell if the division flips- or flops.

Liam Croft is a contributor to OfficialWrestling and their regular podcast, "A Few Good Marks." You'll often find him playing 2k18's career mode, getting worked into a shoot over Shinsuke Nakamura's promo skills or putting Sheamus in his all time top-10 favourite wrestlers.