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205 Live has not been a runaway success for WWE as expected. With a bunch of super talented wrestlers, it was expected to live up to its hype. However, things have panned out completely differently for the WWE Management, the audience, and even the 205 Live performers themselves.
Coming to the core of the problem - Why is 205 Live still a different show? It reminds me of the faction of four wrestlers who once used to job to other wrestlers - The Social Outcasts. This is exactly what is happening to all the 205 Live wrestlers and is just not fair. These supremely talented performers deserve much, much better than what they are getting.
There are a few points that need to be addressed as they are jeopardizing the future of these wrestlers and the show itself.
#1 Not the right time
The show is aired after Smackdown Live and by then, there are no viewers left (in the arena and at homes), other than the hardcore enthusiasts. Some storylines have been tremendous, like The Brian Kendrick vs Akira Tozawa. and in my opinion, it was the best feud at the time on all three shows combined (Raw, Smackdown Live and 205 Live).
#2 No star power
The show has been stale since its inception, except for a few interesting storylines in between. Neville upped the ante with his heel persona and did a fantastic job, and people actually tuned in to watch the show just for him. However, once Neville left, the rating went low too. Then came Enzo Amore (who was probably the reason for Neville's exit) and hyped the show for once.
Irrespective of the heat he garnered from the audience, Enzo single-handedly raised the ratings for the show and let other wrestlers shine as well. But he too is released now.
205 Live was blessed to have Austin Aries, but poor character profile led to him leaving the company.
#3 No Godfather (read commissioner)
Raw has Stephanie McMahon, Smackdown Live has Shane McMahon. Why is 205 Live being given the step-brotherly treatment? A new general manager was announced earlier today, but what took so long?
A Hall of Famer for this post would be a great choice. Heck, someone like Mick Foley even has experience!
Perhaps, some intervention from Vince McMahon from time-to-time would prove to be highly beneficial.
#4 Not a lot of performers
There is a Royal Rumble for men, there is a Royal Rumble for women. But 205 Live? Not possible, because there are just a handful of wrestlers. Why have a different show to showcase the same kind of matches with the same performers as last week and hurt the credibility of the whole thing?
Rather, get them to feud with wrestlers on the main roster, have upset victories in between and hype the whole thing altogether!
#5 The show is jinxed
Sounds awful, but the show is certainly jinxed. This show is less than two years old and many superstars have already left the show or have been released or have been injured. These include former Cruiserweight Champions Rich Swann, Neville, Enzo Amore, The Brian Kendrick (injured), and the most deserving candidate for the title - Austin Aries.
Next in line to hold the belt is certainly going to be Cedric Alexander and seeing the past trend, he will be victim to something disastrous as well (I sincerely hope not!)
All these issues can be addressed and maybe sorted out too; but it's too late. When you have two other shows to run and are struggling to keep the ratings high, it makes no sense to invest time and money into another show. Rather, get the roster on either of the shows or split them and add some spice to Raw and Smackdown Live.
As for the Cruiserweight Championship, wrestlers can fight for it and take it to their show (like how the Rollins and Ambrose fought to take the WWE Championship to Raw and Smackdown respectively). There is no end to ideas and I'm sure the creative management can do something useful with these wrestlers if they put their thinking caps on.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
