Why WWE 205 Live isn't a failed venture

Disclaimer: 'The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda'.

There has been a cloud of uncertainty regarding the future of 205 Live. With SmackDown moving to Fox in October, it is believed that WWE might be looking to do away with the show altogether. While nothing has been confirmed as at the time of writing, the consensus is that the current 205 Live Superstars would be absorbed by either RAW, SmackDown, or NXT.

From a purely in-ring standpoint, 205 Live is undoubtedly one of the best live television shows in the business today. The hour-long cruiserweight showcase produces great and exciting matches consistently, every week.

WWE has had to face a lot of criticism when it comes to 205 Live. Fans have been critical of the company's placement of the show, which is taped after SmackDown Live, hurting the purple brand immensely. A huge number of fans in the arenas leave after SmackDown.

WWE relegating the Cruiserweight Championship to the pre-show of pay-per-views has also drawn the ire of a lot of wrestling fans who believe that the cruiserweight division deserves to be on the main card.

A major part of the problem lies with the fans as well. The fact that the weekly cruiserweight show doesn't crack the top 10 most-watched list on the WWE Network shows how little it's watched.

As much as we like to blame the WWE management for their mistreatment of the division, it is ultimately up to the fans to watch the show and make their voices heard. Why do you think WWE has moved NXT to the USA Network? It is because of the buzz surrounding the black and yellow brand, as it's the most-watched show on the WWE Network continually.

205 Live just doesn't have the same buzz and fanfare. While some might feel that WWE's experiment with 205 Live has fallen flat, we believe the brand isn't a damp squib by any stretch of the imagination.

When one thinks of the brightest upstarts on the main roster today, the four names that pop up instantly are Ricochet, Ali, Cedric Alexander, and Buddy Murphy. Aside Ricochet, the aforementioned names had their breakthroughs on 205 Live. Had it not been for 205 Live, we probably wouldn't have seen Ali, Alexander, and Murphy on the main roster.

The WWE 205 Live brand enabled them to showcase their talents, impressing the higher-ups. Look how far they have come. They made the most of every opportunity and have in a way become the go-to-guys when it comes to putting on great matches on WWE TV each week.

We should be thankful that the purple brand gave these superstars a chance to perform. They would've probably struggled on either RAW or SmackDown before eventually being unceremoniously released. For that, we think WWE's 205 Live hasn't been a failure.

It might not be an overwhelming success, however, when it comes to developing stars for the future, the brand has surpassed expectations.

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