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What's the story?
Ever since the introduction of the Cruiserweight division, several critics have decried WWE's mishandling of the division. Eric Bischoff recently weighed in on the subject on his podcast and didn't hold anything back. The Michigan native stated that WWE hadn't properly defined the division and that it hadn't resonated with the audience.
The background
The Cruiserweight Classic was an amazing series of pro wrestling shows on the WWE Network. It featured some of the top Cruiserweights from around the globe all fighting to grab that brass ring.
The CWC eventually transitioned into 205 Live, and it was a weekly struggle to get the WWE Universe to notice. Not only was it hard to get fans to stay in the building after SmackDown Live so they'd have an audience to perform in front of, but the audience also wasn't gravitating towards the Cruiserweights like WWE would have liked.
The heart of the matter
Enzo Amore's move to 205 Live served a few purposes. Not only did it get Enzo off the main roster, but it also brought more eyes to 205 Live. Eric Bischoff recently spoke about 205 Live on Bischoff On Wrestling where he said WWE flat out missed the mark on the Cruiserweight Division.
"They missed the mark on the cruiserweight division twenty minutes after they launched it because they haven’t really defined what it is. Defining a division based on a weight class is not going to resonate with the audience."
He went on to say that it needs to be more than just lighter weight guys. There needs to be a unique look and style to the program as well. He also commented saying even putting a merchandise mover like Enzo Amore on 205 Live wouldn't help the show by itself.
"It has to be a style differentiation. The matches have to look like and feel different than the rest of their content. Otherwise it’s just a match with lighter guys. It doesn’t mean anything. I think they have been missing the mark with 205 Live since they launched it. I think they’ll continue to miss the mark and I don’t think Enzo, or anyone else, will have any impact on the success or failure of that division."
What's next?
If WWE doesn't fix things soon, 205 Live very well might be on its way for a change. When WWE Network seemed to be cancelling programs left and right, Bryan Alvarez commented on Wrestling Observer Live and said that changes would be on their way to 205 Live if things didn't turn around.
We're not saying WWE Network will cancel the show, nor should they. But 205 Live needs some kind of help if they're going to capture the WWE Universe's interest like they did with the Cruiserweight Classic.
Author's take
It's hard to argue with Eric Bischoff on this one. WWE put 205 Live together in order to highlight a certain type of wrestling, and it seems with shorter matches and less of a highlight, they have dampened that momentum.
Hopefully, 205 Live can turn it around soon because it would be a shame for it to go away. After all, the WWE Cruiserweights are some of the hardest working guys on the roster, and they seldom get the chance to shine like they deserve.
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