What’s the story?
As per Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon hinted at Cruiserweights having their own house shows in the near future in the most recent earnings conference call.
In case you didn’t know...
Although the Cruiserweight Division appears on Monday Night RAW, they have their own show called 205 Live which is exclusive to the WWE Network. It is a one-hour show which is advertised as “The most exciting hour of television”.
The Cruiserweight division has struggled from the get-go when it debuted on RAW in September 2016. The prime issue with the Cruiserweights has been the complete lack of fan interest towards the division.
As a result, 205 Live has suffered. 205 Live is taped after SmackDown Live, and in the 12 weeks, since it’s debuted, there have been reports from fans in attendance that a large chunk of attendees leaves before or during the show.
The heart of the matter
WON noted that in order to run Cruiserweight house shows, they would have to be very small in size, similar to NXT house shows, which normally take place in front of a few hundred people.
If WWE is to run a 205 Live house show, that would mean that WWE would be running house shows 6 days a week – RAW, SmackDown Live and NXT included.
Regarding the Cruiserweight division in the conference call, Vince McMahon had the following
“We have created something called 205 Live, which is a show involving our cruiserweights, which is another whole division in which we are starting up now, which will again have its own sources of revenue in terms of live events as well as other things that are all, merchandising, licensing and all of that”
What’s next?
Cruiserweight/205 Live house shows should be a long-term plan. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities, but at the current rate, Cruiserweight house shows will not draw at all.
Sportskeeda’s take
The Cruiserweight division is in its infancy, and even so, a lot of damage has been done. Neville's heel run has been a breath of fresh air for the division, and things may very well improve with the eventual arrival of Austin Aries to the division.
A major obstacle that the Cruiserweight division faces is from the production itself. The ropes are always changed to purple, the turnbuckles and are changed, and more, giving the Cruiserweights a distinct identity. This does more harm than good, as it is an indication to the crowd when to take a break. It is also seemingly a waste of time since the Cruiserweights are rarely given more than 5 minutes a match on RAW.
Another major problem with the Cruiserweight division is the lack of character in the talent. WWE audiences are more in tune with character than they are with in-ring ability and flashy moves.
Before WWE can even consider starting Cruiserweight house shows, they need to develop a major interest in the division, otherwise, the house shows will flop.
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