Fans of WWE’s cruiserweight division have likely noticed a change in recent months, and not just the improved quality of 205 Live.
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Ever since WrestleMania 34, cruiserweight wrestlers have been virtually non-existent from Monday Night Raw on a week-to-week basis. This is a stark departure from the division’s original involvement from November 2016 up through the start of the year, where fans usually saw at least one cruiserweight match per week on Raw.
That change, according to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, was made by Triple H, who reportedly took over production of 205 Live back in February for Vince McMahon.
“It was a decision made when Triple H took over as the showrunner of the 205 Live series as a way to keep the talents from being overexposed and to make sure they were kept in a position where they were protected,” Johnson explained in a Q&A article. “It was part of the company’s strategy of trying to change the perception of the Cruiserweight division.”
Between Triple H taking over and former champion Enzo Amore being stripped of his title and fired from the company, 205 Live has seen a massive shift in focus. The hour-long show each week now focuses more on the matches rather than characters and promos, allowing the likes of Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy and Hideo Itami to flourish.
“I’m happy in the direction that 205 Live is going in, I think it’s working very well,” Triple H said in an interview about 205 Live back in May. “Viewership is up, fans seem to be enjoying it on social media and the feedback we’re getting on it, they seem to be enjoying it. The reaction is up and it’s trending from where it was before
Amore was officially stripped of the title on January 23, prompting new general manager Drake Maverick (Rockstar Spud from Impact Wrestling) to create a new tournament to crown a new cruiserweight champion. The final match came down to Ali and Alexander, with the latter winning on the pre-show of WrestleMania 34.
Since his victory Alexander has successfully defended his title against for former champ Kalisto at the Greatest Royal Rumble and Murphy on an episode of 205 Live in late May.
The roster has managed to grow in size in recent months as well with Itami, Murphy and newcomer Leo Rush all jumping directly from NXT (Triple H’s other produced program) to the network show.
And based on the current NXT roster, the growth could only grow larger in the coming months. Some of the roster’s biggest names — Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Ricochet and Oney Lorcan to name a few — all clock in at under or near the 205-pound requirement.
