Should the WWE just split the difference? (Cruisers)

[Rollermacka]

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So this was two months ago and what better two guys to debut the division. A guy with a "Vince body" (jacked, ripped and tan) vs a cool, hipster guy who dabs and likes retro video games. Two guys who should easily translate to the "casual fan".... and they start chanting for CM Punk :-\

So the cruiserweight division hasn't been a huge hit for the company, and have kinda been relegated to their own show on the network that gets filmed after Smackdiwn. So my question is, should the WWE just "split the difference" and just create a 4th completely separate brand also exclusive to the Network? Just take the guys hired recently, add a few guys from the other 3 brands (Neville and Sin Cara from RAW, DIY once they drop the NXT tag titles, and the Vaudevillians, Kalisto from Smackdown) and just make another roster for a 1 hr online show.

[Destor]

Yes. Except a showcase match a week on one of the TV brands.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Is this not what 205 Live is?

[slik]

It's what 205 could become in time and hopefully aims for.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

They usually travel in similar areas for Raw and Smackdown recently. Not sure if that was always the case in the earlier Brand Extension era.

I hope they allow Cruiserweights to be a separate co-branded affair. Smackdown tends to have longer match time allotments. I don't think they will do that though. Raw would be giving up something for nothing. Makes little sense if competition is supposed to be for real.

I slightly disagree that it has been a fail so far. Rich Swann is pretty over along with TJP, Gentleman Jack and TBK. Cedrick seems to be close to it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It's night and date between what happens with the cruisers on RAW and what happens on 205 Live. Well, I've only seen the first episode, but it seems to want to replicate what worked about the CWC. Take the cruiserweights off the road and let them work 205 Live and supplementary SmackDown house shows, etc. Have Mauro and Daniel Bryan do the commentary for the show and record it before SmackDown.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

How do you expect them to pull off calling something LIVE when it's taped every week?

[slik]

Just because it's called LIVE doesn't mean it has to air LIVE. It was taped in-front of a LIVE audience.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Who the fuck cares, STD?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I think people who review false advertisements for the FCC would care. Calling something live when it's not has always been a fineable offense.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I don't think that the FCC would give one motherfucking single fuck if 205 Live was previously recorded.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Re-Runs of SNL and Jimmy Kimmel Live have to say Previously Recorded at the start of the show.

[Anybody Thrilla]

And why couldn't 205 Live do the same fucking thing, you maniac?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Because they can only do that for RERUNS. LIVE is a word you can't throw around Willie nillie.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I fucking hate you. I promise.

[Shisen Kopf]

Because they can only do that for RERUNS. LIVE is a word you can't throw around Willie nillie.

It's not TV...it's television.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I was still right about that argument. WWE Network is not on television in the US. WWE Classics on Demand was until WWE Network came along.

[Bad News Gertner]

http://i.imgur.com/ZCsRIg7.gif

[Anybody Thrilla]

Worst case scenario, they change the name of the show. There have only been two episodes, which would now be reruns anyway. My point is there are ways around it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Lol, they could tape it. Or they could just air it live BEFORE SmackDown on the Network, then it's up there for later viewing for whoever gives a shit about it.

[Ruien]

They can call it 205 Replay Only

[Ruien]

Pretty sure since it will be on the Network only and it does not say "This is Live" in the corner they are fine. But ya, this is dumb to talk about.

[Ruien]

As much as I hate the Cruiserweights, I can't imagine what kind of shit they would replace it with on Raw.

[Mr. Nerfect]

They can call it 205 Replay Only

The Ole Lucha Relay

[Mr. Nerfect]

As much as I hate the Cruiserweights, I can't imagine what kind of shit they would replace it with on Raw.

Bo Dallas squash, The Shining Stars selling time shares and more of Enzo's blurry penis.

[Rollermacka]

As much as I hate the Cruiserweights, I can't imagine what kind of shit they would replace it with on Raw.

They had two cruiserweight matches this week and no Strowman.....

#Blasphemy

[Emperor Smeat]

If this was prior to 205 Live, I would have said yeah but having a 4th brand just for Cruisers isn't really needed now that they have a small showcase show for themselves.

If anything, whoever is in charge of the Cruisers division on RAW needs to watch old Nitro tapes or First Brand Split era Smackdown tapes to see why the division worked well there.

Right now the division lacks a lot of direction and uniqueness compared to those other times or even the CWC tournament. Like the Sasha-Charlotte feud, WWE is forcing people to accept the idea of the division being special instead of letting it happen organically on RAW.

[Nicky Fives]

Yes. Except a showcase match a week on one of the TV brands.

:y:

[Cool King]

I think the Cruiserweights should just stick to 205 Live. Make them exclusive to it and free up some time on Raw for more matches for lower-card guys. For example, where have Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Primo & Epico, Jinder Mahal, Neville and Sin Cara disappeared to? Axel & Dallas were starting something and it suddenly stopped with a Bo Dallas victory. Mahal had a new gimmick and then he went AWOL and Primo & Epico defeated a hot tag team and were on PPV and now they've vanished.

If the Cruiserweights were exclusive to 205 Live, the free time on Raw could be used to showcase matches and build up angles with lower-card guys, with one of them possibly striking a cord with the fans and gaining some popularity and then go somewhere with it.

Instead, we get long-ass backstage segments and vignettes while the ring crew set up the Cruiserweight ring, which is then host to toned-down Cruiserweights who have matches in front of crowds who clearly don't give a fuck. If you want to watch Cruiserweights, then watch the Cruiserweight show.

Makes sense to me anyway.

[Stickman]

They should do somethingg becaucse the CW division on Raw is uninteresting.

[XL]

They need to do something. Jack Gallagher - a complete unknown to most of the audience - was starting to get a reaction during his match on the 1st episode of 205 Live, then when they ran the same match on Raw they halved the match time. Stupid.

[Ruien]

They had two cruiserweight matches this week and no Strowman.....

#Blasphemy

They did not feature Braun this week? He is like the best thing shout Raw atm too.

[Rollermacka]

They need to do something. Jack Gallagher - a complete unknown to most of the audience - was starting to get a reaction during his match on the 1st episode of 205 Live, then when they ran the same match on Raw they halved the match time. Stupid.

It's a different crowd, a different type of product. The whole thing is, a lot of the people in the cruiserweight division appeal to the "indie fan" and it's kinda been proven.... indie fans don't buy tickets to RAW every week.


That's why I say, maybe they should have cruisers on RAW, or film it after Smackdown because those aren't the people who are their target audience. I would say, if they wanna shoot a "Live show", do it at Full sail on a Weds night (right after the pre taped NXT airs). When NXT goes on the road, bring the cruisers and shoot live episodes from 1000 seat arenas, not 30,000 seat stadiums where the crowd couldn't care less.

I also say a 4th completely separate brand would be good because even the three rosters they have now are still completely over crowded with talent. Guys like the Vaudevillians, Neville and Rodrick Strong are amazing in the ring, but there are just so many guys on the roster it's hard to give them the time they deserve. So with a 4th brand, they could showcase more talent and appeal to the right fans on the WWE Network.

[XL]

That show was filmed after SDL/not in from of an event "indie" crowd.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Filming it after is the head scratcher to me. People will be burned out from all of that hot Ellsworth action.