There has been a lot of chatter online regarding the potential future of everybody’s favorite purple and yellow brand (205 Live) following the conclusion of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. A lot of people are wondering if 205 Live can sustain its momentum without the tournament format and with the need to develop the wrestlers on the show.

205 Live can keep its momentum rolling once they crown a new champion by simply presenting the show like a sport and less like sports entertainment. The wrestling for the one-hour program does not need to be overly complicated – wrestling in general doesn’t always have to be overly complicated.

In fact, 205 Live is currently setting that vision of the show in motion. Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander have begun setting up their big storyline. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali are friends, but both of them are competitive and want to eventually become champion – they will eventually have to fight down the road and they will beat the living crap out of each other to earn a future opportunity to hold the gold.

That’s simple. Nobody needs to turn on the other. Nobody needs to bash the other into a giant screen. Nobody needs to go to the other’s house while the other wields a gun.
They are fighting because wins and losses matter when it comes to chasing the championship gold.

I think 205 Live would benefit greatly from taking a UFC-esque approach to their wrestling.

You have a great promoter and match maker in Drake Maverick, who is an unbiased general manager. His goal is to put on the best show for the fans, something Dana White and the UFC does very well.

The wrestlers in the Cruiserweight division need to care about wins and losses. They are doing that right now. Look at TJP. TJP used the underhanded tactic of grabbing the tights to win his first-round matchup in the Cruiserweight Tournament. TJP is willing to do whatever it takes to get the win because it means good things for his future.

The same thing applies to Drew Gulak. Gulak tore off the suit and left the PowerPoint Presentations at home when it came time to do battle with his friend Tony Nese. Gulak dialed in his aggressive nature in order to get that all-important win.

This is what 205 Live needs to be. The brand needs to focus more on the sport and less on the entertainment. Give us Superstars that have a goal in mind when they step into that ring for a match. Give us a clear idea of why these guys are doing battle.

Show us different wrestling styles.

Show us wrestlers with different backgrounds.

Show us the competition that makes the Cruiserweight division so much fun.

But make it matter.

Wrestling doesn’t have to be complicated to be compelling.

The Week in Review

  • The intros highlighting last week’s edition of 205 Live continue to be great. It gives us a quick recap while also hyping the rest of the night. They really need to keep this up. They are very UFC-like and that is fantastic when it comes to the visual product.
  • Cedric Alexander vs. TJP was a good match and I like the direction they are going with TJP. He is such a great bad guy and I really want him vs. Drew Gulak at some point in the near future. Cedric winning was the right call and my personal pick for the Mania match would be Cedric vs. Mustafa Ali.
  • I wish the crowd was more responsive to these matches. These guys are killing it in the ring but the timeslot after Smackdown is really hurting the show. They should tape the show before the 2-hour Smackdown taping OR hold the shows at a small but rowdy venue like Full Sail University or even Center Stage in Atlanta. Build up the brand in front of a loud audience and then the vocality of the crowd will grow in the bigger arenas. Look at NXT and follow that pattern.
  • Not 205 related, but this Kid Rock WrestleMania is interesting. It does it job to hype up the show, but something feels like it is missing. It’s not My House or Green Light, which is a shame.
  • Kalisto vs. Roderick Strong was great! What a good match between two phenomenal performers! Seriously check out this match when you get the chance. Roderick vs. Cedric is going to be a banger of a match and I can’t wait for it.
  • All in all, another great week for 205 Live. More people need to watch this show, they are missing out on the best weekly wrestling show.