WWE’s 205 Live has been good and it has been bad. For months it struggled to find it’s footing. Then all of a sudden this amazing cruiserweight division vanished from Monday Night RAW. As a big fan, it’s something that made me think and wonder.
I decided, after a few weeks, to truly sit down and watch 205 Live with my full attention and it was AMAZING. It’s no NXT, but it was better than what I’ve been watching on RAW, and I scratched my head. I couldn’t understand what happened and why they seemed to care so much all of a sudden.
Stories showed up, rumors swirled. A few weeks after realizing that 205 Live improved and actually mattered again, I see articles that Triple H actually took over. It’s no NXT, but it’s extremely obvious that Triple H was handed the reigns of 205 Live.
The matches improved, the talent turned it all up a notch, the stories finally mattered.
So, that begs to ask the question: Why am I worried abut 205 Live?
There are no longer any stories. There’s no longer any angles. Sure, the matches are AMAZING, but it truly lacks the story, the drama. It’s been 6 or so months since Buddy Murphy won the title, and honestly, it’ been downhill from there. The talent is just kind of there. No real story, angle, drama etc…
As I sat down and watched 205 Live this week, it all clicked. I fully expected Cedric Alexander to win the match and go face Buddy Murphy at Elimination Chamber for the title and I didn’t care. Suddenly, Akira Tozawa gets the victory and a chance at Buddy Murphy and the Cruiserweight Championship. Then I found myself not caring.
Why? Why Tozawa? Where’s the story? It truly didn’t matter who won, there’ no story anymore. There’s no drama, there’s no heel/face comeuppance. It’s true when I say that the booking has improved vastly since Triple H took over, but for as good as the matches are, they have no story, and THAT truly takes away from the product overall.
I’ll always push 205 Live and how good it is, but without these stories and angles, do we really have a reason to care that much anymore?
-Jake Andrews-
