Credit: WWE.com
First, before I get into it: I want to throw in everyone's faces that A) Roman Reigns wasn't in the main event of Extreme Rules B) Neither was AJ Styles and his WWE Championship C) The wrestling world didn't end.
That out of the way, I haven't watched 205 Live since the conclusion of that subpar tournament they had leading up to Mania, and that corny match where Ali and Alexander yelled "SOUL" and "HEART" at each other. It's not because I don't like the cruiserweights they have, it's because they way they have been booked and presented has made me completely uninterested in the division. The entire division. Getting booked on 205 Live is almost WWE Superstar career death.
They aren't even doing that thing they used to do where they'd have a random tag match on Raw as a sort of "Hey, you know we got that cruiserweight show on the Network after SmackDown, right?" commercial. So you could be forgiven for forgetting the cruiserweight division exists. It is more famous at this point for Neville and Austin Aries leaving the company and Rich Homie Swann and Enzo Amore getting fired for alleged extracurricular activities. When it started, with the sublime Cruiserweight Classic, I was a fan. I was hoping they could lure Kota Ibushi from NJPW, but they didn't and once I knew that, I knew he wasn't winning the tournament. I really became a fan of TJ Perkins because I enjoyed the swag he displayed dabbing on folk. I enjoyed the way he mixed technical submission wrestling with some high flying.
Things that look good in Full Sail, on the WWE Network, tend to come up to the WWE main roster to die. And they did their best to kill TJP. First, they gave him that godawful videogame theme music that no one would ever get hype for. Second, they made him a corny babyface who cuts terrible promos (Sound familiar?) Third, they had him lose his championship mere months into its existence, which is this dumb thing WWE does quite often. Nothing says A) we're not really behind you and you're not a big deal to us and B) we'd rather not have long title reigns add prestige to holding said title QUITE like having guys have 2 month championship reigns. FOURTH, they had him lose as a DUMB babyface who bought a fake knee injury to lose said title. And then ever since, TJP has been just a guy. Nothing about him screams "I am a wrestling god". WWE doesn't get talent over, they get it under.
Right now when I look at WWE programming, you can tell they have no immediate plans to do anything important or special with Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor. I am not trying to suggest that you put them in 205 Live as a demotion, I'm saying you put them in 205 Live to help promote the entire brand. Those two are wrestlers who have been world champions and can and SHOULD be once again. So it would kinda take the stink off the current iteration of the cruiserweight division that reeks so awesomely. But not of awesomeness, but mediocrity. I have never believed that being a cruiserweight means you cannot compete with the big boys, or The Big Dog, for that matter. Luminaries such as Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero (RIP) have all held the cruiserweight championship and the WWE Championship.
Another thing I think would help the cruiserweight division is to give some of its stars tv time on both Raw and SmackDown. Let them mingle with the other wrestlers. Win some tag titles, the midcard titles, even world titles, and BOOM just like that, 205 Live isn't just this irrelevant thing doomed to be canceled in the not too distant future as a "cost-cutting measure". I want to see guys like Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari succeed at a high level.