Have Enzo Amore’s Issues Killed 205 Live?

I am not the right person to ask whether or not former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore is guilty of the accusations against him being investigated by the Phoenix Police Department. That judgment will be made in due time by the proper authorities. For me to pass judgment based on what we’ve read online would be irresponsible to all parties involved. Hopefully whatever the correct verdict is will be reached & justice will be served.

What I can say is that WWE has made their judgment on Eric Arndt, the man behind the persona. After just over five years with the company & a number of times where he’s annoyed many of his fellow co-workers, WWE has decided that they’re perfectly happy to move forward without Enzo Amore as part of the Cruiserweight Division. A new champion will be crowned. Big Cass will have to act like his best friend turned bitter rival never existed whenever he returns. The Zo Train will have to assign a new conductor or perish. Nia Jax will have to find a new on-screen love interest.

Jim Cornette has often asserted that the most successful characters in wrestling are the ones that are simply the performers’ own personalities turned up to eleven. From every account I’ve read, there isn’t much of a difference between Eric Arndt & Enzo Amore. The nickname of “Realest Guy in the Room” was an accurate one. Enzo Amore was a loud, obnoxious character. It was grating or endearing based on the situation he found himself in.

Trying to get with Rusev’s wife? Grating.

Fighting back against his best friend that betrayed him? Endearing.

Enzo might have been the best talker to come out of WWE’s Performance Center. He certainly was for somebody with his level of pro wrestling experience before entering (none). The in-ring work was never his forte, but he was able to get people to care about his matches. It’s not the easiest thing to do, and it was a talent WWE hoped he could bring to 205 Live as Cruiserweight Champion.

The downside with Enzo’s character ended up being that it was too real. Enzo was one of those guys that turned up the volume on his personality even more outside the ring. You can’t believe every single backstage story you read, but when you read enough of them about the same person telling the same type of story…there’s something there. There was enough scuttlebutt about Enzo’s difficulties in the locker room to come to the conclusion that he wasn’t well-liked.

It’s tough to survive for long in any company if you rub everybody the wrong way. Unless you’re so uniquely special & talented that the boss absolutely needs you working there or everything will fall apart, you need to tone down the obnoxiousness a bit. You certainly can’t give them reasons to fire you. Enzo Amore gave WWE reason to fire him. Whether the accusations are legitimate or not, the fact that WWE found out about them months after the police started poking around was enough to serve as a final straw. It sends a message to the other talent that the company will find your skeletons eventually. It’ll be a lot easier if WWE doesn’t have to look for them.

Enzo Amore’s talking ability & charisma weren’t enough to make up for the fact that he had rubbed everybody the wrong way & embarrassed the company with a situation involving alleged rape heading into their biggest time of the year. The last thing WWE needs while promoting the Road to WrestleMania is a champion with a rape charge hanging over him. It would take the focus away from everything they’re trying to sell people on & open WWE up to the <a href=http://thechairshot.com/2018/01/metoo-challenge-wrestling-media-sexual-misconduct/>#MeToo movement</a>. WWE wants people talking about Roman Reigns, not the police investigating their Cruiserweight Champion. Had Enzo kept his job, it would have been all the media would have wanted to talk about. WWE acting means it’s no longer their problem.

With Enzo out of the way & theoretically no longer a distraction, WWE will move forward with a new Cruiserweight Champion. A new 205 Live General Manager will make a ruling on it next week. Kurt Angle only remembers that the cruiserweights exist once every couple of months, so they probably need somebody minding the store.

#SDLive GM @WWEDanielBryan announces that #205Live will get a brand-new General Manager NEXT WEEK, and that person will address the #Cruiserweight Championship situation. pic.twitter.com/0JR662P0ZR

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2018

The emphasis on “her” makes me think Paige might get the role. She needs something to do and is a pretty good talker, so they could do a lot worse.

To be perfectly honest, most of us didn’t expect WWE’s Cruiserweight Division to be a successful endeavor. We expected the Cruiserweights to be hampered by not being able to go all out in the ring & saddled with less than inspiring WWE creative storylines. The show taking place live after SmackDown (and now after the Mixed Match Challenge too) would be met with dead crowds not responding to much of anything. While these things have happened, the Cruiserweights also need to look themselves in the mirror.

Many of the men WWE trusted to carry the division have failed for one reason or another. Rich Swann won the Cruiserweight Championship on the first episode of 205 Live. He’s currently suspended as a result of his arrest for battery & kidnapping charges. The most recent Champion has been fired after getting accused of rape & not reporting the investigation on it to the company. The span of 205 Live being bookended by champions accused of domestic violence & rape isn’t a good look.

There have been less serious departures of key talent. Neville, the longest reigning champion, left the company due to creative differences. He reportedly wasn’t happy about losing to Enzo, which, hindsight being 20/20, he wasn’t wrong about. Austin Aries, one of Neville’s top challengers, got released while injured because creative had nothing for him. Honestly, Aries lost a lot of steam during the feud with Neville, and by the end it seemed like he’d already seen his peak.

It’s tough to say that many of the other Cruiserweights are in a better place now than they were when 205 Live started. Drew Gulak has made a move upwards with his entertaining segments, but everybody else seems pretty static. It’s tough to get excited about a division that mostly gets noticed when the top guys leave. That being said, there’s still reason for hope.

WWE is still signing very talented competitors that weigh under 205. The man known as Ricochet & Prince Puma recently made his way to the Performance Center, and his ring style is tailor-made for what the Cruiserweight Division should be. Guys like Johnny Gargano, Roderick Strong & the entire Undisputed Era group on the NXT roster could always make the transition. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate could also get some extra work.

There’s still the opportunity for 205 Live & the Cruiserweight Division to exceed our expectations. The only WWE career Enzo Amore killed was his own. If the division still ends up failing, it won’t be due to his issues.