WWE Walking Tight Rope With Cruiserweight Division

It’s been over a year since the Cruiserweight division wrapped up the Cruiserweight Classic and debuted on RAW. In that time, they’ve gone from purple ropes to regular ropes, gotten their own show on the WWE Network, have yet to put on a memorable match, and managed to piss off two of their best performers.

Things are fine in Cruiserweight land.

Expectations weren’t high for the Cruiserweight’s to begin with. No one believed they’d be able to live up to the standards they set during the Cruiserweight Classic. Things got off to a bad start when Mick Foley needed cue cards to tell us who the guys were and then didn’t bother providing any information about them. They looked like someone else more established on the roster, proceeded to have a match that didn’t stand out, and the champion was nowhere to be found.

The addition of 205 Live was spun as providing the Cruiserweight’s with more opportunities, but in reality it meant decreasing their role on Raw so they could give more time to the important wrestlers and stories.

The addition of Enzo Amore gave the division some life, but also signified that the division was no longer about wrestling, it was about stories. Amore isn’t a good wrestler. In fact, he may be the worst wrestler on the roster in relation to his push. It’s either him or Jinder Mahal. But the story was there for Amore. He could talk a big game and then sneaked his way to victory, thus spitting in the face of every cruiserweight who tried to do things “the right way.”

The addition of Amore also upset Neville and showed why Austin Aries decided to leave.

Amore entered the division, buried everyone on the mic, and was given the opportunities that no else got. They got behind Amore on Raw, not just on 205 Live.

Aries saw the writing on the wall months ago. He left WWE almost immediately after the conclusion of his feud with Neville. While he likely was unpopular backstage, like some reports claim, he also knew he was typecast as a cruiserweight and stuck in the mud. His feud with Neville should have been a highlight on Raw each week. Instead, he was rarely given mic time and just had a bunch of 50/50 matches with barely used guys.

Aries and Neville had a series of good matches, but Aries could tell that WWE didn’t have bigger plans for him, and decided to cut his losses.

Now, it appears that Neville is on the verge of doing the same thing.

Neville was a late addition to the cruiserweight division and a breath of fresh air. His immediate heel turn and King Neville persona gave the division a boost of energy. But that energy was rarely seen on Raw.

Neville spent the majority of his title run doing commentary on Raw while his upcoming opponents had standard matches with cruiserweight jobbers. Neville had the material and character to succeed, he was just never given a real chance with it. His segments felt like they existed and not like they mattered.

Enter Enzo Amore, who was either moved to 205 Live as punishment or to boost the profile of the show. Given what they did with Amore, I have to say that he was moved to boost the profile. With Enzo on board, the cruiserweight division was showcased. Enzo was given 10+ minutes on the mic every week, sometimes in the main event segment. He was given the opportunities that Neville, Aries, and everyone else on the cruiserweight weren’t.

WWE saw Enzo, based off his mic work, merchandise sales, and previous tag team run, as a star. They never saw anyone else in the division on that same level.

If I’m Neville and Aries, two guys infinitely more talented than Enzo in the ring with strong character work, I’d be angry as well. They were never given a chance to carry the division on Raw like Amore has been given.

Enzo has not exactly succeeded in his role of boosting the division. Third hour ratings continue to drop off, showing that fans don’t care to stick around for Enzo’s schtick. But he’s still showcased in that main event slot, which perceives him and the division as being a big deal.

I think Enzo has been good for the division for that reason. WWE doesn’t write wrestling, they write stories. The story of Enzo in the division has been well crafted and executed. But the Enzo story can’t last forever and when he’s moved on, the rest of the division will remain.

They’ve already lost Aries and they may lose Neville. How many others will be upset when they realize that nothing they do matters until WWE brings in a past star or a relegates someone to the division in order to boost it?

I’m on Twitter @jeremylambert88