The CW division, and talented guys they bring in, will it be a mistake or can we trust HHH and this division?
Based on the work he's done in NXT and with a good number of the wrestlers that he's signed, Triple H doesn't buy into the premise that cruiserweights are just "little guys" who can't hang with the bigger ones. When you look at guys like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, the whole Cruiserweight Classic and other aspects, Triple H doesn't believe that having a great, traditional "look" in Vince's eyes isn't the first & foremost of importance in star qualities. To know that's true, you just have to look at how guys like Mason Ryan, Ezekiel Jackson and Ryback have fizzled out.
However, when it's all said & done, Vince McMahon is still the boss. Triple H's ideas for the Cruiserweight Division may be like night and day compared to Vince's and it'll ultimately be Vince's vision that comes to pass. Vince McMahon is
THE final creative decision maker in WWE and while Triple H has influence with Vince because he's not only his son-in-law but Vince also respects him, that doesn't mean that Vince won't put his foot down whenever he feels that he and only he alone is right.
Back up 2-3 years, Finn, Sami, Itami (still should be for me) and others would be CWs out of the gate. Is ot going to be a bad idea for a Ibushi, Saber Jr, Ricochet and a guy down the road like Osperay to come in as CWs or stay away, risk injury and hope to come in as a HW?
Well, let's look at it this way. Most wrestling companies who have cruiserweight/heavyweight/junior heavyweight divisions have a weight limit of 220 to 225 lbs. and if WWE went by those rules, then probably 60% or more of the roster could qualify as a cruiserweight. Take guys like Bryan, Punk, Ziggler, Styles & Rollins as wrestlers who could probably be viewed as cruiserweights anyhow. Their billed weights were/are 210 lbs., 218 lbs., 218 lbs., 218 lbs., & 217 lbs. while, realistically, Bryan was probably right at about 200 lbs., Punk was probably around 210, while Ziggler, Styles & Rollins are both probably around 200 to 205 lbs. In boxing anyone over 200 lbs. is classified as a heavyweight while anyone 206 in most MMA promotions is a heavyweight. In pro wrestling, often times perception is reality and there's this mind set in wrestling, especially when it comes to Vince, that it's not "believable" that someone 200 lbs. can beat up someone that's 300 lbs. when nothing could be further from the truth. I've seen plenty of real life street brawls where the little guy beats the snot out of the big guy but, again, it's perception. There's a perception that being a "little guy" means you're not tough and being a "big guy" means that you are in society, it's not at all correct, but it's one that's still around. When Balor came to the main roster, I thought for sure Vince would bill his weight at 210 or 215 but Balor's billed at 190 lbs. on the main roster just as he was in NXT. Having smaller guys like Balor and Rollins in such prominent spots is ultimately a good thing for smaller guys as a whole in the long run and I think the already outdated mindset of smaller guys not being able to cut it in WWE will disappear altogether once Vince steps down.
As for guys like Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr. and others, it all depends. Ibushi has stated that he hasn't signed with WWE but is open to appearing for WWE every so often. Ibushi made a good living in Japan for a number of years and is probably financially comfortable. He's also someone that's wrestled a very physical style, like Daniel Bryan, is in his mid 30s and is starting to have problems because of it. Guys like Zack Sabre Jr. Will Osperay Ricochet, etc. have to decide what's best for them in the long run. In WWE, they'll be told to cut back some on their high spots to incorporate more storytelling, which may well be very good for them physically in the long run. Plus, with WWE's touring schedule, it's really for the best or they'll burn their bodies out in no time. If WWE wants them badly enough, they can probably get them because nobody can offer them the kind of money WWE.
