Return Of The Cruiserweight Division

[Jack-Hammer]

Stephanie announced briefly last night on Raw that the Cruiserweight Division will be returning and will be exclusive to Raw. There are also reports out this morning stating that it's possible the winner of the Cruiserweight Classic will be crowned the new Cruiserweight Champion. Last week saw the announced signings of Gran Metalik and Kota Ibushi to contracts and reports are out that they're looking to sign other Cruiserweight Classic competitors including Zack Sabre, Jr. Jack Gallagher, Lince Dorado, Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa. It wasn't stated last night nor is it mentioned in any of the reports, so while I don't know if they'll be keeping and enforcing the 205 pound weight limit, it seems likely.

With the return of the Cruiserweight Division, WWE will have an opportunity to show just how much they've grown as a promotion and in terms of perception by treating the Cruiserweights as relevant members of the roster rather than just putting a belt on one of them to carry for a while before letting someone else have it. They also have the potential to portray the Cruiserweights as viable competitors rather than generate the impression that they're little guys who have to face each other because they can't hang with the bigger guys. The problem is that I simply don't have that much faith in Vince McMahon to do that, even though I have a few shreds of hope that it might happen.

 

[OYDK]

I'm perfectly happy with a Cruiserweight division. At worst it adds some diversity to Monday Night Raw, at best it takes off and becomes a hit, similar to how the CW division did in WCW. The difference between now and 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago, is that these guys will likely (or hopefully) get a chance to break through the glass ceiling and transcend the CW division if they can get over enough. I don't see them being put into this little box that we've seen in the past. Also, I think this will give some casual viewers their first real taste of more indie style wrestling, crazy pace, high-spots and all.

If rumors are true and the names they're intent on signing end up actually coming to WWE, we're in for some really good matches and some dream match-ups. I can understand why some may be against this move, but like it or not, wrestling is shifting and transforming into a small-mans game and there are a lot of smaller guys coming through the industry now. This gives them an opportunity to showcase themselves on a weekly basis and maybe make some noise whereas before they didn't have the platform to do so.

I'll wait and see how this turns out, but I think it would be awesome if the CWC winner became the CW champion. Instant credibility and it makes the Classic that much more enjoyable and must-see.

 

[LODemolition]

This is great news and all, and I'm not gonna complain too much when they're trying to do a really good thing here....BUT, I just don't understand why the CW division wouldn't be on Smackdown instead of Raw. I mean it's just the more obvious fit with Shane running that show and being all about change, not to mention Bryan being his GM. I just think it would get handled better on Smackdown and get the attention it deserves. I hope I'm wrong, but I could see it becoming an afterthought on Raw. This more than likely means the IC Title and World Title will both be Smackdown exclusive, and I feel like they should be on separate shows.

Also, it looks like Neville's return will be timed perfectly because of anyone on the current main roster, he's the one I see being the most likely to be competing for the CW championship on a regular basis.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I'm deathly afraid of the fact that this is taking center stage on RAW of all places, but....you take what you can get I guess.

I think its doomed, and I hope I'm wrong.

You all wanted it so bad, well now you are gonna get it

 

[Y 2 Jake]

What NorCal said. This has been announced less than a week after the Cruiserweight Classic started and it's on Raw. I hope Austin Aries has fond memories of his times as an X-Division champion.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

I know we all like to joke about how bad WWE booking is, but this is genuinely one of the worse ideas they've come up with in the past 5 years or so. Just fucking terrible.

They already have two titles they can't book properly in the US and IC titles. How is cutting the amount of possible contenders in half going to suddenly make them able to book properly?

Worse still, it purposely pigeonholes excellent wrestlers into one division (probably on the pre-show or opening match), so they'll never main event or work big programs. Enjoy jerking the curtain for the next 5 years Neville, Ibushi, Woods, Kalisto, Metalik, Gable and every other undersized, super talented wrestler.

You don't need a vanilla midgets title. Just book these awesome lightweight on the same level as the heavyweights and let them win midcard titles.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

here's my problem with this, first of all, if this is something that they are starting right off after the draft, then who do you got on both the main roster and the nxt roster to fill a cruiserweight division until the CWC ends in september. The current list of cruiserweight that they got are right now are: Kalisto, sin cara, tyler breeze, fandango, neville, enzo & viktor on the main roster. On the nxt roster you've got, aries, finn balor, hideo itami, tomasso champa, johnny gargano & tye dillinger. Out of these five names, three of them shouldn'T be pigeon hold in the cruiserweight division but probably will.

So if you starts a cruiserweight division right of the bat with the names i just wrote, it won't be a great start to the division and it will fail quicker then the light heavyweight division did during the attitude era. So the only hope they have for this would be to wait until the CWC ends and bring in some fresh blood coming out of the tournament because in my opinion, this would be the only way that this division would work.

 

[Kyphael]

This is great news and all, and I'm not gonna complain too much when they're trying to do a really good thing here....BUT, I just don't understand why the CW division wouldn't be on Smackdown instead of Raw. I mean it's just the more obvious fit with Shane running that show and being all about change, not to mention Bryan being his GM. I just think it would get handled better on Smackdown and get the attention it deserves. I hope I'm wrong, but I could see it becoming an afterthought on Raw. This more than likely means the IC Title and World Title will both be Smackdown exclusive, and I feel like they should be on separate shows.

Also, it looks like Neville's return will be timed perfectly because of anyone on the current main roster, he's the one I see being the most likely to be competing for the CW championship on a regular basis.

A) It seemed off to me too at first until I realized the original CW division was on a Monday night show as well.

B) RAW is three hours so they have a whole lot more time to fill and now write original segments for and have way more fresh matches to feature with split rosters. Adding a CW division can grant you up to an hour of CW action to feature on an otherwise boring 3 hour monster with too much of the same. It also gives RAW the bigger roster by bloating it with fresh CW faces without making it seem like RAW simple took most of the bigger names.

C) The CWC is Triple H's baby. Stephanie is the RAW commissioner. So there's that they can say, too.

Unrelated, but I hope it means with RAW being home to the CW division, which means it'll be the go to place for CW guys from around the world, that SmackDown becomes the place for first year call ups from NXT. If rumors are true, and the Club and Styles end up on SmackDown, put Balor there too where he can ascend and thrive, he'd get lost in the shuffle with the Shield guys on RAW.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

A) It seemed off to me too at first until I realized the original CW division was on a Monday night show as well.

B) RAW is three hours so they have a whole lot more time to fill and now write original segments for and have way more fresh matches to feature with split rosters. Adding a CW division can grant you up to an hour of CW action to feature on an otherwise boring 3 hour monster with too much of the same. It also gives RAW the bigger roster by bloating it with fresh CW faces without making it seem like RAW simple took most of the bigger names.

C) The CWC is Triple H's baby. Stephanie is the RAW commissioner. So there's that they can say, too.

Unrelated, but I hope it means with RAW being home to the CW division, which means it'll be the go to place for CW guys from around the world, that SmackDown becomes the place for first year call ups from NXT. If rumors are true, and the Club and Styles end up on SmackDown, put Balor there too where he can ascend and thrive, he'd get lost in the shuffle with the Shield guys on RAW.

Knowing vince, I wouldn't be surprise if finn bàlor get put as the face of the CW division. It would be sad if that would be true but I wouldn't be surprise if this happens.

 

[Gallops77]

This is great news and all, and I'm not gonna complain too much when they're trying to do a really good thing here....BUT, I just don't understand why the CW division wouldn't be on Smackdown instead of Raw. I mean it's just the more obvious fit with Shane running that show and being all about change, not to mention Bryan being his GM. I just think it would get handled better on Smackdown and get the attention it deserves. I hope I'm wrong, but I could see it becoming an afterthought on Raw. This more than likely means the IC Title and World Title will both be Smackdown exclusive, and I feel like they should be on separate shows.

Also, it looks like Neville's return will be timed perfectly because of anyone on the current main roster, he's the one I see being the most likely to be competing for the CW championship on a regular basis.

Raw has an extra hour to fill. They hate having to write for a 3 hour LIVE show every week. Adding the CW Division gives some help to that. 2-3 cruiserweight matches every week with a decent amount of time given plus building storylines for these guys can probably help the writers keep things fresh. Think of the talent in the CWC they can bring in to Raw, PLUS guys like Kalisto, Sin Cara, Neville.

 

[TDFG]

I remember watching RAW & Smackdown when Gillberg was Light-Heavyweight Champion and the likes of Jacqueline & Hornswoggle were Cruiserweight Champions & I probably won't ever forget how the division has been treated by WWE over the years.

The Light-Heavyweight/Cruiserweight Division has always been something the WWE likes for a while until the novelty wears off and then it becomes a joke.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I assume this doesn't kick into gear until the Classic ends and the winner can debut as champion.

Free it from the burden of WWE storytelling and just have a weekly showcase match, or two.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Free it from the burden of WWE storytelling and just have a weekly showcase match, or two.

It really is that simple. There weren't many stories that came out of Cena's US Title open challenge and that didn't stop it from being one of the most popular segments on Raw during that time.

I can't imagine them keeping it that simple all the time, but they could at least try to limit their storylines to involve people who can make them interesting. Some of their CW wrestlers have the personality of a doorknob.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Some of their CW wrestlers have the personality of a doorknob.

As opposed to that overflowing geyser of charisma and personality Darren Young, who is currently challenging for a title.

 

[OYDK]

I get the pessimism. WWE hasn't given fans a reason to believe in this type of change in a long time. Still, it's not like Neville, Cara, Kalisto, Apollo, Primo, Epico, etc. were doing much of anything anyway.

At least this gets them on TV and allows them to give us awesome matches. Assuming they get more than 15 minutes a week. As long as Styles and Zayn aren't battling it out for the CW title, I'll be ok.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

What NorCal said. This has been announced less than a week after the Cruiserweight Classic started and it's on Raw. I hope Austin Aries has fond memories of his times as an X-Division champion.

Didn't Stephanie shit on undersized wrestlers in literally the same segment? And throughout the show in reference to Bryan? The same Bryan who is proof positive of why a CW division can hold some people back?

If history is any indication this will suck, no one will be over in the least , and they will be cannon fodder for Baron Corbin before sleigh bells are ringing.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I get the pessimism. WWE hasn't given fans a reason to believe in this type of change in a long time. Still, it's not like Neville, Cara, Kalisto, Apollo, Primo, Epico, etc. were doing much of anything anyway.

At least this gets them on TV and allows them to give us awesome matches. Assuming they get more than 15 minutes a week. As long as Styles and Zayn aren't battling it out for the CW title, I'll be ok.

Apollo fuckin Crews???? Dude is like 240

I doubt Neville makes weight either. Especially since they used the CWC as their example, and the weight limit down there is 205.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

As opposed to that overflowing geyser of charisma and personality Darren Young, who is currently challenging for a title.

Another fine example of with this isn't going to work.

The booking of their current titles is atrocious, and that's with people who are somewhat well known by the audience.

Add a belt and division wwe has continuously fucked up to a show that regularly brings in the whine and cheese apathetic crowd ?


Shit show.

Shit. Show.

 

[BaconBits]

I'm pretty sure the cruiserweight division is just going to be the flippy shit division. That's not something I'm into at all. It's not that I can't respect the performers' athleticism or anything like that, it's more that the gimmicks high flyers are given are usually pretty non-existent. Bland dudes are going to make for bland television.

 

[OYDK]

Apollo fuckin Crews???? Dude is like 240

I doubt Neville makes weight either. Especially since they used the CWC as their example, and the weight limit down there is 205.

As if WWE will care about actual weight. How many guys are actually under 205? Like, 2? Apollo's short enough. He'll meet the criteria.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Just let the people who run the CWC also run the Cruiserweight Division on RAW (meaning no Vince McMahon) and then I think the division will be just fine. In fact Vince should only get involved when the division has to interact with the rest of the roster.

There are some big names in the CWC and I think more will come in the following year. Lots of great talent, but the most important part of all, it's a global talent, which means that the Cruiserweight Classic will be the bridge that will lead the WWE Network and the WWE in much bigger heights on the global scale.

I understand the need to put in on RAW. It seems like USA Network does not want RAW to go back to 2 hours and I don't think the WWE wants either. There are so many money to be lost without that extra hour which includes extra ads. So the CD, is a nice way of keeping that extra hour exciting and also increase RAW's level in terms of entertainment value.

One last thought: I hope talent like Zayn and Balor does not enter the division. What WWE should do, is to test the talent and see which Cruiserweight talent has the tools to be a star outside that division and then give them that push. The others, aka those who can perform insane jumps and matches but have zero charisma, should stay in that division.

Guys like Evan Bourne, Justin Gabriel, Kaval and other veteran names, would be great picks for the division and also could attrack casual viwers to it.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

This should be awesome though it makes more sense on Smackdown.

Regardless you have Kalisto, Neville, Zayn, Sin Cara. Also Aries, Balor, and Itami from NXT. And they can sign some wrestlers from the CWC.

I really don't see a problem with this.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

As if WWE will care about actual weight. How many guys are actually under 205? Like, 2? Apollo's short enough. He'll meet the criteria.

Literally everyone in the CWC is under 205

 

[OYDK]

Literally everyone in the CWC is under 205

They're not all signed to contracts. And WWE's not looking to sign all of them to contracts. They're going to need to include some of their established guys.

 

[Gallops77]

While Vince obviously still runs the show, I think Triple H has his ear a lot more than anyone else ever has. Triple H knows the business and knows what fans want. That's why he pushed to give us NXT.

I guarantee Triple H will have a big part in the Cruiserweight Division. Who will be in it, who will be pushed and how it's presented. This isn't going to be the WWE Cruiserweight Division with Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Jamie Nobile, etc. This is going to be a cruiserweight division that gives awesome matches and reminds us of what WCW had during the Monday Night Wars.