5 Ways WWE Can Improve The Cruiserweight Division
It's not too late to turn it around.
The Cruiserweight Classic of this summer was a resounding success, one that even seemed to take WWE management by surprise. It was soon announced that the Cruiserweights would be coming to Monday Night Raw and at the tournament final, Triple H hastily revealed the new Cruiserweight Title that was to be presented to the winner. Many wrestling fans wished that the Cruiserweights had never gone away in the first place, so naturally, there was a lot of excitement for what the future held.
Sadly, the purple division has struggled to make an impact since it transitioned to the main roster. It appears that WWE thought the momentum of the Cruiserweight Classic would spill over to Monday nights, but it is painfully obvious that it didn't.
It isn't really the fault of the Cruiserweights either - they are just working with what they've been given, and so far they haven't been given much at all. They have been hampered by poor booking, poor script writing, and no attempt to give them any credibility whatsoever.
It isn't too late to reverse this though. It might only take a few simple changes to turn around the flagging division and transform it into a major part of the WWE. We now know that at Survivor Series, Kalisto will battle Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick, in an attempt to take both the belt and the division to the blue brand.
If this is built properly and it appears that both Raw and SmackDown desperately want to be the home of the light-heavyweights, it could inject some much needed energy and prestige into the Cruiserweight division. However, it is going to take more than move to Tuesday nights to revive it completely. Here are five more ways WWE can improve the ailing purple brand.
5. Make The Cruiserweights Look Like They Belong On The Main Roster
The Cruiserweights just don't seem to belong on Monday nights right now. It isn't really their fault either. Despite the success of the Cruiserweight Classic, their transition to the main roster has been booked poorly and lacks momentum.
Since their debut on the 19 September episode of Raw, they have been treated like a barely tolerated guest on the show, rather than an integral part of it. They were introduced with minimum fanfare and what should have been a monumental moment for the group was nothing short of anticlimactic. It might as well have not happened.
General Manager Mick Foley had to refer to a piece of paper as he introduced the newest members of the Raw roster; he couldn't even be bothered to learn their names. If that wasn't a lousy enough start, TJ Perkins, the newly crowned champion of the division, didn't even appear on the show. He was relegated to a short video put online after Raw ended. It instantly diminished the importance of both the wrestlers and the new championship.
The division's purple colour scheme also holds them back. Initially, it didn't seem like a bad thing, as it set them apart, but this has ended up being to their detriment. If the tag team and women's divisions had their own colour scheme it would be fine. But they don't: the Cruiserweights are the anomaly.
Rather than setting the Cruiserweights apart and signifying something special is about to happen, the purple colour scheme just acts as a barrier between the Cruiserweights and the proper members of the Raw team. The arena changes to purple, the match happens, then everything goes back to the way it was and normal service is resumed. The Cruiserweights deserve better.