8 Ups & 11 Downs For WWE In 2018 (So Far)
Ups...
8. 205 Live's Rebirth
You're still not watching, and the arenas remain deathly silent, but 205 Live has quietly become WWE's most consistent weekly in-ring brand since January.
Enzo Amore's release was a blessing. It put an end to the Cruiserweight show's character-driven "Little Guy Raw" era, and the transition of power from Vince McMahon to Triple H allowed WWE's heir apparent to rebuild in NXT's mould. 205 became the show it always should have been, with cutting edge in-ring action pushed to the forefront along with simple, logical storytelling based on professional rivalries, not Nia Jax romance angles and 'Zo Trains.
Like NXT, 205 is a wrestling-centric island away from Raw and SmackDown's sports entertainment trappings. It has allowed prodigious talents like Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander to shine, given Hideo Itami a third chance at WWE success, and rescued the resurgent Buddy Murphy from developmental hell. Along with the likes of Akira Tozawa, Lio Rush, and Drew Gulak, these guys make for a tremendous cast, and the brand's strongest in-ring offerings regularly outshine anything found on WWE's bigger shows.
Tune in, or miss out.