WWE Kills 205 Live, Replaces It With NXT: Level Up
Rest in peace 205 Live - and hello NXT Level Up...
205 Live is no more, WWE has confirmed.
The old cruiserweight brand has been replaced with a new show, NXT: Level Up, which will debut on Peacock and WWE Network this coming Friday. In the announcement tweet, WWE advertised the new show as a chance to "Catch some of WWE’s brightest young talent as they look to begin their climb to the top of [NXT 2.0]."
Developmental for developmental, it seems, meaning Level Up will serve a similar purpose to 205 Live prior to its cancellation. Having abandoned the old cruiserweight poundage limit in 2021, the purple brand had served primarily to spotlight Performance Center wrestlers who were either early in their careers or not making regular NXT 2.0 shows with great regularity.
WWE taped the first episode of NXT: Level Up last night, with such names as Kushida, Harland, and Edris Enofe on the card.
Debuting in November 2016, 205 Live was initially calibrated as a home for WWE's revived cruiserweight division, which was brought back following that year's Cruiserweight Classic tournament. Wrestlers like Buddy Murphy, Mustafa Ali, and Cedric Alexander found a home there, working to considerable acclaim before being moved into regular Raw/SmackDown roles, though the brand's prominence had declined considerably over the past couple of years.