10 Big Questions About Future Of WWE’s UK Brand
2. Will WWE Learn From 205 Live's Mistakes?
UK fans might be excited about the prospect of a British show at the moment, but if WWE’s recent track record is anything to go by, there’s no guarantee of a successful follow-up. The Cruiserweight Classic was one of 2016’s biggest success stories, but the Cruiserweight division made a horrendous start to life on Raw, and 205 Live hasn’t fared much better either.
The show has improved since Neville arrived, but it’s still watched by half-empty arenas, and talented guys like Gran Metalik and Akira Tozawa are still sitting on the shelf. 205 usually provides one half-decent match a week, but that’s the extent of it: there’s nothing “must see” about the product, and it’s completely skippable.
Nobody wants a UK-based show to meet a similar fate, but it’s a very real danger. The Cruiserweights lost everything that made the CWC special when they joined the full-time roster, and it’d be tragic to waste talents like Bate and Dunne in such a manner.
WWE have shown very little self-awareness in recognising their flaws in the past, and they’re rarely able to turn ailing shows like 205 Live around. A UK brand’s success hinges entirely on their ability to look at 205’s failings and act upon them objectively, but history provides few reasons to be optimistic in this regard.