10 Reasons WWE's Cruiserweight Division Has Fallen

5. Rich Swann Gets Busted

Jack Gallagher Clown
WWE

Rich Swann had been a cornerstone of the Cruiserweight division since its grand relaunch in September 2016. In fact, he knocked off The Brian Kendrick on the pilot episode of 205 Live to capture the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

Even long after he dropped the strap to Neville at Royal Rumble 2017, Swann was featured at the forefront of the division for the remainder of the year, and for good reason. In addition to being a great wrestler, he had boatloads of charisma and managed to stand out from the rest of the roster.

He eventually earned himself another shot at the Cruiserweight title by winning a series of matches on Raw late last year, and likely would have been the one to take the title from Enzo Amore at some point. But, before he could contend for the championship, he was suspended indefinitely by the company after it was reported he was arrested on charges of domestic violence. Swann was ultimately released in mid-February.

By that point, the Cruiserweight division couldn't handle yet another significant loss, making Swann's departure one of the final nails in the coffin for the Cruiserweight division.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.