10 Things WWE Can Learn From NJPW Dominion
7. People Care About Junior Heavyweights
One of the breakout stars of 2017 has been Hiromu Takahashi. The former Kamaitachi in CMLL rejoined New Japan last November, aligned himself with Los Ingobernables de Japon, and never looked back. At Wrestle Kingdom, he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and he spent the past five months defending the title in an incredible offering of unorthodox matches. At Dominion, though, his reign came to an end in another classic.
The comparison between New Japan's junior heavyweight division and WWE's cruiserweight division almost doesn't seem fair - one is an integral part of the show with a long and decorated history, while the other is treated as part bathroom break, part sideshow. Still, there's no inherent difference - both focus on smaller stars and have no shortage of talent.
So how can WWE make people care about Neville, Austin Aries, Cedric Alexander, and Gran Metalik as much as New Japan fans care about the juniors? They can start by really giving them time and exposure to show how good they are, and by making 205 Live feel more like the universally praised Cruiserweight Classic. It's basically just a matter of treating smaller stars with respect.