10 Ways WWE Are Misreading What Their Fans Want From The Product

205 Live has flopped. Neville is one of the most outstanding performers in the world right now, and the show's quality usually flips between 'good' and 'very good' on a weekly basis, but nobody cares. The show sits embarrassingly low on the Network's viewing charts, the live events appear to have less atmosphere than the Moon, and the wrestlers struggle to elicit a response whenever they appear on Raw.

Part of this is a consequence of the abysmal decision to hold the tapings directly after SmackDown, but a great deal comes from the curtailed wrestling style. Fans don't want rest holds and sports entertainment tropes from the cruiserweights, because they're already getting that on Raw. They want fast, exciting action with a hyper athletic style that can't be seen anywhere else, but unfortunately, they're never going to get that.

Neville and a handful of others are tremendous, but for the most part, 205 Live is a pointless show. There's no differentiation between the cruisers and the heavyweights. WWE have completely removed their unique selling point by having them wrestle like everyone else in the company, and until this is undone, the division's struggles will continue.