4 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE 205 Live (Jan 3)

The return of one legend, and the making of another.

by Michael Sidgwick
Neville Perkins
WWE.com

WWE 205 Live is slowly growing into itself.

After an inauspicious start, the viewer interest of which was represented visually by the mass walkout during the first episode, the reintroduction of Neville has provided the show with a (literally) strong anchor with which to ground it

Much like NXT, it benefits from the freshness enforced by its brief runtime. Paul Heyman and JBL may have other ideas, but even The Sandman, circa late 1994, could see that the third of RAW is killing the quality of it. WWE might consider it best for business - and the ad revenue is probably categorically difficult to argue with - but is the burnout worth risking for short-term gains? The wider picture might suggest otherwise.

It reduces overexposure and provides a logical pivot. There isn’t enough room to accommodate everybody - and that’s a good thing. The absence of Rich “Swanny” Swann, “selling” the effects of last week’s match, only served to bolster Neville’s growing aura as a bad-a**.

In-ring, the stricter regulation of the proper WWE environment means the action is but a shadow of the best the Cruiserweight Classic had to offer - but, insofar as episodic television goes, those fans who deserted the show in its first week are being provided with many a reason to tune back in…

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Contributor
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!