7 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 30)

4. Same Old, Same Old...

Mustafa Ali Tony Nese
WWE.com

WWE have put some time into building Mustafa Ali up lately, and it's much needed. Ali is an excellent high-flying wrestler with a decent babyface personality, and the Cruiserweight division needs some fresh good guys to balance 205 Live's heel-heavy landscape. Ali is a smart choice for elevation, and last night saw him face Tony Nese - one of the division's stock bad guys.

Unfortunately, it was a case of same old Cruiserweight division, same old problems. Nese and Ali were given just a few short minutes to impress, and while they did their absolute best, it's hard to do anything of note in such a short timescale. WWE's stylistic limitations make it close to impossible for these men to get over in the first place, and the lack of airtime only amplifies their struggles.

The Cruiserweight division is a known quantity at this point. Fans are going to get 4-5 minutes of serviceable in-ring action and a simplistic character segment every week, and that's about it. There's nowhere near enough content to get invested in any of the characters, and Raw rarely gives fans a reason to tune into 205 Live the following night. Another week, entirely utterly skippable Cruiserweight match.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.