8 Potential Consequences Of WWE's Rumoured Budget Cuts

3. 205 Live Heads To Full Sail

Renee Young shock
WWE.com

205 Live has flopped. While the show has improved greatly from its unwatchable early days, and Neville has been among WWE's top performers in 2017, it remains WWE's most unloved brand. Nobody cares, nobody's watching, and hype is non-existent.

Much of this is down to the way 205 Live is taped. Filmed immediately after SmackDown, it suffers greatly from taking place before a tired audience who've already sat through a two-hour show. Thus, even 205's grandest stunts struggle to draw noise from the disinterested crowd who may as well be anywhere else in the world.

Holding 205 in large arenas does make the show feel grander, but what's the point if the audience aren't paying attention? Nothing kills a show's energy like a lack of noise from the fans, which has become a disease for 205.

In following the NXT model by filming four weeks' of television in a single Full Sail University taping, WWE would not only solve this problem, but save some money in the process. There's no sense in paying the extra cash it costs to host 205 in a huge arena after SmackDown, and aside from cancelling the show outright, this feels like the easiest way to cut costs with the cruiserweight show.

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.