Every Major Wrestling Debut TV Show Ranked From Worst To Best

11. WWE 205 Live

Dynamite Chris Jericho
WWE.com

Surely not long for this world, 205 Live entered it with a whimper; featuring a speed and expression uncivilly divorced from the very reason behind it, the Cruiserweight Classic, it was basically a Vince McMahon sports entertainment show with purple ropes. It didn’t ‘defy expectations’, as the opening video promised. It lived down to them.

The Superstars were brought out onto the entrance ramp as a means of introducing them to the audience, and the conspicuous absence of a WWE management figure lording over them painted its own picture.

The first match, a tag team showcase of the Bollywood Boyz, played out to little heat, and inadvertently set the inessential tone; there were no Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles to contend for, and thus no stakes. The audience unanimously deduced that there was no point in investing.

A vignette/match mash-up, it was headlined by Brian Kendrick Vs. Rich Swann, and it was emblematic of the show, pre Triple H’s TakeOver. It was good when good was no longer good enough, and Trips never could shake that stigma, even if the quality vastly improved upon ‘Alicia Fox screams every single episode’.

Contributor
Contributor

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!