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Has the Cruiserweight division failed already?

5K views 63 replies 58 participants last post by  ObsoleteMule 
#1 ·
After those chants last night from the disrespectful piece of garbage fan in attendance, is the CW division just something the fans are going to @$%@ on no matter what? This is what I was afraid might happen. And I don't blame WWE. I blame the terrible "fans" who think they are so damn smart these days.
 
#32 ·
That's how Long the brand split lasted.
 
#10 ·
I think they also need more characters, tbh.

Obviously, it'll take some time to develop those characters, but there needs to be plenty of differentiation amongst the competitors. In the cruiserweight division's heyday, they had a rich, robust division of unique characters. Rey Mysterio Jr. (lightning quick), Chris Jericho (colossal brat), Eddie Guerrero (hot tempered cheater), Chavo Guerrero (Eddie's whipping boy), Dean Malenko (ultra-serious technician), Juventud Guerrera (never-say-day warrior), Billy Kidman (brainwashed heroin addict) and La Parka (chair guy) all had clear, wildly different characters. The only significant players who were kind of vanilla were guys like Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis and Prince Iaukea — and it didn't matter as much because they were the exception (and also really talented).

I think right now, WWE's lacking on that front — which is fine, but I am a little worried by whether or not they have much potential on this front. They're going to need to figure out something for guys like Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese, Johnny Gargano and even Gran Metalik. Because I don't think "just a guy" is going to get it done in terms of characterization. There needs to be a clearer contrast.
 
#6 ·
WCW cruiserweight division started out slow too.

Gotta give the fans a reason to invest in these new characters. Can't just throw them out there and say "Cruiserweights!"

More high-flying would probably help too.
This. That's how it feels right now. I watched CWC on the Network, but a larger majority of fans didn't. So saying "we have cruiserweights" means nothing to a typical viewer.

Introducing a title randomly does nothing. TJP is flashy but very somber and boring on the mic. I think the division will pick up eventually. But, right now it's as if there's Raw and then a forced segment for CW. WWE is treating CW as if they're divas and alotting them a certain amount of time and segments.

CW shouldn't be restricted to only wrestling CW. I'm guessing that will change before the end of 2017. And once we get a feud and some action outside 1) back stage interview with random CW #13 ......2) random matchup after 10 PM - then CWC will take off fairly well.
 
#17 ·
What was wrong with the crowd? I thought they were entitled to react however they want? They paid their money, didn't they? Why are we vilifying them? :heyman6

Anyways, I know it's only been a few weeks, but the Vanillaweights have done nothing for me since day one and it doesn't look like it's going to get better
 
#16 ·
I'm seeing a lot of potential with it. Cruiserweight wrestling has evolved from spot after spot into a fast paced but with better methodology.

TJ Perkins is bland AF though. Brian Kendrick should've been the first champion and come out gloating saying "remember me, of course you don't, if it wasn't for me there'd be no Daniel Bryan's..." etc.

Then have him hold the belt for months. Put storyline into the division and then have an underdog wrestler defeat him.

The fans don't care because it's just another match, they're not invested.
 
#22 ·
Nope, there's still plenty of time for it to kick into gear, they've been around for 2 weeks. While those fans were a disgrace, they do need to add a bit more story to the division, as most of them are just out there wrestling matches for the sake of it right now. The tag match didn't really accomplish all that much for example.

You can tell they've been told to dial it down too, compare the pace of some of the guys in the CWC to their showings on RAW and it's clear as day.
 
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#27 · (Edited)
Its only been 2 weeks like others have said, but if it doesn't change and get better I won't be surprised. I was skeptical and against the WWE adding a "crusierweight" division to one of the main shows (Raw especially) b/c the people in charge do not give 2 shits about a crusierweight division and figured that would be evident by the way it is presented on TV (which I have been right about so far) IT feels more like the people in charge of Raw are doing the cruiserweight segments b/c they have to and not b/c they are excited for it. The Cruiserweight division should have been on SD with Ranallo calling the matches, that would have been much better to start with.

Now with Raw the WWE has done the same thing with the Crusierweights that they do with most of the NXT call-ups look this is new like it b/c we say so and corproate shill Michael Cole is trying to sell it to you but it does not come across as genuine.

There is a reason (well many reasons) that alot of the "top names" in that CWC tourney didn't sign with the WWE for a full-time spot and you are seeing one of the reasons why in the first 2 weeks on Raw.
 
#28 ·
Look, RAW is already wasting my life as it is, I'm a UK fan and I cannot be bothered to stay up late to watch utter shit. I want to watch character, I want to watch development, I want to see the next guy who could be what Stone Cold was to the Attitude Era come alive and start a real movement, along with characters that can hold the fort to show they don't need their top draw i.e. Rock, HHH, Foley, (I hate Foley though but I will give him credit), Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle ETC.

None of that has anything to do with a division of Cruiserweights that just say "Hey, these guys are small and are cut off from the main product", Even IF one of those guys has character and charisma, they are locked away doing high spots that will get dull.

Daniel Bryan, one of the smallest guys to be considered their last real draw and face, would be no where NEAR as successful if he signed today, because he'd probably be chained up to the CW division. It's a shackle.

Character>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Work rate, get over it IWC.
 
#44 · (Edited)
I'm still trying to understand why they put the belt on Perkins of all people. I mean people here, myself included, give Neville shit for being bland as hell indy vanilla midget and looking like a dwarf but I never felt that his mere presence on the roster actively hurt the image the product in of itself; he just looked and felt like your typical bland modern day WWE/NXT wrestler except smaller.

Perkins is you Colin Delaney/Norv Fernum/Amazing Red level "this is a wrestler!?" bargin bin mom-and-pop indy guy that even ROH wouldn't push as a top guy and they make him the ****ing champion of the division! And to add to that, he isn't even an indy darling! At least hiring guys like Steen/Danielson makes sense for a company as image obsessed as WWE if they're specifically trying to cater to the IWC; I've never seen anyone on here mark for TJ ****ing Perkins. Isn't Austin Aries on the roster? Why not make HIM the headliner of your division?
 
#14 ·
I won't say it has failed when it just barely started. Got to give it till Mania before you can make a legit judgement on it.

That said, I firmly believe that this Cruiserweight buzz will be no different than the "Diva Revolution". It'll have its three month pseudo-hype of thinking this will be a gamechanger or step up for WWE when it won't and then people will phase out from the hype and start finding the obvious flaws of it and WWE will drop interest when that happens. Shit is textbook at this point.
 
#15 ·
I'll give it more time but I'm not seeing any characters remotely close to what the WCW cruiserweight division had. Don't see any Psychosis, Eddie Guerreros, Juventuds, Ultimo Dragons, Dean Malenkos, Chris Jerichos, ect... on this roster.
 
#18 ·
I really don't like them changing the ropes just for a CW match. RAW drags enough without them having to fill time so the ring crew can switch out the red and purple ropes. I like the unique staging and graphics, that was fair enough but it's overkill to do the ropes as well.
 
#19 ·
They're doing the same stuff we've seen for years - they're doing NOTHING different.

If they're going to continue to give us played out, highly choreographed and borderline boring matches, they need to at least provide us with some characters to allow us to get invested in the matches and care about who's in the ring. If THAT is where they're going, then I'll give it time as like it's been said, it's only been two weeks.
 
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