Good news: The Cruiserweight division has been taken off life support and things are looking up. The bad news: It has one more obstacle to overcome — WWE booking.
It shouldn't be a shock that the Cruiserweight Championship match between Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali has been relegated to the pre-show at Sunday's WrestleMania 34, but for some reason it is. Considering the turnaround of "205 Live" has been the most impressive feat WWE has pulled off in a long time, it felt as though the Cruiserweights deserved more.
After all, it was but two years ago when some of the best talent from around the world competed in the Cruiserweight Classic, giving fans a taste of what smaller-statured wrestlers — sorry, superstars — can do in a ring.
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The tournament featured names like Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi and Lince Dorado, among other high-quality talent that signed on and built the foundation of the new WWE Cruiserweight division. Upon the announcement of the Cruiserweight-focused weekly show "205 Live," there was enough excitement and talent that all the company needed to do was build on what we saw in that red-hot, 32-man tournament: athleticism, match quality and a sense of real competition not previously embraced by the company.
But as with some things WWE, the division took a turn for the worse, twisting and turning through nonsensical storylines and character changes that makes the final season of "Lost" look like a masterclass in storytelling. After a two-month rebuild and an epic 16-man tournament, the division is probably one of the best things happening for WWE.
Fans took the news Ali vs. Alexander would be relegated to the pre-show less than well on Twitter:
This is unacceptable, both of these men deserve better. #GiveCrusierweightsAChance
— #WOKEN AllHailMauro (@eddyking455) April 3, 2018
Put the Cruiserweights on the main show ffs
— Chris ⚽🔴⚽🔴⚽🔴 (@MUFCChrisMUFC98) April 3, 2018
So this is what the cruiserweights get for working their asses off for so long? #PutCruiserweightsOnMainShow
— #PutCruiserweightsOnMainShow (@PhenomenalJEC03) April 3, 2018
I don’t like to post much about @WWE on social media, but it’s a travesty that the Cruiserweight Championship Match will be on the pre show at #WrestleMania . Those two have worked so damn hard to get themselves and that division over and they deserve that spotlight. #Raw
— IG: @MattKnicks (@TheMattKnicks) April 3, 2018
"Travesty." "Unacceptable." "FFS."
That's nothing new, though. At WrestleMania 33, Neville and Austin Aries highlighted the pre-show with an entertaining match. Tag-team and midcard championship matches have taken place on the pre-show in the past, disrespectfully so.
What makes this year's occurrence especially nauseating is the understanding that WrestleMania always seems like an event that's hurting for content. We've seen musical performances, The Rock and his flamethrower, and Snookie used to stretch for time. There has been no shortage of bad, drawn-out segments over the years. Sometimes, matches are sacrificed for a Diddy concert. Or was it Puff Daddy? I digress.
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This year, there's also the very real chance the very green Ronda Rousey, who has yet to wrestle a match (or really inspire any sort of confidence in her wrestling ability) in a WWE ring will go higher on the card than we may ever see the Cruiserweights go. That may be unfair to Rousey, but these guys deserve to be more than just a booking afterthought on the pre-show; they've had some of the best matches in WWE on a week-in, week-out basis over the past month and a half.
There's no justification for Rousey's high-card debut other than pop-culture references, manufactured publicity and next-day headlines and talk-show appearances, none of which matter to the dyed-in-the-wool wrestling fans watching or attending WrestleMania.
As with all things wrestling — sorry, sports entertainment — there's the understanding that it's all part of business. The WrestleMania pre-show is about pushing the limits of what a wrestling fan — sorry, sports entertainment fan — is willing to swallow over the course of one Sunday afternoon. That can sometimes mean taking high-profile matches and sticking them on a pre-show to try to drum up interest.
So in some ass-backwards way, this means that there's actually an importance to putting the Cruiserweight title match on the pre-show.
Sorry. Not buyin' it.
The problem is, WrestleMania gets to a point where it's just too much wrestling, and sandwiching the Cruiserweight title match between countless video packages and two battle royal matches that are about as pointless as a screen door on a submarine does nothing for building the division or capitalizing on just how damn good it has been. WWE must be aware that even though the TVs are on or the stadium doors are open, people just aren't paying attention.
Simply put, it's not fair to the talent who worked their asses off trying — successfully — to rebuild a brand that might as well have been renamed "205 Barely Alive" from "205 Live." It's not fair to guys who routinely have good matches and put on entertaining shows in such a limited slot and role within WWE. By the way: According to Triple H, viewership and social engagement surrounding "205 Live" has been up. Why not continue to build that? Why stick it in a spot with half the eyes and a quarter of the attention?
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This speaks to a bigger issue over the years. There's no reason or justification for championship matches, not just the Cruiserweight title, not being on the main card of the year's biggest show. After all, these belts are supposed to represent the height of their divisions, either as the apex predator or as a springboard to bigger things.
There should be a reverence for, and prestige associated with, these straps. There should be an understanding that winning a championship is the culmination of an arduous, hard-fought journey, as there was with the "205 Live" 16-man tournament. To that end, there must be an attitude within the company of, "Hey, you worked your tail off. You earned this opportunity. See you on the main card."
Possibly the biggest problem is that, in 2018, wrestling has evolved. The Cruiserweights' shows over the past month, and the night-and-day turnaround that has happened, are a prime example. While WWE continuously feeds us "sports entertainment," Cruiserweights have delivered "pro wrestling." Their work is something fans not only should see, but need to see on the main WrestleMania card, because their work encapsulates everything that makes wrestling great today: athleticism, in-ring psychology, risk-taking, understanding of character and more. They're more than just a gimmick or a few flips or dives or a part-timer with questionable "drawing power."
Really, though, I get it. WWE hasn't always shown the aptitude to put its best talent in the best position to succeed, so the Cruiserweight title match being relegated to the pre-show doesn't, or shouldn't, come as a surprise. Some staunch WWE defenders will always try to justify these (atrocious) booking decisions, claiming, "This is the way it's been," or, "This is nothing new," or, "That's just the way it is." Almost always, the debate will end with, "Well, just stop watching, then."
The truth of the matter is, just because something is expected doesn't make it right. Just because something has been the trend doesn't mean it needs to continue. Being a fan of something means damning the flaws as often as you praise the strengths even as you stick with it. But that's another argument for another column.
Ali and Alexander don't deserve to wrestle in an empty stadium and in front of TV viewers with divided attention, fighting over what pizza toppings to get, complaining about how much WrestleMania they have to watch.
What they do deserve is their moment. They deserve attention. Most importantly, they deserve respect.
