Thoughts on WWE's Cruiserweight Division...

[Guest Downhome]

For weeks, months, and even years we have been begging WWE to do something with their Cruiserweight Division, and they apparently are begining to once and for all. Sure, we've seen them have their moments in the past, like when Taka debuted, his feud with Brian Christopher, Jerry Lynn's title win, etc... but now it seems they really have plans to go forward with it, once and for all. So basicly, over all, what do you think about it in this day and age? Do you feel they are finally going forward with it, not to back down, or is this just something temporary which they will back down from because "it isn't getting over" or because "they are hurting the ratings" or because "HHH doesn't like it" (sorry, I knew someone would say it so I got that sh*t out of the way).

 

With their bringing in Rey Mysterio, I think that once and for all they just might be 100% serious about it, finally. I really hope so anyhow, and I damn sure hope they actually allow them to totally be what that are, and do what they can do. If they want it to get over, they must allow it to be different from the rest of the WWE product. That is where the Cruiserweight Division will get over or fail, and it's all up to WWE to allow this to be a succes.

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest chirs3]

Well, I haven't seen Velocity , which is supposedly cruiser-friendly (no rhyme intended), but from Smackdown! it doesn't look too good... just WWE-Style cruisers.

[Guest Fook_Hing_Ho]

If they want to push the cruisers they need to:

 

A) Let them wrestle a different style than the heavyweights.

 

B) Give them more than one match a week (I'm not counting Velocity because barely anyone watches it).

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

If Rey wasn't coming in I'd call the division dead in the water.

 

Even with him...I don't see much hope.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

They just need more time. Right now the whole cruiser division gets one match and usually one promo/vignette a week, adding up to no more than 6 or 7 minutes. They're becoming like tiny heavyweights, because with only 3 minutes a match, all the guys are being forced to hurry up their signature spots and not just go nuts like we all know they can. I've been impressed with their performances, especially Kidman lately, but you can only see so much in 180 seconds of frenzied junior heavyweight wrasslin'.

 

Give them all of Velocity, or give the division 20 minutes of TV time on Smackdown.

[Guest KingOfOldSchool]

It does look like they're putting some committment into it. But I'm still skeptical about how much the WWF is willing to stick with it. The nagging voice in my mind keeps saying that this rebirth will end a few months down the line, just like all the others.

 

There's still work to be put into it, if the WWF is willing to do it. They've compiled a nice Cruiserweight roster. But the storylines and match quality are still lacking. IMO, It would help if

 

A) The division has a much more "competition" based feel, built around feuds of "you have the belt, let's fight", instead of the typical soap-opery angle (like Nidia/Hurricane/Knoble).

 

B) Dean Malenko is given the book, and a chance to run with it, along with Heyman. I have no idea who's running the division right now, and it might even be Malenko in part. But Malenko proved his worth when planning and working out the 2000 run of the division. None of this means anything however if...

 

C) The wrestlers aren't allowed to do what they can. As of now, many of them are look like mini-Heavyweights....they're not allowed to showcase their abilities, and set themselves apart. There have been some improvements, and the tag match from SD was good, featuring the standard "everyone hit a dive to the outside" and an awesome TR-Powerbomb from Kidman... Now let's see more of it across the board.

 

D) The wrestlers are given time and exposure. It comes off as bad when the matches are so cramped together, that there's not any room for anything in-between. I'd kill for a 10-15 minute match right about now.

 

In keeping with this, don't make Velocity the Cruiser showcase. While this is good for the Cruiser-loving smark, it's not good for the standard fan, who probably won't bother to tune in. Spread out the SD roster more, across the two shows, and let some of the other cruisers who are relegated to Velocity (Chavo, Moore, Funaki), onto Smackdown.

[Guest Raven_Effect01]

I'd like the Cruiserweight division in WWE more if WWE let them wrestle in their own high-flying style and not like tiny WWE heavyweights, focus more on their wrestling abilities instead of gimmicks, phase out the soap-opera like stuff with Noble and Nidia, and give the Cruisers more match time to be able to showcase their skills, because right now, NWA-TNA's X Division's beating the shit out of WWE's Cruiserweight division as far as the style of matches and time go.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Dean Malenko and Paul Heyman book the division. Sign AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, and TAKA Michinoku. That kills the NWA-TNA and gives the Cruiser division a boost. Give them the entire Velocity show as well as at least 20 minutes on Smackdown. The divison would get over.

[Guest Sykotic2002]

They don't need Psicosis, he sucks now and Juvy is a little ify.

[Guest Imarkout4chrisdaniels]

Letting the wrestlers hit the moves that make the division awesome would help, too. Three minute matches inded suck, but no Vertebreaker, tombstone, or some of those other moves that are no longer allowed in the WWE seriously hinder the style.

[Guest Down Below]

So long as they don't use the cruiserweights as jobbers for midcarders, I think the WWE is well on the way to getting this division over.

 

Tajiri needs to be turned face again though. The Tarantula will never draw heel heat, IMHO.

[Guest Brian]

Building a new division like this is a hit or miss type of thing. How many times did it take New Japan, which gets practically universal praise, to get it right? They miss here, since Heyman is booking, they'll come back and make changes. And despite that it seems like they're commited to putting something out, they're not commited to the division. They need time and they need to be put over. They need some kind of semblance of their own identity. I think Mysterio's perfect if he wrestles differently and starts dropping spots. His awesome Mexico work this past year can only be hindered by the WWE style.

[Guest TheBlurricane]

WWE needs to use their wcw video library and put together a "best of cruiserweights" video package and show it in parts over the span of a few weeks on Smackdown to show the fans what a real cruiserweight match looks like.

 

By that they can judge how the crowd reacts to the clips with oooh's and aahh's and then hopefully Vince will realize he can't bastardize the cruiserweight division like this.