What’s the story?
The WWE’s United Kingdom shows have been getting rave reviews from many fans who wish to see more wrestling from across the pond showcased on the WWE Network. Cageside Seats reports that the WWE’s UK shows may be replacing a program on the WWE Network that’s getting poor ratings.
In case you didn’t know...
The WWE launched the United Kingdom Tournament back in January 2017. 16 UK Superstars competed in a two-day tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship. The title was eventually won by Tyler Bate who would go on to hold the belt for 125 days.
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The WWE signed a few of the UK tournament participants and had them wrestling in NXT before the company launched a follow-up to the United Kingdom Championship Tournament; the WWE United Kingdom Championship Special.
The heart of the matter
According to Cageside Seats, WWE may be considering adding a weekly UK show to the network due to the poor ratings for the Cruiserweight exclusive show, 205 Live.
Unlike its predecessor, the Cruiserweight Classic, 205 Live has been reported as one of the least watched programs on the network according to Dave Meltzer. Another issue for 205 Live has been the decreased attendance for the program as many fans leave after SmackDown is over.
What’s next?
Cage Side Seats didn’t have anything specific regarding the 205 Live tie-ins, so there’s no way of determining what the company could have in mind. If this rumour is to be believed, the company could have both the UK wrestlers and the Cruiserweights on the same show; similar to the United Kingdom Championship Special, which featured The Brian Kendrick, Rich Swann, TJ Perkins.
However, there is still a chance that the WWE may pull the plug on 205 Live and replace it with a weekly UK show.
Author’s take
Many fans claim 205 Live is enjoyable, but clearly, enough isn’t being done to increase viewership and intrigue. The biggest reason for their low viewership could be its placement on the network.
Most fans of the WWE claim that they hate three-hour shows and adding a two-hour SmackDown to a one-hour Cruiserweight Show plus Talking Smack equals more than 3 hours of programming of WWE programming.
As far as the UK shows go, the WWE definitely should consider adding another program to the network, but not at the expense of the Cruisewerweights.
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