In a recent interview with Newsweek on Tuesday about NXT’s impending move to the USA Network, Triple H was asked about the status of 205 Live within the framework of WWE having three brands on national television. In the past, 205 Live has a showcase for the WWE Cruiserweight division, which had storyline wise been a part of Monday Night Raw. We’ve seen many Cruiserweights, such as members of Lucha House Party, appear on Raw for one offs in the past. But it appears with NXT’s launch on the USA Network that 205 Live looks to be shifting to an off-shoot of NXT instead of Raw or SmackDown.
“NXT UK will sit under that NXT banner as well, probably 205 too breathing some life into it a little bit,” Triple H told Newsweek. “That creates three distinct brands that talent, over the course of their career – which hopefully is long – where they can migrate from one to the other and be reinvigorated and have fresh starts and have longer, more meaningful and lucrative careers while staying within the same company.”
Triple H continued to stress the move of 205 Live from association with Raw to NXT by suggesting that the Cruiserweight’s show had somewhat drifted away from any main brand association in recent times. “I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it’s become lost in this limbo,” he continued. “You’ll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people.”
It makes sense for Triple H to bring 205 Live under his brand’s umbrella, as he initially took over 205 Live from Vince McMahon last year to stabilize the brand. One of Triple H’s top producers in NXT, Adam Pierce, has been the showrunner for some time now. Adding so many of 205 Live‘s top talents, such as Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher and Tony Nese into the NXT mix will create lots of new potential match-ups. With recent NXT shifts like Oney Lorcan and KUSHIDA on Tuesday’s 205 Live from Madison Square Garden, it appears the shift may already be underway.
