It’s been rumored here and there on the internet and among fans for weeks or months now, but the inevitable seems to be happening. According to Triple H in a Newsweek interview, it appears the end of 205 Live is closer than any of us think. According to Triple H, “You’ll start to see 205 begin to. I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it’s become lost in this limbo. 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.
As for RAW and SmackDown LIve, it’s an open division for them. When you’re on both shows, everybody is competing against everybody.”
This is something Triple H discussed the desire to have happen in January of 2018, and it looks like things are starting to shift that way.
Doubts and concern among fans are legitimate
There will undoubtedly be fans of 205 Live that won’t like this, and it makes sense. It’s hard to become attached to a show and then see it shift or merge into another. It changes the dynamic we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.
Will they keep the Cruiserweight title? Will it still be a division? How will our favorites adjust? Will they adjust? And many more questions come to mind.
As Triple H said in his interview, 205 Live has been an island on its own for a while. It also hasn’t done as well as the other shows for various reasons, and it’s believed it’ll be better served under the NXT brand, though some of the superstars going to Raw or Smackdown isn’t out of the question.
Preparing for war?
Another reason for the cancellation and shift may be the upcoming war with AEW.
Let’s be honest, Triple H also pointed out in his interview that his problem has been fitting everything into one hour on NXT, and now he’ll have more time to get more superstars out there and offer more storylines. With the added superstars/responsibilities of 205 Live being added to his portion of the kingdom, it seems more like they’re rearming to put out the best product possible.
While there is abundant faith in Triple H leading NXT — it’s widely considered to be superior to the Raw and Smackdown Live brands despite being a developmental brand — there’s little doubt he’d going to be the going head to head with AEW.
At times like this, the more assets one has can mean the difference between winning or losing, surviving or being bought by one’s competition.
