WWE Rumors: Weekly Show Reportedly Might Be Discontinued Once ‘SmackDown Live’ Moves To Fox
If a new report is to be believed, WWE might be pulling the plug on one of its less-heralded programs once SmackDown Live makes the move to Fox in October.
According to a report from Heel By Nature, WWE is supposedly considering ending 205 Live, which, at present, airs after SmackDown Live on Tuesday nights on the WWE Network. Per one of the publication’s unnamed backstage sources, someone in the company specified that the show may be going off the air “in a couple [of] months,” with WWE allegedly planning to announce the news in September once a final decision has been made.
As further related, the fate of WWE’s Cruiserweight Championship is unknown at this point, as it’s unclear whether the company will move the title to the main roster or have it defended on the NXT brand in the event 205 Live is indeed discontinued. However, Heel By Nature speculated that the latter possibility would make more sense, as WWE is reportedly moving NXT to a Wednesday night schedule on the USA Network.
According to Newsweek, NXT’s move to the USA Network was supposed to be confirmed on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, though no announcement was made during the three-hour program. The publication noted that the move will see NXT expand from one to two hours in an attempt on WWE’s part to counter All Elite Wrestling and its upcoming weekly show on TNT, with the new schedule reportedly set to take effect on September 18. No mention, however, was made about the possibility of WWE moving its cruiserweights to NXT to help fill the extra hour.
Currently, the Cruiserweight Championship is held by Drew Gulak, who successfully defended the belt against Oney Lorcan earlier this month on the SummerSlam kickoff show, per Wrestling Inc.
.@DrewGulak retains the WWE #CruiserweightTitle after a WAR with @_StarDESTROYER on #205Live! pic.twitter.com/SnqpAZ07LT
— WWE (@WWE) August 14, 2019
Rumors regarding the impending demise of 205 Live are nothing new, as ProSportsExtra WWE insider Brad Shepard reported in June that the show “will likely be discontinued before the end of the year,” according to Ringside News. The publication explained that the rumored move wasn’t too surprising, as 205 Live has long struggled to attract live and WWE Network viewers alike.
Despite the above rumors, WWE has added a number of talents to the cruiserweight roster in recent months, including the likes of Mike Kanellis and The Singh Brothers, while also calling up former 205 Live mainstays such as Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy to the main roster, as pointed out recently by Bleacher Report.
