New Reports on What to Expect From Tonight’s 205 Live Debut

The Cruiserweight division is getting its own show, and that program is set to debut on the WWE Network after SmackDown. Now we’re finally starting to hear reports on what to expect from the show.

First, the officially booked match–Rich Swann will challenge “the” Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship. We haven’t heard if WWE is planning to change the title tonight, but all educated guesses point in that direction. A title change would be a spectacular way to kick off the new show, and the division desperately needs a more dynamic face. (Not to take anything away from Kendrick’s excellent heel work.)

We’re hearing that it’s “all hands on deck” for the debut show, and the entire division is expected to be there, including signees who haven’t yet appeared on the main roster, or who have shown up only occasionally.  That list includes Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, Gran Metalik, HoHo Lun, and the Bollywood Boys, all of whom had impressive showings in the CWC.

PWInsider is also reporting that an NXT star may be coming to 205 Live. Austin Aries is expected to appear on the program, possibly as soon as tonight’s debut show. Aries is unlikely to be involved in physical action due to his orbital bone surgery, but could still make an appearance.

The show is scheduled to run a slightly short 45 minutes, with Talking Smack to broadcast immediately thereafter.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer speculates that the “live” part of 205 Live may be dropped, as it introduces a number of problems. Crowds will be tired after the SmackDown show, and may leave having already seen their favorite superstars. With the pre-SmackDown tapings having been moved to before Raw, it’s possible that 205 Live will be recorded before the television show and broadcast immediately thereafter.