While the Cruiserweight Challenge was amazing, it quickly became clear that 205 Live was more WWE than NXT and it lost a lot of fans and viewers as a result. From the start, the show has been taped and aired after SmackDown Live and it's no secret that most fans choose to leave the building rather than stick around and watch the Cruiserweights in action no matter the dark main event!
Now, Mustafa Ali - who has been moved to SmackDown Live - has shared his thoughts on all of that and it sounds like it was a very demoralising experience for the Superstars wrestling on the show.
"When 205 started we were going on after SmackDown. I don’t know if you ever been to a concert, but the opening act starts and then the headliner comes out. We were reverse. I remember standing in Gorilla. It was me vs Ariya Daivari and we’re watching the monitor and it’s John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a 2 out of 3 falls match, and we have to go out after that. If there’s ever crew of guys that are behind the 8-ball every night that have their work cut out for them, respectively, it’s the 205 Live guys.
"In the early stages of things, there was some genuine interest: what is this show about? But as time progressed, I think people did lose interest in it. We were in a tough spot. Like I said, John Cena vs Randy Orton in a 2 out of 3 falls match, so some would stay and some would leave. Yeah, it’s a little disheartening when you want to give your heart and soul in this ring and you look up and half the arena is gone. It reminds you of how much work you have to put in. It doesn’t matter if there are 500 people in the stands or 50,000. The 205 Live guys stick to the script and we’re gonna tear it down each night and now it’s nice to kinda see the way this is turning so to speak."
Since Triple H took over the show creatively, it's definitely improved and taping it before SmackDown Live is a much smarter decision and avoids fans in attendance leaving to beat the traffic. Unfortunately, Ali won't be part of 205 Live moving forward but seeing as he just pinned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan in the main event of the Tuesday night show, he's probably not all that bothered.