In recent weeks, RAW has seen Enzo Amore and the Cruiserweights take the main event spot which was previously reserved for the likes of Roman Reigns, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and other big name superstars.
Amore has used this to his advantage, creating more heat for his character as he competes against Kalisto for the Cruiserweight Championship. Check out this prime example of Enzo before his main event against Kalisto:
“I am your biggest superstar in the locker-room”
After Amore’s win over Kalisto at TLC, the two time Cruiserweight Champion is likely to repeat a similar reaction tonight, demanding more attention and respect from the RAW locker-room and General Manager: Kurt Angle.
While other sources have speculated that WWE is pushing 205 Live and Enzo Amore, or that Vince McMahon enjoys watching The Certified G being beaten up on such a grand stage; Kevin Eck, a former writer for WWE, has appeared on The Wade Keller podcast and suggested that ratings have a lot to do with it:
“…[W]hen you look at the ratings, you always see consistently the third hour drifts off, and you see a higher rating during the second hour[…] There is some prestige to appear at the end of the show, but I don’t think it’s the same to when I worked there[…]Vince has seen the rating trend that people aren’t sticking around, no matter what they put in[…] so why are you going to put your most important segment in the hour to where people are tuning out?”
Eck’s business sense does demonstrate a logical strategy, featuring the most popular wrestlers during the highest ratings. But WWE will, at some point, want to reveal a huge surprise with lasting impact, which requires the final moments of the show to make the most effective cliff-hanger.
Opinion:
Don’t expect Enzo or the Cruiserweights to remain in this spot for too long. The recent outbreak of viral infections will have caused multiple plans to change, evidenced by last night’s TLC PPV, and with the return of Brock Lesnar, plus build up to Survivor Series, WWE will surely resume normal service as Amore becomes repetitive and old.
