WWE has canceled tonight’s “205 Live” episode. The pro-wrestling company will instead stream a rerun of “NXT” tonight at 10 p.m. on WWE Network.
The company tweeted the following on Friday afternoon: “The scheduled airing of 205 Live will not take place tonight. Tune into @WWENetwork right after #SmackDown for an encore presentation of @WWENXT.”
Shortly after this article first published, a WWE spokesman told TheWrap that “205 Live” is “not canceled” as a series, and that this change of plans impacts “just tonight.”
No reason for tonight’s cancellation has been given. The episode was set to take place at the Allstate Arena just outside of Chicago immediately following tonight’s two-hour “SmackDown” at the same venue.
“WWE 205 Live” has struggled to keep up with its sister brands, and is currently the only U.S.-based WWE division not on broadcast or cable television. “Raw” airs Mondays on USA Network, which is also where “NXT” now airs on Wednesdays. “SmackDown” migrated from USA to Fox’s broadcast network — and Fridays — earlier this fall.
“NXT UK” and “205 Live” are the only remaining regular series with in-ring action on WWE’s own SVOD service, which costs $9.99 per month.
The “205 Live” championship belt, which is called the WWE Cruiserweight Title, was recently rebranded as the NXT Cruiserweight Title. That strap is currently held by Lio Rush.
“WWE 205 Live” got its name from the notion that all wrestlers in the division are 205 pounds or lighter. The cruiserweights are known for their high-flying, athletic maneuvers.
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Here is WWE’s tweet regarding this evening’s plans:
The scheduled airing of 205 Live will not take place tonight.
Tune into @WWENetwork right after #SmackDown for an encore presentation of @WWENXT.
— WWE (@WWE) November 22, 2019