Survivor Series Preview: Brian Kendrick vs. Kalisto
When Brian Kendrick defends the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto at Survivor Series, there will be much more than a championship on the line. As per the a brand supremacy stipulation, the winner will decide the fate of the entire division.
The Birth of the Cruiserweight Division
After the WWE draft, the RAW brand announced that it would be home to the new cruiserweight division. The success of the Cruiserweight Classic and three hours allotted to RAW allowed for the red brand to add the division with the hopes of drawing more eyes to the superstars of the division. In execution, the division has not received the amount of on air time that would allow for the exciting stars of the division to develop past being a special attraction. As such the WWE has announced that starting on November 29th, the cruiserweights would be getting their own hour of television, to air live after Smackdown on the WWE Network.
Change of Address?
Which brings us to this Sunday’s title match pitting wily veteran Brian Kendrick against fan favorite Kalisto. When Kalisto was drafted to the Smackdown brand it was a bit perplexing, as he seemed to be an excellent fit for the cruiserweight division. All these months later, he now has the opportunity to not only become the third cruiserweight champion of the modern era, but he can also move the entire roster to the Smackdown Live brand. After the Intercontinental title was announced to be defended by then champion Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan and Mick Foley agreed to also put the Cruiserweight title on the line against a Smackdown superstar. The entire face of the WWE can be drastically changed after the match this Sunday.
The WWE 205 Effect
With the newest WWE Network show promising in a few short weeks, it makes more sense for the cruiserweights to be on the Smackdown Live roster. The WWE would have been better served keeping the announcements under wraps until after the match, because it tends to lean towards Kalisto winning the match. Kendrick won the title under dubious circumstances, softening T.J. Perkins’s resolve by playing the down and out family man bit, using that to keep Perkins off-guard and stealing the title from his former friend. Kendrick has already made himself persona non-grata to the rest of the division and his arrogance on Monday Night Raw would seem to indicate that he could easily feud with anyone who resents him for losing and being responsible for moving the entire roster. Kalisto will win the match and finally be a part of the division he belongs on on the show the division belongs on.
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