WWE Raw to Launch Cruiserweight Division: Details, Comments and Reaction

The Cruiserweight Classic may be a special event for the WWE Network, but fans can soon expect to see cruiserweight wrestling every week on Raw.

On Monday night, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon announced that a new cruiserweight division will be added to the show following Tuesday's draft and subsequent brand split, per WWE.

WWE had its own light heavyweight division in the late 1990s and then absorbed WCW's cruiserweight division when it purchased the company in 2001. For the most part, though, the light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles were afterthoughts in WWE.

That could prove to be the case again. But WWE has made a significant investment in cruiserweight wrestling by bringing some of the best wrestlers in the world together for the Classic. That event's success shows cruiserweight wrestling has a place on WWE programming.

Johnny Gargano is among those hoping to make an impression:

Dedicating time and resources to a cruiserweight division is also a way for WWE to create a clear delineation between Raw and SmackDown. The brand split will be successful only if the two shows have their own identities.

Part of what made WCW Monday Nitro successful at its peak between 1996 and 1998 was a thriving cruiserweight division that included some of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world. Assuming WWE carries over some of the talent not already under its banner in the cruiserweight class, it can build that on Raw.

Making cruiserweight wrestling a Monday night exclusive gives fans another reason to tune in every week.