Established in 1996, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship has been held by many of the greatest wrestlers to ever set foot in a wrestling ring. The title helped elevate superstars who weren't six-foot tall beasts and gave them something important to compete for since the WCW Championship was only reserved for bigger, taller wrestlers.
Many modern wrestlers like Bryan Danielsona and AJ Styles might not have ever gotten a shot at the top of the card if it were not for WCW's cruiserweight division. The WCW Cruiserweight Championship helped give the division stakes and was once one of the more sought-after titles in the company. This list will examine ten facts associated with the legendary WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
10 It Existed In Both WWE And WCW
After WWE purchased WCW in 2001, some fans assume the title went away and was replaced by the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. It was actually the other way around.
The WWE quietly retired its Light Heavyweight Championship and replaced it with the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The title was officially recognized as the WWE Cruiserweight Championship after Smackdown on July 3, 2001.
9 Rey Mysterio Held It More Times Than Anyone
It didn't matter if the title was in WCW or WWE, Rey Mysterio was always involved in the trajectory of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. He was the third wrestler to ever hold the title and went on to hold it eight times in his career.
Mysterio had five Cruiserweight Championship runs at WCW. Two of them lasted over 100 days. He had three reigns with the title in WWE as well. It was also the first belt (of many) Mysterio would hold in the WWE.
8 It Was Introduced At A New Japan Pro-Wrestling Event
Although it was established after Nitro was already on the air, the inaugural WCW Cruiserweight Championship was not crowned on an episode of WCW television or a WCW pay-per-view.
At a NJPW event, Hyper Battle 1996, Shinjiro Otani defeated Wild Pegasus to earn the first-ever WCW Cruiserweight Championship. His reign lasted a little over a month before Dean Malenko would earn the title at WCW Worldwide, the first time the title changed hands at a WCW event.
7 Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, And Eddie Guerrero Are The Only Former WCW Cruiserweight Championship To Become WWE Champions
The WCW Cruiserweight Championship was a huge launching pad for a ton of great superstars. Not a single holder of the Cruiserweight Championship ever held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at WCW (although Jericho did win the WCW title in the WWE and Rey won the WWE's version of the title).
The three of them are also the only wrestlers who won the WCW Cruiserweight Champion at WCW and eventually became WWE Champions. Interestingly, each legendary superstar only held the WWE Championship one time each.
6 It Was Technically An Intergender Title
Although fans will often think of Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio when they remember the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, a few women also won the belt at WCW and in the WWE. Madusa became the first woman to hold the title when she defeated Evan Karagias at Starrcade 1999.
Later, Daffney defeated Crowbar to earn the title on an episode of Nitro. In 2004, while the title was a WWE-sanctioned accolade, Jacqueline answered Chavo Guerrero's open call and won the strap becoming the last woman to ever be Cruiserweight Championship.
5 Rey Mysterio Was The First Person To Win The Title On An Episode Of Nitro
Rey Mysterio's first title run was special for many reasons. It lasted over 100 days. It was the first major title he held at WCW. It was also the first time the title ever changed hands on an episode of Nitro.
The match between Mysterio and Dean Malenko opened the episode Nitro. The near 13-minute bout was a classic and even Dave Meltzer gave the bout high ranks with a 4.25-star rating. A month earlier, Mysterio and Malenko also battled for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship the first time it was ever competed for on an episode of Nitro. Malenko retained in that bout.
4 Chris Jericho Was The Longest Reigning WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Chris Jericho was never given the main event treatment at WCW. Less than 3 years after he left WCW, Jericho was a world champion in the WWE. Jericho's first major title at WCW was the Cruiserweight Championship. He ended up holding the belt five different times and was always in the cruiserweight title scene during most of his run at WCW.
His third run with the belt was easily his best. He defeated every big name in the cruiserweight scene including Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Dean Malenko. He also held the title for 143 days. It was the longest anyone ever held the title at WCW. In the WWE, Gregory Helms holds the cruiserweight title record with 384 days as champion.
3 The WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Was The Precursor To The WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Five years before the WCW Cruiserweight Championship was introduced to audiences, the company established the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship in 1991. It existed for less than a year and was featured at four different pay-per-view events.
Brian Pillman was the first person who ever won the Light Heavyweight Championship. Only three men after him held the belt, Scotty Flamingo (aka Raven), Brad Armstrong, and Jushin Thunder Liger. It was vacated in 1992, after Brad Armstrong was injured, and was reintroduced as the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in 1996.
2 The Title Had A Longer Life In WWE Than WCW
Many fans who remember the WWE Cruiserweight Championship sometimes remember it as a "joke title." At times, it featured some of the best matches in the WWE. Other times, it featured gimmicky wrestlers who incorporated the belt into their silly storylines.
The Cruiserweight Championship also existed in the WWE longer than it did in WCW. The WCW Cruiserweight Championship lasted five years at the company, from March 1996 to March 2001. It lasted six years in the WWE from July 2001 to July 2007.
1 225 Pounds Was The Cruiserweight Weight Limit
The WCW Cruiserweight Championship is often remembered for featuring wrestlers under 185 pounds like Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera. It actually had a weight limit of 225 pounds, the same weight limit for MMA fighters.
The title obviously made "high flyers" become a staple of WCW television and most of them were small. For perspective, Seth Rollins, Adam Page, and Cody Rhodes would all qualify for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, today.