Present wrestling fans recognize Rey Mysterio for his close to a twenty-year career in WWE as one of the top babyfaces in the company and a former World Champion. However, long-time fans remember his career before WWE as not only one of the most prolific Lucha Libre wrestlers in the world but one of the driving forces behind WCW's stellar Cruiserweight division.

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Debuting in the company in 1996, Mysterio stayed with WCW until its closure in 2001 and remained one of the most popular wrestlers in the company. As a fixture in the Cruiserweight division, many fans believed he warranted moving out of the division, but he used his spotlight to create some of the most exciting matches in WCW, all the way until his final one.

10 Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Wall Vs. Hugh Morrus & Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey Mysterio Vs Chavo Guerrero

Having two different feuds combined into a tag team match is an often used tactic by wrestling promotions to ensure that all wrestlers get time on television. While this may seem like a good idea, it does not always work out if the styles of the wrestlers do not gel.

Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero Jr. were in the middle of a WCW Cruiserweight Championship feud while Hugh Morrus and The Wall were forgettably feuding about the time as Misfits in Action. Unfortunately, these stories did not work well together, resulting in a lacklustre match.

9 Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. The Wall

the-wall-wcw-jerry-tuite

Despite his size, Rey Mysterio was known for taking down larger athletes in WCW. Dubbed The Giant Killer, Mysterio had big wins over large athletes like Kevin Nash and Bam Bam Bigelow which helped elevate his status above others in the Cruiserweight division at the time.

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While seeing someone Mysterio's size take down bigger athletes was exciting for a period, it started to lose its lustre. Also, wrestlers like Kevin Nash have a legacy to them that made it exciting for Mysterio, while The Wall was much lesser known so Mysterio's win over him on an episode of Thunder was not as meaningful.

8 Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. 3-Count Vs. The Jung Dragons

The Jung Dragons

During the march to the end of WCW, the Cruiserweight division would be one of the primary focuses of the programming. While it is well-remembered that Rey Mysterio would win championship gold on the final Monday Nitro, it is usually forgotten that he wrestled twice that night.

On route to their upcoming WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship match, Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio defeated two other teams to become the number one contenders for that night. Kidman and Mysterio had been heavy favourites to become the first champions, and this match was a stepping stone towards righting that injustice.

7 Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Jason Lee & Johnny Swinger

Billy Kidman Rey Mysterio Tiger

When it comes to WCW's Cruiserweight division, there was no shortage of talent at any point in its history. The end of WCW featured many young talents looking to break out, and despite WCW management's reputation for liking bigger athletes, they were given a shot towards the end of the company.

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While Jason Lee and Johnny Swinger were not well known to most wrestling fans, some would recognize their work as travelling journeymen of the independent wrestling circuit. While they would come up short against the favourited team of Kidman and Mysterio, their short Monday Nitro match gave them a shot at the spotlight.

6 El Nino Vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Chavo Guerrero v Rey Mysterio No Way Out 2004 Cropped

Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero Jr would feud over Cruiserweight championships in both WCW and WWE, but their feud was at its hottest in the final weeks of WCW. Leading up to their WCW Cruiserweight Championship match at the final SuperBrawl pay-per-view, Mysterio surprised Chavo in a big way.

As the reigning champion, Chavo stepped into the ring with the masked El Nino on an episode of Nitro, thinking that he would easily walk through the inexperienced opponent. Little did he know that it was Mysterio hiding under the mask who embarrassed the champion in a match before their title match.

5 WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title: Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo

Billy Kidman Rey Mysterio

The final episode of Monday Nitro aired on March 26th, 2001 and was titled the Night of Champions since it featured every championship being defended. Before the end of the show revealing that the company had been purchased by WWE, the future of WCW was unclear.

Thankfully, despite the wrestlers not knowing where their careers would end up, that did not stop them from putting on great matches during the show. While this would be the final time the championships would ever be seen, it was a great way for Mysterio to cap off his WCW career.

4 Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. 3-Count

3 Count

Many teams competed for the inaugural WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship in 2001, and while clear favourites were going into the tournament there was no shortage of talent in the bracket.

RELATED: 10 Members Of Forgotten WCW Tag Teams: Where Are They Now?

While 3-Count was overshadowed by a silly gimmick as boy band members, they were very talented in the ring. Shane Helms and Shannon Moore were a very capable tag team in WCW and would have been great tag team champions, and this match with Mysterio and Kidman proved it.

3 Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio Jr. & Shane Helms Vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr., Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo

Rey Mysterio Unmasked

While much attention is given to the final episode of Monday Nitro, fans often forget that on the final episode of WCW Thunder that there was a tag team match with six of the best Cruiserweight athletes in the wrestling business.

To further promote the upcoming championship matches the next week, this six-man tag team match was made and it served to prove why the Cruiserweight division was among the best parts of WCW programming. While many of these wrestlers would go on to careers in WWE, this match remains one of their best moments.

2 WCW World Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) Vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Chavo Guerrero Jr

If WCW had continued business past 2001, both Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Rey Mysterio would have continued to be the cornerstones of the Cruiserweight division. While they would feud following this in WWE, they were in their prime in 2001 which made their SuperBrawl Revenge title match even more exciting.

Both wrestlers were multi-time Cruiserweight Champions and had proven themselves in big-match situations before. However, in the final time that Mysterio would challenge for the Cruiserweight Championship for almost two years, he was defeated by Chavo in an exciting match that remains one of their best.

1 WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title Tournament Final Match: Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo Vs. Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr.

wcw cruiserweight tag-team championship

In what can be deemed too little, too late of a creative decision, WCW decided to place more emphasis on their Cruiserweight division wrestlers in their final month of operation than they did in many years before that. While focusing on the in-ring action is a good decision, it was done far too late to prevent the closure of the company.

The finals of the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship were held at WCW Greed, the final pay-per-view event for the company. In a big upset, Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman were defeated by Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo to become the inaugural champions. Had it stuck around, it could have been the start of a new division for the company built off the back of this excellent match.