The Cruiserweight title is one of the most exciting titles in professional wrestling history. It's name is synonymous with fast paced, high flying action. Sadly, the title was retired in mid 2007 by Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero.
It's is high time that this once prestigious title is brought back to the WWE.
The title's lineage dates back to October 27, 1991 when Flyin' Brian Pillman (RIP) defeated Ricky Morton in the tournament finals to crown the first ever Cruiserweight champion. He would go on to defend it numerous times, but most notable were his matches with japanese superstar Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Pillman would later lose the title to Scotty Flamingo (Better known as Raven). He soon lost the title to Brad Armstrong in mid 1992, but was later stripped of it as he had not defended the title within the compulsory 30 day limit. A tournament was expected soon after to crown a new champion, however it never came about and was forgotten until 1996.
The title was resurrected on March 20, 1996 when Shinjiro Otani defeated Chris Benoit (RIP) in the tournament finals to crown a new Cruiserweight champion. It was in this incarnation of the title that became a staple of World Championship Wrestling & became a valuable weapon in the Monday Night Wars.
Many greats in professional wrestling vied for the title during this period, ranging from former World Champions such as Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero (RIP) & Chris Benoit (RIP) to other well known & highly praised competitors such as Dean Malenko, Billy Kidman, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, Ultimo Dragon, Chavo Guerrero & Gregory Helms.
But it wasn't just the names that helped make the title. It was the style of matches that were put on that truly cemented the Cruiserweight Championship in the annals of wrestling history. The matches featured some of the greatest high flyers to ever grace the squared circle. They flew around the ring, defying gravity & putting their bodies on the line as they fought for the title. Noone will ever be able to forget about the high flying antics of Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman & Juventud, just to name a few. Their moves captivated the audience & by the end of every match had the entire arena on their feet.
While the high flying is what the cruiserweight title is most known for, the title was also fought over by some of the best in-ring technicians in the business. The likes of Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit & Lance Storm helped prove that it wasn't just high flying that won matches, but it was also won with great technical wrestling.
But no matter who wrestled or what their style was, one thing was always constant. The fast paced, high energy style that made the division so enthralling.
When WCW was bought by the WWE, the Cruiserweight title came with it & was eventually merged with the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship. Since then the title had been fought over with the same passion & with the same high energy matches that made it great. Whether it was WWE Superstars such as Jamie Noble, Tajiri, Spike Dudley & Matt Hardy or former WCW superstars & former Cruiserweight champions such as Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, Chavo Guerrero, Ultimo Dragon & Gregory Helms, the matches were always among the best of the night.
However, towards the end of it's run, the title became less & less meaningful. The title was defended rarely & the matches lost the energy they once had, they had lost the spark that had made the title great. On July 22, 2007 a Cruiserweight Open was held, where anyone eligable was allowed to participate. In the end the Hornswoggle pinned then-champion Chavo Guerrero to become the final Cruiserweight Champion. Hornswoggle carried the title for a few months, mainly using it as a prop in comedy segments, where he was being hunted by Jamie Noble. The title had become a joke & on September 28, 2007 Vickie Guerrero stripped Hornswoggle of the title after it was revealed that he was Mr McMahon's illigitimate son (although it was later revealed he was Finlay's son) & claimed it was to dangerous for him to defend the title. The Cruiserweight title was then retired & has never been seen since.
But it's time for a change, the WWE needs it back, the fans want it back. I guarantee that many WWE superstars want it back. Those who want to wrestle those fast paced matches, those high enery matches that left the fans cheering. TNA had that in their X-Division, but even that has become a shell of what it was. The WWE need to capitalize on it. With the immense popularity of ECW superstar Evan Bourne, it should be obvious that that style he wrestles is what the people want to see. Evan Bourne broke the mould in terms of a debuting superstar. Usually when a superstar debuts, they need either to make an immediate impact or to have their debut hyped, otherwise the fans will have no reason to care. Similar situations have happened to people such as Braden Walker, Scotty Goldman & even now with DJ Gabriel. This is in no way, shape or form a knock on this individuals talents, nor those in similar situations. The WWE has just not given the fans a real reason to care about these & other superstars. Evan Bourne has proved to be an exception, in his debut match, the fans went wild with his fast paced, high enery & high risk moves, & that is the essence of what the Cruiserweight Championship was.
There are many current WWE superstars can fit into the division, most seldom being highlighted on WWE programming, some of these include:
RAW:
Rey Mysterio, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, JTG, Jamie Noble, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhode & CM Punk
ECW:
DJ Gabriel, John Morrison, The Miz, The Tyson Kidd & Evan Bourne
Smackdown:
Carlito Colon, Primo Colon, Chavo Guerrero, Hurricane Helms, Jimmy Wang Yang, Kung Fu Naki, The Brian Kendrick & Kizarny
The WWE has a virtual treasure trove of talent that can be used in the Cruiserweight division, as well as superstars in FCW, it is time for the WWE to bring back the title, make it tri-branded & restore it to it's former glory.
I welcome all those who may share my opinion to let their voice be heard & I welcome those who have a different opinion as well. Comment or send me a message to let me know how other fans & maybe even the WWE superstars themselves feel about this.
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