This article is about Cruiserweight of professional wrestling. It existed in WCW from 1991 to 2001. [citation needed] The older term junior heavyweight is still favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles. The title was vacated and retired for the final time on October 31, 1985 as a result of New Japan and the WWF ending their working relationship. The title came from WCW in 2001 during the Invasion angle. For many years, the Cruiserweight Championship has featured the most acrobatic and memorable matches in WWE and WCW’s history. The look of a 55-year old man that could barely move around the ring provided a bad look for the division and helped it lose even more credibility. In 2013, the weight limit returned, only for it to be repealed again when the new rules were rejected by fans. Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 22 despite being just under 200 lbs). Jordan Devlin is the current champion in his first reign. The “Soul Of 205 Live” was the nickname given to Alexander for the importance he played in the division. Cruiserweight divisions and championships have risen to much greater prominence in wrestling promotions in Japan and Mexico than the United States. The classic matches with Chavo Guerrero, Matt Hardy and Tajiri all helped Rey get over as a beloved face. These are the five best and five worst cruiserweight champions in WWE history. It was retired on March 8, 2002 with X-Pac as the final champion. Above the globe was a banner that read "Cruiserweight" and below the globe was one that read "Champion". Becomes a WWF title after WWF defeats WCW during The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via legitimate competition; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. He also works for various independent companies in Europe. The weight limit used by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Japanese promotions is "up to 220 lbs" (100 kg), while WWE currently uses 205 lb (93 kg) as its weight limit. To install click the Add extension button. [3] [4] [5]. The plates were on a purple strap. We have created a browser extension. These are usually matches that certainly took place, but where there is doubt that the wrestler shown should be recognized as a true title holder. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE, World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE, GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, International Junior Heavyweight Championship (Zero1), International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, World Junior Heavyweight Championship (Zero1), PWF World Junior Heavyweight Championship, BJW World Strong Junior Heavyweight Championship, Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship, International Junior Heavyweight Championship, British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship, CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship, CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship, Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, Mexican National Lightweight Championship, Mexican National Welterweight Championship, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, Mexican National Cruiserweight Championship, Mexican National Middleweight Championship, WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1991–2007), NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (New Jersey version), CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship, NWA International Light Heavyweight Championship, NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship, FMW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, BJW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, Australian Light Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (Australian version), World Light Heavyweight Championship (Australian version), WWA International Cruiserweight Championship, "Here's Why the 205 Live Roster Is No Longer on Monday Night Raw", Csonka's 205 Live Review 10-18-19 - 411 Mania.com, "10/18 WWE 205 Live results: Anish V's review of Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ariya Daivari in a Triple Threat, Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick, The Singh Brothers vs. Justin Alexander and Justin Morris", "CHANGE TO WWE CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE & MORE NXT NEWS", "Pacific Pro Wrestling - Light Heavyweight", "Reference Link for Title reigns not cited above", "Explanation of Wrestling Weight Classes", PHX Championship (Philippine Wrestling Revolution), Pacific Pro Wrestling Light Heavyweight Championship, WAR Wrestling Alliance Revolution World Cruiserweight Championship. While spotfests do occur featuring heavyweights, the term is typically more used for cruiserweights, arguably because many of the fast-paced exchanges do not lend themselves as well to ring psychology as the more deliberately paced power moves and holds common in a heavyweight match. In the company's long history it has promoted a number of professional wrestling championships as part of their shows, using various divisional, special stipulations, and weight-class championships. Vacates title on 98/06/11 in Buffalo, NY. The official definition of the welterweight division in Mexico is between 70 kg (150 lb) and 78 kg (172 lb) but the official weight limits are not always adhered to. WCW tested such a format with their own title shortly before the company was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation. Watch the WWE Cruiserweight Classic Parade. As a result, a very substantial portion of WWE's roster are billed at, slightly less, or slightly more than 220 lbs. The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. WWE eventually moved him up the card until he reached the point of winning the World Championship. It was stupid for Eric Bischoff, who was running a huge company like WCW, to listen to other people. The title was vacated and retired for the final time on October 31, 1985 as a result of New Japan and the WWF ending their working relationship. This article is about Cruiserweight of professional wrestling. The NXT Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on their NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live brand divisions. For much of its existence, WCW was one of the top professional wrestling promotions in the United States, and was a significant competitor to the dominant World Wrestling Federation.