The Great Eight: Top 8 WCW Cruiserweight Champions

While the story of the nWo is what helped propel WCW to the top of the wrestling world, it was the undercard that really helped set the company apart from the WWF. Tuning in as a kid, I’d be mesmerized by the cruiserweights; they were doing stuff I had never seen before. While I loved Sting, and the whole nWo angle had me hooked, getting to see the cruiserweights in action kept me watching all two, or three, hours every week.

Going back and watching old WCW stuff on Peacock (while I still can) has reminded me how special that time period was for wrestling. Even with the flips, dives, and more choreographed Lucha style, there was still this gritty realism to everything that is just missing from today’s product. You can also see the direct lines of influence, from the 90s, to the independent scene of the 2000s, to now, and that really is a wonderful legacy to have been lucky enough to watch from its infancy.

Caveat: I am going off the run of the WCW Cruiserweight division, which lasted from 1996-2001. I will give a special shout-out to Brian Pillman, Brad Armstrong, and Jushin Liger now. Their work in the WCW Light Heavyweight division paved the way for what was to come. There is a reason why Pillman and Liger opened the first Nitro after all.

Disclaimer: This is my list; if you don’t like it or have a different list, awesome! Please share your own list and opinions in the comments section. I welcome open discourse about this wacky art we all love. It is an art form, so it is subjective; we all have our opinions on it and all of them are valid. So, if you want to share your thoughts and opinions, don’t insult others for their opinion. There is enough negativity in the world right now; let’s not add to it. And with that, on to the list!

HM: Shinjiro Otani (the first champion), Syxx, and Chavo Guerrero Jr.

8: Juventud Guerrera

Juventud Guerrera won his first Cruiserweight Championship on the January 8th, 1998, episode of Thunder. Going on to hold the title three times before being fired in October of 2000.

I honestly debated between Juventud, Chavo, and Syxx for this slot. Syxx was the longest reigning champion, but it was a run that was marred by constant nWo shenanigans and Syxx being hurt. Chavo was the second-to-last Champion and had a decent run, but he was damaged goods at that point, trying to rebuild after Pepe and Lt. Loco. So, we have Juventud Guerrera.

Guerrera’s first run was only a week long, a way to transition from Último Dragón to Rey Mysterio Jr. He would go on to have two more runs in 1998 before becoming a mainstay in the division, but never got another run. Guerrera is one of those guys who helped solidify the cruiserweight division as the place to be. His 450 Splash was a thing of beauty, and the Juvy Driver was one of those moves that was so unique and devastating looking for the time.

Unfortunately, drugs and Guerrera’s attitude got in his own way. I feel like if he were able to stay clean, he could have done a lot more. He was a good-looking dude, had decent charisma, and when he was on, he was up there with the best in the division. Of course, drugs probably contributed to his off nights, which became more often the norm, and would lead to his eventual release after a PCP fueled night in Australia. And his attitude would also cut short whatever run he could have had with the WWE, lasting there for less than a year before being fired for backstage problems, and using moves he was told not to use.

7: Shane Helms

Shane Helms won his first Cruiserweight Championship at the 2001 Greed. He was the last champion before WCW closed. (If you include his WWE runs, he has three runs and has the longest combined days as champion with 532.)

When Shane Helms debuted as part of 3 Count, it was easy to pass him off; he was stuck in a lame gimmick and playing second fiddle to Evan Karagias. But 3 Count’s feud with The Jung Dragons helped to show off what Helms was able to do. (It also highlighted how bad Karagias was compared to the other five guys in that feud.) The feud would end with Karagias and Jamie Noble being kicked out of their groups and forming their own team. The two Triple-Threat Tag matches the groups had at Mayhem and Starrcade 2000 were some of the few highlights in a year of lowlights.

Helms was being positioned as a big part of the future of WCW I remember being a huge fan of his; he could go in the ring, and his Vertabreaker looked deadly. Combining his great in-ring style, good looks, and decent charisma, the future looked bright for Helms in WCW. He is the fourth-longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion in WCW history (of all time if you count the WWE run), and probably would have moved further up that list if WCW hadn’t gone out of business. I think Helms could have been a future World Champion in WCW. He never got pushed that hard in WWE, even with wins over The Rock, but if WCW had managed to stay alive, Helms was a guy they could have easily pushed to that role.

6: Último Dragón

Último Dragón would win his first Cruiserweight Championship at the 1996 Starrcade. Going on to hold the title one more time before having to retire in 1998.

That picture of Último Dragón is famous for a reason. Already the J-Crown Champion, the visual of Dragón coming out dripping in belts was such an amazing visual. You knew this guy was a big deal, and his lucharesu style was such a, for the time, unique blend of high flying and hard-hitting action.

It’s hard to say if Último Dragón would have gone on to win more titles if the surgery on his arm hadn’t been botched. He had all the talent in the world to be a mainstay in the division, but he also had other commitments in Japan, having opened Último Dragón Gym in 1997. But even in retirement, he helped get his students on WCW shows before he opened Toryumon.

His short run in the WWE was fun, and reminded a lot of us why we loved Dragón so much in the ’90s. Unfortunately, the run was cut short, as Dragón requested his release after the WWE wanted him to unmask. Regardless of that, Último Dragón was highly influential to the 2000s US Independent scene as well as the Japanese scene.

5: Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero won his first Cruiserweight Championship at the 1997 Fall Brawl. Going on to hold the title twice before leaving WCW.

Eddie’s placement on the list is not because he was a worse champion than anyone above him, but more because of only being in the division a short time and being more known for other things. With that said, his runs as Cruiserweight Champion revolved around his first major feud with Rey Mysterio. The beginning of a long-standing run as both enemies and partners started here. Their match at Halloween Havoc 1997 was groundbreaking for the time, and one that I often show people who are interested in getting into wrestling.

Eddie was already on another level by 1997, and this feud just helped propel him further. He was able to show off his viciousness, and we would see flashes of what was to come. Eddie was the complete package; if WCW had better leadership and Hogan didn’t have creative control, Eddie would have been a World Champion in late 1998 or going into 1999. He was young, had a great look, oozed charisma, and could back it all up in the ring.

4: Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko would win his first Cruiserweight Championship on the May 2nd, 1996, episode of WorldWide. Going on to hold the title four times before leaving WCW.

Much like the next person on the list, Malenko’s later runs are more memorable than his first couple. His feud with Jericho helped put Jericho over as a heel. While also helping to showcase Malenko. Malenko provided a grounded technical style that was a great contrast to all the high-flyers around him.

Malenko is one of those guys I would have loved to have seen come up during the glory days of ROH. Mixing it up with Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, and Samoa Joe would have been amazing, and I think Malenko would be seen in a different light if his prime was during that time, as opposed to the 1990s.

3: Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho would win his first Cruiserweight Championship on the June 28th, 1997, episode of Saturday Nitro. He went on to hold it four times before he left WCW.

Jericho’s first couple of runs aren’t too much to write home about. But when he beat Rey Mysterio at 1998’s Souled Out, he turned heel with a brutal post-match attack. This would kick off the run that would eventually get Jericho on the WWF’s radar.

His classic feud with Malenko gave us Jericho on the steps of Congress and his very first list, the list of his 1,001 holds. Jericho was not just a great in-ring talent; he gave the cruiserweight division a needed infusion of charisma and entertainment. He would work to break out of just being a Cruiserweight, and would have an entertaining one-sided feud with Goldberg, who refused to play ball, and squashed any chance of a pay-off match. But, in the end, it all worked out for Jericho, as he would go on to the WWE and become a multi-time World Champion.

2: Billy Kidman

Billy Kidman would win his first Cruiserweight Championship on the September 14th, 1998, episode of Nitro. Going on to hold it three times before WCW closed. (Combined with his WWE runs, he has the second most runs with the belt at 7)

Kidman first started getting over as a member of the Flock. I remember becoming a fan of his look and his awkward Shooting Star Press. (He always pulled to the side during his rotation.) No one else was pulling Shooting Star Presses on national TV during that time, and so we didn’t really know how goofy it was, and it definitely got him over.

He would go on to have a fun run as both an opponent and partner of Rey Mysterio, as well as a failed push further up the card. I don’t think Kidman would ever be a World Champion, but he could have been a solid upper-card mainstay if WCW had continued. And while he was solidly in the lower card for the WWE, he had a good run and has been a producer there since 2007.

1: Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey Mysterio won his first Cruiserweight Championship on the July 8th, 1996, episode of Nitro. Going on to hold it a record-setting five times before WCW closed. (If you include the WWE versions of the title, he still holds the record with eight runs.)

Without a doubt, the face of the cruiserweight division. Watching Mysterio always blew me away. He was crisp and smooth in the ring, and he was pulling amazing acrobatic moves with amazing speed and intensity. You could believe that he might be able to pull an upset against the giants in the main event. And when he was in there with other luchadores or cruiserweights? All bets were off, and you knew you were in for a treat.

When he was unmasked, there was a chance he would have fallen down the card. But he reinvented himself as part of the Filthy Animals and would have had a fun team with Kidman. I believe that if WCW had survived, we would have seen Rey Mysterio eventually become the World Champion. He would go on to do just that in the WWE, and his influence can never be denied. And now with Dominik, we are getting to see the next generation of Mysterio, and the future looks even brighter for him.