WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship

On this page, you find the full Title History for the WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship, with all Championship Info, Statistics, the Belt Design changes through the years, and the full list of Title Reigns, along with dates, events, and reign durations.

The WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship was contested in World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling, by men wrestlers.

The championship was first established on March 20, 1996, and the inaugural champion was Shinjiro Otani.

This is a newer version of the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, with its own distinct lineage.

The title was contested by wrestlers 220 lbs (100 kg) and under, billed as cruiserweights.

The championship was created in WCW in 1996. However, following WCW's purchase, the WWF/E considered the title lineage to be a continuation of the earlier WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, which had been created in 1991 with Brian Pillman as the inaugural champion.

The WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship was retired on September 28, 2007, with the final champion being Hornswoggle.

A similar championship, the WWE / NXT Cruiserweight Championship, has been later introduced, which does not share the lineage with this title.

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Title History

Promotions / Brands

Promotion	from	to
Promotion WWEBrand SmackDown	March 20, 2002	September 28, 2007
Promotion WWF	March 27, 2001	March 19, 2002
Promotion WCW	March 20, 1996	March 26, 2001

Championship Names & Belt Designs
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship May 6, 2002 September 28, 2007
- WWF Cruiserweight Championship November 18, 2001 May 5, 2002
- WCW Cruiserweight Championship March 20, 1996 November 17, 2001

For the Title History of the newer version of this championship, see the page for the WWE / NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Title Reigns

N.	Image	Champion	Reign
World Wrestling Entertainment: SmackDown
	Deactivated September 28, 2007 Indianapolis, IN \| SmackDown! 6146+ days The title was first vacated by SmackDown! GM Vickie Guerrero, and then retired without an official announcement.
74		Hornswoggle 1 July 22, 2007 San Jose, CA \| WWE The Great American Bash 2007 68 days	68 days
73		Chavo Guerrero 6 February 18, 2007 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE No Way Out 2007 154 days	154 days
72		Gregory Helms 3 January 29, 2006 Miami, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2006 385 days Helms, who was on the Raw roster, moved to SmackDown! after winning the title.	385 days
71		Kid Kash 1 December 18, 2005 Providence, RI \| WWE Armageddon 2005 42 days	42 days
70		Juventud 5 November 25, 2005 Sheffield, England \| SmackDown! 23 days	23 days
69		Nunzio 2 November 15, 2005 Rome, Italy \| House Show 10 days	10 days
68		Juventud 4 October 9, 2005 Houston, TX \| WWE No Mercy 2005 37 days	37 days
67		Nunzio 1 August 2, 2005 Bridgeport, CT \| Velocity 68 days	68 days
66		Paul London 1 March 31, 2005 Houston, TX \| SmackDown! 124 days	124 days
65		Chavo Guerrero 5 February 20, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWE No Way Out 2005 39 days	39 days
64		Funaki 1 December 12, 2004 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Armageddon 2004 70 days	70 days
63		Spike Dudley 1 July 29, 2004 Cincinnati, OH \| SmackDown! 136 days	136 days
62		Rey Mysterio 8 June 17, 2004 Chicago, IL \| SmackDown! 42 days	42 days
61		Chavo Classic 1 May 18, 2004 Las Vegas, NV \| SmackDown! 30 days	30 days
60		Chavo Guerrero 4 May 16, 2004 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE Judgment Day 2004 2 days	2 days
59		Jacqueline 1 May 6, 2004 Tucson, AZ \| SmackDown! 10 days	10 days
58		Chavo Guerrero 3 February 15, 2004 Daly City, CA \| WWE No Way Out 2004 81 days	81 days
57		Rey Mysterio 7 January 1, 2004 Laredo, TX \| SmackDown! 45 days	45 days
56		Tajiri 3 September 25, 2003 Philadelphia, PA \| SmackDown! 98 days	98 days
55		Rey Mysterio 6 June 5, 2003 Anaheim, CA \| SmackDown! 112 days	112 days
54		Matt Hardy 1 February 23, 2003 Montreal, QC \| WWE No Way Out 2003 102 days	102 days
53		Billy Kidman 7 November 17, 2002 New York, NY \| WWE Survivor Series 2002 98 days	98 days
52		Jamie Noble 1 June 23, 2002 Columbus, OH \| WWE King of the Ring 2002 147 days	147 days
51		The Hurricane 2 May 16, 2002 Montréal, Québec, Canada \| SmackDown! 38 days	38 days
50		Tajiri 2 April 21, 2002 Kansas City, MO \| WWF Backlash 2002 25 days The title was renamed WWE Cruiserweight Championship on May 5, when WWF became WWE.	25 days
49		Billy Kidman 6 April 4, 2002 Rochester, NY \| SmackDown! 17 days	17 days
48		Tajiri 1 October 22, 2001 Kansas City, MO \| Raw Is War 164 days The title was renamed WWF Cruiserweight Championship when the WWF defeated The Alliance at Survivor Series. The title became exclusive to SmackDown! on March 25, 2002.	164 days
World Wrestling Entertainment
47		Billy Kidman 5 October 11, 2001 Moline, IL \| SmackDown! 11 days	11 days
46		X-Pac 2 July 30, 2001 Philadelphia, PA \| Raw Is War 73 days	73 days
45		Billy Kidman 4 July 5, 2001 Tacoma, WA \| SmackDown! 25 days	25 days
44		Shane Helms 1 March 18, 2001 Jacksonville, FL \| WCW Greed 2001 109 days WCW was purchased by the WWF on March 23, 2001, and the title became exclusive of WWF.	109 days
World Championship Wrestling
43		Chavo Guerrero Jr. 2 December 6, 2000 Lincoln, NE \| WCW Thunder 102 days	102 days
42		Mike Sanders 1 October 2, 2000 Daly City, CA \| WCW Nitro 65 days	65 days
41		Elix Skipper 1 August 14, 2000 Kelowna, BC \| WCW Nitro 49 days Skipper was awarded the title by his Team Canada partner Lance Storm, who called it the "101 KG and Under Championship".	49 days
40		Lance Storm 1 July 31, 2000 Cincinnati, OH \| WCW Nitro 14 days	14 days
39		Lieutenant Loco 1 June 7, 2000 Knoxville, TN \| WCW Thunder 54 days	54 days
38		Daffney 2 May 22, 2000 Grand Rapids, MI \| WCW Nitro 16 days Defeated Crowbar to become undisputed champion.	16 days
37		Daffney 1 & Crowbar May 15, 2000 Biloxi, MS \| WCW Nitro 7 days Defeated Chris Candido & Tammy Lynn Sytch in a mixed tag team match to become co-champions.	7 days
36		Chris Candido 1 April 16, 2000 Chicago, IL \| WCW Spring Stampede 2000 29 days Defeated The Artist, Juventud Guerrera, Shannon Moore, Lash LeRoux and Crowbar in a 6-way match for the vacant title.	29 days
		Vacant April 10, 2000 Denver, CO \| WCW Nitro 6 days All WCW titles were declared vacant by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff after WCW was rebooted.	6 days
35		The Artist 2 March 31, 2000 Pittsburgh, PA \| House Show 10 days	10 days
34		Billy Kidman 3 March 30, 2000 Baltimore, MD \| House Show 1 day	1 day
33		TAFKA Prince Iaukea 1 February 20, 2000 Daly City, CA \| WCW SuperBrawl 2000 39 days Defeated Lash LeRoux in a tournament final for the vacant title.	39 days
		Vacant January 19, 2000 Evansville, IN \| WCW Thunder 32 days The title was vacated due to Oklahoma exceeding the weight limit.	32 days
32		Oklahoma 1 January 16, 2000 Cincinnati, OH \| WCW Souled Out 2000 3 days	3 days
31		Madusa 1 December 19, 1999 Washington, D.C. \| WCW Starrcade 1999 28 days	28 days
30		Evan Karagias 1 November 21, 1999 Toronto, ON \| WCW Mayhem 1999 28 days	28 days
29		Disco Inferno 1 October 4, 1999 Kansas City, MO \| WCW Nitro 48 days	48 days
28		Psychosis 2 October 4, 1999 Kansas City, MO \| WCW Nitro 0 days Psicosis was awarded the title after the West Hollywood Blonde's angle was dropped.	0 days
		Vacant October 4, 1999 0 days Lenny Lane was stripped of the title after Turner Broadcasting did not approve of the publicity garnered through Lane's homosexual gimmick.	0 days
27		Lenny Lane 1 August 19, 1999 Lubbock, TX \| WCW Thunder 46 days	46 days
26		Rey Mysterio Jr. 5 April 26, 1999 Fargo, ND \| WCW Nitro 115 days	115 days
25		Psychosis 1 April 19, 1999 Gainesville, FL \| WCW Nitro 7 days	7 days
24		Rey Mysterio Jr. 4 March 15, 1999 Cincinnati, OH \| WCW Nitro 35 days	35 days
23		Kidman 2 November 22, 1998 Auburn Hills, MI \| WCW/nWo World War 3 1998 113 days	113 days
22		Juventud Guerrera 3 November 16, 1998 Wichita, KS \| WCW Nitro 6 days	6 days
21		Kidman 1 September 14, 1998 Greenville, SC \| WCW Nitro 63 days	63 days
20		Juventud Guerrera 2 August 8, 1998 Sturgis, SD \| WCW/nWo Road Wild 1998 37 days	37 days
19		Chris Jericho 4 June 14, 1998 Baltimore, MD \| WCW/nWo The Great American Bash 1998 55 days Defeated Dean Malenko via DQ for the vacant title. At Bash at the Beach, Rey Misterio Jr. defeated Jericho for the title due to interference from Malenko; however, Jericho was returned the title the following night and the title change was not recognized.	55 days
		Vacant June 11, 1998 Buffalo, NY \| WCW Thunder 3 days The title was vacated due to Dean Malenko not earning the title shot as himself.	3 days
18		Dean Malenko 4 May 17, 1998 Worcester, MA \| WCW/nWo Slamboree 1998 25 days Malenko won a battle royal earlier in the night, wearing a mask as Ciclope, to earn a title shot.	25 days
17		Chris Jericho 3 January 24, 1998 Dayton, OH \| WCW/nWo Souled Out 1998 113 days	113 days
16		Rey Mysterio Jr. 3 January 15, 1998 Lakeland, FL \| WCW Thunder 9 days	9 days
15		Juventud Guerrera 1 January 8, 1998 Daytona Beach, FL \| WCW Thunder 7 days	7 days
14		Último Dragón 2 December 29, 1997 Baltimore, MD \| WCW Nitro 10 days	10 days
13		Eddie Guerrero 2 November 10, 1997 Memphis, TN \| WCW Nitro 49 days	49 days
12		Rey Mysterio Jr. 2 October 26, 1997 Las Vegas, NV \| WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 15 days	15 days
11		Eddie Guerrero 1 September 14, 1997 Winston-Salem, NC \| WCW Fall Brawl 1997 42 days	42 days
10		Chris Jericho 2 August 16, 1997 Colorado Springs, CO \| WCW Saturday Night 29 days	29 days
9		Alex Wright 1 July 28, 1997 Charleston, WV \| WCW Nitro 19 days	19 days
8		Chris Jericho 1 June 28, 1997 Inglewood, CA \| WCW Saturday Nitro 30 days	30 days
7		Syxx 1 February 23, 1997 Daly City, CA \| WCW SuperBrawl VII 125 days	125 days
6		Dean Malenko 3 January 21, 1997 Milwaukee, WI \| WCW Clash of the Champions XXXIV 33 days	33 days
5		Ultimate Dragon 1 December 29, 1996 Nashville, TN \| WCW Starrcade 1996 23 days	23 days
4		Dean Malenko 2 October 27, 1996 Las Vegas, NV \| WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 63 days	63 days
3		Rey Mysterio Jr. 1 July 8, 1996 Lake Buena Vista, FL \| WCW Nitro 111 days	111 days
2		Dean Malenko 1 May 18, 1996 Lake Buena Vista, FL \| WorldWide 51 days	51 days
1		Shinjiro Otani 1 March 20, 1996 Nagoya, Japan \| NJPW Hyper Battle 1996 59 days Defeated Wild Pegasus in tournament final to become the inaugural champion.	59 days

For the Title History of the previous version of this championship, see the page for the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship and WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Statistics

Promotion World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling
Gender Male
Title Type Tertiary Title
Preceded By WWF Light Heavyweight Championship WCW Light Heavyweight Championship
Date Established March 20, 1996
Date Retired September 28, 2007
Followed By WWE / NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Notes The title was contested by wrestlers 220 lbs (100 kg) and under, billed as cruiserweights.

The championship was created in WCW in 1996. However, following WCW's purchase, the WWF/E considered the title lineage to be a continuation of the earlier WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, which had been created in 1991 with Brian Pillman as the inaugural champion.

First ChampionShinjiro Otani
Final ChampionHornswoggle

Most Number of Reigns

Rank	Wrestler	Reigns
	Rey Mysterio Jr.	8
	Kidman	7
	Chavo Guerrero	6
	Juventud	5
	Chris Jericho	4

Most Combined Days

Rank	Wrestler	Days
	Gregory Helms	532
	Rey Mysterio Jr.	484
	Chavo Guerrero	432
	Kidman	328
	Tajiri	287

Longest Reigns

Wrestler	Reign	Days
Gregory Helms	January 29, 2006 - February 18, 2007	385
Tajiri	October 22, 2001 - April 4, 2002	164
Chavo Guerrero	February 18, 2007 - July 22, 2007	154
Jamie Noble	June 23, 2002 - November 17, 2002	147
Spike Dudley	July 29, 2004 - December 12, 2004	136

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Title History

Promotions / Brands

WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Title Reigns

Deactivated

Hornswoggle 1

Chavo Guerrero 6

Gregory Helms 3

Kid Kash 1

Juventud 5

Nunzio 2

Juventud 4

Nunzio 1

Paul London 1

Chavo Guerrero 5

Funaki 1

Spike Dudley 1

Rey Mysterio 8

Chavo Classic 1

Chavo Guerrero 4

Jacqueline 1

Chavo Guerrero 3

Rey Mysterio 7

Tajiri 3

Rey Mysterio 6

Matt Hardy 1

Billy Kidman 7

Jamie Noble 1

The Hurricane 2

Tajiri 2

Billy Kidman 6

Tajiri 1

Billy Kidman 5

X-Pac 2

Billy Kidman 4

Shane Helms 1

Chavo Guerrero Jr. 2

Mike Sanders 1

Elix Skipper 1

Lance Storm 1

Lieutenant Loco 1

Daffney 2

Daffney 1 & Crowbar

Chris Candido 1

Vacant

The Artist 2

Billy Kidman 3

TAFKA Prince Iaukea 1

Vacant

Oklahoma 1

Madusa 1

Evan Karagias 1

Disco Inferno 1

Psychosis 2

Vacant

Lenny Lane 1

Rey Mysterio Jr. 5

Psychosis 1

Rey Mysterio Jr. 4

Kidman 2

Juventud Guerrera 3

Kidman 1

Juventud Guerrera 2

Chris Jericho 4

Vacant

Dean Malenko 4

Chris Jericho 3

Rey Mysterio Jr. 3

Juventud Guerrera 1

Último Dragón 2

Eddie Guerrero 2

Rey Mysterio Jr. 2

Eddie Guerrero 1

Chris Jericho 2

Alex Wright 1

Chris Jericho 1

Syxx 1

Dean Malenko 3

Ultimate Dragon 1

Dean Malenko 2