WCW/WWF(E) Cruiserweight Championship
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1991–1992)
WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1996–2001)
WWF Cruiserweight Championship (2001–2002)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship (2002–2008)
Title history# Wrestler Reigns Date Days held: Location Event Notes
1 Brian Pillman 1 October 27, 1991 59 Chattanooga, TN Halloween Havoc (1991) Defeated Richard Morton in a tournament final to become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Champion.[3] WCW did not recognize Light Heavyweight reigns as being part of the Cruiserweight title's history. When WWE came into possession of the title in 2001, they were added to its history.
2 Jushin Liger 1 December 25, 1991 66 Atlanta, GA Live event
3 Brian Pillman 2 February 29, 1992 112 Milwaukee, WI SuperBrawl II
4 Scotty Flamingo 1 June 20, 1992[7] 15 Mobile, AL Beach Blast (1992)
5 Brad Armstrong 1 July 5, 1992 59 Atlanta, GA Live event
- Vacated 0 !- 0 September 2, 1992 0 Atlanta, GA Clash of the Champions XX Vacated due to knee injury. A tournament to decide the title is scheduled, but never occurs.
6 Shinjiro Otani 1 March 20, 1996 43 Nagoya, Japan NJPW Defeated Wild Pegasus in tournament final to determine the new WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
7 Dean Malenko 1 May 2, 1996 67 Lake Buena Vista, FL WorldWide This title changed aired on May 18, 1996.
8 Rey Misterio, Jr. 1 July 8, 1996 111 Lake Buena Vista, FL Monday Nitro
9 Dean Malenko 2 October 27, 1996 63 Las Vegas, NV Halloween Havoc (1996)
10 Último Dragón 1 December 29, 1996 23 Nashville, TN Starrcade (1996) This match was also for Dragon's J-Crown.
11 Dean Malenko 3 January 21, 1997 33 Milwaukee, WI Clash of the Champions XXXIV
12 Syxx 1 February 23, 1997 125 Daly City, CA SuperBrawl VII
13 Chris Jericho 1 June 28, 1997 30 Inglewood, CA Untelevised webcast Jericho won the match at a house show that was broadcast over the Internet as Saturday Nitro.
14 Alex Wright 1 July 28, 1997 15 Charleston, WV Monday Nitro
15 Chris Jericho 2 August 12, 1997 33 Colorado Springs, CO Saturday Night Aired on August 16.
16 Eddie Guerrero 1 September 14, 1997 42 Winston-Salem, NC Fall Brawl (1997)
17 Rey Misterio, Jr. 2 October 26, 1997 15 Las Vegas, NV Halloween Havoc (1997) This was a Mask vs. Title match.
18 Eddie Guerrero 2 November 10, 1997 49 Memphis, TN Monday Nitro
19 Ultimo Dragon 2 December 29, 1997 8 Baltimore, MD Monday Nitro
20 Juventud Guerrera 1 January 8, 1998 7 Daytona Beach, FL Thunder
21 Rey Misterio, Jr. 3 January 15, 1998 9 Lakeland, FL Thunder
22 Chris Jericho 3 January 24, 1998 113 Dayton, OH Souled Out (1998)
23 Dean Malenko 4 May 17, 1998 25 Worcester, MA Slamboree (1998) Malenko won a battle royal earlier in the night, wearing a mask as Ciclope, to earn a title shot.
- Vacated 0 !- 0 1 June 11, 1998 0 Buffalo, NY Thunder Vacated due to Malenko not earning the title shot as himself.
24 Chris Jericho 4 June 14, 1998 55 Baltimore, MD The Great American Bash (1998) Defeated Dean Malenko by disqualification. On July 12 at Bash at the Beach, Rey Misterio, Jr. defeated Jericho for the title due to interference from Malenko; Jericho was returned the title the following night.
25 Juventud Guerrera 2 August 8, 1998 37 Sturgis, SD Road Wild (1998) Dean Malenko was the special guest referee.
26 Billy Kidman 1 September 14, 1998 63 Greenville, SC Monday Nitro
27 Juventud Guerrera 3 November 16, 1998 6 Wichita, KS Monday Nitro
28 Billy Kidman 2 November 22, 1998 113 Auburn Hills, MI World War 3 (1998)
29 Rey Misterio, Jr. 4 March 15, 1999 30 Cincinnati, OH Monday Nitro
30 Psychosis 1 April 19, 1999 7 Gainesville, FL Monday Nitro This was a four-way match also involving Juventud Guerrera and Blitzkrieg.
31 Rey Misterio, Jr. 5 April 26, 1999 115 Fargo, ND Monday Nitro
32 Lenny Lane 1 August 19, 1999 46 Lubbock, TX Thunder
- Vacated 0 !- 0 October 4, 1999 0 N/A N/A Vacated due to Lenny Lane being stripped of the title after Turner Broadcasting did not approve of the publicity garnered through Lane's homosexual gimmick.
33 Psychosis 2 October 4, 1999 0 Kansas City, MO Monday Nitro Was announced on Nitro to have defeated Lenny Lane during a house show match, however the match never took place.[30] Later histories state Psychosis was awarded the title on Monday Nitro for unexplained reasons.
34 Disco Inferno 1 October 4, 1999 48 Kansas City, MO Monday Nitro
35 Evan Karagias 1 November 21, 1999 28 Toronto, ON Mayhem (1999)
36 Madusa 1 December 19, 1999 28 Washington, D.C. Starrcade (1999) Became the first female Cruiserweight Champion.
37 Oklahoma 1 January 16, 2000 2 Cincinnati, OH Souled Out (2000)
- Vacated 0 !- January 18, 2000 0 Evansville, IN N/A Vacated due to Oklahoma exceeding the weight limit, aired on January 19.
38 The Artist 1 February 20, 2000 29 Daly City, CA SuperBrawl 2000 Defeated Lash LeRoux in a tournament final.
39 Billy Kidman 3 March 30, 2000 1 Baltimore, MD Live event
40 The Artist 2 March 31, 2000 10 Pittsburgh, PA Live event
- Vacated 0 !- 0 April 10, 2000 0 Denver, CO Monday Nitro Vacated by Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, along with all other WCW titles.
41 Chris Candido 1 April 16, 2000 29 Chicago, IL Spring Stampede (2000) Defeated The Artist, Juventud Guerrera, Shannon Moore, Lash LeRoux and Crowbar in a six-way match.
42 Crowbar and Daffney 1 May 15, 2000 7 Biloxi, MS Monday Nitro Defeated Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch in a mixed tag team match to become co-champions on Monday Nitro.
43 Daffney 1 May 22, 2000 15 Grand Rapids, MI Monday Nitro Defeated Crowbar to become undisputed champion.
44 Lieutenant Loco 1 June 6, 2000 55 Knoxville, TN Thunder This was a triple threat match also involving Disco Inferno, aired on June 7.
45 Lance Storm 1 July 31, 2000 14 Cincinnati, OH Monday Nitro Simultaneously held WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and WCW Hardcore Championship.
46 Elix Skipper 1 August 14, 2000 49 Kelowna, BC Monday Nitro Skipper was awarded the title by his Team Canada partner Storm, who called it the "100 KG and Under Championship".
47 Mike Sanders 1 October 2, 2000 63 Daly City, CA Monday Nitro Sanders and Kevin Nash defeated Skipper in a Handicap Powerbomb match.
48 Chavo Guerrero, Jr. (formerly Lieutenant Loco) 2 December 4, 2000 104 Lincoln, NE Thunder
49 Shane Helms 1 March 18, 2001 107 Jacksonville, FL Greed WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation later that month.
50 Billy Kidman 4 July 3, 2001 27 Tacoma, WA SmackDown! Aired July 5.
51 X-Pac (formerly Syxx) 2 July 30, 2001 71 Philadelphia, PA Raw is War This was a unification match to seal X-Pac's WWF Light Heavyweight Championship .
52 Billy Kidman 5 October 9, 2001 13 Moline, IL SmackDown! Aired on October 11.
53 Tajiri 1 October 22, 2001 162 Kansas City, MO Raw The title became the WWF Cruiserweight Championship when the WWF defeated The Alliance at Survivor Series on November 18 and replaced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. The title became exclusive to SmackDown on March 25, 2002.
54 Billy Kidman 6 April 2, 2002 19 Rochester, NY SmackDown! Aired on April 4.
55 Tajiri 2 April 21, 2002 23 Kansas City, MO Backlash (2002) The title became the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on May 5 when the WWF became World Wrestling Entertainment.
56 The Hurricane (formerly Shane Helms) 2 May 14, 2002 40 Montreal, QC SmackDown! This was a triple threat match that aired on May 16, also involving Billy Kidman.
57 Jamie Noble 1 02002-06-23 June 23, 2002 147 Columbus, OH King of the Ring (2002)
58 Billy Kidman 7 November 17, 2002 98 New York, NY Survivor Series (2002)
59 Matt Hardy 1 February 23, 2003 100 Montreal, QC No Way Out (2003)
60 Rey Mysterio (formerly Rey Misterio, Jr.) 6 June 3, 2003 112 Anaheim, CA SmackDown! Aired on June 5.
61 Tajiri 3 September 23, 2003 98 Philadelphia, PA SmackDown! Aired on September 25.
62 Rey Mysterio 7 December 30, 2003 47 Laredo, TX SmackDown! Aired on January 1.
63 Chavo Guerrero (formerly Chavo Guerrero, Jr.) 3 February 15, 2004 79 Daly City, CA No Way Out (2004)
64 Jacqueline 1 May 4, 2004 12 Tucson, AZ SmackDown! Aired on May 6.
65 Chavo Guerrero 4 May 16, 2004 2 Los Angeles, CA Judgment Day (2004) Guerrero won the title with one hand tied behind his back, though his father Chavo Classic untied it during the match.
66 Chavo Classic 1 May 18, 2004 28 Las Vegas, NV SmackDown! This was a triple threat match also involving Spike Dudley, which aired on May 20.
67 Rey Mysterio 8 June 15, 2004 42 Chicago, IL SmackDown! Aired on June 17.
68 Spike Dudley 1 July 27, 2004 138 Cincinnati, OH SmackDown! Aired on July 29.
69 Funaki 1 December 12, 2004 70 Atlanta, GA Armageddon (2004)
70 Chavo Guerrero 5 February 20, 2005 37 Pittsburgh, PA No Way Out (2005) Won the title in a six-man Cruiserweight Open, also including Paul London, Akio, Shannon Moore and Spike Dudley.
71 Paul London 1 March 29, 2005 126 Houston, TX SmackDown! Won an 8-man battle royal, aired on March 31.
72 Nunzio 1 August 2, 2005 68 Bridgeport, CT Velocity
73 Juventud (formerly Juventud Guerrera) 4 October 9, 2005 37 Houston, TX No Mercy (2005)
74 Nunzio 2 November 15, 2005 7 Rome, Italy Live event
75 Juventud 5 November 22, 2005 26 Sheffield, England SmackDown! Aired on November 25.
76 Kid Kash 1 December 18, 2005 42 Providence, RI Armageddon (2005)
77 Gregory Helms (formerly The Hurricane) 3 January 29, 2006 385 Miami, FL Royal Rumble (2006) This was a six-way match also involving Funaki, Jamie Noble, Nunzio and Paul London. Helms, who was on the Raw roster at that time, moved to SmackDown! after winning the title.
78 Chavo Guerrero 6 February 18, 2007 154 Los Angeles, CA No Way Out (2007) This was an 8-man Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out, also involving Daivari, Shannon Moore, Funaki, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang and Scotty 2 Hotty.
79 Hornswoggle 1 July 22, 2007 65 San Jose, CA The Great American Bash (2007) This was a six-man Cruiserweight Open also involving Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Funaki and Jamie Noble.
Vacated - 0 September 25, 2007 0 Indianapolis, IN Smackdown! Vacated on the September 25, 2007 edition of SmackDown! (aired September 28) by acting General Manager Vickie Guerrero, citing that his status as Mr. McMahon's (kayfabe) son and his dimunitive stature would eventually jeopardize his well-being.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1996–2001)
WWF Cruiserweight Championship (2001–2002)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship (2002–2008)
Title history# Wrestler Reigns Date Days held: Location Event Notes
1 Brian Pillman 1 October 27, 1991 59 Chattanooga, TN Halloween Havoc (1991) Defeated Richard Morton in a tournament final to become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Champion.[3] WCW did not recognize Light Heavyweight reigns as being part of the Cruiserweight title's history. When WWE came into possession of the title in 2001, they were added to its history.
2 Jushin Liger 1 December 25, 1991 66 Atlanta, GA Live event
3 Brian Pillman 2 February 29, 1992 112 Milwaukee, WI SuperBrawl II
4 Scotty Flamingo 1 June 20, 1992[7] 15 Mobile, AL Beach Blast (1992)
5 Brad Armstrong 1 July 5, 1992 59 Atlanta, GA Live event
- Vacated 0 !- 0 September 2, 1992 0 Atlanta, GA Clash of the Champions XX Vacated due to knee injury. A tournament to decide the title is scheduled, but never occurs.
6 Shinjiro Otani 1 March 20, 1996 43 Nagoya, Japan NJPW Defeated Wild Pegasus in tournament final to determine the new WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
7 Dean Malenko 1 May 2, 1996 67 Lake Buena Vista, FL WorldWide This title changed aired on May 18, 1996.
8 Rey Misterio, Jr. 1 July 8, 1996 111 Lake Buena Vista, FL Monday Nitro
9 Dean Malenko 2 October 27, 1996 63 Las Vegas, NV Halloween Havoc (1996)
10 Último Dragón 1 December 29, 1996 23 Nashville, TN Starrcade (1996) This match was also for Dragon's J-Crown.
11 Dean Malenko 3 January 21, 1997 33 Milwaukee, WI Clash of the Champions XXXIV
12 Syxx 1 February 23, 1997 125 Daly City, CA SuperBrawl VII
13 Chris Jericho 1 June 28, 1997 30 Inglewood, CA Untelevised webcast Jericho won the match at a house show that was broadcast over the Internet as Saturday Nitro.
14 Alex Wright 1 July 28, 1997 15 Charleston, WV Monday Nitro
15 Chris Jericho 2 August 12, 1997 33 Colorado Springs, CO Saturday Night Aired on August 16.
16 Eddie Guerrero 1 September 14, 1997 42 Winston-Salem, NC Fall Brawl (1997)
17 Rey Misterio, Jr. 2 October 26, 1997 15 Las Vegas, NV Halloween Havoc (1997) This was a Mask vs. Title match.
18 Eddie Guerrero 2 November 10, 1997 49 Memphis, TN Monday Nitro
19 Ultimo Dragon 2 December 29, 1997 8 Baltimore, MD Monday Nitro
20 Juventud Guerrera 1 January 8, 1998 7 Daytona Beach, FL Thunder
21 Rey Misterio, Jr. 3 January 15, 1998 9 Lakeland, FL Thunder
22 Chris Jericho 3 January 24, 1998 113 Dayton, OH Souled Out (1998)
23 Dean Malenko 4 May 17, 1998 25 Worcester, MA Slamboree (1998) Malenko won a battle royal earlier in the night, wearing a mask as Ciclope, to earn a title shot.
- Vacated 0 !- 0 1 June 11, 1998 0 Buffalo, NY Thunder Vacated due to Malenko not earning the title shot as himself.
24 Chris Jericho 4 June 14, 1998 55 Baltimore, MD The Great American Bash (1998) Defeated Dean Malenko by disqualification. On July 12 at Bash at the Beach, Rey Misterio, Jr. defeated Jericho for the title due to interference from Malenko; Jericho was returned the title the following night.
25 Juventud Guerrera 2 August 8, 1998 37 Sturgis, SD Road Wild (1998) Dean Malenko was the special guest referee.
26 Billy Kidman 1 September 14, 1998 63 Greenville, SC Monday Nitro
27 Juventud Guerrera 3 November 16, 1998 6 Wichita, KS Monday Nitro
28 Billy Kidman 2 November 22, 1998 113 Auburn Hills, MI World War 3 (1998)
29 Rey Misterio, Jr. 4 March 15, 1999 30 Cincinnati, OH Monday Nitro
30 Psychosis 1 April 19, 1999 7 Gainesville, FL Monday Nitro This was a four-way match also involving Juventud Guerrera and Blitzkrieg.
31 Rey Misterio, Jr. 5 April 26, 1999 115 Fargo, ND Monday Nitro
32 Lenny Lane 1 August 19, 1999 46 Lubbock, TX Thunder
- Vacated 0 !- 0 October 4, 1999 0 N/A N/A Vacated due to Lenny Lane being stripped of the title after Turner Broadcasting did not approve of the publicity garnered through Lane's homosexual gimmick.
33 Psychosis 2 October 4, 1999 0 Kansas City, MO Monday Nitro Was announced on Nitro to have defeated Lenny Lane during a house show match, however the match never took place.[30] Later histories state Psychosis was awarded the title on Monday Nitro for unexplained reasons.
34 Disco Inferno 1 October 4, 1999 48 Kansas City, MO Monday Nitro
35 Evan Karagias 1 November 21, 1999 28 Toronto, ON Mayhem (1999)
36 Madusa 1 December 19, 1999 28 Washington, D.C. Starrcade (1999) Became the first female Cruiserweight Champion.
37 Oklahoma 1 January 16, 2000 2 Cincinnati, OH Souled Out (2000)
- Vacated 0 !- January 18, 2000 0 Evansville, IN N/A Vacated due to Oklahoma exceeding the weight limit, aired on January 19.
38 The Artist 1 February 20, 2000 29 Daly City, CA SuperBrawl 2000 Defeated Lash LeRoux in a tournament final.
39 Billy Kidman 3 March 30, 2000 1 Baltimore, MD Live event
40 The Artist 2 March 31, 2000 10 Pittsburgh, PA Live event
- Vacated 0 !- 0 April 10, 2000 0 Denver, CO Monday Nitro Vacated by Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, along with all other WCW titles.
41 Chris Candido 1 April 16, 2000 29 Chicago, IL Spring Stampede (2000) Defeated The Artist, Juventud Guerrera, Shannon Moore, Lash LeRoux and Crowbar in a six-way match.
42 Crowbar and Daffney 1 May 15, 2000 7 Biloxi, MS Monday Nitro Defeated Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch in a mixed tag team match to become co-champions on Monday Nitro.
43 Daffney 1 May 22, 2000 15 Grand Rapids, MI Monday Nitro Defeated Crowbar to become undisputed champion.
44 Lieutenant Loco 1 June 6, 2000 55 Knoxville, TN Thunder This was a triple threat match also involving Disco Inferno, aired on June 7.
45 Lance Storm 1 July 31, 2000 14 Cincinnati, OH Monday Nitro Simultaneously held WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and WCW Hardcore Championship.
46 Elix Skipper 1 August 14, 2000 49 Kelowna, BC Monday Nitro Skipper was awarded the title by his Team Canada partner Storm, who called it the "100 KG and Under Championship".
47 Mike Sanders 1 October 2, 2000 63 Daly City, CA Monday Nitro Sanders and Kevin Nash defeated Skipper in a Handicap Powerbomb match.
48 Chavo Guerrero, Jr. (formerly Lieutenant Loco) 2 December 4, 2000 104 Lincoln, NE Thunder
49 Shane Helms 1 March 18, 2001 107 Jacksonville, FL Greed WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation later that month.
50 Billy Kidman 4 July 3, 2001 27 Tacoma, WA SmackDown! Aired July 5.
51 X-Pac (formerly Syxx) 2 July 30, 2001 71 Philadelphia, PA Raw is War This was a unification match to seal X-Pac's WWF Light Heavyweight Championship .
52 Billy Kidman 5 October 9, 2001 13 Moline, IL SmackDown! Aired on October 11.
53 Tajiri 1 October 22, 2001 162 Kansas City, MO Raw The title became the WWF Cruiserweight Championship when the WWF defeated The Alliance at Survivor Series on November 18 and replaced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. The title became exclusive to SmackDown on March 25, 2002.
54 Billy Kidman 6 April 2, 2002 19 Rochester, NY SmackDown! Aired on April 4.
55 Tajiri 2 April 21, 2002 23 Kansas City, MO Backlash (2002) The title became the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on May 5 when the WWF became World Wrestling Entertainment.
56 The Hurricane (formerly Shane Helms) 2 May 14, 2002 40 Montreal, QC SmackDown! This was a triple threat match that aired on May 16, also involving Billy Kidman.
57 Jamie Noble 1 02002-06-23 June 23, 2002 147 Columbus, OH King of the Ring (2002)
58 Billy Kidman 7 November 17, 2002 98 New York, NY Survivor Series (2002)
59 Matt Hardy 1 February 23, 2003 100 Montreal, QC No Way Out (2003)
60 Rey Mysterio (formerly Rey Misterio, Jr.) 6 June 3, 2003 112 Anaheim, CA SmackDown! Aired on June 5.
61 Tajiri 3 September 23, 2003 98 Philadelphia, PA SmackDown! Aired on September 25.
62 Rey Mysterio 7 December 30, 2003 47 Laredo, TX SmackDown! Aired on January 1.
63 Chavo Guerrero (formerly Chavo Guerrero, Jr.) 3 February 15, 2004 79 Daly City, CA No Way Out (2004)
64 Jacqueline 1 May 4, 2004 12 Tucson, AZ SmackDown! Aired on May 6.
65 Chavo Guerrero 4 May 16, 2004 2 Los Angeles, CA Judgment Day (2004) Guerrero won the title with one hand tied behind his back, though his father Chavo Classic untied it during the match.
66 Chavo Classic 1 May 18, 2004 28 Las Vegas, NV SmackDown! This was a triple threat match also involving Spike Dudley, which aired on May 20.
67 Rey Mysterio 8 June 15, 2004 42 Chicago, IL SmackDown! Aired on June 17.
68 Spike Dudley 1 July 27, 2004 138 Cincinnati, OH SmackDown! Aired on July 29.
69 Funaki 1 December 12, 2004 70 Atlanta, GA Armageddon (2004)
70 Chavo Guerrero 5 February 20, 2005 37 Pittsburgh, PA No Way Out (2005) Won the title in a six-man Cruiserweight Open, also including Paul London, Akio, Shannon Moore and Spike Dudley.
71 Paul London 1 March 29, 2005 126 Houston, TX SmackDown! Won an 8-man battle royal, aired on March 31.
72 Nunzio 1 August 2, 2005 68 Bridgeport, CT Velocity
73 Juventud (formerly Juventud Guerrera) 4 October 9, 2005 37 Houston, TX No Mercy (2005)
74 Nunzio 2 November 15, 2005 7 Rome, Italy Live event
75 Juventud 5 November 22, 2005 26 Sheffield, England SmackDown! Aired on November 25.
76 Kid Kash 1 December 18, 2005 42 Providence, RI Armageddon (2005)
77 Gregory Helms (formerly The Hurricane) 3 January 29, 2006 385 Miami, FL Royal Rumble (2006) This was a six-way match also involving Funaki, Jamie Noble, Nunzio and Paul London. Helms, who was on the Raw roster at that time, moved to SmackDown! after winning the title.
78 Chavo Guerrero 6 February 18, 2007 154 Los Angeles, CA No Way Out (2007) This was an 8-man Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out, also involving Daivari, Shannon Moore, Funaki, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang and Scotty 2 Hotty.
79 Hornswoggle 1 July 22, 2007 65 San Jose, CA The Great American Bash (2007) This was a six-man Cruiserweight Open also involving Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Funaki and Jamie Noble.
Vacated - 0 September 25, 2007 0 Indianapolis, IN Smackdown! Vacated on the September 25, 2007 edition of SmackDown! (aired September 28) by acting General Manager Vickie Guerrero, citing that his status as Mr. McMahon's (kayfabe) son and his dimunitive stature would eventually jeopardize his well-being.