Cruiserweights - Can They Ever Make Good and Memorable World Champions?

[Uncle Sam]

You say cruiserweights and the first name that comes to mind is Rey Mysterio. Well, perhaps. For other people, it's different. In fact, I think of Alex Shelley, then AJ Styles. Rey Rey comes a respectful third. But say cruiserweight and world champion and I think you'll definitely have Rey Mysterio lurking there, perhaps Chris Jericho, depending on who you'd consider a cruiserweight.

My point is this, cruiserweights don't have a great history as the main men, as the headliners, the main eventers, the world champions. I may have overlooked someone painfully obvious. If I have, feel free to correct me. Looking back, I don't think anybody can make a case for Jericho and Mysterio's reigns being particularly successful. Jericho's ended in perhaps the least memorable WrestleMania main event ever. Mysterio just ended up getting squashed every week; even a certain Punk has managed better than that.

But can there be a memorable cruiserweight world champion? I don't think there's much potential on WWE's horizon, but could there be one day? Likewise, on the TNA front - AJ Styles has held the top gold already, but is yet to become the true frontman like, say, Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle or even Cage have been or are.

What d'you reckon?

 

[My$terio_Fan]

The reason why Cruiserweights are looked upon as "less" than regular guys and not heavyweight title material is simply the booking. Over the years WWE has made the crusierweights basically jobbers so nobody thinks they could be champion material. Even Mysterio was basically a jobber while holding the belt. Regular viewers would be more excepting of a cruiserweight winning the main gold if they were made to look like the bigger guys equals. I think their are many cruiserweights that could have a good run with the heavyweight belt, if they were made to look like an equal and had a good storyline. TNA seems alittle more excepting of having "smaller" guys hold gold, with people like Styles, Kaz, Christian either holding gold or getting a chance too. I think both of the guns could make believeable champions, but only if booked right.

Two crusierweights in my mind stick out, that they could make believeable champs if pushed properly and they are Bourne & Noble. Evan Bourne is something refreshing to the WWE crowd and seems to excite the crowd. I think the fans could get behind him if he was not just used as the underdog who always gets beat(Mysterio). Noble on the other hand would be tricky now. He has been made into a comedy character and it would take the right booking to make him seem credible. I think with Nobles charisma, good mic skills, and great in-ring talent who could be made into a great champion. Again it's all on how their booked.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

If I remember correctly, RVD and HBK are both lightheavyweight materiasl, therefore can hold the cruiserweight title.

Benoit, Y2J and Benoit also held the cruiserweight title in WCW and they all did fine jobs in holding the Big 2 golds in the WWE.

If they are booked right, they can be great title holders. The same with big, steroid freaks than noone gives a shit about. Its not how heavy you are, its how good you are on the stick, in the ring and more importantly, if your over with the fans.

 

[Minor League Brian]

I think they main problem is how they're portrayed. Its the Heavyweight Championship for a reason, as long as the fact they're Cruiser weights are downplayed and they can play their characters well; I don't see how it'd be a big problem.

 

[Shocky]

It all depends on what you would classify a Cruiserweight. Technically guys like Benoit and Guerrero, Jericho and Angle would all be very close to the cruiserweight line. Sometimes the WWE has it listed at 215, while WCW had it at 200. There have been a lot of small heavyweight champions.

The big reason is that most of those guys worked, and hell I'll throw Michaels in there as well, is because when it came time for them to be World Champion, they weren't billed as cruiserweights. Cruiserweights in name won't be champion, and can't be champion. That's why Mysterio never worked out. A). People realized real quick it was a pity run and B). he was never booked to look good, he was always inferior due to his size.

When it came to guys like Benoit and Angle, they made up for their size with sheer intensity and ability. Shawn Michaels and Guerrero made up for it with the ability to get out of tough situations.

If a smaller guy doesn't bring anything else to the table besides his disadvantage in size, they won't work as a world champion.

 

[Lee]

Going through the list of Cruiserweight/Light heavyweight champions of the past (WWE and WCW) there one that stands out is Christian cage. Yeah it was a silly gimmick that enabled him to fight in the match (as in he had to lose 3 pounds or else he couldn't fight).

I think he shook off the image of Light heavyweight champion fairly quickly, this could be down to a few factors;

1) At the time he was round about 215 lbs, some don't see this as a Cruiserweight. Certainly not now, I think he's about 240 lbs now, so has quite clearly beefed out a bit.

2) Also at the time, he was apart of the Edge and Christian tag team, something both members have shook off, they're no longer a midcard tag team but both are one of the top guys in their own promotions.

3) Christian never really fights as a cruiserweight, whereby the likes of Mysterio and Helms have that style that can't be shook off, Christian just doesn't have that style.

Maybe it's because it was so far back, maybe it was because he's come on so much since then, maybe it's because he's beefed up or just doesn't fight like one, but Christian Cage is certainly a former Cruiserweight who can make a memorable World Champion.

 

[KillBill]

Don't forget, David Arquette was only like a buck fifty when he won the title, making him like the second lightest cruiserweight behind Mysterio. And he did that in WCW!!! Where the BIG boys play!!!

But seriously, times have changed. Theres so many wrestlers that are not heavyweights. In WWE, the only heavy heavy guys are show, HHH, Cena, Batista, Henry, a few others, but not nearly as many as there used to be in the 80's and 90's. With 2 titles, you are able to take chances with the smaller guys. Its different, its fun, and allows other wrestlers to pursue it even if they think they are not big enough.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

Ok, Look at tit from another angle(pardon the pun)

Lets say you were offered a legit wrestling match, one from Batista and one from Angle. Who would kick your arse?

Angles size doesnt mean squat. He could kick anyones arse, the same with taz, whos eemingly could suplex anyone in the business.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'd say yes they can be if they're booked right. Shawn Michales for example could have been under teh cruiserweight limit (not sure), but would he ever be pushed towards that belt? Of course not. Same goes with Jericho in WWE. They're heavyweight wrestlers in smaller bodies. Its like when Matt hardy took the cruiserweight belt. The whole thing was him going out of his weight class. He's a heavyweight wrestler. The size doesn't matter if they're booked right. Rey never should have been world champion. He's an odd case though. He's a cruiserweight god, but too small to be considered a real threat. I'd say yes they can work, if its done right.

 

[Starchild]

Cruiserweights have the potential to be legit world title contenders, but only if pushed right. Jericho, Michaels, Benoit, and Cage are some of the best examples; they are a little bigger now but at the beginning of their careers they were really small. And today they are some of the top guys in their respective companies. I do kind of thing the weight limit to be legit though would be about 210-220. The Hardys are former cruiserweight champions that are both going for major titles right now, but with the way they have been pushed since then it worked. AJ Styles is another guy that's rather small but the way he is booked gets him over and makes him seem like a threat to some of the bigger guys in TNA.
I, for one, am happy Mysterio got to win the title. He is the ultimate underdog but is a gu y that has busted his ass and has had shots in the past but never won. I was ecstatic when he won the title, but he was booked terribly after that, always getting dominated and whatnot.
For this reason, I am skeptical as to some other small guys. The one that immediately comes to mind is Evan Bourne. He is incredibly talented and fun to watch, but how would you push him to be a legit threat to Big Show, Umage, Batista, Cena, Orton? Hopefully he bulks up a little and gets to get in there because he'd be really exciting to watch, but WWE would have to find the way to book him right to make it work.