MINISTRYrising
Championship Contender
I have been watching a lot of old WCW cruiserweight matches lately and I have been woundering, who was the best cruiserweight in WCW.
Who was the greatest WCW Cruiserweight?
- Thread starter MINISTRYrising
- Start date
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
Ultimo Dragon was the first guy who came to mind. But as you said Rey Mysterio is another guy who had success their and had greater success in the WWE. Same can also be said for Chris Jericho. Dean Melanko although not a high flying cruiserweight was very good in the ring. Almost like a cruiserweight version of Bret Hart. And last but not least I have to mention La Parka. He had the best outfit hands down.
justtxyank
Championship Contender
By greatest do you mean most skilled or most accomplished?
I don't think there's much doubt that Rey Jr. was the most "featured." He was the desired star for the division to be built around by WCW and was over with the fans from the first minute.
That said, he was never my persona favorite. As cruiserweights, the best for me was Ultimo Dragon followed by Stinko Malenko.
In terms of enjoyment, La Parka, Psicosis, and Juventud would round out my top 5. La Parka was so much fun to watch. He had a ring awareness that most luchadores didn't have and really played to the crowd well.
Of course, with all that said, who are you to doubt El Dandy?
I don't think there's much doubt that Rey Jr. was the most "featured." He was the desired star for the division to be built around by WCW and was over with the fans from the first minute.
That said, he was never my persona favorite. As cruiserweights, the best for me was Ultimo Dragon followed by Stinko Malenko.
In terms of enjoyment, La Parka, Psicosis, and Juventud would round out my top 5. La Parka was so much fun to watch. He had a ring awareness that most luchadores didn't have and really played to the crowd well.
Of course, with all that said, who are you to doubt El Dandy?
classicviolence
Pre-Show Stalwart
Two Words: Chris Jericho
His whole run in that division was amazing. From Dean, Rey, Juvi, Eddie and Syxx it was solid.
His whole run in that division was amazing. From Dean, Rey, Juvi, Eddie and Syxx it was solid.
To me its a tie. Dean Malenko was THE MAN in the WCW Cruiserweight division, but when you think WCW Cruiserweights Rey Mysterio is the 1st guy that comes to mind.
Honorable mention to Billy Kidman. After Malenko stopped competing as a cruiserweight Kidman was one of the guys that carried the division.
Honorable mention to Billy Kidman. After Malenko stopped competing as a cruiserweight Kidman was one of the guys that carried the division.
King Patrick Star
K. O. T. R. 2007 - Team Undisputed
We have Brian Pillman as the first ever WCW Light Heavyweight Champion.
We have Shinjiro Otani as the first ever WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
We have Gregory Helms as the longest reigning WWE Cruiserweight Champion at 385 days.
We have Syxx as the longest reigning WCW Cruiserweight Champion at 125 days.
We have Gregory Shane the Hurricane Helms with the most days as Champion at 532 days over 3 reigns.
We have Rey Mysterio with the most reigns a Champion at 8 reigns for 483 days total.
I think Im going to go with Rey Mysterio, since the topic is based specifically on WCW, not the Cruiserweight Titles entire history. Mysterio was the featured attraction for the Cruiserweight Division. Now Im not 100% sure about my answer, but I can tell you who I think was the worst Champion in the history of the Cruiserweight Championship.
We have Shinjiro Otani as the first ever WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
We have Gregory Helms as the longest reigning WWE Cruiserweight Champion at 385 days.
We have Syxx as the longest reigning WCW Cruiserweight Champion at 125 days.
We have Gregory Shane the Hurricane Helms with the most days as Champion at 532 days over 3 reigns.
We have Rey Mysterio with the most reigns a Champion at 8 reigns for 483 days total.
I think Im going to go with Rey Mysterio, since the topic is based specifically on WCW, not the Cruiserweight Titles entire history. Mysterio was the featured attraction for the Cruiserweight Division. Now Im not 100% sure about my answer, but I can tell you who I think was the worst Champion in the history of the Cruiserweight Championship.
relentless1
G.O.A.T.
im gonna say rey mysterio, he was more or less the face of the WCW cruiserweight division, he got a decent push into the main event scene when he got his mask taken off and he is definetly the first that comes to mind when i think "cruiserweight"
ProWrestlingFan84
Occasional Pre-Show
I'm going to go with Ultimo Dragon and Rey Mysterio Jr. Both I found very entertaining from their high flying ability and what they brought to the table. The more I think about it though there were a ton of great cruiserweights in the WCW time.
Rockyfolifebo!!!
Pre-Show Stalwart
For me it's either Mysterio or Kidman. The of them had innovative moves, multiple title reigns and breath-taking high flying moves. Plus, they were both in a stable together. Filthy Animals anyone? Anyway, I'm personally going with Kidman. The way he did the shooting star press and his dropkicks were awesome! I know that's not the most popular choice, but oh well.
This is such a hard topic to nail down one particular guy. I gotta give credit to King Patrick for mentioning the first Lightweight champ in Flyin Brian Pillman. I believe he beat Jushin Liger in the finals of a tounament to crown the first champ. Jericho really made a name for himself in that division, and really cut some great promos, and backed it up in the ring. Dean Milenko is another who really owned the division along with Rey Mysterio Jr. Ultimo Dragon was impressive in his own right, and I believe when he first appeared he still carried all of the title from Japan with him. If I am forced to pick just one then I have to go with Rey Mysterio. he was just doing things on tv that we really hadn't seen before, and always seemed to be one of the focal points of the division. He along with Jericho really got notcied during their time in that division. Great stuff, great thread, and a great time in wrestling when this division was going strong.
lil bitch Kid
Getting Noticed By Management
Now, the question is really two fold: Greatest WCW cruiser weight or the greatest cruiser weight to work in a WCW ring?
The best WCW guy that was a cruiser weight as far as I'm concerned was Rey. Jericho hadn't quite come into his own at that point. Malenko was a great mat wrestler who was under-rated and over-looked when it came to getting in the air, but he may as well have sewn his mouth shut. Lance Storm should never have worked with the cruisers, but was great. Benoit, like Jericho, was finding his way when he worked as a cruiser. But Rey made everyone he worked look like a million bucks.
NOW, though, the best cruiser to set foot in a WCW ring was Jushin Thunder Liger. There was no one within a mile on Liger when it came to every aspect of working a match in that age class.
The best WCW guy that was a cruiser weight as far as I'm concerned was Rey. Jericho hadn't quite come into his own at that point. Malenko was a great mat wrestler who was under-rated and over-looked when it came to getting in the air, but he may as well have sewn his mouth shut. Lance Storm should never have worked with the cruisers, but was great. Benoit, like Jericho, was finding his way when he worked as a cruiser. But Rey made everyone he worked look like a million bucks.
NOW, though, the best cruiser to set foot in a WCW ring was Jushin Thunder Liger. There was no one within a mile on Liger when it came to every aspect of working a match in that age class.
To me the answer hands down is Rey Mysterio. Dean Malenko was only really in there for a yerar or two. Ultimo Dragon a year or two. After Rey I'd say Kidman was the signature WcW Cruiserweight. Those two carried the torch back and forth for pretty much the entire popular run of the CW title
WcWMondayNitro
Dark Match Jobber
To me, the greatest cruiserweight will always be Billy Kidman. He was the reason why I liked WCW.
Didn't get to see much of WCW due to a lack of programming in Australia til the monday night wars but im gonna go with Billy Kidman, the matches he had in that brief period were amazing and he was all in ring. He wasn't flashy he was dressed bland, but hell could the guy put on an entertaining match.
Shane Helms was technically the longest reigning WWE crusierweight champ not WCW, he won the title the PPV prior to WCW being bought by WWF and his reign was 98% WWF not WCW but hey i wont argue, he was a hell of a wrestler for his size.
hard to chose overall there were so many great cruiserweights and for me that division was the best bit of WCW much like TNA's best attribute IMO "Was" the XDivsion which is sadly almost dead atm.
Shane Helms was technically the longest reigning WWE crusierweight champ not WCW, he won the title the PPV prior to WCW being bought by WWF and his reign was 98% WWF not WCW but hey i wont argue, he was a hell of a wrestler for his size.
hard to chose overall there were so many great cruiserweights and for me that division was the best bit of WCW much like TNA's best attribute IMO "Was" the XDivsion which is sadly almost dead atm.
The Butcher
ð¶
Ah, the WCW Cruiserweight division. Hit me right in the nostalgia with that one.
Juventud Guerrera was my personal favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Malenko-Jericho feud. Hard to argue against Rey as the greatest, though.
Juventud Guerrera was my personal favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Malenko-Jericho feud. Hard to argue against Rey as the greatest, though.
RawIsJericho
#DemBoys
I really wish WWE would release a best of WCW Cruiserweight division DVD.
I have to go with Mysterio also, BUT, for what it's worth, whenever I think of WCW Cruiserweights, the first guy I usually think of is Kidman, you can probably put that down to me being a Flock mark.
I have to go with Mysterio also, BUT, for what it's worth, whenever I think of WCW Cruiserweights, the first guy I usually think of is Kidman, you can probably put that down to me being a Flock mark.
From an entertainment standpoint to me it was heel Jericho. Once they let him cut loose on the mic he had some awesome feuds with guys like Rey, Juvi and Malenko. When I think of WCW cruiser weights Jericho is the first one that comes to mind. He was also great in the ring. He didn't have all the fancy flips that Rey had but he was still solid and entertaining.
Oh man, I love the Cruiserweight Division. I still wish Nitro (which to be fair had just gone to two hours) would have televised more of the intro Tournament.
Rey and Malenko and Dragon really standout. Helms and Kidman grew on me. Chavo at the end of WCW had a great run. Eddie and Benoit for their brief runs. Psicosis and Juve were sweet too. There was a Japanese guy who came about in 98-9 I believe who was awesome but he never won a match. I have seen all his matches on Nitro and have his name somewhere but right now I am to lazy to look up.
Finally Jericho: At least they elevated him after he beat the Division but anyway his introduction of the Cruiserweight Battle Royal at Slamboree is still one of my all time favorite moments. In fact 98 Jericho is one of the best characters of all time.
Rey and Malenko and Dragon really standout. Helms and Kidman grew on me. Chavo at the end of WCW had a great run. Eddie and Benoit for their brief runs. Psicosis and Juve were sweet too. There was a Japanese guy who came about in 98-9 I believe who was awesome but he never won a match. I have seen all his matches on Nitro and have his name somewhere but right now I am to lazy to look up.
Finally Jericho: At least they elevated him after he beat the Division but anyway his introduction of the Cruiserweight Battle Royal at Slamboree is still one of my all time favorite moments. In fact 98 Jericho is one of the best characters of all time.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
When I think of the word cruiserweight, the first name that always springs to mind first is Rey Mysterio. Like a lot of American fans, WCW's Cruiserweight Division was the first time I'd been introduced to the lucha libre style of wrestling. Mysterio was a completely unique wrestler that my teenage eyes had never laid eyes on. I'd seen lots of agile high flyers, but nothing like Mysterio.
Mysterio's physical look and overall style is something that seems to embody what a cruiserweight wrestler means to many people. There were several great cruiserweights in WCW and the only two that made as much of an impact as Mysterio was Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho.
I don't know if I can narrow it down to just one, but it'd be one of those three. As I said, Mysterio was someone that was very different and innovative. He's also someone that's gone onto be a huge star and multiple time World Champion outside the weight restrictions of cruiserweights. Eddie Guerreo was also someone that went onto be a huge star outside of the restrictions of cruiserweights. Chris Jericho was as well and probably earned more success than either of them as both a singles and tag team competitor later on.
If I had to base my choice on who was the best cruiserweight in WCW at the time, without factoring in later success, then I'd have to go with Mysterio. He was a great WCW Cruiserweight Champion and the division in and of itself seemed to revolve around him much of the time.
Mysterio's physical look and overall style is something that seems to embody what a cruiserweight wrestler means to many people. There were several great cruiserweights in WCW and the only two that made as much of an impact as Mysterio was Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho.
I don't know if I can narrow it down to just one, but it'd be one of those three. As I said, Mysterio was someone that was very different and innovative. He's also someone that's gone onto be a huge star and multiple time World Champion outside the weight restrictions of cruiserweights. Eddie Guerreo was also someone that went onto be a huge star outside of the restrictions of cruiserweights. Chris Jericho was as well and probably earned more success than either of them as both a singles and tag team competitor later on.
If I had to base my choice on who was the best cruiserweight in WCW at the time, without factoring in later success, then I'd have to go with Mysterio. He was a great WCW Cruiserweight Champion and the division in and of itself seemed to revolve around him much of the time.
HellBoundPower
Earth Born, HellBound
This is such a hard question to answer because WCW has SO MANY great Cruiserweights. The matches were amazing, and really made WCW more watchable. While the main event was being run by a bunch of old guys out of their prime, the Cruiserweights were the backbone of the organization. The matches were out of this world.
I guess like most people, if I had to pick one out of the pack, it would have to by Rey Misterio Jr. His style was more daredevilish and high risk than most, and the things he could be back then were breathtaking. He was innovative as hell and I think that most of the high flying moves that people see nowadays on the independent scene were done by Misterio in WCW. When I think of the word Cruiserweight, Misterio pops into mind right away.
I guess like most people, if I had to pick one out of the pack, it would have to by Rey Misterio Jr. His style was more daredevilish and high risk than most, and the things he could be back then were breathtaking. He was innovative as hell and I think that most of the high flying moves that people see nowadays on the independent scene were done by Misterio in WCW. When I think of the word Cruiserweight, Misterio pops into mind right away.
The first 3 names that came to my mind when I saw this thread was Malenko, Jericho and Ultimo Dragon.
Dragon because he is one of the best wrestlers ever. And there are a lot of facts to make this statement true.
Malenko because he was the workhorse of the division.
Jericho because of how far he skyrocketed out of that division and ARMBAR.
Dragon because he is one of the best wrestlers ever. And there are a lot of facts to make this statement true.
Malenko because he was the workhorse of the division.
Jericho because of how far he skyrocketed out of that division and ARMBAR.
CrucifiedRaven
The Evenflow Effect
The Jericho/Malenko feud was a classic. Absolute classic.
But I think when looking back on WCW and the cruiserweight division, Rey Mysterio always comes to mind as the number one guy. He was just SO popular, it was insane. He seemed like he was always chasing the title. Maybe my memory is biased, because it was towards the end of WCW and its downfall (98,99ish) where he became the face of the cruiserweight division.
But I think when looking back on WCW and the cruiserweight division, Rey Mysterio always comes to mind as the number one guy. He was just SO popular, it was insane. He seemed like he was always chasing the title. Maybe my memory is biased, because it was towards the end of WCW and its downfall (98,99ish) where he became the face of the cruiserweight division.