Who is the greatest light-heavyweight of all-time?

[CM Steel]

Over the years pro wrestling has been seen more as a "big man's sport" so to speak. We've seen the modern giants from over the years in different wrestling promotions. Andre, the Undertaker, Kevin Nash, Big Show, ECT. But there was always that one smaller guy who would steal the show and put on a epic match with one of the big guys. Not so much a cruiserweight, but a light-heavyweight. Someone who wasn't all that big but not so small.

Like Chris Jericho could be looked on upon as a light-heavyweight in wrestling. Standing at 6'1" 225LBS Chris Jericho was the first and only WWF/E undisputed champion of the world! A record in the book of wrestling. But then you have guys like the heartbreak kid Shawn Michaels. A guy who can have a 5 star match with just about anybody. And has made an epic career of it thus being inducted into the WWE hall of fame as a bonafied legend of the ring. Let's take a look of a list of other great light-heavyweights shall we...


-X-Pac
-Chris Benoit
-Christian
-Eddie Guerrero (R.I.P)
-Taz
-Lance Storm
-Owen Hart (R.I.P.)
-ECT.

In an interview last year featuring Kevin Nash he stated that wrestling is just "a big man's sport". But made an exception for his friend Shawn Michaels. But in your own opinion. Who is the greatest light-heavyweight of all-time?

 

[Duderino]

Taking solely mat skills into account, Dean Malenko was probably the best light-heavyweight ever. I'm not sure if you'd consider him a light heavyweight or a cruiserweight, but either way he's worthy of mention.

Bret Hart also seems like he'd fit well into this conversation. He doesn't get much credit for it, but he could put on a match with anyone just as well as HBK could. I don't recall Shawn Michaels having many memorable matches with Yokozuna.

Is Kurt Angle too big to included here? When he first got to the WWF he was six foot nothin, and not particularly huge build-wise.

EDIT: Brian Pillman was a real innovator before he broke his ankle, too.

 

[BigThunder]

For me, Dynamite Kid. He's not the nicest guy in the industry by any account, but his skills were extraordinary, his matches with other LHWs legendary, and he gave it his all. His work with the Bulldogs, while outstanding, only scratched the surface of his career.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

For me - the real light heavyweights are people like Rey Mysterio and Jushin Liger. I would dare say JL was better from a technical standpoint but Rey could probably move better in areal spots. I'd say Liger.

The ones listed above, whilst they are all great - they were middleweights as far as I am concerned.

 

[vampxx24]

For me - the real light heavyweights are people like Rey Mysterio and Jushin Liger. I would dare say JL was better from a technical standpoint but Rey could probably move better in areal spots. I'd say Liger.

The ones listed above, whilst they are all great - they were middleweights as far as I am concerned.

this....

JTL is hands down the best of all time. JTL had matchs with the whos who of lhw's and is still(last i knew of) going today.

 

[Spack]

Personally, I think one of the best light-heavyweights was Tajiri. The guy was just a blast to watch, especially in his later years when he became more intense in the ring. When he wasn't in the ring, he was also capable of making you laugh when he wanted to. World class entertainer.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes right down to sheer accomplishment and overall legacy, I fail to see how hardly any light heavyweight, cruiserweight, junior heavyweight or whatever else the hell you wanna call them can measure up to Jushin Liger. In American, I'd say the first names that spring to mind first when it comes to most fans would be names like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, etc. On an international level, I'd say that Liger is someone that has to be considered among the top, if not the single top, light heavyweight in wrestling history.

Liger's accomplishments reads like a what's what of cruiserweight wrestling:

11 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
1 time WCW Word Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
1 time NWA World Welterweight Championship
1 time UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship
1 time CMLL World Middleweight Championship
1 time Open The Dream Gate Championship
1 time GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship
1 time British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship
6 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
1 time WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
3 time winner of the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament
1 time winner of the IWGP Young Lion Cup

When you look at Liger's sheer accomplishments as a light heavyweight, there's really only one that I can think of, off the top of my head, that is in the same league and that's Ultimo Dragon. Like Liger, he's someone that's also dominated the light heavyweight picture throughout the world.

2 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
5 time UWA World Middleweight Championship
1 time UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time UWA World Welterweight Championship
2 time WCW Cruiserweight Championship
2 time WWF/WWE Light Heavyweight Championship
1 time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
2 time NWA World Welterweight Championship
3 time WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship
1 time WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
2 time, and current, NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship
2 time British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship

Like Liger, Ultimo Dragon is someone that's dominated the light heavyweight picture in numerous organizations. If I had to ultimately go with one, I'd probably have to say Liger as he's someone who was a massive influence on every light heavyweight who came after him, including Ultimo Dragon, whether those light heavyweights are luchadores or not. He's also one of the very few light heavyweights to be looked at by American audiences and generally thought of as a major star. Had Liger and Dragon been born roughly 20 years later than they were, with the way pro wrestling is set up today in which much smaller guys are being pushed into top tier positions, they'd probably be viewed two of the most sought after wrestlers by companies like WWE or TNA.

 

[The Butcher]

All the legends have already been mentioned, so I'll be a slave to the moment and say Daniel Bryan.

Before he arrived in WWE, he was by acclamation the best technical wrestler in the world. He's found success everywhere he's gone, mainly as a result of his technical prowess, but also because of (as is most evident now) a natural charisma and likability. Bobbing around the WWE midcard before winning the 2011 SmackDown MITB ladder match, he eventually turned his character on its head and is now arguably the hottest wrestler in the world. He was able to accomplish something that was last done by the legendary Steve Austin- he turned a single word into the most over chant in all of sports entertainment. He has belts, he has recognition from his peers and press, and the fans adore him. Plus, he's still cementing his legacy. He's already in the discussion of who's the best light heavyweight ever, but when all is said and done it may not even be arguable.

 

[CanadianDeviant]

Based on their work in the LWH divisions its hard to argue against Eddie, Mysterio, Ultimo, Liger, Juvi and even AJ Styles.
I wouldn't want to qualify Jericho, Benoit, HHH (etc) who in their primes were bulked up beyond 225lbs.

 

[crippler]

For me, Dynamite Kid. He's not the nicest guy in the industry by any account, but his skills were extraordinary, his matches with other LHWs legendary, and he gave it his all. His work with the Bulldogs, while outstanding, only scratched the surface of his career.

I agree when Dynamite was wrestling nobody could out perform him and every match he was in looked amazing no matter how good or how bad his opponent was Dynamite would make that match look awesome nobody could pull off a snap suplex like The Dynamite Kid

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's a misnomer as the classes themselves wouldn't be accurate or relative... If you were doing it accurately, a Lightheavyweight in boxing is 175lbs max... in Wrestling of course heavyweights and Superheavy's can be 350lbs (or billed as such) so that means to do it properly you'd have Light Heavy at 250-280, Middleweight at 250-225 and cruiser below 225.

Some wrestling promotions used these, Bret Hart for example has won Middleweight titles in Stampede - and at his prime he would have fit that category, as would a Jericho, Benoit, Shawn Michaels and the like.

By that then you're looking at guys who were between 250 and 280. While Dynamite was good, he was never that heavy...but Davey Boy was, so you'd have to consider him as during his Bulldogs days and as a solo he was a top class worker.

You'd have to look at guys like Barry Windham who was normally around the 260-270 mark in his prime. Guys like Curt Hennig who was billed at 257 for most of his career and even Triple H who even at his heaviest would have been only 270 tops.

WWF set it's Light Heavyweight as heavier than WCW's cruiser, as guys like Scott Putski, were in the division - he was billed as heavy as 275 during his career and was clearly heavier than the supposed 215 limit that WWF put on it... but when WCW folded they had that popularity with the cruisers, so that stuck and hence a lot of people think that means Light Heavy.

The other issue is that a lot of Heavyweight champs have been nowhere near Heavyweights, Rey Mysterio or David Arquette being the smallest. Even legendary champions like Terry Funk, Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Randy Savage were Middleweights at best, again distorting the image.

Pound for pound, the best Light Heavyweight is Bruno Sammartino - he was 265, not a heavyweight or much past a Middleweight in the scheme of things but he helt the WWF title for the longest time facing true Heavyweights...and he could have beaten them all shoot if he needed...

The Japanese guys also need to be taken into account - Kobashi, Tenyru, Misawa, Chono all have a claim...

Without question Dynamite is the best Middleweight, although some of those above names come very close... Liger is the best Cruiser/Jr with Dragon, Malenko and Owen Hart close behind... but don't just look at it cos WWE set a fake weight limit once for a prop, look at in proportion.