Why the WWE should bring back the Crusierweight title

[CM Steel]

The WWE Crusierweight title was retired unfairly after Hornswoggle won the strap at the Great American Bash pay per view in 2007. So the division died with it in the same year (along with Chris Benoit). Present day the WWE now has some of the greatest Crusierweights on it's roster of superstars it has to offer. Guys like...

-Daniel Bryan
-Tyson Kidd
-Justin Gabriel
-Sin Cara
-Evan Bourne
-Yoshi Tatsu
-ECT.

Now everybody but everybody knows that WWE chairman Vince McMahon is big on his big men (no pun intended). So where would that leave the smaller wrestler's to gain some success? Place them in the same division(s) where guys twice their size are thriving in to become future champions cannot be the only options for these guys. They work just as hard to be on top of the WWE ladder. We all saw that with Daniel Bryan from this past summer. Me I'm 6'3" 261 LBS, so I'm not offended at all. But some other people may feel different than I do about this matter.

So should the WWE just bring back the it's Crusierweight title to their decent divison of stars?

 

[Redrum]

I would be a fan for this tho i would almost rather it be the European title but just have it restricted to the smaller guys. It gives them something and a way to elevate some great small guys that would be lucky to ever get a look at the US or IC title and who would never be in a WHC/WWE title picture even if Vince was high on LCD.

 

[ASKane]

I think it would be brilliant and is needed. I would unify the US and IC title and add the Cruiserweight title as the second midcard title.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I loved the Cruiserweight title though I don't see Daniel Bryan holding it. It'd be neat to see Rey Mysterio hold it again though. They should totally bring it back but they should not use it as a second midcard title it should be the same as it was, a belt for smaller guys who would never lay a fingernail on the US or IC belt.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

NOT ANOTHER CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP THREAD!!!!!!!!

I know that there are a lot of guys in WWE that are probably in the 200lbs to 225lbs range. I'd say that about 70% to 75% of the best talent in the company would fall into that category somewhere. The problem with a Cruiserweight/Light Heavyweight/Junior Heavyweight Championship is the perception of such a division among American fans.

We all know that there's long been this perception of major American wrestling companies preferring bigger guys to smaller ones. Right now, allegedly, there's talk of WWE of pushing bigger guys more than they have been in the past few years as they feel that's what fans want. If that's legit, then it's not something I'm buying into, nor do I think anyone else is, but that's another topic. By separating the smaller guys, say the ones who are a max of 225lbs, from the heavier ones so that they only compete against guys of similar weight to them, the companies are all but flat out saying and enforcing the notion that the "little" 220lb guys are inferior to the 300lb ones. Now is that something that's exactly the truth? Of course not, but perception is very often reality in pro wrestling since pro wrestling isn't exactly a 100% "real" sport. Because of that, it's not at all uncommon for the "little guys" to not only be able to hang with the "big guys", but to be able to "beat" them as well. Also, because of that, limiting the opponents a pro wrestler can face based on how much he weighs simply doesn't make any sense.

Even if WWE went ahead and reinstated the Cruiserweight Championship, it wouldn't be long before all the usual complaints started back up again. Some would want the Cruiserweight Champion and Cruiserweight matches & feuds to be heavily featured on WWE television. If some of those fans felt that they weren't getting what they want, then here'll come the "Cruiserweight Championship doesn't mean anything" or the "Cruiserweight Division isn't being used right" threads. They'd feel that the Cruiserweight Champion should almost be booked as if he's a main eventer, just as some feel that the mid-card champs should be booked almost as though they're main eventers too. If they got what they wanted and the Cruiserweight Division was started up again, then how long before the "Tyson Kidd should be a main eventer" threads start popping up? The problem with that is that Kidd can't be a main eventer. Remember? He's a Cruiserweight and Cruiserweights have to stay in their own little world while the Heavyweights are the guys who go after the WWE Championship. Sure, I suppose WWE could push him if they gave him a few months off and told him to hit the gym to pack on about 30 pounds or so.

WWE would be better off by creating something along the lines of what the X Division was. While it was made up of mostly guys who'd fall into the Cruiserweight/Light Heavyweight/Junior Heavyweight range, it wasn't exclusive to smaller guys. While most bigger guys didn't often compete in the X Division as a whole, they could and a few of them have. As a result, you couldn't technically label the X Division a glorified Cruiserweight Division; not if you had a 200lb guy successfully facing & beating someone a good 50 or 75lbs heavier.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

Cruiserweight / X - Division are such niche products. After some time, it gets boring. The X - Division got boring because we kept seeing the same guys wrestling each other all the time. It also puts a glass ceiling for guys in a x - division / cruiserweight class. It's a lose - lose situation for guys in that type of division. No room for advancement. A guy like Tyson Kidd dominates that division. What's next? WWE does not believe in him as a main eventer. So he is stuck in the x - division.

 

[Salvador238]

WWE has a hard enough time filling its US and IC title division with feuds. There's no need for more titles just cluttering up the scene. Less titles = more prestige. If anything I think they should drop the US title.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Again with the Cruiserweight Championship!?

Look, it's never coming back. Not only is it never coming back, but they do not need it. Seriously. There's nothing the Cruiserweight Championship would accomplish that the US Championship cannot do. I'll tell you what happens when it comes back if it did. Evan Bourne, Tyson, Rey, and Sin Cara would probably all see title wins, but the fans (notably the same group who whine about how it needs to come back) would shortly resort to whining about how they are tired of the same guys trading the belt back and forth or ranting about how it is not living up to its prestige.

The WWE has enough belts. They do not need to bring any old ones back or create any new ones. Period. The US and Intercontinental Championship need to be restored to their full level of importance before any other belts should be added. If the WWE wants a Cruiserweight Championship they will most likely just end up using the US Championship for it. It already gets treated with a lack of respect anyway. The only change would be it opens shows or goes to the pre-show spot more often with guys like Bourne being the focal point. There is literally nothing that bringing it back would accomplish when they already have a belt that can serve the same purpose.

 

[Blade]

Hooray, another Cruiserweight division thread.

The thing about the Cruiserweight division is that I think it caused the Cruiserweights to become too comfortable. With that division, Cruiserweights were never going to try and get over as more than just Cruiserweights because they didn't have to. And if they did get pushed beyond their division and failed, it was okay because the division would still be there waiting for them.

Without the Cruiserweight division, we've seen some smaller guys able to hang with the bigger guys in the Heavyweight division. If the Cruiserweight division was still around today, would Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have been able to break the glass ceiling and challenge for the WWE title?

When Daniel Bryan needed something to, WWE Creative had the genius of idea of pairing him with Kane. The team got super over, Bryan carried that overness into a singles career, and here we are today. If there had been a Cruiserweight division, WWE would've likely just thrown him there.

And since there the division was being phased out in 2006-2007, who knows the Cruiserweight hell CM Punk may have escaped by being sent to ECW instead, where he got to hold a title that actually mattered at the time in a division that had all kinds of opponents. Do you really think a top guy in the CRUISERWEIGHT division would've been given the Money in the Bank case? No, because, nearly by definition, the Cruiserweight division was for small guys who couldn't hang with the Heavyweights.

The fact is, having a Cruiserweight division makes it harder for smaller guys to get ahead. If the WWE had that division to throw every small guy they didn't have plans for into, it would weaken the WWE. Sure, it might give Evan Bourne and Tyson Kidd something to do. But who knows where we'd be if the division still existed and just swallowed up every Cruiserweight because of the WWE's lazyness. Maybe the Yes chant wouldn't exist. Hell, maybe we would've never gotten the Pipebomb.

I'm just saying, no Cruiserweight division means everyone is fending for themselves without a safety net. And that's what seperates stars from career midcarders.

 

[Mustang Sally]

So where would that leave the smaller wrestler's to gain some success?

It's true the issue has been brought up before....and probably true that the concept will go nowhere, again. The thing is, WWE eliminated minor titles because they became parodies of themselves. Why should it be different this time?

Take the Hardcore title (please!). It quickly became "The belt with so little value that even the girls can win it!" But even the titles that still exist (Intercontinental and U.S.) have become rewards for guys who work hard but aren't really expected to rise to the top. That those belts were won by people like Santino Marella and Zack Ryder tell us all we need to know about the lack of prestige attached to them.

Still, a Cruiserweight title could be useful if the company used it wisely and effectively; giving smaller wrestlers a chance to compete against each other and engage in exciting, technical matches instead of the bouts many of the relatively immobile behemoths like Big Show and Khali engage. It would also be a departure from the contests that feature guys like Ryback and Mark Henry, men who move better than some big guys but still manage to lumber around the ring. If you favor wrestling at a faster pace, a Cruiserweight division might give it to us.

Two problems: First, the name of Daniel Bryan would be immediately considered for this category, right? Well, he's been going after the big prize and would have little interest in competing for the little guy's title. Placing him in this division would probably represent a de-push for Daniel....which I don't think he'd enjoy.

Second problem is that WWE has managed to mess up the Cruiserweight concept before. As with IC and U.S., they just don't seem to know how to keep a secondary title a viable product; being seemingly unable to resist turning it into a joke. Presumably, this is what would happen to the Cruiserweight division, too.

In other words, while the idea is sound, the execution is found wanting.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Aw, hell no!

World Heavyweight title = Some small prestige.
IC title = Meaningless.
US title = Absolutely meaningless.
...
Cruiserweight Title = Scarlet letter. The bearer of this belt is a joke and will never, ever be anywhere near the top of the card. Avoid this guy like a leper.

Wrestling is fake and cannot be judged like a real sport. That's why a cruiserweight title can never be meaningful and is doomed to get buried in dark matches or Saturday Morning Slam or whatever. It will never be a big deal. That's why the small guys, who are talented enough, like Rey Mysterio or Daniel Bryan, say 'F* that' to being cruiserweights/lepers and gun for the big titles.

The only real consequence a cruiserweight title would have is that it would be even harder for the small guys to achieve main event status, because the powers that be would always tend to just conveniently shove them in the cruiserweight-drawer. That's the simple truth. Live with it.

 

[harrythem]

The last time I checked the same people are in charge of booking the WWE that were booking it when the Cruiserweight division died...Hell Vince has been there since the WWE started doing one in 1997 and, to be honest, WWE's style is to have it as the same sort of matches as a heavyweight match, just with the added flip here and there to pop a crowd.

WWE doesn't know how to book cruiserweights....look at Rey, he came in as a cruiserweight but, as soon he got over he got moved away from the division...why? because, in WWE's eyes, he was too good for the CW's.

Now, if WWE could start rebuilding some interest in the IC or US title, and even the World Heavyweight title, there might be a call for the small guys with no charisma (or the Tyson Kid's of this world) to get their own division. Nay from me I'm afraid.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

Come on man, don't you know that nobody wants to watch non-heavyweights fight? That's why nobody will watch GSP vs Hendricks tomorrow

In all seriousness, the WWE should actually look to the UFC, where every division is equally important. Reality has proven that matches between smaller competitors can draw when said divisions are actually treated with respect. If the WWE were to bring back the cruiser title and institute actual weight classes, it would improve the show drastically (well, at least for me). For one, titles for weight divisions would be a lot more meaningful than mid-card titles that have no real world equivalent or logical kayfabe purpose for existing. It would also create a greater variety of content for fans of various tastes; in short, something for everyone. Don't like John Cena? No problem, maybe Daniel Bryan will defend the cruiser title against Rey Mysterio on the next ppv. Matches would be more believable, feuds and stars could be kept fresh by allowing them to sit out alternate ppv's, there would be less complaining about guys getting 'buried', and the WWE could keep the Heavyweight title on John Cena until the end of time without older fans spontaneously combusting.

Unfortunately, it will likely never happen. Every time a company comes even remotely close to making a non-heavyweight title equally meaningful, some arse-hole backstage will intentionally screw it up. Why? Because the notion that the heavyweight title must be THE title is very, very ingrained in the business. There is only one entree on the menu, and you will eat it whether you like it or not. Vince in particular loves big guys, and he's very stuck in his ways. Cruiser titles are viewed as lower mid-card by many performers and wrestling fans alike, and it would take an unprecedented shift in thinking for them to start seeing things differently (although, I will argue that the reason fans and performers view cruiser titles in this capacity is because they have been TRAINED to. If a division gets lower billing, of course everyone is going to think it's less important). As others have said, if the Cruiserweight title were brought back today it would likely just be another mid-card title. Which will result in fans complaining (because the WWE's attitude towards smaller competitors is ridiculously outdated). So all in all, it's not worth it. The WWE doesn't have the right attitude to make it work.

 

[Allstar]

Hmm as much as I would like the cruiserweight title back.. It just wouldn't fit in today's product. Everyone already complains about the lack of importance and storylines for the mid-card titles so imagine the chaos when another mid/lower card title comes into the picture!

The only way I think it could work is if they brought back the brand spilt and have it exclusively on Smackdown or Raw. Then that way you know it's going to be featured on the show and put into storylines as no-one from the other show would be taking up its time.
On each show you could have a main title,a mid-card title and a lower-card title.
Having the brand spilt would also help push other superstars and give them extra spotlight. Do you think a young John Cena or a young Randy Orton would have the same fast rise to success if they were in today's WWE?
If I had it my way I'd have:

RAW
Main title - WWE title
Mid-card - I.C title
Lower-card - Hardcore title

Smackdown
Main title - World heavyweight title
Mid-card - U.S title
Lower-card - Cruiserweight title

That's the only way I could see the cruiserweight belt make a comeback

 

[MCMG]

I did enjoy the division when the Cruiserweight Championship was used in the WWE but I think that it is quite difficult to find room for it in the current landscape of the WWE. There are already two mid-card titles in addition to the World Heavyweight and WWE championships. T

I wouldn't say there is no chance it would work. If they used it as a television belt and rotated challengers, giving us exciting matches that ensures we are interested. A problem is that there isn't an abundance of Crusierweights in the WWE but there are a few names that could help start the division. Guys like Kidd, Bourne, Gabriel, Neville, Cara could help get the division started and it would be a great way, in the long run, to get people from NXT onto television. Moreover, this type of wrestling is a great way to get over with certain demographics.

If they kept it simple then it could work. They don't need incredible storylines to build this division. Just good, young, exciting wrestlers having high quality matches is enough to get me interested. There is 5 hours of TV that the WWE has to fill - one or two matches with these kind off wrestlers could definitely work.

 

[dman1373]

remember that when the cruiserweight championship was used best in wcw, wcw wasn't pushing smaller guys for the world title. If the cruiserweight championship was used that same way today then daniel bryan and cm punk wouldn't wrestle for the world title. If they don't do it that way then the cruiserweight title would be worthless again like back in 2006. So I think its best to just let it stay dead. Just because theres no cruiserweight title, doesn't mean there can't be cruiserweights fighting against each other for other titles.

 

[chicagokmc]

Agree with many of the previous posts. If long established belts like the tag titles, us title and intercontinental title aren't even defended during PPVs, we don't need any new titles.

 

[laodaron]

No thanks. If I want to watch Spot Monkeys botch moves over and over, I'll kick on Youtube and watch some CZW or some other terrible "wrestling". When I want to watch Sports Entertainment and Pro-Wrestling, I'll watch heavyweights and midweights actually wrestle each other.

 

[Kidpolean]

OK first let me say that I dont understand why people on here think that a cruiserweight title will hurt CM Punk and DB. The WWE has been headlined by smaller guys for years now. Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Jericho, and Benoit weren't affected by the cruiserweight title at all. It comes down to talent, not size. The title was surrounded by people that wouldnt have been on tv without it, so I dont see how this can be a bad thing. If if takes DB away from the wwe title but allows us to see guys like Tyson Kidd, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler instead of Ryback and Curtis Axel than I am all for it. It seems like everyone is saying no because of two wrestlers not being able to win the wwe title but who the hell cares. I liked DB before he ever won a title and the same goes for Punk so why does it matters.

 

[tripleddd]

No NO no nO !!!!! We do not need another diluted title in the picture at all !! It's a pointless excersiise and means nothing - not until the WWE/WHC are unified.Once that has been done the semi mid card guys/lower guys will become more important in the US title picture and that will then afford them the chance to fight for the IC title.

 

[lowandmighty]

Yes the cruiserweight title needs to be brought back, or at least the light heavyweight title.

Let's face it it's more prestigious than the U.S championship because its essentially a world title for cruiserweights.

The problem is that American fans have no idea how great this division is say in japan for example. Pretty much all the best Japanese wrestlers have held a variant of the cruiserweight belt. I think they call it the junior heavyweight championship in new japan anyway. I remember seeing it being contested in the 90's, haven't really seen the Japanese wrestling since then but I know I'm missing out because it was brilliant.

However I am admittedly very biased against the United States championship. I don't see the point in having a belt representing the U.S alone when the intercontinental championship is already there representing all of north and south America.
In my opinion they they should replace it with the European championship because its more of an equal to the Intercontinental championship in theory.

So I apologise if I offended anyone by claiming the cruiserweight championship or light heavyweight championship holds more prestige than the United States championship.

 

[chicagokmc]

In today's WWE, I think the terms "cruiserweight" and "lightweight" are looked as negatives, not positives. The perfect example is Daniel Bryan. They dedicated months to a storyline of Bryan being looked at as a viable world title contender that could hold his own against anyone. From a size perspective, he would be considered a light heavyweight. But with that comes the stigma that "light" implies not good enough to be THE champion, only good enough to be the champ of a lower weight class.

The other thing that would be bad is that every time there is a cruiserweight class, they become squash fodder any time one of the bigs (someone like Kane, Mark Henry, etc) is being pushed. It always happens.

Final problem I see is how do you book it for tv? If there was a cruiserweight division, it is implied that there would be several wrestlers in the division. But WWE, with its love for big guys, would never book more than one of these cruiserweight matches per show. And unless you have a continuous influx of smaller wrestlers, we will quickly get tired of the same old feuds like Justin Gabriel vs Tyson Kidd.

 

[shalliin]

Ziggler, Miz, Ryder, Kidd, Cesaro, Morella, Kofi, Bourne, Rey, Sin Cara, Los Matodors, Hunico, Rollings, Ambrose, Bryan, and many others could fill out a wide spread division of talent that could fill the cruiserweight settings. With the mix in styles and personalities they could become a top draw if booked properly. But as many have stated, WWE doesn't book things properly as things stand. A lot of these are guys that some are clamoring for shots at the so called more prestigious titles of US/INT/WWE/WHC titles and as long as those are the focus of the booking and creative crew, then there is no place to bring in a cruiserweight title.
With the proper frame work being done then there is a chance that a cruiserweight division could do well, but WWE has already shown that they struggle even with gettign a proper frame work set up for their current titles and don't have the creativity or imagination to put in the time to create and maintain the cruiser/light/freestyle division in the way that it would have to be done.
Someone posted that people would complain about always seeing the same guys against each other, but honestly, people are complaining about that now, with the so called heavy weights. They hate on Cena and ADR always fighting for hte belts, but when they did try alternatives, they complained about that as well (Bryan, Swagger, Miz). There's just no pleasing every one and people will always second guess and belittle what they don't like and bemoan what they do like that isn't being showcased.

 

[Chococat]

Beating the dead horse with this topic. Why do so many people want a less valued championship that was held by Hornswoggle to make a return.

Them giving the title to Hornswoggle and him ending the belt was WWE's exact feelings on cruiserweight wrestling.

Even if the main titles become unified again, there is no room for another title. If any title at all should be brought back, it should be the Euro title to replace the US title because to be honest, the us title was brought back because...

Spoiler

THE CRUISERWEIGHT DIVISION WAS A FAILURE

The ONLY reason so many people want it back is because WWE is signing boatloads of indy wrestlers who are small in stature and they want their indy darlings to feel important with a title for vanilla midgets.

If ANY small man title is made, it should go to NXT as their secondary title.

 

[Dusty Roids]

no way. weight classes are overrated, especially in WWE. In WCW, Japan, and couple years ago in TNA it made sense.
The small guys really did different stuff than the bigger guys. Now it's all a melting pot of various styles. Or let's say a watered down style.
watch some old attitude era tapes, and then watch recent RAW. Witness the fact that every wrestler is now a cruiserweight. Well most.