WWE Cruiserweight Championship
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| WWE Cruiserweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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Matt Hardy as Cruiserweight Champion. |
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| Current champion(s) |
Inactive - Status Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brand | SmackDown! | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date created | 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (97.5 kg).[1] and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. Currently, it is exclusive to the SmackDown! brand.
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The Cruiserweight Championship is recognized as formerly being the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Light Heavyweight Championship (although it was WWE who retconned it to be the forerunner of the Cruiserweight Title). Following the title's introduction in 1991, a tournament was held to determine the inaugural champion. On October 27, Brian Pillman defeated Richard Morton in the tournament final to win the title. However, it was vacated on September 2, 1992 due to Brad Armstrong's knee injury during his reign. Then, on March 20, 1996 Shinjiro Ohtani defeated Chris Benoit in another tournament final to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
In March 2001, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. purchased World Championship Wrestling. Following this, the "Invasion" storyline was orchestrated, in which WCW was ultimately dismantled. During the "Invasion", only four WCW championship titles remained active, including the WCW Cruiserweight title. On July 30, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship were defended in what was billed as a unification match when the WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, X-Pac, defeated the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Billy Kidman.[1] However, the titles were still defended separately after that [2]. After the conclusion of the "Invasion" at Survivor Series 2001, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship remained active and was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Cruiserweight Championship, while the Light Heavyweight Title was abandoned [3].
The title is currently vacant. Hornswoggle, the most recent champion, was stripped of the title on the September 28, 2007 edition of SmackDown! by the brand's 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.
- List of WWE Cruiserweight Champions
- List of WWE Cruiserweight Championship reigns by length
- WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
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Brand Championships
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RAW: WWE • Intercontinental • World Tag Team • Women's SmackDown!: World Heavyweight • United States • Tag Team • Cruiserweight ECW: ECW |
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Developmental Championships
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Ohio Valley Wrestling: Heavyweight • Television • Southern Tag Team • Women's Florida Championship Wrestling: Southern Heavyweight |
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Other accomplishments
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Royal Rumble • Money in the Bank • King of the Ring • Diva Search |
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Championship lists
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List of current champions in WWE WWE (reigns) • Intercontinental (reigns) • World Tag Team (reigns) • Women's (reigns) World Heavyweight (reigns) • United States (reigns) • Tag Team (reigns) • Cruiserweight (reigns) ECW (reigns) |
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World Heavyweight (1991-2001) · International World Heavyweight (1993-1994) World Tag Team (1991-2001) · World Six-Man Tag Team (1991) World Television (1991-2000) · United States (1991-2001) · United States Tag Team (1991-1992) Cruiserweight (1996-2001) · Cruiserweight Tag Team (2001) · Light Heavyweight (1991-1992) Women's (1996-1997) · Women's Cruiserweight (1997) · Hardcore (1999-2001) |