WWEWWE
WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship History
Complete list of every WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship reign — who held it, when they won it, and how long they kept it. Established Mar 20, 1996.
Final Champion
74
Total Reigns
37
Champions
385
Longest (days)
Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
8×
Most Reigns
Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio
Full Title Lineage
| # | Champion | Won | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Hornswoggle Won a Cruiserweight Open to become the final champion. SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero vacated the title from him on September 28, 2007, and it was quietly retired. | Jul 22, 2007WWE The Great American Bash 2007San Jose, CA | 68 days |
| 73 | Chavo Guerrero6th reign His record-tying sixth reign. | Feb 18, 2007WWE No Way Out 2007Los Angeles, CA | 154 days |
| 72 | Gregory Helms3rd reign His third reign, lasting 385 days, the longest in the title history; he moved to SmackDown after winning as a Raw wrestler. | Jan 29, 2006WWE Royal Rumble 2006Miami, FL | 385 days |
| 71 | Kid Kash | Dec 18, 2005WWE Armageddon 2005Providence, RI | 42 days |
| 70 | Juventud Guerrera5th reign His fifth reign. | Nov 25, 2005SmackDown!Sheffield, England | 23 days |
| 69 | Nunzio2nd reign His second reign, won on a tour of Italy. | Nov 15, 2005House ShowRome, Italy | 10 days |
| 68 | Juventud Guerrera4th reign His fourth reign, now billed simply as Juventud. | Oct 9, 2005WWE No Mercy 2005Houston, TX | 37 days |
| 67 | Nunzio1st reign | Aug 2, 2005VelocityBridgeport, CT | 68 days |
| 66 | Paul London A 124-day reign. | Mar 31, 2005SmackDown!Houston, TX | 124 days |
| 65 | Chavo Guerrero5th reign His fifth reign, won in a Cruiserweight Open. | Feb 20, 2005WWE No Way Out 2005Pittsburgh, PA | 39 days |
| 64 | Funaki | Dec 12, 2004WWE Armageddon 2004Atlanta, GA | 70 days |
| 63 | Spike Dudley A 136-day reign. | Jul 29, 2004SmackDown!Cincinnati, OH | 136 days |
| 62 | Rey Mysterio8th reign His record eighth reign. | Jun 17, 2004SmackDown!Chicago, IL | 42 days |
| 61 | Chavo Classic Chavo Guerrero Sr.; at 55, the oldest champion in the title history. | May 18, 2004SmackDown!Las Vegas, NV | 30 days |
| 60 | Chavo Guerrero4th reign His fourth reign, lasting two days. | May 16, 2004WWE Judgment Day 2004Los Angeles, CA | 2 days |
| 59 | Jacqueline The third woman to hold the title. | May 6, 2004SmackDown!Tucson, AZ | 10 days |
| 58 | Chavo Guerrero3rd reign His third reign. | Feb 15, 2004WWE No Way Out 2004Daly City, CA | 81 days |
| 57 | Rey Mysterio7th reign His seventh reign. | Jan 1, 2004SmackDown!Laredo, TX | 45 days |
| 56 | Tajiri3rd reign His third reign. | Sep 25, 2003SmackDown!Philadelphia, PA | 98 days |
| 55 | Rey Mysterio6th reign His sixth reign, lasting 112 days. | Jun 5, 2003SmackDown!Anaheim, CA | 112 days |
| 54 | Matt Hardy Won the title as Matt Hardy Version 1.0. | Feb 23, 2003WWE No Way Out 2003Montreal, QC, Canada | 102 days |
| 53 | Billy Kidman7th reign His record-tying seventh reign. | Nov 17, 2002WWE Survivor Series 2002New York, NY | 98 days |
| 52 | Jamie Noble A 147-day reign. | Jun 23, 2002WWE King of the Ring 2002Columbus, OH | 147 days |
| 51 | Gregory Helms2nd reign His second reign, won as The Hurricane. | May 16, 2002SmackDown!Montréal, Québec, Canada | 38 days |
| 50 | Tajiri2nd reign His second reign; the title was renamed the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in May 2002. | Apr 21, 2002WWF Backlash 2002Kansas City, MO | 25 days |
| 49 | Billy Kidman6th reign His sixth reign. | Apr 4, 2002SmackDown!Rochester, NY | 17 days |
| 48 | Tajiri1st reign Renamed the WWF Cruiserweight Championship after the WWF defeated The Alliance; it became exclusive to SmackDown in 2002. | Oct 22, 2001Raw Is WarKansas City, MO | 164 days |
| 47 | Billy Kidman5th reign His fifth reign. | Oct 11, 2001SmackDown!Moline, IL | 11 days |
| 46 | X-Pac The former Syxx unified his WWF Light Heavyweight Championship into this reign. | Jul 30, 2001Raw Is WarPhiladelphia, PA | 73 days |
| 45 | Billy Kidman4th reign His fourth reign; the first title change under WWF. | Jul 5, 2001SmackDown!Tacoma, WA | 25 days |
| 44 | Gregory Helms1st reign Won the title as Shane Helms; WCW was purchased by the WWF days later, bringing the title to WWF. | Mar 18, 2001WCW Greed 2001Jacksonville, FL | 109 days |
| 43 | Chavo Guerrero2nd reign His second reign. | Dec 6, 2000WCW ThunderLincoln, NE | 102 days |
| 42 | Mike Sanders | Oct 2, 2000WCW Monday NitroDaly City, CA | 65 days |
| 41 | Elix Skipper Awarded the title by his Team Canada partner Lance Storm. | Aug 14, 2000WCW Monday NitroKelowna, BC | 49 days |
| 40 | Lance Storm | Jul 31, 2000WCW Monday NitroCincinnati, OH | 14 days |
| 39 | Chavo Guerrero1st reign Won the title under his Lieutenant Loco persona. | Jun 7, 2000WCW ThunderKnoxville, TN | 54 days |
| 38 | Daffney Defeated Crowbar to become undisputed champion, the second woman to hold the title. | May 22, 2000WCW Monday NitroGrand Rapids, MI | 16 days |
| 37 | Crowbar & Daffney Crowbar and Daffney defeated Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch in a mixed tag match to become co-champions. | May 15, 2000WCW Monday NitroBiloxi, MS | 7 days |
| 36 | Chris Candido Won a six-way match for the vacant title. | Apr 16, 2000WCW Spring Stampede 2000Chicago, IL | 29 days |
| 35 | Prince Iaukea2nd reign His second reign, billed as The Artist. ↳ Vacated when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo stripped all WCW titles during a storyline reboot. | Mar 31, 2000House ShowPittsburgh, PA | 10 days |
| 34 | Billy Kidman3rd reign His third reign, lasting one day. | Mar 30, 2000House ShowBaltimore, MD | 1 days |
| 33 | Prince Iaukea1st reign Defeated Lash LeRoux in a tournament final for the vacant title, billed as TAFKA Prince Iaukea. | Feb 20, 2000WCW SuperBrawl 2000Daly City, CA | 39 days |
| 32 | Oklahoma ↳ Vacated after Oklahoma exceeded the cruiserweight weight limit. | Jan 16, 2000WCW Souled Out 2000Cincinnati, OH | 3 days |
| 31 | Madusa The first woman to hold the title. | Dec 19, 1999WCW Starrcade 1999Washington, D.C. | 28 days |
| 30 | Evan Karagias | Nov 21, 1999WCW Mayhem 1999Toronto, ON | 28 days |
| 29 | Disco Inferno | Oct 4, 1999WCW Monday NitroKansas City, MO | 48 days |
| 28 | Psicosis2nd reign Awarded the vacant title; a reign of about an hour, the shortest in the title history. His second reign. | Oct 4, 1999WCW Monday NitroKansas City, MO | <1 day |
| 27 | Lenny ↳ Vacated after Turner Broadcasting objected to the publicity around Lenny Lane's gimmick. | Aug 19, 1999WCW ThunderLubbock, TX | 46 days |
| 26 | Rey Mysterio5th reign His fifth reign. | Apr 26, 1999WCW Monday NitroFargo, ND | 115 days |
| 25 | Psicosis1st reign | Apr 19, 1999WCW Monday NitroGainesville, FL | 7 days |
| 24 | Rey Mysterio4th reign His fourth reign. | Mar 15, 1999WCW Monday NitroCincinnati, OH | 35 days |
| 23 | Billy Kidman2nd reign His second reign, lasting 113 days. | Nov 22, 1998WCW World War 3 1998Auburn Hills, MI | 113 days |
| 22 | Juventud Guerrera3rd reign His third reign. | Nov 16, 1998WCW Monday NitroWichita, KS | 6 days |
| 21 | Billy Kidman1st reign | Sep 14, 1998WCW Monday NitroGreenville, SC | 63 days |
| 20 | Juventud Guerrera2nd reign His second reign. | Aug 8, 1998WCW Road Wild 1998Sturgis, SD | 37 days |
| 19 | Chris Jericho4th reign Defeated Dean Malenko by disqualification for the vacant title; a Bash at the Beach loss to Rey Mysterio days later was not recognized. His fourth reign. | Jun 14, 1998WCW The Great American Bash 1998Baltimore, MD | 55 days |
| 18 | Dean Malenko4th reign His fourth reign. ↳ Vacated after WCW ruled Malenko had not earned the title shot as himself, having entered a battle royal disguised as Ciclope. | May 17, 1998WCW Slamboree 1998Worcester, MA | 25 days |
| 17 | Chris Jericho3rd reign His third reign, lasting 113 days. | Jan 24, 1998WCW Souled Out 1998Dayton, OH | 113 days |
| 16 | Rey Mysterio3rd reign His third reign. | Jan 15, 1998WCW ThunderLakeland, FL | 9 days |
| 15 | Juventud Guerrera1st reign | Jan 8, 1998WCW ThunderDaytona Beach, FL | 7 days |
| 14 | Último Dragón2nd reign His second reign. | Dec 29, 1997WCW Monday NitroBaltimore, MD | 10 days |
| 13 | Eddie Guerrero2nd reign His second reign. | Nov 10, 1997WCW Monday NitroMemphis, TN | 49 days |
| 12 | Rey Mysterio2nd reign His second reign, won in a mask versus title match. | Oct 26, 1997WCW Halloween Havoc 1997Las Vegas, NV | 15 days |
| 11 | Eddie Guerrero1st reign | Sep 14, 1997WCW Fall Brawl 1997Winston-Salem, NC | 42 days |
| 10 | Chris Jericho2nd reign His second reign. | Aug 16, 1997WCW Saturday NightColorado Springs, CO | 29 days |
| 9 | Alex Wright | Jul 28, 1997WCW Monday NitroCharleston, WV | 19 days |
| 8 | Chris Jericho1st reign Won the title on an internet-exclusive webcast. | Jun 28, 1997WCW Saturday NitroInglewood, CA | 30 days |
| 7 | Syxx A 125-day reign by the future X-Pac. | Feb 23, 1997WCW SuperBrawl VIIDaly City, CA | 125 days |
| 6 | Dean Malenko3rd reign His third reign. | Jan 21, 1997WCW Clash of the Champions XXXIVMilwaukee, WI | 33 days |
| 5 | Último Dragón1st reign The title was also unified into his J-Crown during this reign. | Dec 29, 1996WCW Starrcade 1996Nashville, TN | 23 days |
| 4 | Dean Malenko2nd reign His second reign. | Oct 27, 1996WCW Halloween Havoc 1996Las Vegas, NV | 63 days |
| 3 | Rey Mysterio1st reign A 111-day reign. | Jul 8, 1996WCW Monday NitroLake Buena Vista, FL | 111 days |
| 2 | Dean Malenko1st reign | May 2, 1996WCW WorldWideLake Buena Vista, FL | 67 days |
| 1 | Shinjiro Otani Defeated Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. | Mar 20, 1996NJPW Hyper Battle 1996Nagoya, Japan | 43 days |
The WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship, established in WCW in 1996 with Shinjiro Otani as the inaugural champion; WWE retroactively recognizes the 1991 WCW Light Heavyweight Championship and Brian Pillman as the start of the lineage. A defining showcase for lucha libre and high-flying wrestling, it passed to WWE when WCW was purchased in 2001 and became exclusive to SmackDown. Rey Mysterio is the record eight-time champion, Billy Kidman a seven-time champion and Chavo Guerrero a six-time champion; Gregory Helms held the longest reign at 385 days. Three women held it: Madusa, Daffney and Jacqueline. It was retired in 2007 with Hornswoggle as the final champion. Reign counts here follow each wrestler across ring-name changes.
Lineage: WCW → WWE (current home) — Originated as the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship in 1991 (revived in this lineage from 1996) and continued in WWE after 2001 until its retirement in 2007.
WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship — FAQ
The WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship is no longer active. Retired on September 28, 2007. SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero vacated the title from Hornswoggle, and WWE quietly retired it without an official announcement. The WWE Cruiserweight Championship revived in 2016 is a separate lineage. The final champion was Hornswoggle.
Shinjiro Otani was the inaugural WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship, winning it on Mar 20, 1996 at NJPW Hyper Battle 1996.
Rey Mysterio has the most reigns with 8.
Gregory Helms's reign beginning Jan 29, 2006 is the longest at 385 days.
There have been 74 reigns across 37 different champions since the title was established.