Top 10 WCW Cruiserweights
Who was the star of the first hour of Nitro?
Before you read this list of the top 10 WCW cruiserweights, let me tell you how I decided the placement of each of the wrestlers. First, I looked at the overall quality of the wrestlers’ matches and innovation of moves. Secondly, I looked at the wrestlers’ impact within the division. Finally, I looked at the wrestlers’ championship successes, their influence on the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and their overall impact on WCW.
10. La Parka
Ah, the chairman of WCW. La Parka was by far one of the coolest of the cruiserweights. With his signature chair, comedic dancing and original attire, La Parka truly was what the WCW cruiserweights were all about. While La Parka didn’t achieve any championship success in WCW, he did get hugely over with the fans due to his theatrics and over-the-top taunts. While the WCW cruiserweight division is renowned for being full of small, quick wrestlers, La Parka was an exception. At over 6 feet tall and of a much bigger stature than his rivals, this helped him stand out even more when creating his character. Often on the side of the rudos (heels) in tag team matches, he was one of the wrestlers fans liked to see break the rule book, most notably hitting people with his famous steel chair. Arguably La Parka’s most remembered WCW match was not in the cruiserweight division, but instead against Goldberg in June 1998 on Nitro. In a match that lasted all but a minute, La Parka was speared and jackhammered the same as the other 93 hopefuls before him.
9. Psicosis
While the cruiserweight division is fondly remembered as the springboard for Rey Mysterio Jr.’s international fame, let us not forget his sparring partner who was just as instrumental in making Rey Mysterio Jr. a success: Psicosis. Much like La Parka, Psicosis never got the credit he deserved back in WCW. Psychosis had high-flying ability mixed in with some violent brawling. A mainstay in the WCW cruiserweight division, he held the title twice and has the distinct honor of the shortest reign, which was one hour! While he never met his full potential, he did have some classic encounters in the division. As just noted, most of these came courtesy of his long-time rival Mysterio. Before joining WCW, the two famously fought in Japan, Mexico and even in ECW. But it was WCW where the two had their most famous wars. Psicosis will always be remembered for his great attire, cool name and classic opening match at Bash at the Beach 1996 against Rey Mysterio Jr.
8. Alex Wright
The WCW cruiserweight division is mostly remembered for its influx of lucha libre and Japanese wrestlers into North America. But Alex Wright was an exception. Wrestling out of Germany, Alex became known for dancing before his matches and his comedic antics but is also remembered as being one of the most fluid wrestlers in WCW. Joining WCW in 1991, it would be six years later when he would win his first (and only) Cruiserweight Championship, before losing it 15 days later to Chris Jericho. But that wasn’t Alex’s only championship success in WCW. Wright also held the WCW Tag Team Championships (with General Reaction) and the WCW TV Championship, and in the process, broke away from the cruiserweight division. Alex Wright’s short stint as WCW Cruiserweight Champion along with his great matches and technical ability definitely prove why he should be on this list.
7. Ultimo Dragon
Out of all the Japanese talent to come to WCW, no one had more championship success than Ultimo Dragon. A holder of the prestigious J-Crown, he held nine Junior Heavyweight Championships simultaneously, and it was only a matter of time before the WCW Cruiserweight Championship put this record up to 10! Although his stint in WCW only lasted two years, Ultimo Dragon became one of the most influential wrestlers in the division. An innovator of the Asai Moonsault, his meshing of the Japanese and Mexican styles amazed WCW audiences, who saw him have classic battles against Rey Mysterio Jr., Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Psychosis and Eddy Guerrero, just to name a few. A two-time holder of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WCW Television Championship, the impact Ultimo Dragon had in the WCW cruiserweight division cannot be overlooked.
6. Billy Kidman
Originally part of Raven’s Flock, Billy Kidman looked like a skinny jobber next to the rest of the WCW roster. But once he broke away from the Flock, Kidman became more than a skinny jobber. He became one of the shining stars of the WCW cruiserweight division! Famous for his daredevil maneuvers and beautiful Shooting Star Press, he made WCW fans jump out of their seats with excitement. A three-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Kidman was one of the longest-reigning champions and from this, brought much needed legitimacy to the championship. But the WCW Cruiserweight Championship wasn’t Kidman’s only title. He would go on to hold the WCW Tag Team Championships twice and was (along with Rey Mysterio Jr.) one half of the final and short-lived WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions.
5. Juventud Guerrera
Juventud Guerrera was the quintessential cruiserweight. He had a great mask, charisma, a cool entrance and a move set right out of a comic book. Nicknamed “The Juice”, Juventud was from the same wrestling school as Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psychosis, who he would have some of his most memorable encounters with. Juventud’s most memorable (and greatest) match was at Superbrawl VIII against Chris Jericho for the Cruiserweight Championship, with the added stipulation of hair vs. mask. Juventud lost, leading him to unmask, but instead of making him less popular with the crowd, it actually made him more popular and more successful than he was when masked. A three-time champion and one-time WCW Tag Team Champion with Rey Mysterio Jr., Juventud won his fair share of gold in WCW. However, it was when he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1999 that was his most controversial moment. In a match where Jushin “Thunder” Liger’s IWGP title was on the line, Juventud controversially won the championship as the result of Liger being hit on the back of the head with a tequila bottle. The championship was not meant to change hands and especially not in the circumstances that took place on Nitro, leading New Japan Pro Wrestling not to release information of the title change to the Japanese media. But luckily by this time, Liger had regained his championship from Psicosis (Juventud was injured) and all was thankfully forgotten. Juventud will always be remembered as one of the most successful, controversial, charismatic and exciting WCW cruiserweights.
4. Eddy Guerrero
I thought Eddy Guerrero would have been higher on this list of the top 10 WCW cruiserweights, but with all things considered, he deserves to be No. 4. Eddy Guerrero was one of the most charismatic, technical and all-around great wrestlers in the WCW cruiserweight division. And his matches are by far some of the greatest in company history. His impact on the division was vital for one particular reason: legitimacy. If it wasn’t for Eddy Guerrero, the cruiserweight division would be branded as nothing more than a glorified spotfest, full of no selling and high-spots. But Eddy Guerrero changed this. He brought technical wrestling and high-flying to the division and, in the process, helped make it one of the most entertaining and exciting divisions. Wrestling everyone from Rey Mysterio Jr. to Syxx, Eddy was all about telling stories. Holding the WCW Cruiserweight Championship twice, he helped legitimize the title with successful defenses and the way he carried the championship. Plus, Eddy Guerrero was also a one-time holder of the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and the founder (and leader) of the Latino World Order, hinting at how he could have been so much more to WCW.
3. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho was by far the most underutilized wrestler on the WCW roster. A great wrestler and talker with tons of charisma, he was made for the main event scene. But due to politics, he never met his full potential in WCW. Yet, he did bring a much-needed depth to the WCW cruiserweight division which otherwise would have been missing. Jericho used his natural gifts on the mic and in the ring to create some truly memorable feuds and moments. His classic “1,004 Moves” promo against Dean Malenko was comedy gold and a brilliant piece of storytelling. Not only this, but Jericho was also a decorated champion in WCW. He held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship four times, and the WCW Television Championship once, making him one of the most recognized cruiserweights. Notable for having classic matches against Eddy Guerrero, Juventud Guerrera, Dean Malenko and his old rival Ultimo Dragon, Jericho was by far one of the greatest all-around cruiserweights in WCW history.
2. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Rey Mysterio Jr. was the franchise of the WCW cruiserweight division. Nobody became more popular and recognized in the cruiserweight division than Rey Mysterio Jr. The innovator of some of the most breath-taking and amazing moves in wrestling history, Rey Mysterio Jr. was the man. People would come from anywhere and everywhere to see what moves he would create next. Famous for his range of attires and masks, everybody was a fan of Rey Mysterio Jr. Wrestling everyone you could think of in the division, Rey put on classic after classic after classic and had arguably the greatest match in the history of WCW against Eddy Guerrero at Halloween Havoc 1997. A true icon, he made himself a household name, which led him to five record-breaking Cruiserweight Championship reigns. He also held the WCW Tag Team Championships three times, with Billy Kidman, Konnan and Juventud Guerrera, as well as being the final WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion with Billy Kidman. Nobody was more instrumental to the success of the WCW cruiserweight division than Rey Mysterio Jr.
1. Dean Malenko
Before people think this is an attempt to be controversial or different, I have many reasons why I chose Dean Malenko as the greatest WCW cruiserweight of all time. He didn’t have colorful attire, an exciting entrance or many (if any) high-flying moves. On paper, he should have failed in the cruiserweight division against the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr, Psychosis, Chris Jericho and Juventud Guerrera.
Instead, he became one of WCW’s most popular stars. His outstanding technical wrestling ability mixed with his innovative (and varied) use of maneuvers gained him the nickname “The Man of 1000 Holds.” Malenko could do things in a wrestling ring that we can only dream of. He brought the cruiserweight division back down to reality with hard-hitting, catch-as-can, solid wrestling. And it cannot be overlooked that Malenko was nearly a 15-year pro when he arrived! To be that successful so late in a person’s career says a lot about his ability. Malenko was a four-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and had countless classic matches against Eddy Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Ultimo Dragon, and Rey Mysterio Jr. Let’s not forget that Dean was also a one-time WCW United States Champion, a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion (with Chris Benoit) as well as topping the PWI 500 countdown in 1997. His greatest honor was being made a member of the legendary Four Horsemen.
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