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Candidates For Cruiserweights
May 26, 2006 by Cody Rochel

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I haven't seen much action lately in the race for the Cruiserweight Championship on SmackDown! Gregory Helms is just a big-nosed stiff who was almost better off as The Hurricane. He has minimal athleticism and is disliked by almost everyone (and ignored). I think that it is time a new superstar steps in and takes command of the Cruiserweight Championship. I have a few suggestions as to who should be in the Cruiserweight Championship race.

Rey Mysterio: Rey was a great Cruiserweight Champion. He's got style, athleticism, good moves, and a long history the wrestling industry. I think it was wrong to make him the World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship when he has all the characteristics of a great Cruiserweight. Don't get me wrong. He is a talented wrestler, but he can't stand up to the likes of Mark Henry, The Great Khali, or Kurt Angle. Perhaps Rey should have stayed where he is truly needed, the Cruiserweight Division.

Chavo Guerrero: Although Chavo quit the WWE, I feel he is still needed. He thought his calling was for the Intercontinental Championship, but I think he was wrong. He is really needed with the Cruiserweights. He has had the Cruiserweight Championship before, and I think he should come back for another shot at it.

Matt Hardy: The first time Matt went for the Cruiserweight Championship, he went through some training just to fit the weight qualifications to be a Cruiserweight and in the end captured the title from Billy Kidman. I checked his profile and it appears that he still qualifies to be in the Cruiserweight Division (believing that 225 pounds is the maximum weight). If he is too heavy, he should lose the weight and get back into a title race that needs him, the Cruiserweight Title race.

Paul London or Brian Kendrick: Both Brian and Paul are incredible athletes and have jumping abilities most people could only dream of having. They've also got speed, quick kicks, and most of all, athleticism. Paul has had the Cruiserweight Championship before and should get again. I don't think Brian has had it yet, but perhaps it is time that he claims it. Paul and Brian are imperative Cruiserweight Champion candidates.

Super Crazy or Psicosis: The Mexicools have shown much talent in their years of wrestling. Super Crazy debuted in the ECW around 1998. In that organization, he went through many various hardcore matches. Eventually, he found his way into the WWE. Psicosis quickly found his way into the wrestling industry. First in Mexico, then he found his way into the WCW, where he almost immediately won the Cruiserweight Title. He then went to a few more wrestling organizations and also ended up in the WWE. The crazy Mexicools are definite candidates for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Steven Richards: The 21-time WWE Hardcore Champion Stevie has been out of action for quite some time on Smackdown. His experience in the wrestling industry is very unique. Factions such as R. T. C., Raven's Flock, and the b. w. o have included Stevie and he even started two of them (R. T. C. and the b. w. o.). Although he isn't athletic, an unusual character like Steven Richards might bring a little more excitement to the Cruiserweight Division. I think maybe it's time he made a big comeback and a big way to come back is to capture a championship.

That pretty much covers all the people I feel should considered in the Cruiserweight Championship race. There maybe others I may have missed, but I don't think so. Maybe other candidates will arise in the near future. Perhaps there will be a shocking twist and someone completely unexpected will show up and take the Cruiserweight Title without warning. The Cruiserweight Title needs to switch hands sometime in the near future.

by Cody Rochel ..

the wrestling manabe wrote:
what about tajiri he is and always will be an amazing wrestler i know he is writing his book or column in japan but how could you forget him. as for the rest of them they are all candidates for the WWE Cruiserweight title although i like helms he is not putting on any good matches like the ones on heat. good choices in all

John wrote:
I agree with Rey-Rey. He's out of place as the top dog. He got destroyed by Khali and he just can't hang with the real main eventers. I think he could be the "Mil Mascaras" of cruiserweights. Chavo is great as a heel cruiserweight. There's no one better than him in that role. The others are fine, except Hardy. I would replace him with Nunzio. Good Column.

PtrcTe wrote:
WWE has fu*ked up big time, these guys are over looking real talent and picking the wrong men as champions. I mean Rey as World Heavyweight champion, don't get me wrong I like Rey BUT the WWE should choose someone else as champion. As goes for the WWE cruiserweight championship the WWE does not know who they want as champion they have released their best talent and they are going to T.N.A to rub it in their faces. I think Jamie Noble, Kid Kash, The Mexicools, Steven Richards, and Scotty 2 Hotty would make great Cruiserweight Champions. I got a great idea for smackdown, kill off this Simon Dean character and return his original E.C.W face of Nova since Nova is only 209 lbs he would make a great champ. But then again the WWE is resurrecting ECW this Summer so this nova thing probably would not happen.The WWE really needs to do something fast about this division before It ends tragically just like the Junior's Division which lasted a few months.

KirstLF wrote:
I agree that Rey Mysterio was better off as a cruiserweight. Although he is a great Heavyweight Champion, I don't think he is too heavyweighted! I also agree that if Matt Hardy is too heavy, he should lose weight so he can go for the Cruiserweight Championship. He really needs something to keep him going in the WWE. Gregory Helms doesn't make a good champion as he never really wrestles!

Mark D. wrote:
First I'd like to say: Great Column. It was well written and basically summed up the cruiserweight division in WWE, except for 1 major mistake: KID KASH!! This man is a superb wrestler, and has so far been shockingly underused in the WWE. If anyone watched him on NWA-TNA before he joined WWE then you'll know that he was a brilliant performer with a brilliant gimmick. But more importantly, perhaps, he was a TALKER. He could cut a promo with the best of them; Angle, Cena, HHH, which at the moment, the cruiserweight division does not have. Helms has done OK when he is given the mic, but he's not in the same league as Kash. The sooner WWE give him a mic, drop Noble from his gimmick and put the strap on him the better. A feud with Mysterio would be amazing. All of this, of course, depends on whether he gets put on ECW, which would also be a great move on behalf of Vinnie Mac.

Christopher Powell wrote: I disagree with a lot of the stuff you say.

Let's start with Rey-Rey, he DOES deserve the World Title, he just can't help that he's small. Giving him the cruiser title would be like giving Triple H the US Title: It's a stupid mistake. It would be hard making the cruisers look good against a guy who's World Championship material.

The weight limit for the cruiserweight division is 215 pounds, so Matt Hardy could still lose weight and qualify. It would give his career a push, but I like the idea of Matt winning the US Title better.

Chavo can go for any freakin' title he wants. If he can beat guys like Tyson Tomko and Gene Snitsky, he could probably beat Shelton Benjamin.

I STRONGLY disagree with Big Stevie Cool in the cruiserweight division. As I mentioned above, the weight limit is 215, not 225. Plus, Stevie has absolutely ZERO charisma.

You're forgetting two other great cruisers: Akio and Daivari. If you've watched Daivari's Indy matches and Akio's matches against Paul London, you know that they're great. And what the hell do you mean Gregory Helms has minimal athleticism" Are you freakin' kiddin' me" Have you lived under a rock his whole career"

Rolf Ottens wrote:
I believe you have overseen one Cruiserweight. I am talking about Scotty 2 Hotty. He might have his biggest successes in the Tag-Team division, but he also stands his man as a singles compatitor. He has good wrestling skills and is a people's champ. I mean the whole audience shouts "W" "O" "R" "M" when he performs his worm. Letting him be the cruiserweight champion would also give him the TV time he deserves. I hope both you and the WWE won't overlook Scotty.

Jason "Xtremefalls" Simmons wrote:
I really don't get why you would add Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio to your list. Mysterio is a WWE Champion why would you lower him to the Cruiserweight title. Also Mysterio is an 8 time Cruiserweight Champion which completely makes him winning the belt useless it would mean nothing to most fans. Matt Hardy should be a WWE US Title contender and WWE Title contender why put him in a lame ass cruiserweight feud. Helms is a good Cruiserweight Champion, he has put on good matches since winning the belt and just because you don't like him doesn't mean the rest of the wrestling world doesn't. Also why is every person you named a face" If you want to name a contender look no further then Kid Kash. This guy can carry a promo, wrestles great matches, and could make other stars with his good promos. Now there is a contender for you.

Adam Schultz (Satellite Beach, FL) wrote:
Nice job on the article, Cody. You made me really think about the Cruiserweight belt for the first time in a long time. Personally, I like Greg Helms as the current champion. I think with more promo time, he could be one of the better heels in the WWE. But still, he can't hold the title forever, and any of the candidates you listed would be good. However, the biggest problem with the Cruiserweight is the scant time given to the division. The title isn't defended on television that often, and there hasn't been a good storyline involving the Cruiserweights in a long time. And when someone as small as Rey Mysterio can hold the Heavyweight Championship, the Cruiserweight division is kinda meaningless. Don't get me wrong, I like Rey a lot, but the Cruiserweight title doesn't seem to have real importance other than a piece of gold to be won or lost. (Frankly, the same is true for the United States Championship, European Championship, TV Championship, and all the other sec ondary titles created over the years.) So what's the solution" I'm not sure there is one. I've come to accept the Cruiserweight Division as a mildly entertaining division (as is the Women's Championship), but the real bread and butter will always be the WWE or Heavyweight Championship).

Matt Connolly wrote:
Although I do agree with the fact that the Cruiserweight Divison needs some renovating, I disagree with several of your points. Gregory Helms is by no means a "big-nosed stiff" with "little athleticism". He has a great arsenal of moves ranging from the vertebreaker to the eye of the hurricane to the shining wizard. His air and ground game are both above average, and he just needs to be in more high profile matches for people to recognize his true talent. Secondly, Matt Hardy should NOT go back to the cruiserweight division as his wrestling game makes him more qualified to get a push towards a mid-card championship like the US or IC. HOpefully from there, he can get some sort of main event push. Although Super Crazy is a worthy cruiserweight champion, I highly doubt Psycosis' ability as a wrestler would be worthy of carrying any title. FInally...where are Jamie Noble and Kid Kash on this list" Noble has fantastic ground game and unique moves that set him apart, and Kash is a great high flyer and in ring technicion. BOth simply need a story line push to capture the audience, and from there, their talent can do the rest.

Reality Check wrote:
You missed out Joey Mercury/Matthews - a veteran who competed in both the late ECW shows and the early ROH ones (albeit in a tag team), as well as singles in 3PW. Since Melina and Nitro have been "fireed", he obviously needs something to do.

Ian Wigger wrote:
When I saw this topic on the board, I came directly here as it's a subject I'm fairly interested in at the moment. However, I was a little underwhelmed with your suggestions, I'm afraid to say. I will break these down briefly before I throw a few of my own ideas in as well.

Rey Mysterio: Simply put, I don't think he CAN go back to being a cruiserweight champion. Don't get me wrong, he was an excellent champion, very fitting, and his battle to win the title from Matt Hardy was some of the most interesting stuff that I've see in the division under WWE. It was also a pretty good battle when Tajiri took it from him, I feel. The problem is that he has out grown the cruiserweight division. If he were to win the title again, in the eyes of most fans, with his achievements since, the rest of the division couldn't really touch him. I do agree they probably made a slip making him the heavyweight champion, but the fact is that they can't undo it now, and this is why I don't think he's quite so 'believable' in the cruiserweight division anymore.

Chavo Guerrero: I do actually agree with this one. Chavo is a good in ring performer, and pretty much fits all requirements you'd want from the cruiserweight champion. The only question is whether he is interested in wrestling himself at the moment.

Matt Hardy: I don't disagree with Matt entering the cruiserweights again, because he would surely improve the division. The thing here though is that I'm quite convinced he'll join the ECW re-launch, because they will be taking stars that aren't ex-ECW, and I'd say Hardy's style and attitude would fit/adapt into the new ECW very well. Also for a star who as a singles competitor is mid-card at best in the WWE, I think the opportunities he may get in ECW would appeal to him. So I really can't see him getting back into the crusierweight race on SmackDown.

London/Kendrick: Simply put, although I don't disagree with you, they are the current tag team champions and I don't think this team will be broken up for a while. Although generally WWE is not a great place for tag teams, I would say that SmackDown does a better job than RAW of making and keeping teams together, and this is why I don't see either of these two stars challenging anytime soon.

Super Crazy/Psicosis: These are the others I agree with you on. They are both entertaining high-fliers, and add an element of interest to the division.

Steven Richards: Same deal as Hardy, I'm afraid. If he were to return to the ring, I think he will go with ECW, which would take him out of the cruiserweight running.

Before I move onto my own suggestions, I would like to say I think you're a bit harsh on Helms. No he's not the best champion, but he has okay in-ring performances I feel, and to add to this he does seem to have very quickly gone from the loved Hurricane to this character which nobody really likes. Being hated is just as good as being loved though, because it keeps you talked about and generates the interest in the matches because everybody wants to see that title taken away.

Now for my own suggestions, although I would like to mention that I am not considering either Kash or Noble because of the attempts to team them recently, or Funaki or Nunzio simply because I honestly don't think the fans would take to either of these well enough as champion now. But what about those I would consider"

Carlito: This is the big one. By the weight restriction you've laid down, and looking on the WWE site, Carlito is only 9lbs over the weight limit currently. I feel this would be a good move for Carlito, the cruiserweight division, and SmackDown. SmackDown is hurting for stars a little right now I feel (planning to write an article on this), and I think it could only help them to have a star of Carlito's calibre. Carlito himself I feel is entering a rut. Off the back of Wrestlemania, after the little spat with Masters, it feels as though he almost has 'nowhere to go,' with this three-way with Eugene and Matt Striker which seems to be developing being beneath him, in my opinion. On the flipside though, after seeing how easily somebody of Kane's size can throw him around, it's hard to picture him up against anybody bigger than, say, Masters. This is why I feel he'd fit straight into the cruiserweight division, and there is no doubt that with his ring skills he would make a convincing champion.

Scotty 2 Hotty: Another excellent high-flier, and one who certainly gets the crowd behind him with the way that he's always looking to entertain them. I doubt this will happen because it seems like Scotty has been overlooked as an individual talent in quite some time, but I do think he should be more involved battling for the cruiserweight title, even if it wasn't to win it, because the fans would get their money's worth with him.

Tajiri: I really can't say much here, other than the obvious thing, which is 'WWE really shouldn't have released Tajiri in the first place.' Tajiri is entertaining in the ring, and is certainly quite unique in his style. I particularly like the way he'll come back somersaulting off of the ropes. Then when he is a heel you get to see that evil look he's so great at, and you also know the mist won't be too far away.

Now on top of those I already agreed with, those would be my main three additions. I'll agree it's hardly ground breaking stuff, but it won't be unless WWE start picking up talent from elsewhere. Plus there could always be other considerations. The Spirit Squad are currently a unit, but like all good stables in the WWE they will eventually break up. I don't know what any of them weigh, but there could be one or two possibilities there, maybe" Another thought I had that I'm not so keen on, but it could be a consideration if WWE were desperate, and that is Gunner Scott. He'd have to lose 15lbs to get the weight, but as he's new to WWE it might help his profile. However, I'd also be worried it might make him a bit of a 'joke' after the start out he's had against bigger guys on SmackDown, and that is why I am against it. You could even argue for the return of somebody like Chris Jericho, who has been at that weight before, but again he could be said to suffer the same problem as Rey Mysterio in that he's 'outgrown' the division.

BJunior1985 wrote:
What is this"Ok people I think I need to set the record straight. It's not Rey's fault that he's the World Champion. WWE put the title on Rey. End of that. Now putting Rey back in the cruiserweight division is meanless because he's a multi-time cruiserweight champion. If you want to lower Rey,lower him to the United States title. Now suggestions for the cruiserweights:Chavo would be good. Kid Kash and Jamie Knoble could big time do it. Tajiri is also good. Let set the record straight on Tajiri's release. Tajiri requested that release so he could go back to Japan and spend time with his wife. Now people Rey is going to be World Champ until he loses it. So get use to it.

Deangelo Kellogg wrote:
Gregory Helms - He has over done the crusierweight title. its time for him to move up to the I-C title and maybe fued with Benjamin.

�ltimo Drag�n - Should had been used to strengthen the divison. He heald the J-Crown title a few years back.

Scotty 2 Hotty's first title in the Ent. was his WWF Light-heavyweight title. He could be used in the divison. Low-Ki, Akio, Kirby Mack, Nitro, Stevie, Mexicools, Kenzo Suzuki. Shelton Bejamin or Carlito could take a break from their fueds declaring they want to wear to belts at once. WWE should go for those who excelled in the X divison but have left TNA. aUSTIN Aries, Kazarian, Chris Daniels, American Dragon, M. Modest, Colt Caba�a and other indy sensations could freshen up the divison. Also my gripes are with the belt cosmetically. When is it gonna get an overhall" It looks like the saucer for a silver teap cup. Guys like Ren� Dupr�e toiling in Deep South and alot of the hot talent in OVW deemed forever "not ready" should be brought up to compete. Either way the belt needs a boxer-esque traditional look. Look at the old pre-'97 WWF Light heavyweight title to see a belt you'd want around your waste. The whole reason the WWF dropped the Lh strap was because WCW had a succesful cruzer devision and the name was "cuter". But the belt was always sorta a WCW kinda thing. It might be best to either unify it into a revived light-heavyweight title or to (re-)create the WWF Jr. heavyweight title or even to found a welterweight divison. The crusierweight divison just doesn't seem fundementally "serious" compared to "traditional" lower weight divisons. And imtired of hearing about Rey Mysterio not being a "heavyweight". Granted i thought it was better he go through say the I-C title before going to the World title the term in wrestling is just archaic. A heavyweight title is basically a universal title for all those in a promotion. Christian is the current NWA heavyweight champ yet a former WWF Light heavyweight champ. Y2J WAS NWA World Middleweight champ and WCW World Crusierweight champ. Raven heald the WCW light heavyweight title. Chris Candido was WCW Crusierweight champ. Christ Benoit was an IWGP Jr. heavyweight champion. Rey Mysterio's issue is heigh not weight so don't be so quick to bring down the cruisierweight title. Either way i still favor its elimination, but not heavyweight domination.

wrote:

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