It’s 2001 and WWF have bought out WCW thus kick-starting the Invasion storyline. The established stars of WCW begin to appear on WWF programming along with championships from the promotion meaning a crossover of divisions in some cases. The invasion soon comes to a lackluster end and the WCW Cruiserweight Championship is rebranded as a WWE incarnation and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship is abandoned. Shortly after this, the Championship then became exclusive to Smackdown on March 25th 2002 after the brand split.
This list will rank the Top Five greatest Cruiserweight Champions from the aforementioned point of exclusivity right up until the dark day of July 22nd, 2007 when Hornswoggle win the Championship which soon saw the end of the division until its resurrection in 2016.
#5 Paul London
Number of reigns on Smackdown: 1
Combined number of days holding the Championship: 128
Defeated to win the Championship: Chavo Guerrero (8 Man Battle Royal)
Lost the Championship to: Nunzio
Prior to his championship reign, Paul London’s role on Smackdown fluctuated between being a low on the card high flyer to being Tag Team Champion with Billy Kidman. In March 2005, London abruptly won a battle royal to win the Cruiserweight Championship following a brief rivalry with former tag partner Kidman. The majority of London’s reign featured he and some others (namely Scotty 2 Hotty & Funaki) entangled in a rivalry with new stars The Mexicools which also saw Juventud Guerrera break London’s nose on a botched 450 Splash.
Unfortunately, London’s reign came at a time when WWE were hardly proactive with the Cruiserweight division as he lost the championship in August 2005 to Nunzio on an episode of Velocity. Despite this, London made the most of every opportunity on Smackdown (& Velocity) showcasing his ability and talent in a bid to once again bring eyes to the Cruiserweights.
Key match: Vs. Chavo Guerrero – Judgment Day 2005.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of London’s reign, going up against the third generation, veteran of the division – Chavo Guerrero.
#4 Spike Dudley
Number of reigns on Smackdown: 1
Combined number of days holding the Championship: 136
Defeated to win the Championship: Rey Mysterio
Lost the Championship to: Funaki
Before his move to Smackdown in March 2004, Spike Dudley was very much portrayed as lesser than on Raw and had recently found himself being used as table fodder for La Resistance in their feud against Spike’s ‘brothers’ Bubba Ray & D’Von. Once on the blue brand, Spike reinvented himself, turning heel alongside his also drafted brothers and being portrayed as ‘The Boss’ of The Dudleys.
Proving to be the perfect antithesis to good guy champion Rey Mysterio, Spike wasted no time defeating the master of the 619 and reigning over the division for a solid four and a half months. Spike managed to best the majority of the Cruiserweights on Smackdown but came up short at Armageddon 2004 in a defense against surprise challenger Funaki.
Key match: Vs. Billy Kidman, Chavo Guerrero & Rey Mysterio – Survivor Series 2004.
A true test for ‘The Boss’ defending his championship against the two men who ran the division up to this point – Guerrero & Mysterio – and the underrated cornerstone of the Cruiserweights, Billy Kidman.
#3 Gregory Helms
Number of reigns on Smackdown: 1
Combined number of days holding the Championship: 385
Defeated to win the Championship: Kid Kash (Cruiserweight Open)
Lost the Championship to: Chavo Guerrero
The longest reigning cruiserweight champion ever and even surpassing the total of number of days of his peers in this list, Gregory Helms made his Cruiserweight debut at the 2006 Royal Rumble entering the ‘Former Champions Only’ Cruiserweight Open. Successfully defeating his opponents, Helms would go on to prove his mettle against pretty much all of the division during his reign. Because of this success, Helms even began to dabble with United States Championship during his this reign but his attempts were fruitless.
Helms spent most of late 2006 feuded with fellow North Carolina native, Matt Hardy during which the championship took a back seat due to Hardy being over the weight limit required for the division. Despite the focus not being on the championship, this was a unique time where the Cruiserweight Champion was able to be positioned as a threat outside of his division which helped further establish Helms in the long run.
Key match: Vs. Brian Kendrick, Funaki, Kid Kash, Nunzio, Paul London, Psicosis, Scotty 2 Hotty & Super Crazy – Cruiserweight Open – No Way Out 2006
A fun, clusterf*** of a match, this one demonstrated that Helms could hang with the best of them and his abrupt brand switch & subsequent inclusion in the division wasn’t for nothing.
#2 Rey Mysterio
Number of reigns on Smackdown: 3
Combined number of days holding the Championship: 199
Defeated to win the Championship: Matt Hardy, Tajiri & Chavo Classic
Lost the Championship to: Tajiri, Chavo Guerrero & Spike Dudley
No list of greatest Cruiserweights, Champions or Smackdown stars would be complete without The Greatest Mask Of All Time. An absolute stalwart of the division, Rey Mysterio’s time on Smackdown wasn’t always spent in the division. Upon his debut on Smackdown, Mysterio flirted between feuding with stars who were in contention for the WWE Championship (see Kurt Angle at Summerslam 2002) and teaming with Edge to capture the Tag Team Championships. It was only in early 2003 that he began to compete against the blue brand’s Cruiserweights, despite his prominence in WCW’s version of the division.
After defeating Matt Hardy for the championship. Rey defended against all comers including a substantial rivalry with Tajiri as well as securing wins over Jamie Noble and Shannon Moore. His first time as champion came to an end in 2004 at the hands of an old foe – Chavo Guerrero – but his time without the belt was short-lived as he regained it soon after. Mysterio’s final reign as champion ended thanks to the aforementioned Spike Dudley which led to Rey rejoining the Tag Team ranks with Eddie Guerrero before finally capturing his first World Heavyweight Championship.
Key match: Vs. Chavo Guerrero – No Way Out 2004.
Despite this being the match were Rey lost his first WWE Cruiserweight Championship, it was a stellar performance from the G.M.O.A.T raising the bar for the PPV and for the Championship itself.
#1 Chavo Guerrero
Number of reigns on Smackdown: 4
Combined number of days holding the Championship: 278
Defeated to win the Championship: Rey Mysterio, Jacqueline, Funaki & Gregory Helms
Lost the Championship to: Jacqueline, Chavo Classic, Paul London & Hornswoggle
The one name that has come up time and time again throughout this list is none other than Chavo Guerrero, and for good reason too. Chavo entered the division in early 2004 after he turned on Uncle Eddie and Los Guerreros disbanded. The younger Guerrero recruited the services of his father, Chavo Guerrero Sr. (or Chavo Classic as he became known) to act as a manager, propelling him to heights he’d not seen thus far in WWE.
Chavo made his mark in a match that has already been mentioned in this list, against Rey Mysterio at San Francisco’s Cow Palace in 2004 where he won the Cruiserweight Championship. From here Chavo continued to looked strong, besting the entire division at Wrestlemania XX only for plans to go south for him and his reign. Chavo dropped the championship to Jacqueline (a last minute replacement for Matt Cappotelli in an Open Challenge – Oh how I wish that would have happened) only to regain it shortly afterwards and then once again drop it to his dad!
Granted, Chavo’s list of opponents to which he dropped the title too aren’t the most illustrious in the division’s history but I like to think that Guerrero was/is the type of worker that does what’s ‘best for business’ giving his all to the division and not letting an ego get in the way. See, for example, his return to the division in 2007 to take on a new flock of stars where his position as a veteran was truly appreciated.
One of the best ever, underrated and under appreciated by most but there’s no denying how good he is and all that he’s done for Cruiserweights – and Smackdown – in general.
Key match: Vs. Akio, Billy Kidman, Funaki, Jamie Noble, Nunzio, Rey Mysterio, Shannon Moore, Tajiri & Ultimo Dragon – Cruiserweight Open – Wrestlemania XX.
A perfect start to Chavo’s reign, solidifying him as the quintessential heel champion. What better way to make him the most hated man on Smackdown than to have him beat every other established and well-loved star in the division.
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