The WWE Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on the Raw brand. It is defended on Monday Night Raw and the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live. The current champion is Enzo Amore, who is in his record tying second reign.
Unveiled on September 14, 2016, as the award for the Cruiserweight Classic, which was won by TJ Perkins, it is contested in WWE's cruiserweight division by wrestlers at a maximum weight of 205 lb (93 kg). The championship was exclusive to Monday Night Raw until the premiere of 205 Live in November 2016.
The title is distinct from the previous WWE Cruiserweight Championship that originated in World Championship Wrestling and was retired in 2007. The two titles share the name but not the title history.
Video WWE Cruiserweight Championship
History
The Cruiserweight Classic was a WWE Network series and tournament for cruiserweights. Tournament qualifying matches took place in various promotions of the independent circuit, including well known promotions such as Revolution Pro Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, and Evolve. Many cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world were given the chance to qualify for the 32-man tournament, which took place over four dates: June 23, July 13, August 26, and September 14, 2016.
The final of the Cruiserweight Classic came down to TJ Perkins and Gran Metalik. Before the final match, Triple H revealed that the winner would not only receive a trophy, but would also become WWE Cruiserweight Champion for the new cruiserweight division on the Raw brand. Perkins defeated Metalik to become the inaugural champion. Like the WWE Championship's side plates, the Cruiserweight title's side plates include removable round sections, allowing the holder's personal logo to be added to the championship belt; the default sections show silver and purple world maps with the WWE logo over them. During Neville's first reign, the color of the slash under the WWE logo on the center plate and default side plates were changed from purple to orange..
In addition to Monday Night Raw, the Cruiserweight Championship is defended on 205 Live, a cruiserweight-exclusive show on the WWE Network that premiered on November 29, 2016. On the premiere episode, Rich Swann defeated The Brian Kendrick for the championship.
Inaugural tournament
Maps WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Reigns
As of November 29, 2017, there have been nine reigns between seven champions. The inaugural champion was TJ Perkins. The oldest champion is The Brian Kendrick, winning the title at 37 years old, while the youngest champion is Rich Swann when he won it at 25. Neville and Enzo Amore have the most reigns at two. Neville has the longest reign at 197 days, while Akira Tozawa has the shortest reign at six days. Neville also has the longest combined reign at 232 days (233 days as recognized by WWE).
Enzo Amore is the current champion in his record tying second reign. He won the title by defeating Kalisto at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22, 2017.
Combined reigns
As of November 29, 2017.
See also
- Cruiserweight Classic
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1991-2007)
- List of current champions in WWE
References
External links
- Official WWE Cruiserweight Title History
Source of article : Wikipedia