WWE Rumors: Could WWE Bring Back The Cruiserweight Championship?
WWE has done an excellent job bringing back cruiserweight wrestling into its programming. For years, WWE hasn’t given cruiserweights the same changes that once were in the industry. When there is a WWE documentary or the great times of WCW are talked about, WWE has high praise for the way cruiserweights were utilized back in the 90s.
WWE proved their belief in the cruiserweight style by establishing the Cruiserweight Championship after the company bought WCW. The company also gave many of the former champions real chances to be bigger stars in the industry.
For example, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio have all become WWE World Champions. There have also been many great wrestlers who held the Cruiserweight Championship during its tenure in WCW and WWE. However, the title was retired by WWE back in 2007 and hasn’t been seen since.
Unfortunately, it took nine years for WWE to focus on cruiserweight wrestling again like they have with the Cruiserweight Classic. WWE could make it an annual series on the WWE Network. It would be great for the WWE Universe to become more familiar with the cruiserweight style again, but there is some speculation that WWE could bring back the Cruiserweight Championship after the WWE Draft and brand extension.
Alongside Mauro Ranallo, former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan has been doing commentary for the Cruiserweight Classic. That has given him the opportunity to get involved with the series and form some thoughts about cruiserweight wrestling in 2016.
Recently, Bryan took part in a media call with the Fan Garage to discuss announcing, the tournament, and much more. When the topic of WWE bringing back the Cruiserweight Championship came up; Daniel Bryan had an interesting answer.
“You know, that’s a fascinating question because so many of the top guys now would be considered cruiserweights back when WCW had the first cruiserweight matches those many years ago. The cruiserweight championship I remember was for 225 lbs and under (102 kgs) and the Cruiserweight Classic is 205 lbs and under.
“But if you look at the WWE roster today, everybody is a bit smaller because now, fans want more action which requires more mobility, which requires you to be a bit lighter.
“One of the things that I think we will see is that some of these guys who are say only 160 lbs., which might be 75 kgs, they are amazing and people want to see them. So, I wouldn’t be surprised, especially with the brand extension set to come, that the WWE does restart the Cruiserweight championship.”
The WWE brand extension is going to open up a lot of television time for many new WWE superstars to make their name. The powers that be haven’t revealed how many of WWE’s current championships are going to be booked once the brand split is official. WWE bringing back something like the Cruiserweight Championship isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
In fact, it may be an easy thing to do after the Cruiserweight Classic has a winner. That person could reestablish the title on Raw or SmackDown and start a new cruiserweight division. If being under 205 pounds is the only strict requirement, the WWE roster is filled with men who could participate. There are an additional 32 men in the Cruiserweight Classic that can join.
The big problem WWE would have is establishing a weight restriction and forming a specific division around a championship. On one hand, that could make Raw or SmackDown have a unique division for that brand, but it could limit a lot of wrestlers as only cruiserweights. Jericho, Guerrero, and Mysterio were able to break that mold, but dozens and dozens of other wrestlers didn’t.
If the Cruiserweight Classic is successful, it is far more likely to become an annual series on the WWE Network. You can’t say never in WWE, especially if the series becomes something special. However, bringing back the Cruiserweight title is something the WWE Universe may have to continue waiting for until WWE is forced to bring back cruiserweight wrestling for good.
[Image via WWE]
