From Iwe
The IWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship operated by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). Only wrestlers that weighed less than 220 pounds (100 kg), called light heavyweights in professional wrestling, were allowed to challenge for the title. From 1981 through the 1990s, the IWF had a business partnership with the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), a Mexican lucha libre-based promotion, which resulted in the creation of the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship for the UWA. When the UWA ceased operations in 1995, the title traveled to the Japanese New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. In 1997, as a result of the IWF owning the trademarks to the championship, NJPW was forced to returned the title to the IWF. One month later, the IWF began operating the title in the United States. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and its assets were acquired by the IWF in March 2001, which included the copyrights to their championships. The WCW Cruiserweight Championship, a counterpart to the Light Heavyweight Championship, was one of these titles. After acquiring WCW, the IWF used the Cruiserweight Title, among other WCW championships, during The Invasion storyline, which featured former WCW wrestlers feuding with original IWF wrestlers before WCW's purchase. After The Invasion narrative ended in December 2001, the IWF replaced the Light Heavyweight Title with the Cruiserweight Championship, which had the IWF acronym added to its name. International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), the successor of the IWF, operated the Cruiserweight Championship until 2007, when the title was deactivated.
Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines or were awarded the title due to scripted circumstances. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or heroes as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a match or series of matches for the championship. The title was won in Japan, Mexico, and 11 American states. The first champion to be recognized by the UWA was Perro Aguayo, who won the title in a tournament final in March 1981. Shinjiro Otani was the final champion recognized by the UWA before the title was returned to the IWF; he had won the title in August 1997. Although his reign is unrecognized by the IWF, Ultimo Dragon is the only wrestler to hold a IWF championship and a WCW championship at the same time before IWF's purchase of WCW. The first champion recognized by the IWF was Taka Michinoku, who won the title in a tournament final on December 7, 1997. After winning the championship in August 2001, X-Pac was the final wrestler to have held the title before it was replaced by the Cruiserweight Championship. Aguayo and Villano III held the title the most times, with eight. At 826 days, Villano III's reign from 1984 to 1986 was the longest in the title's history. Perro Aguayo and Scotty 2 hotty have the shortest reign, at eight days. Overall, there were 45 title reigns.
[edit] Title history
[edit] Recognition by the UWA/MPW/NJPW
- Key
| No.
| Overall reign number
|
| Reign
| Reign number for the specific champion
|
| Days
| Number of days held
|
| No.
| Champion
| Championship change
| Reign statistics
| Notes
| Ref.
|
| Date
| Event
| Location
| Reign
| Days
|
[edit] Recognition by the IWF
- Key
| No.
| Overall reign number
|
| Reign
| Reign number for the specific champion
|
| Days
| Number of days held
|
| Days recog.
| Number of days held recognized by the promotion
|
| †
| Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion
|
| <1
| Reign lasted less than a day
|
| No.
| Champion
| Championship change
| Reign statistics
| Notes
| Ref.
|
| Date
| Event
| Location
| Reign
| Days
| Days recog.
|
| 33
| Taka Michinoku
| December 7, 1997
| D-Generation X: In Your House
| Springfield, MA
| 1
| 315
| 314
| Michinoku defeated Brian Christopher in a tournament final to win the title
|
|
| 34
| Christian
| October 18, 1998
| Judgment Day: In Your House
| Chicago, IL
| 1
| 30
| 29
|
|
|
| 35
| Duane Gill/Gillberg
| November 17, 1998
| Raw is War
| Columbus, OH
| 1
| 448
| 445
| Aired on November 23, 1998
|
|
| 36
| Essa Ríos
| February 8, 2000
| Sunday Night Heat
| Austin, TX
| 1
| 34
| 31
| Aired on February 13, 2000
|
|
| 37
| Dean Malenko
| March 13, 2000
| Raw
| East Rutherford, NJ
| 1
| 35
| 34
|
|
|
| 38
| Scotty 2 Hotty
| April 17, 2000
| Raw
| State College, PA
| 1
| 8
| 9
|
|
|
| 39
| Dean Malenko
| April 25, 2000
| SmackDown!
| Charlotte, NC
| 2
| 322
| 321
| Aired on April 27, 2000
|
|
| 40
| Crash Holly
| March 13, 2001
| Heat
| Anaheim, CA
| 1
| 47
| 44
| Aired on March 18, 2001
|
|
| 41
| Jerry Lynn
| April 29, 2001
| Heat
| Chicago, IL
| 1
| 37
| 38
|
|
|
| 42
| Josh Hooper
| June 5, 2001
| SmackDown!
| Grand Forks, ND
| 1
| 20
| 17
| Aired on June 7, 2001
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[edit] Combined reigns recognized by the UWA/NJPW
| Rank
| Wrestler
| No. of reigns
| Combined days
|
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|
[edit] Combined reigns recognized by IWE
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Template:IWF Light Heavyweight Championship
Template:Former IWE Championships
