WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
|
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1997-2001). |
The
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship is a retired
professional wrestling championship, formerly competed for in the
World Wrestling Federation by wrestlers billed as weighing less than 215 lb (98 kg).
|
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1980-1997). |
The WWF first used the Light Heavyweight Championship in
Japan and the
Universal Wrestling Association, although the title was only recognized as an official WWF title after
1997, when a tournament was held on WWF television to crown a champion. To this day, WWE does not recognize any pre-1997 former champions as ever having held the title, including current WWE star
Chris Benoit, who won the title as "Pegasus Kid", and former WWE wreslter
Ultimo Dragon.
During
the Invasion angle in
2001,
X-Pac defeated
Jeff Hardy for the Light Heavyweight Championship, and then defeated
Billy Kidman for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. After losing and regaining the Light Heavyweight Title in matches against Tajiri, X-Pac lost only the Cruiserweight title to
Billy Kidman and disappeared from WWF television without explanation due to injury. After Survivor Series 2001, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship was renamed the
WWF Cruiserweight Championship. When X-Pac returned to WWF television in 2002 as a member of the
nWo, he did not return as champion.
| Record: | Record holder: | Record number: | Notes: | | Most reigns | Perro Aguayo & Villano III | Seven | Aguayo has held or shared this record ever since he became the inaugural Light Heavyweight Champion on March 26, 1981. Aguayo won his 7th title from Sangre Chicana on August 14, 1989. Villano III won his 7th title from El Signo on July 18, 1994. | | Longest reign | Villano III | 826 days | Villano III beat Gran Hamada for the title on May 20, 1984. He would hold the title for over 2 years before losing it to Fishman on August 24, 1986. | | Shortest reign | Perro Aguayo & Scotty 2 Hotty | 8 days | Aguayo beat Fishman for the title on October 10, 1981 and lost it to Chris Adams 8 days later. Scotty beat Dean Malenko for the title on April 17, 2000, and lost it back to Malenko 8 days later. | | Oldest champion | Perro Aguayo | 43 years | Aguayo won his final Light Heavyweight title from Sangre Chicana on August 14, 1989. He lost the belt back to Chicana on December 3 of that year. | | Youngest champion | Essa Rios | 21 years | Rios beat Gillberg for the title on February 8, 2000. He would lose it to Dean Malenko on March 13 of that year. | | Heaviest champion | Shinjiro Ohtani | 236 lbs. | Ohtani won the title from El Samurai on August 10, 1997. He was forced to vacate the belt on November 5 of that year, upon the request of the WWF, so they could hold a tournament for a new champion. | | Lightest champion | The Great Sasuke | 180 lbs. | The Great Sasuke is a 2 time champion, having won the title on March 24, 1996 from Aero Flash, and on August 4 that same year, from El Samurai. | | Tallest champion | Christian | 6 ft 2 in | Christian beat TAKA Michinoku for the title on October 18, 1998, in his debut match. He lost the title to Gillberg on November 17 of that year. | | Shortest champion | Gran Hamada | 5 ft 6 in | Gran Hamada is a 2 time champion, having won the title on April 21, 1982, and April 17, 1984. Both times, he defeated Perro Aguayo. |
*
Perro Aguayo defeated
Gran Hamada in a tournament final to become the first WWF Light Heavyweight Champion.
*
TAKA Michinoku defeated
Brian Christopher in a tournament final to become the first Light Heavyweight Champion recognized by WWE as a WWE title.
*Former
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit once captured the title back when he wrestled in Japan as the
Pegasus Kid. However, WWE does not give Benoit recognition for holding this belt.
*X-Pac was the last WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, holding the belt when it was retired.
*Only two people have held the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and the
TNA X Division Championship, those people being
X-Pac and
Jerry Lynn.
*According to WWE the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship lasted 1288 days until it retired.
*
X-Pac is the only person to hold the
WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WWF Light heavyweight Championship, and
TNA X Division Championship.
*The first person to have held both WCW and WWF Light Heavyweight Championships was
Jushin Liger, but he is one of many whose title reigns are not recognised by WWE.
*The Ultimo Dragon appeared on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro with the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in 1996.
*As the WWE doesn't officially recognize any champions before TAKA Michinoku, most of the records above do not count in WWE history. Records that would be changed include:
**Most reigns as champ:
Dean Malenko &
X-Pac (2 each)
**Longest ever reign as champion:
Gillberg (448 days)
**Shortest ever reign as champion: Just
Scotty 2 Hotty (8 days)
**Oldest, and shortest champion ever: Dean Malenko (39 years old; 5 ft 8 in)
**Heaviest champion ever:
Christian & Gillberg (227 lbs each)
**Lightest champion ever: TAKA Michinoku &
Jerry Lynn (185 lbs each)
List of WWF Light Heavyweight Champions*
WWF Light Heavyweight Title History
