It's time for the Cruiserweight division to return

During it’s original heyday in WCW, the Cruiserweight division was unreal. The company found small, fast-paced wrestlers from all over the world and put them in the ring in exciting, fast-paced, high-flying matches that often stole the show and were many times the best part of any episode of WCW programming. Even during the company’s dying days, outside of a few hiccups here and there, the division could be counted on for giving the fans at least one good match on any given night.

When the company was absorbed into WWE after its purchase, Vince McMahon took the division and the title and used them to replace his own Light-Heavyweight division and championship, a division that struggled from day one thanks to a lack of depth and emphasis. It worked for a while, as WWE also landed several Cruiserweight stars from both WCW and ECW (which was also purchased around the same time as WCW) and gave the division a regular spot on WWE television. However, much like the Light Heavyweight division, it eventually took a backseat to everything else on WWE television, and eventually, after putting the belt on a joke of a champion in Hornswoggle, the division was disbanded. Originally, Hornswoggle was stripped of the title and there were plans to crown a new one, but it was quickly forgotten, along with the rest of the division.

In addition to overhauling the Tag Team and Divas divisions, rumors have been circulating for months that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is looking to bring the division back. Personally, I think it’s a great time for it. In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a much greater emphasis on smaller wrestlers in the company, something that was a rarity in the past. In addition to that, there are numerous talents currently on the roster that would fit the Cruiserweight division credentials, already giving them a good start. Guys like Tyson Kidd, Sakamoto, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Zack Ryder and Hunico are all small enough to wrestle in a Cruiserweight division, and it would give them all something to do on television every week. With RAW also being expanded to three hours every week, and you now have a third hour to fill, giving the company more than enough time to showcase a revived division every Monday night.

When you also factor in that Levesque has been seriously scouting talent from Mexico, Japan and Europe-countries known for smaller, faster-paced wrestlers-to give the company more international appeal, and the possibility is stronger than ever. Former TNA World X-Division (a glorified Cruiserweight division) Champions Alex Shelley and Brian Kendrick have reportedly signed with the company as well, with Shelley all but confirmed at this point, giving the company two very talented, high-profile international Cruiserweight stars.