WWE's 8 Greatest Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champions

Whether it was bringing respect to a lesser known title or just fantastically entertaining, eight men have represented the Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight championships better than anyone else.

In 1996, the Cruiserweight Championship entered World Class Wrestling. About a year later, the WWE created a similar classification, calling theirs the Light Heavyweight Championship.

After purchasing the WCW, WWE maintained both championships for a short time.

However, just a few months later, the WWE would drop the Light Heavyweight title altogether and continue onward with the Cruiserweight title as the sole belt for the division.

As of 2007, neither designation exists anymore.

But during its up-and-down tenure, particular guys brought our attention to the division better than anyone else.

Here's the eight wrestlers who owned the competition at 220-pounds or less.

(Note: I'm not counting New Japan Pro Wrestling or the Universal Wrestling Association.)

Honorable Mentions

They didn't make the top eight, but it wouldn't feel right to not at least mention them. Their contributions must be noted.

If it was a list of 10, these four would compete for the final two spots.

(In no particular order.)

Taka Michinoku

Held the Light Heavyweight belt one time for 315 days.

Tajiri

Held the Cruiserweight belt (WWE) three times for 283 total days. Feuded with Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman.

Juventud Guerrera

Held the Cruiserweight belt (WCW) five times, though only for 114 days.

Eddie Guerrero

Surprisingly, he only held the Cruiserweight title (WCW) twice for 91 days.

8. Gillberg

Reigns: 1
Total Days: 453

You're probably thinking, "Are you serious, bro?"

Believe it or not, Gillberg owns the longest individual reign of any wrestler to ever hold the Light Heavyweight or Cruiserweight Championship.

That fact alone garners some recognition.

However, it really wasn't all that dazzling or influencing.

In fact, Gillberg hardly even defended the title (or wrestled at all).

It was simply used as the WWE's way of downplaying and making fun of WCW's Bill Goldberg and his undefeated streak.

The title reign was a sham, but most fans will always remember the entertainment the Goldberg mimic brought to WWE.

What can I say? He locked up a record in entertaining fashion.

7. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Reigns: 6
Total Days: 431

Chavo Guerrero wrestled for and won the Cruiserweight championship in the WCW and the WWE.

He has the third most reigns and fourth most total days.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all that memorable.

Guerrero had a few respectable feuds with guys like Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio, but always seemed to lose in terrible fashion.

He lost once to Diva Jacqueline. Then he lost "by accident" to his father.

His final reign ended at the hands of Hornswoggle.

6. Gregory Helms AKA "The Hurricane"

Reigns: 3
Total Days: 532

Gregory Helms held the Cruiserweight title three times as three different personas.

He won the title in the WCW as Shane Helms.

Then he won the WWE's version as "The Hurricane," and again under his real name.

Most importantly, his reigns were actually respectable and entertaining. During his stints, he feuded with Chavo Guerrero, Tajiri and Billy Kidman.

Helms even once retained his title against every single cruiserweight on the WWE roster—at the same time.

5. X-Pac

Reigns: 4
Total Days: 329

X-Pac is one of only two men to hold both the Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight titles.

Pac was one of the first to hold the Cruiserweight belts (as Syxx) and the last Light Heavyweight champion.

As Light Heavyweight champion, X-Pac was one of the few wrestlers who made the designation important. He was also one of the most notable to own it.

When he won the Cruiserweight belt from Billy Kidman, he became the only wrestler in history to hold both belts at the same time.

4. Chris Jericho

Reigns: 4
Total Days: 231

Chris Jericho has worked his butt off to get to the top of the game.

His start at the bottom included several stints as the WCW's Cruiserweight champion, where most fans grew accustomed to Jericho as a heel—which he portrayed in delightfully nasty fashion.

He was golden from the start.

His upstart included feuds with Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko.

What Jericho did for the Cruiserweight championship was just a sign of the talent and ability he would bring to the table.

3. Billy Kidman

Reigns: 7
Totals Days: 334

Billy Kidman is one of just a few that really stand out as the face of WCW's Cruiserweight division.

At the time, there were many masked Lucha Libre style wrestlers, but none seemed to catch thunder.

Kidman did it with hardly a gimmick.

Perhaps he was successful because most didn't expect much from him, and instead he dazzled.

I still remember his first Shooting Star Press.

He fought Rey Mysterio, Juventud Guerrera, X-Pac, Gregory Helms, Tajiri and Chavo Guerrero—the best of the best in the division.

Kidman's held the belt more often than all of them but one.

2. Dean Malenko

Reigns: 6
Total Days: 543

Dean Malenko—for whatever reason—might be one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.

Maybe it was his lack of value as an entertainer, his scruffy, monotone voice or the absence of any kind of gimmick. One thing was for sure, he was a fantastic wrestler.

Malenko was the second winner of the Cruiserweight (WCW) belt and the first to hold it multiple times.

He beat Rey Mysterio and Ultimo Dragon. He feuded with Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero and X-Pac (formerly Syxx).

Then with the WWE, he won the Light Heavyweight Championship. In one stint, he held the belt for nearly a year.

1. Rey Mysterio

Reigns: 8
Total Days: 483

Owner of the most reigns in history, Rey Mysterio embodies the Cruiserweight division.

His wins for the championship came at the hands of some of the greatest including Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero.

He's one of the few lightweight wrestlers who had the talent to springboard him to the top and ultimately compete for the WWE's World Heavyweight championship.

He did it all with flair.

Mysterio may go down in history as one of the best masked wrestlers and cruiserweight wrestlers of all time. He's certainly one of the most recognized.

He's definitely the most flashy.