WWE: The 25 Smallest—But Most Dangerous—Wrestlers of All Time

The saying normally goes "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." In the world of the WWE, bigger ends up being better.

Many of the superstars that end up being considered for pushes are genetic freaks that are taller and weigh more than other superstars. It ends up being a bad thing for the little guys.

Little guys are still rarely pushed into the main event, but WCW's cruiserweight division helped to put little guys on the map to even the most casual wrestling fan.

Now that WWE monitors the substances taken by their superstars, the smaller guys are getting the larger opportunities. The world champions that have come through the company are not in the model that was once seen by WWE.

Larger than life sideshow acts are often pushed to the backburner in favor of smaller guys that look more like a regular guy.

Just because they are small does not mean that they don't pack a punch, though. Some of the most devastating moves today are done by smaller guys.

Here are 25 guys who don't need to pick on someone their own size...and can win anyway.

Spike Dudley

Height: 5'7" (billed 5'9")

Weight: 150 lbs.

It's hard not to love Spike Dudley. You rooted for him and Molly Holly together. You wanted the little guy to beat anyone considerably bigger than him, which was often anyone he faced. Heel or face, Spike Dudley was lovable for fans. Besides, the Dudley Dog always looked pretty cool.

Dudley also brought the results in the championships area. Not only did Spike get a title reign as Cruiserweight Champion, but he was also a one-time European Champion and held tag team gold alongside Tazz.

Spike Dudley was also a 7-time Hardcore Champion. Dudley is one of the many Hardcore Champions that, thanks to the 24/7 rules, never amassed more than one day total as Hardcore Champion.

Crash Holly

Height: 5'10" (billed)

Weight: 212 lbs. (billed; was also once billed as "allegedy well over 400 lbs.")

Speaking of the Hardcore Championship, nobody quite embodied the championship like Crash Holly, who held the title 22 times, trailing only Raven's unimaginable 38 title reigns. Crash was the superstar to begin the 24/7 rule, forcing him to defend the title in any place he ended up in.

Crash would often end up in odd places and be attacked by other superstars, often being pinned for the title. Crash would make it back to being champion by the end of most of the segments.

Crash also held the European, Light Heavyweight and tag team titles, alongside Hardcore Holly, each on one occasion.

Billy Kidman

Billed Height: 5'10"

Billed Weight: 195 lbs.

Billy Kidman is a man you should be fearful of facing in a wrestling match. Despite being under six feet tall and under 200 pounds, Kidman made a career in WCW and WWE by being more innovative than most other wrestlers.

It eventually got to a point for Kidman that he would never be a huge underdog in matches, despite who he would face.

Kidman was always known to win a match with a wide variety of finishing moves, but is most well-known for his Shooting Star Press. Kidman is perhaps the one superstar to be most associated with the Shooting Star Press.

Kidman was a seven-time Cruiserweight Champion, a three-time tag team champion and a one-time Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion between his stays in WWE and WCW.

Rey Mysterio

Billed Height: 5'6"

Billed Weight: 175 lbs.

Rey Mysterio has done almost everything you could possibly do in WCW and WWE over the last 15 years. If you combine the accolades and championships from both promotions, Mysterio has held a championship in 20 different occasions in his career.

He is a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a Royal Rumble winner and the only man to hold Cruiserweight gold eight times between the two promotions.

I am not a huge fan of Mysterio's favorable booking in his later years, but Rey has always tried his best to entertain the fans. I would prefer that he would use his veteran status to help get more young talent over, but you can't mistake that Rey Mysterio is one of the best from this generation.

The Hurricane

Height: 5'10" (billed 6'0")

Weight: 191 lbs. (billed 215 lbs.)

Hurricane Helms has always been a fun superstar to watch, with his stint in 3 Count as the exception.

WWE gave him the gimmick of The Hurricane during the Invasion storyline, which ended up becoming what he has been most well-known for in the years that would follow. '

Helms also dropped that gimmick to become Gregory Helms, his real name. Hurricane would return to ECW as the brand was ending.

Among his accomplishments was his three times as Cruiserweight Champion, a Hardcore Champion in both WCW and WWE, a European Champion and a two-time World Tag Team Champion. By the way, he also pinned The Rock once.

Dean Malenko

Billed Height: 5'10"

Billed Weight: 212 lbs.

Dean Malenko has so much technical skill that I could see him being one of the greats had he been around with the likes of Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund.

Instead, Malenko simply dominated the cruiserweights in WCW and WWE, winning the Light Heavyweight Championship twice in WWE, four Cruiserweight Championships in WCW, as well as the United States and tag team championships in WCW.

Known as the Iceman, as well as the Man of 1,000 Holds, Malenko could have reached unimaginable heights, but I guess that even Vince Russo was afraid of him.

Chris Jericho

Billed Height: 6'0"

Billed Weight: 226 lbs.

Jericho is an all-time great if you really get down to it. The first-ever Undisputed Champion earned that honor by beating both The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin one in the same night.

Jericho stands as a five-time world champion, a WWE-record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, and a seven-time tag team champion.

Jericho was also a four-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Television Champion in WCW. Jericho, even if he never wrestles another match, can easily be considered a top 10 superstar in WWE history.

Justin Gabriel

Billed Height: 6'1"

Billed Weight: 223 lbs.

Justin Gabriel is a rising star in WWE. His 450 Splash helps make him one of the young superstars that will determine how high-flyers will be in the future of WWE.

We saw how talented female wrestlers helped the Women's Championship be brought back and Gabriel may be an important part in the resurgence of the Cruiserweight Championship.

Gabriel has been a member of Nexus and The Corre. His three times as a tag team championship have been impressive, but his place in Smackdown's Money in the Bank ladder match may give him his greatest moment yet.

Evan Bourne

Billed Height: 5'9"

Billed Weight: 183 lbs.

Evan Bourne is that prototypical small guy that has seemed poised for a push, has been on his way to one on a few occasions, and has nothing to really show for it.

Bourne has no championships in his tenure in WWE. However, Bourne is in RAW's Money in the Bank ladder match, where he has had some of his greatest moments in a WWE ring.

Could those moments culminate in a victory of the briefcase on July 17?

Sin Cara

Billed Height: 5'7"

Billed Weight: 175 lbs.

Sin Cara also enters RAW's Money in the Bank ladder match in just two weeks. Outside of a loss to Christian this past Friday night, Sin Cara has not been defeated since coming to WWE.

Sin Cara is known the world over at the ripe age of just 28. The sky is the limit for Sin Cara, who could end up being on par with Rey Mysterio as one of the most successful and well-known masked wrestlers in the world.

Chavo Guerrero

Billed Height: 5'9"

Billed Weight: 215 lbs.

Chavo Guerrero asked for his release from WWE last weekend, ending a decade-long run in WWE. For five years prior to that, Chavo was in WCW.

For the 15 combined years between the two companies, Chavo was a six-time Cruiserweight Champion, a three-time tag team champion and even won the ECW Championship in early 2008.

Jeff Hardy

Billed Height: 6'2"

Billed Weight: 215 lbs.

A three-time world champion, Jeff Hardy is one of the most popular superstars to come into WWE in the last decade. His aerial assault always made him a fan favorite.

While Jeff was always used more as a tag team wrestler than a cruiserweight/light heavyweight singles competitor in the early 2000s, his success as a solo Hardy wouldn't truly come until his return to WWE in 2006 after spending some time in TNA.

Jeff would win 19 different championships while in WWE, including seven tag team championships with his brother, Matt. He has now returned to TNA, winning their world championship twice amid court dates and charges for drug use.

The Miz

Billed Height: 6'1"

Billed Weight: 230 lbs.

The Miz has truly made a name for himself in the last two years as a singles competitor, culminating in becoming WWE Champion last November and defending it at this past WrestleMania. The Miz was ranked as 12th in PWI's annual top 500 wrestler list.

The Miz will turn just 31 in October and, if he can win the Money in the Bank briefcase for the second straight year, it will be the chance for The Miz to prove that he is not a one-hit wonder.

John Morrison

Billed Height: 6'1"

Billed Weight: 224 lbs.

A former Tough Enough III champion, a four-time tag team champion, three times with the Intercontinental Championship and a run with the ECW title is all that John Morrison can hang his talent on. Not too shabby for a guy that was turned away from the cast of Tough Enough II.

Morrison's actions and attitude are the only things that have kept him from a possible world championship. He has been given some title matches, especially in the last calendar year, but it will take an adjustment in Morrison's attitude to get him that type of honor. It certainly is nothing about his incredible talent.

Yoshi Tatsu

Billed Height: 6'1"

Billed Weight: 206 lbs.

Yoshi Tatsu is one of the most exciting superstars in WWE today. Despite not being a champion yet in WWE, Tatsu possesses a bunch of talent and can be lethal to anyone who steps in his way.

Tatsu is actually not as young as it might be believed by the average WWE fan (he turns 34 next month), but his years of training and experience in New Japan Pro Wrestling made him a person to watch once he got used to the WWE style.

Don't sleep on Yoshi Tatsu.

Zach Gowen

Billed Height: 6'1"

Billed Weight: 169 lbs.

Zach Gowen captivated the WWE audience for his short time in the company. In 2003 and 2004, Gowen was in the middle of feuds with the likes of Mr. McMahon and Brock Lesnar. He never won any gold while in WWE, but his impact was a memorable part of the time in WWE.

Gowen will be remember for his disability of having just one leg and still performing fantastic moves despite that. At just 28 years old, Gowen has already traveled all over the world to wrestle.

Eddie Guerrero

Billed Height: 5'8"

Billed Weight: 220 lbs.

Eddie Guerrero is truly a Hall of Fame-caliber talent and his untimely death has done a lot to show how great Eddie truly was. Guerrero won a lot of championships in his time between WCW and WWE. Guerrero was a four-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners.

Guerrero won the Intercontinental, United States, European and Cruiserweight Championships two times each.

Most importantly, Eddie Guerrero was a WWE Champion in his career, an accomplishment that few on this list can claim.

Paul London

Billed Height: 5'10"

Billed Weight: 205 lbs.

Paul London may not even be a blip on many people's radar, but that is because this little guy is often one of the more underrated talents from his time in WWE.

In fact, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave him that exact title in 2004. London was a three-time tag team champion in WWE, as well as a former Cruiserweight Champion.

At just 31, a comeback in WWE wouldn't be completely out of the question, especially because London is dominating many of the independent promotions that he works with.

His promo skills are also as underrated as his in-ring abilities. Just look up some of his stuff from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Brian Kendrick

Billed Height: 5'8"

Billed Weight: 184 lbs.

Brian Kendrick is just as underrated as his former tag team partner, Paul London. Kendrick won both the WWE and World Tag Team titles with London and had the longest run with the WWE Tag Team titles since their inception.

Once he broke off as a solo competitor, he helped to usher in Ezekiel Jackson as he would strut to the ring and use his innovative offense on opponents.

He even earned a spot in a Championship Scramble match and scored a pinfall in the match.

Jamie Noble

Height: 5'7" (billed 5'9")

Billed Weight: 202 lbs.

Jamie Noble was a great competitor in WWE that was kept close to the Cruiserweights. Noble won the Cruiserweight title on only one occasion, but was one of the best in the weight class before the title became defunct.

Among other notable accomplishments for Noble is that he once held the world championship in Ring of Honor. The man he won the title from is none other than CM Punk.

Tyson Kidd

Billed Height: 5'10"

Billed Weight: 199 lbs.

If you can get past the weird hairstyle from Tyson Kidd, there is a lot of raw talent that is waiting to be recognized there.

Kidd held the Unified Tag Team titles in WWE as a member of The Hart Dynasty before the titles were replaced with the ugly belts we know today.

We can only hope that Tyson Kidd's time comes before his release does, because this kid (no pun intended) has a chance to be something big in this business.

Chris Benoit

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 220 lbs.

I'll say this off the bat. If I hear anything about Chris Benoit's death or any of his actions surrounding that, those comments will be marked as offensive and sent to Bleacher Report for review. There are no exceptions for that.

With that said, Chris Benoit has been a great competitor throughout his career. All in all, he won 20 championships between WCW and WWE, including a world championship in each promotion.

Combined, Benoit was a six-time tag team champion, a five-time United States Champion, a four-time Intercontinental Champion, a three-time Television Champion, and won the Royal Rumble in 2004.

He made many larger opponents tap out and few have been more technically sound than Benoit.

Owen Hart

Billed Height: 5’10”

Billed Weight: 227 lbs.

Owen Hart is a great talent in WWE history. Hart has won tag team gold four times, was a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a former European Champion, and was the 1994 King of the Ring. He was also a member of both The Hart Foundation and The Nation of Domination.

Owen ended up being a victim of The Hart Family’s success. His brother, Bret, is often remembered as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, while his father, Stu, is the benchmark for what wrestling trainers hope to be like. Owen had a solid career, but it never quite measured up to other family members.

What may have ruined Owen Hart’s legacy the most was his untimely death. Much like others who die too young in their crafts, Owen’s accomplishments end up getting embellished slightly.

While Owen had a good and solid career, his line of accomplishments gets held up similar to a struggling artist selling art after their death.

Daniel Bryan

Billed Height: 5’10”

Billed Weight: 192 lbs.

Whether you call him Daniel Bryan or Bryan Danielson, you have to call him one of the best around today. Bryan has been recognized by Wrestling Observer Newsletter as one of the best in the world consistently.

The newsletter has crowned Bryan the Best Technical Wrestler every year from 2005-2010, the Most Outstanding Wrestler every year from 2006-2010, and even the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Decade (2000-2009).

In WWE, Bryan is already a former United States Champion and looks to be poised for more. If not, Bryan could walk away and be the most coveted free agent wrestler in history.

Hornswoggle

Billed Height: 4'4"

Billed Weight: 130 lbs.

I hate that I have to put Hornswoggle in this, but I almost feel like I have to. Even though I think that he has overstayed his welcome, he is still talented enough to have made it to WWE in the first place.

I give him credit for being a Cruiserweight Champion, even if he was the last one in the title's history, which has angered fans for years.

Hornswoggle has had a lot of great moments thus far. However, can we all wave goodbye to Hornswoggle if it means that we can keep a great young guy with the company?