WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
Template:Short description Template:Infobox pro wrestling championship
The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of Template:Convert (before deactivation, the weight limit was changed to Template:Convert). It was created on March 26, 1981, for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) in a partnership between the WWF and UWA. On June 16, 1995, the title moved to Michinoku Pro Wrestling, but due to WWF's ownership of the title, it was returned to the WWF in 1997, the year which WWE recognizes as the beginning of the championship's lineage. The inaugural champion in UWA was Perro Aguayo, however, the WWE considers the inaugural champion to be Taka Michinoku, with his reign beginning on December 7, 1997. It was retired on March 8, 2002, with X-Pac as the final champion.
History
1997 tournament
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Title deactivation
In March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following the conclusion of the Invasion angle at the 2001 Survivor Series pay-per-view, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was abandoned in favor of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship (a unification match at Survivor Series was cancelled due to X-Pac's injury). The Light Heavyweight Championship was defended by X-Pac at house shows until March 8, 2002, when the WWF finally deactivated the title. Simultaneously, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship was rebranded as the WWF Cruiserweight Championship. It would become the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in accordance with the company's name change in May 2002, and it would be defended until September 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reigns
Template:Main The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was first introduced in Japan in a tournament which ended with Perro Aguayo defeating Gran Hamada to become the first recognized champion. It then migrated to the US West Coast before transitioning to Mexico and then later being defended once again in Japan by way of the Michinoku Pro Wrestling promotion. The title would later become popularized and widely defended within the confines of the World Wrestling Federation in 1997, when a tournament was held in the United States to crown a champion. Before the tournament, the title was previously considered a part of the much venerated J-Crown.
See also
References
External links
- 1997 WWF event results
- 1997 tournament results
- WWF Light Heavyweight Title History
- Wrestling-Titles.com: WWF World Light Heavyweight Title
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship Title History
- WWF Light Heavyweight Title in Cagematch.com database
Template:WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Template:WWE Championships