View source for WWF Light Heavyweight Championship

{{Short description|Former professional wrestling championship}}
{{Infobox pro wrestling championship
|image=File:WWF Light Heavyweight belt.jpg
|caption=The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship belt with the WWF scratch logo<br>({{circa|2001}})
|championshipname=WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
|promotion=[[Universal Wrestling Association]] (March 26, 1981{{snd}}June 16, 1995)<br>[[Michinoku Pro Wrestling]] (June 16, 1995{{snd}}November 5, 1997)<br>[[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] (November 5, 1997{{snd}}March 8, 2002)
|firstchamp=[[Perro Aguayo]]<br/>[[Taka Michinoku]] (as per WWE's official title history)
|finalchamp=[[X-Pac]]
|created=March 26, 1981<br/>December 7, 1997 (as per WWE's official title history)
|mostreigns=[[Perro Aguayo]] and [[Villano III]]<br />([[List of WWF Light Heavyweight Champions|7 reigns]])
|longestreign=[[Villano III]] (826 days)
|shortestreign=[[Perro Aguayo]] and [[Scotty 2 Hotty]] (8 days)
|oldest=[[Perro Aguayo]] (43 years, 9 months)
|youngest=[[Mr. Águila|Essa Rios]]<br />(21 years, 63 days)
|heaviest=[[Shinjiro Otani]] ({{convert|236|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
|lightest=[[The Great Sasuke]]<br />({{convert|180|lb|kg st|abbr=on}})
|titleretired=March 8, 2002 
|pastnames=* UWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1981–1995)
* MPW Light Heavyweight Championship (1995–1997)
* WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1997–2002)}}

The '''WWF Light Heavyweight Championship''' was a [[professional wrestling championship]] in the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by [[Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|light heavyweights]] at a maximum weight of {{convert|215|lb|abbr=on}} (before deactivation, the weight limit was changed to {{convert|220|lb|abbr=on}}). 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 [[Historical revisionism|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 [[D-Generation X: In Your House|December 7, 1997]]. It was retired on March 8, 2002, with [[Sean Waltman|X-Pac]] as the final champion.

== History ==
===1997 tournament===
{{8TeamBracket 
| RD1=Quarterfinals<br/>{{small|(''[[Raw is War]]'')}}
| RD2=Semifinals<br/>{{small|(''Raw is War'')}}
| RD3=Finals<br/>{{small|(''[[D-Generation X: In Your House]]'')}}
| RD1-seed1=Nov. 3
| RD1-seed2=[[Hershey, Pennsylvania|Hershey]]
| RD1-team1='''[[Mr. Águila|Águila]]'''
| RD1-team2=[[Super Crazy|Super Loco]]
| RD1-score1=Pin
| RD1-score2=&nbsp;&nbsp;5:12&nbsp;&nbsp;
| RD1-seed3=Nov. 10
| RD1-seed4=[[Ottawa]]
| RD1-team3='''[[Taka Michinoku]]'''
| RD1-team4=[[Crowbar (wrestler)|Devon Storm]]
| RD1-score3=Pin
| RD1-score4=5:00
| RD1-seed5=Nov. 11<sup>1</sup>
| RD1-seed6=[[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]]
| RD1-team5=Eric Shelley
| RD1-team6='''[[Scotty 2 Hotty|Scott Taylor]]'''<sup>4</sup>
| RD1-score5=Pin
| RD1-score6=5:27
| RD1-seed7=Nov. 24
| RD1-seed8=[[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]]
| RD1-team7='''[[Brian Christopher]]'''
| RD1-team8= [[Flash Flanagan]]
| RD1-score7=Pin
| RD1-score8=3:30
| RD2-seed1=Nov. 25<sup>2</sup>
| RD2-seed2=[[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]
| RD2-team1=Águila
| RD2-team2='''Taka Michinoku'''
| RD2-score1=Pin
| RD2-score2=&nbsp;&nbsp;6:19&nbsp;&nbsp;
| RD2-seed3=Nov. 25<sup>2</sup>
| RD2-seed4=Roanoke
| RD2-team3=Scott Taylor
| RD2-team4='''Brian Christopher'''
| RD2-score3=Forf<sup>3</sup>
| RD2-score4=
| RD3-seed1=Dec. 7
| RD3-seed2=[[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]]
| RD3-team1='''Taka Michinoku'''
| RD3-team2=Brian Christopher
| RD3-score1=Pin
| RD3-score2=&nbsp;12:00&nbsp;
}}
'''Notes:'''<br/>
<sup>1</sup> {{small|This match aired on November 17.}}<br/>
<sup>2</sup> {{small|These matches aired on December 1.}}<br/>
<sup>3</sup> {{small|Christopher won by forfeit after [[Glenn Jacobs|Kane]] chokeslammed Taylor before Christopher made his way to the ring, leaving Taylor unable to compete.}}<br />
<sup>4</sup> {{small|Per brackets displayed early in the tournament, [[Jerry Lynn]] was originally slated to face Eric Shelley. He was replaced by Scott Taylor.}}

===Title deactivation===
In March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW). Following the conclusion of the [[The Alliance (professional wrestling)|Invasion]] angle at the [[Survivor Series (2001)|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>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/lightheavyweight/|title=Light Heavyweight Championship History|publisher=WWE.com|access-date=2007-07-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/cruiser/|title=History of the Cruiserweight Championship|publisher=WWE.com|access-date=2008-02-19}}</ref>

== Reigns ==
{{Main|List of WWF Light Heavyweight Champions}}
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==
*[[WCW Light Heavyweight Championship]]
* [[WWA Light Heavyweight Championship]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080915182607/http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/97.htm 1997 WWF event results]
*[http://prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/titletny.html#lt97 1997 tournament results]
*[http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/lightheavyweight/ WWF Light Heavyweight Title History]
*[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/wwf-lh.html Wrestling-Titles.com: WWF World Light Heavyweight Title]
*[http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/cruiser/ WWE Cruiserweight Championship Title History]
*[https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=15 WWF Light Heavyweight Title in Cagematch.com database]

{{WWF Light Heavyweight Championship}}
{{WWE Championships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wwf Light Heavyweight Championship}}
[[Category:Light heavyweight wrestling championships]]
[[Category:Universal Wrestling Association championships]]
[[Category:WWE championships]]