Huge news broke on this week's Monday Night Raw when it was announced that the Cruiserweight Division will make a return to WWE. The date of its return is the 19th of Septemeber. This is a key date as it occurs the week following the Cruiserweight Classic Finals which are on September 14th. It is also the week before the Clash of Champions PPV occurring on the 25th of September.

A History of the Cruiserweight Division in WWE

The Cruiserweight Division has its roots in WCW but when it went bust WWE took on the Cruiserweight Division following Survivor Series 2001. Gregory Helms has the longest reign at 385 days losing it in a Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out 2007 to Chavo Guerrero. WCW's Psicosis has the shortest reign which only lasted roughly an hour. Rey Mysterio Jr has the most reigns at 8 (5 in WCW, 3 in WWE). While 3 women have also held the illustrious championship. Madusa, Daffney and WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline. The title was decommissioned in 2008 with Hornswoggle being the last person to hold the Cruiserweight Championship.

Rey Mysterio a proud Cruiserweight Champion (photo:givemesport.com)

 WWE's Modern Cruiserweight Situation

So It is clear to see that WWE does indeed hold the division in high regard. So much so that on June 23rd of this year WWE began the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Classic with 32 of the world's best cruiserweights taking part. The list of CWC competitors is a stellar list of the divisions elite such as Zack Sabre Jr, Noam Dar, TJ Perkins, Kota Ibushi & Jack Gallagher. While some of the faces are also familiar to NXT fans with Rich Swann and Johnny Gargano participating. While Brian Kendrick is trying to re-establish himself in the WWE.

Kota Ibushi one of the CWC Favourites  (photo:philly.com)

What has been fascinating throughout the CWC is the different styles of each of the competitors. We see Lucha Libre, Technical & Strong Style to name but a few which makes it a unique event. It has also provided a platform for the entire field to make a name for themselves on professional wrestling's biggest stage (WWE). As each week progress the matches have been getting more and more special. Many of the WWE Universe have picked Cedric Alexander v "The Golden Star" Kota Ibushi or Johnny Gargano v Tommaso Ciampa as the best match so far. So it is clearly evident that as we look forward to the Cruiserweight Division make its return it's gonna bigger and better than ever.

Many fans match of the tournament so far (photo:youtube.com)

Who makes the cut for the Cruiserweight Division?

With the Cruiserweight Division making a return, it's going to need a huge talent pool. As of this moment in time four names have been confirmed for the return of the division.

  1. Rich Swann- Everybody knows what this man is capable of as he has been involved in NXT for a while now and he will be looking to hit new heights in WWE's Cruiserweight Division.
  2. Noam Dar- Arguably one of the biggest names to come from the British Independent wrestling scene. At just 23 years of age, he will be one for the future while also looking to make a name for himself in WWE.
  3. Brian Kendrick- Now I do not need to go into detail on Kendrick's history in WWE he will be looking to re-establish himself within WWE.
  4. TJ Perkins- Many people may remember this young kid as Manik in TNA. His mix of high-flying and technical wrestling will keep you on the edge of your seat.

So with these four as a starting block, along with the possible signing of Cedric Alexander, WWE's new look Cruiserweight Division looks like it could be a show-stealing division. No, it is not known at this time if the winner of the CWC will become the new Cruiserweight Champion or if the champion is crowned at Clash of Champions but the whole picture looks bright for the 205 pound and under division.

(photo:mindofcarnage.com)